We got to the point where we were tired of B using our stomaches as a trampoline.  When I say the kid has legs, I mean he has legs.  I mean seriously.  His mom was a gymnast and jumps horses.  I think strength is in the genes.

It was time to get something for him to jump on other than Granny and Mom.  We headed to Walmart to see what we could buy.  We settled on the Bright Starts Bouncer.

I warned Maggie that assembly will be required. By her.  She was up for the task.

One of the benefits of being a single mom with no man around is that when a toy is put together, DIRECTIONS WILL BE READ.  I credit this with how quickly Maggie was able to assemble the bouncer.

I told her “just wait until Christmas Eve”….. *blinks*

B loves his bouncer, and he spends a lot of time in it.  And he’s sure glad his mom is handy with instructions.  Now we are off to bounce!

Review product received and affiliate links included y’all

I never thought I’d call a high chair beautiful, but Stokke gave me a reason to.  We love the Stokke Tripp Trapp  and when it comes to baby furniture, well it’s the prettiest piece we own.  By a long shot.  When my kids were young, they sat in a plastic  high chair that wouldn’t match anyone’s decor unless they lived in a box of gummy worms.  One look at the Tripp Trapp and you know this is a quality piece of furniture.

And it will grow with B from his first bite of food, and even into adulthood.  You’ll see by the grooves that it can be adjusted as your child grows up.

Since B is just learning to sit up, we had the infant seat adaptor installed.  We also bought the tray that attaches to it in case he makes a mess.

In case?   I mean when….

The straps are attached keeping him in the seat.    

Now we have a high chair that is sturdy, matches the decor of our family area and will last as long as it’s needed, and will most likely be passed on to other kids in the family.   It’s a bit pricey, but to know you have a piece of furniture that will last.  And look good at the same time.

And it makes for good bird watching too.

I can’t recommend this enough.  It’s definitely worth putting the money into it.  And if the walnut color that we got doesn’t match your decor, it comes in an assortment of colors.  Something for every home.

If you have this chair we’d love to know what you think!  If you want to check them out, you’ll find them online, and in Richmond at Weebsworld in the West End.

Review product received and affiliate links included y’all

Review product received and affiliate links included y’all….

Dear Mom,

I’d love to get you a Kindle Fire HD for Mother’s Day because I know it would brighten your day.  You can do so much on it – it’s like a tablet, only affordable.  It’s not just for reading books and magazines.  With apps like twitter and facebook – the ones YOU really love – it is the perfect gift for you.  And I know you are probably thinking it’s partly selfish on my part because there are some great stuffs – videos, books, apps and games - I could play with and watch like my all my Nick buddies and Sesame Street and who doesn’t love Dora?  Well you might be a wee bit right.

I’m not saying that you’d have to share the Kindle, but I’m saying you COULD…without worrying about me reading those books you read like 50 Shades of Vampires or whatever it is.  They have this cool thing called Kindle FreeTime Unlimited.  You set the password, allows me access to only the things I’m allowed to see. You can control what I see and how much time I’m allowed to spend on it. It’s pretty cool and worth checking out.

Oh and by the way, you look really good in that shirt – did you change your hair?  I know all the kids are jealous that I have the hot fun mom.  Anyway, back to the Kindle.

I’d even let you get the super cute Kate Spade cover for it.  I’m totally cool with that.

Here’s a look at the screengrabs of the app.

The content I’m allowed to see is MY kind of content.

And at $2.99 per month it’s affordable even on a tight budget.  We don’t want to cut into your Hershey and Sour Patch Kids savings, Mom!

Brilliant, right?  Just like YOU.

I hope I – I mean you – enjoy it.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Beck

Review product received and affiliate links included y’all….opinions are Beck’s – I mean MY own.

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Microsoft. It was an all expense paid trip. I received a Windows computer and phone as well as other goodies to enhance my learning experience.

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Microsoft Campus Tour event in Seattle. In order to participate a little better, they upgraded me to a new computer with Windows8 and Office 365 Home Premium. My new HP ENVY X2 is so incredible!

What I love about the HP ENVY X2 is that it doubles as a tablet and a laptop. With the slide of a button, you can detach the screen from the keyboard for full tablet use. This also means my computer is touchscreen, even when attached to the keyboard!

So here’s what I love about Windows 8 so far (I’ve only had this for a few days!):

Friendly start screen interface

All of the tiles are so colorful and welcoming! It makes me feel like I’ve leaped into the future.

I don’t have to rely on the Apps

You can switch to the desktop, which is just another tile on your tart screen, that has the look and feel of operating a Windows 7 computer. Being both a Mac and Windows 7 user, it is making the adjustment a little easier.

The APPS!

When you use an app, they are full screen for a full immersion into the app. The seamless scrolling through is so great because YOU dictate what you see in the app.

There are also some great time killing apps that we learned about such as “FreshPaint” and “How to draw a stick man”.

Skydrive

With Skydrive you get full integration of ALL of your devices, even your Macs and Android devices. Storage is affordable, and you can access documents, pictures, and pretty much your life on any device. For those lacking a Skydrive app, the Skydrive website is a great way o log into any computer to access what you want. All you need is a microsoft account which is 100% free to get.

