Should your kids see The Wolverine?

Awesome Mamarazzi Event!

Alright, kids. You know what came out last night? The Wolverine. Thanks to The MOMS, we prescreened the movie and partook in a little interview with the star and hunk of the year, Hugh Jackman, afterwards. Is it suitable for your kids to see with you? How was it?

~*Spoilers Ahead!*~

Movie Weekend: Monsters University

Headed to the movies this weekend to see Monsters University? We saw it early to make sure it was worthwhile for you.

It’s a tale of  inspiration, striving to meet your goals, being yourself, and friendship, and it made my friend and I get really emotionally attached to the hopes and dreams of Mike Wazowski. This time we’re introduced to the Monsters, Inc. cast as budding freshmen at Monsters University, the top school for scarers and engineers alike in the monster world.

Mike is studying hard to be the top scarer of the class (complete with retainer and his friendly roommate Randall) when he meets Jimmy Sullivan, of the Sullivan scarer family, who is a Roar Omega Roar-in-training with the levels of confidence he exudes. His one problem? He’s scary, but he has none of Mike’s finesse. Events lead our favorite monstrous duo to needing to train up the least-scary fraternity on campus, Oozma Kappa (literally OK), to be the fiercest scaring students on campus. They butt heads, but as we know from their future in Monsters, Inc., they eventually become friends.

The movie is beautifully animated and the voice actors were spot-on. Most amusingly, they really, dead-on portrayed a monster’s college life. Studying, intimidating deans, campus littered with fraternities and sororities doing insane things, that one guy in class you wouldn’t mind knocking down a peg or two, teachers that you work hard to make them see your value, everything! They even had some great side characters in passing, most memorably the hippie monster singing in the grass with his guitar.

Multiplicity Magazine Spring Issue

Spring has sprung which means our latest issue of Multiplicity Magazine has launched! Click the link below and read all about it.

Want a printed copy or want to download a copy to read later, Multiplicity is now on MagCloud by HP.

Articles you’ll find in this issue:

Sleep training twins – you CAN do the impossible! Pg.7
Is your family prepared for a disaster? Pg. 10
Need a little TLC? How to make some YOU time! Pg. 12
Celebrating Earth Day in lots of little waysPg. 15
Exercise? When? – 10 ways to squeeze it into your busy day! Pg. 16
Do your kids eat healthy? If not, find out how to make it happen Pg. 20
It’s never too early to childproof your home Pg. 24
Great Family Getaways – Tips for traveling to some of America’s greatest places! Pg. 26
Product Buzz Pg. 30
Healthy snacks from Petit Pg. 33
Appy Spring! Apps the whole family can enjoy Pg. 35
Ready for a change? Try 12 Months to Toxin Free! Pg. 36
Things Every Mom Should Know when traveling Pg. 40
The Low Down on the Baby Blues for reading this spring! Pg. 43
Book Review – Audio book ideas Pg. 46
Separate or Not? Twin placement in schools Pg. 48
Creative (and Cost-Friendly) Camps for your backyard Pg. 51
Color is the name of the game this spring. Check out our Fashion Finds for Less Pg. 54
Five Minute Fix – Love the outdoors? Bring it in! Pg. 59
Feeding your family by gardening Pg. 60
Do Something Good – featuring Moms of Multiples Chicago/North Suburbs Pg. 64

“Never Be Afraid” – Should you go to see The Croods?

Are you going to see The Croods with your family on March 22? Twiniversity saw it early to make sure it’s appropriate for your little ones.

The story begins with Eep, a headstrong cavegirl living with her family in the middle of a desert land. Her father, Grug, keeps her, her mother Ugga, her brother Thunk, her little sister Sandy, and her grandmother safe by making sure they are strong, fast, and most importantly, stay inside the cave and “never be not afraid”. All of their neighbors died in a variety of tragic ways (stepped on by a mammoth, crushed by a rock, etc.) and Grugtakes his job to keep his family safe very, very seriously.

Eep, being a teenage girl, wants to go outside and run wild and free, and clashes with her father frequently. One night she leaves the cave chasing fire (“It’s a baby sun! Hello, fiiiiiire!”) and meets Guy. Guy is, as you may have guessed, a caveguy, and tells Eep (with dramatic intonations by Belt, his sloth sidekick) that the world is coming to an end. He wants to take her to a land called Tomorrow.

Will Eep and her family make it out alive? Will she and Grug ever get along? Will she and Guy live happily ever after?

I spent the entire movie either laughing or crying. The jokes were on point, the animation was absolutely stunning, and the emotional moments tugged at your heartstrings just right.

Should you see this film? Absolutely. You could see it with or without kids: the storyline is classic, and I was blown away by how beautiful it was. Even the 3D was well-done, and I wasn’t left with my usual headache.

The scariest parts of the movie are when you think a character might die: that happens very frequently in several moments one right after the other towards the end. Fortunately, no harm, no foul, and you’re left smiling.

Eep is an amazing female protagonist, and I look forward to seeing what your little ones think of her. She promotes feminine strength wonderfully: Guy thinks she’s incredible when she’s hunting down dinner, and one of my favorite moments is when she falls on top of him. “You’re – so – heavy!” “Thank you!!”

I don’t know if any of you have ever seen the Nic Cage Saturday Night Live skit, but there are two key qualities for every Nic Cage movie, and as he voices Grug, they of course appear in this film as well. 1) All his dialogue is either whispered or shouted, and 2) everything is on fire.