Battery Life on devices

I’ve charged this computer 3 TIMES since I’ve had it and I’ve been using it every day, almost all day. Same thing goes for my new windows phone! I had about 10-15% left on the device and was still able to take a million photos, text, and call  for a little more than an hour without it dying. My iPhone, on the other hand, didn’t make it.

So there you have it! That’s what I love about Windows 8. However, there are some things I wish were different.

Lack of certain apps

An easy thing to fix, but a lot of apps that I’m used to using on a regular basis aren’t available  YET on a windows 8 device. There are ways around it though, for instance, using your desktop. I’m a big Spotify user; we have a subscription and I never have to buy my music again. I had to download Spotify from the web to use it, when I wish it was in App form.

Sometimes my computer won’t let me use my track pad

Being a touchscreen computer, I switch back and forth frequently between using my track pad and touching the screen to select things. Sometimes, however, I have to restart my computer because my track pad stops working. I haven’t tried using an external mouse just yet (these are, after all, my first impressions)

A lot of my issues with Windows 8 are small and there are fixes for them. We can’t always get what we want, and in his age of technology where things have to be instantaneous, working around things can be tedious and frustrating. It’s all a matterr of getting used to a new device with a new operating system. Overall, I’m very happy with Windows 8 and I’m glad to say I will be making the switch.

This week I’ve learned how to actually use Windows and Office (which was why I switched to Mac in the first place way back when). It all makes sense now, and already I feel more organized especially with OneNote which I can’t wait to tell you all about!

I’m a VZVoice Ambassador and received the Blackberry Z10 to review.  

I love the camera on tis phone.  You’ll love it too.  The photos I’ve taken are awesome… clear, sharp and the colors are perfect, even in low light.

What’s best and what will have me wondering if I should keep this as my phone is the Time Shift mode.  Here is a video showing how it works.  Be ready to be amazed.

This comes in handy with a moving baby.  I mean does he ever sit still? While most of the images in the gallery are blurry, I’m bound to find one where he’s got the right face.

This feature will come in handy for family photos – you can actually choose which face works for which person with the face recognition feature.  Then find the best shot for each one.  No more blinking catastrophes!

Two days down for Grannycation (the name I created for my 4 day all day all night Beckathon while Maggie is at Microsoft having fun being a blogger)….

Two days in and I’m toast.  Not bad toast.  Good toast.  But I’m freakin’ exhausted.  B is too.

I realize today how easy I have it compared to my daughter.  It will be noon and I feel like it must be dinner time.  The days are long and tiring. I get nothing done.  Nothing. And it was different when I stayed home with my kids.  I chose to stay home with them.  Maggie went into the hospital one day and came out the next with a baby to raise all by herself.  She’s still adjusting to her new life 5 months in.  A life I know she’d never trade for anything.

I have so much respect for Maggie and everything she does. I’m so glad she can enjoy her time in Seattle.

Grannycation.  Yes it’s been busy for me, but I’m not doing it alone.  We’ve had visitors to make the days go by.  Which is good because B doesn’t like to spend time alone.  B loves people.  He truly does.  He lights up whenever you talk to him and while he may be a bit needy, you can tell he loves us.  Really loves us. We spent the mornings lying on the floor on our mat and he’d turn his head to me and smile and squirm like he was so excited I was laying there with him.

Lying on the floor makes you realize how badly you need to vacuum and dust.

So we called Uncle D on day 1 to see if he wanted to come over and help while I cleaned.  Now this is up for interpretation, but I swear Beck said “D” twice when he got there.  He loves to be with his Uncle Derek, which thrills me since he’ll be the only male figure in his life for now. And by the looks of it, Uncle D is smitten too.

Aunt Coco and Knox came today to help a little in the afternoon.  We even took a ride in the car with Knox riding shotgun and me in the back with Beck.  He thought it was cool that Granny could sit in the back with him and the car still moved.

Two more days.  I’m going to cherish each one.  Has anyone ever said “I wish I’d spent less time with my grandson?”  Not happening here.  I’m enjoying every exhausted spitting screaming laughing sleeping on my chest minute and wishing I could have more.

When I was a litte baby and even a child, I loved doing the whole, Fly Baby thing. My sister would prop me up with her feet on my stomach and holding my hands I would fly. I love flying, in planes, jumping horses, swinging on swings, and basically anything else that has you suspended in air for a period of time. It’s no wonder that Little B likes it too, he gets it from his mommy.

So you can see why I am really excited about Disney Pixar’s new film, Planes, which hits theaters August 9th, 2013. Similar to the movie Cars, Planes is about a little single-prop plane named Dusty who wants to be a high-speed racer plane, even though he isn’t exactly built for that and he doesn’t like heights. He enlists the help of a season naval aviator to help him qualify for the big racing challenge.

I think of it as Top Gun for kids. It even has Iceman and Goose in it disguised as “Bravo” and “Echo”. 

Here’s a little sneak peek, because I love you:

Stats:

Age: 4 months

Weight: 13 lbs 5 oz.

Height (length?): 25.5 inches

Firsts: First trip to the Petting zoo, and he rolled over from his back to his tummy twice…when I wasn’t looking. Little sneaky devil. He had his first play date with my friend Meg, too!

Mischief: not napping in his crib and fussing when mommy leaves the room.

Favorites: His girraffe lovie, exersaucer, Tylenol (he  will suck on the tube. I guess it tastes really good!)

Everyday is a little different since we hit the 4 month mark. There is a lack of consistency and a lack of ability to nap or sleep on our own. I blame what I believe to be teething.

So a day in teh life…

Let’s go with the days that happen the most,  shall we? The good days.

Little B wakes me up around 4 am to eat. I go ahead and pump out the other  girl while he eats. We both go back to bed and he wakes up around 6-7.

I give B his morning dose of Zantac mixed with some gripe water because that seems to be the only way he’ll take it. If I try the syringe, he just spits it out. Luckily, he likes this medicine pacifier so I put the medicine in and just fill the rest with gripe water. He sips it down very nicely that way!

For about 2 hours he’ll play in his exersaucer which he seems to love. He’s already figured out what each toy does! My little boy is so smart!

Afte rplay time and mommy gets some breakfast and coffee, he takes a little nap and I can try to get some homework or blogging done. Sleeping in his crib lasts about 20-30 minutes, then he wakes up, realizes I’m not there, and just falls asleep on my chest in really awkward positions. When he wakes up, he eats, we change the diaper, and then Sesame Street is on, so we watch that. This pretty much repeats with naps every 2-3 hours for about 30 minutes at the most.

He still eats every 2 hours which is really  annoying, but I’m dealing.

Side note: With his dairy and egg allergies, his doctor thought it would be best to hold off on solids for a little longer. But I am very excited for him to start so he can use his Stokke high chair that is just collecting dust…

When Granny comes home from work, we have dinner and B plays in his exersaucer some more and shows Granny all of his cool tricks. Around 7 we start to wind down, I feed him from my boobs one last time, and we get ready for a bath. By 8:30 we have given him a bath, “motioned” (that’s apparently what I called lotion when I was a wee wittle child) him up and he’s in his jammies ready for his big bottle which he will fall asleep during.

We’ve been giving him a 4-5 oz bottle of soy formula at night to see if a full tummy helps him sleep. (I pump while he eats  to keep the supply up and help build a supply in the freezer) It worked for a little, and  then the “teething” got bad. Now he wakes up every 2 hours. I have been giving him acetaminophen when he first wakes up (around 12 or 2) because nothing else seems to work.

I’m currently taking teething solution suggestions. We have tried cold cloths, which just piss him off, and he will chew on his Sophie the Giraffe for about 5 minutes and then he gets pissed off….Help!?

I remember, very vividly, a time in my life where I wasn’t sure I could be any happier. I had a lot going for me: I was homeschooling myself, I was an accomplished equestrian  at a great university, and a boyfriend with whom I was pretty darn happy. Could life get much better for an 18 year old? I could go out with friends and live a very care free life. I was having fun. Everything I did made me happy. It was like I sparkled.

Then I got pregnant.

I’m not saying having a baby ruined me…but I am. It was more of a situational thing versus the beautiful child, himself.

I’m not the same person anymore, at least, I don’t feel like I am. Nothing is about me, everything is about him. I don’t get to go out every weekend, if I get to go out at all. I don’t get to wake up at the crack of dawn to ride my horse, just the two of us. My life has flipped upside down. I go to school, but I’m lucky if I finish my work. I feel like someone came with a dust-buster and vacuumed up the glitter in my life. It’s like I woke up one day and POOF, sparkly feeling gone.

I don’t think that having a baby should slow me down. If anything it should make me work harder to get where I want to be. I’m not giving up on my dreams, but when your baby daddy leaves you and your son to pursue a career in the Air Force so he can “provide” for you (claiming not being there for his son and maybe not having a relationship with said child is “worth the risk”), you get a little bitter and a little more angry each day. Sometimes I just want to curl in a ball on the couch and veg out. Sometimes I just was to yell at him some more about “what the H were you thinking?“.

I’m trying to let go. I can pretend everyday that it doesn’t bother me, but everyday the fact that he is being held as a hero in certain people’s eyes when he has done something far from heroic really gets me to the bone. It’s eating me alive that no one seems to care about the effect this has on me.

I hate that this situation has made me a bitter person. I used to be really sassy and fun and I loved it. Now, I’m just a…well. We wont use the “B” word here.

So how exactly does one let go? Is that possible? Do I have to sit around and listen to the crap about how BD is going to do “the right thing?” I don’t think I should, and the more I worry about this situation and hide my sparkle the more bitter I will become. I fear I’m headed to a place where bitterness is very hard to get away from.

I feel the need to cut some people out of my life. They only add to the stress of being a single mom and full-time student. Lord, give me the strength to follow through. Maybe, just maybe, without these people I can finally find my sparkle again.