You’ll really appreciate that as you watch The Croods.

In an interview with the writers of the film, Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco, after the movie, they said that one of the main themes of the movie was to keep communication open between parents and children so that children don’t break the rules, you just grow together. That is clearly shown in the movie, and is a wonderfully strong message.

In summary: See this movie. Take your kids, go on a date, whatever works. It’s a worthwhile experience for you and your children, and sure to be a favorite. By the end of the movie, Grug’s mantra “never be not afraid” turns into “never be afraid”. That’s a message I’m comfortable leaving my twinnies with.

A big thank-you to The MOMs for the invite to this amazing screening!

Happy Birthday Multiplicity. Read our latest issue and win.

Blow out the candles, Multiplicity Magazine has turned 1 and our latest issue is now available.

Click the cover to read.

In our latest issue you’ll find articles on reading readiness (p.10), bringing some animal appeal to your home (p.40), best winter apps (p.30), the art of efficiency (p. 28) and making your home scream free (p.6) and MUCH more.

But wait…there’s more! For the next 8 weeks, Multiplicity wants to celebrate with YOU! Find out this week’s Birthday Celebration Giveaway and enter today.

Celebrate the Season with Twiniversity and Safari Ltd.

The Twiniversity Gang is very excited to announce that on December 1st we will begin our 24 Days of Twinnies Celebration sponsored by Safari Ltd.

After the overwhelming response from our awesome Summer Safari Week, Safari Ltd is back once more with tons of prizes for some of the outstanding sets of twinnies in our group.

From December 1st through December 24th Twiniversity will feature a set of amazing multiples from around the globe. Each day a family will be chosen, featured, and then rewarded with a hand selected prize courtesy of Safari Ltd.

Safari Ltd. has become a staple here in the Diaz house no matter if we are at the beach or just playing around the living room, there is usually a Safari Ltd. replica within arms reach. Just recently their Chimera got a hold of a My Little Pony. Chaos ensued along with a ton of laughter. My twins has really enjoyed their amazing replica’s while I’ve enjoyed the educational value they have brought to my twins play time.

Check out all the amazing creatures, figures, and more on their website where you don’t have to wait on any Black Friday lines. Not only are their creative products “one size fits all” but they will last for generations to come. This year, we are even hanging some on our holiday tree! Check back daily for details on who our twinnies will be and some of the amazing things our Safari Ltd characters are up to!

Think your twinnies would like to be featured and win prizes, email Community@Twiniversity.com for more details.

Happy Holidays!

-Nat and the Diaz Duo

The Multiplicity Fall Issue is Here!

It’s finally here, the fall edition of Multiplicity Magazine!

In this issue you will find articles on the holidays, handwriting, and helpful hints and about a million other great finds (ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but trust us, it’s a great issue. Here is what we got in store for you in this issue:

Insert Boob Here (pg. 14)

Halloween Costume Ideas Photo Shoot (pg. 30)

What to do with leftover Halloween candy (pg. 12)

Finding Nemo 3D, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman. Should you take the kids?

The twinnies and I had the great opportunity to see some great kid films in the past few weeks and I figured I’d give you a heads up and a mini review of each. I know that personally I’m always thinking to myself “Is that a good movie for my monkeys?”. So here goes:

Finding Nemo 3D: (Release Date 9/14/12) This Disney Classic has been dusted off, updated in full 3D splendor allowing Nemo to hover between you and the screen. As always, Pixar goes above and beyond trying to create an extraordinary viewing experience that you and your kids can feel comfortable with. This classic tells the tale of a young fish who journey’s “Past the Reef” gets him captured. As he tries to get back home his father, Marlin, meets up with an unlikely match, Dori, who helps him try to get his son back home.

Should you take the family? Yes. There is nothing better then watching my kids giggle (and even scream in a good way) at the remarkable 3D effects. I always feel safe taking my kids to see a Disney flick. I know it will be fun, exciting, and appropriate, which you can’t say for some other kids movies these days. Disney even throws us a bone and added another Pixar Short into the movie. Partysaurus Rex! The twins LOVE Rex with is tiny arms and were very excited that he has his moment in the sun or the tub in this case. This short alone is worth the price of the crazy 3D prices.

Who should see it? This movie is for ALL ages. There is no minimum age restrictions. This is a pure “G” movie. 3 year old’s and grandparents alike will enjoy this classic story.

Hotel Transylvania: (Release Date 9/28/12) Ok, I admit it. I think I wanted to see this more then the twins. I LOVE the cast, Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Spade. Seriously, if this team can’t make me laugh, I don’t know who can. Plot: Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), owner of Hotel Transylvania, a five-star resort for the world’s monsters, invites some of the most famous monsters to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez). Unexpectedly visited by an ordinary young traveler named Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg), Dracula must protect and rescue Mavis from falling in love with him before it’s too late.

Oz The Great and Powerful

The countdown to Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful” has officially begun.

This updated classic tells the story of how Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013. I wish I could buy my tickets now!

The Triplets are coming one month from today!

Meet Harris, Hubert and Hamish! These identical triplet trio will be in a theater near you soon!

These little dudes are Merida’s (my daughter’s new role model) brothers.

The Diaz Duo is SUPER STOKED for June 22nd when Brave is officially released in theaters. Disney has done it again and created a heartwarming story for the whole family to enjoy and adding another Princess for our little chicks to look up to.

My daughter said "Finally...a princess who looks like me." Hey, we don't call my Baby A, "Red" for nothing.

In “Brave,” courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.