Friday, February 25, 2011

Featured Favorite Blogger Friday!- Jenny Beans Blog

So I decided to start something new this week and introduce my faithful readers to what I like to read.

I'm calling it "Featured Favorite Blogger Friday!" Very clever and snappy title, if I do say so myself.

This week we will we meeting Jenny Bean from the aptly titled, Jenny Beans Blog: The madcap adventures of a single woman who went to the bank to become a mommy.



I came across her blog on twitter well before I started my own and was instantly hooked. She has also been a loyal reader, commenter and supporter of this piddly little spot of mine, which I can't thank her enough.

Jenny took matters into her own hands and went the non-traditional route to motherhood by doing IVF from anonymous donors and has 2 of the cutest and most hilarious little Beans to show for it. She's out there showing the world, in her own funny way, how it's done...Bean style.

And by "Bean style" I mean with the help of a gaggle of family Beans including the live-in Papa who apparently has a thing for Match.com. Any takers?

Someone give Jennifer Aniston Jenny's number.

Meet all the Beans here.

Jenny

Jax Bean

Cutie Patootie Moose Bean

To help you get to know the Beans, here's a post called A Bean In The Oven. So head on over and take a stroll around Maison Bean and be sure to tell her I sent you.

Happy Reading!

Jenny: Like I said, can't thank you enough. Love you, love reading your comments and love the Beans. Cheers!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Bright Starts Pretty In Pink Walk-a-Bout Review

My little Princess Boogie Boo is getting so big. Every time we turn around she is doing something new. But what she is not doing yet it walking...

Luckily, I was recently contacted by Bright Starts to see if I would like to check out their new walker and I jumped at the chance. We have been using it for about a week now and I am ready for give my review...

Drum roll please.....

We LOVE it!

What's not to love! How stinkin' cute is this to begin with?


I know right? The colors are so cute and sweet, the attached toys are engaging, fun and allow for me to attach additional toys or a sippy cup holder.

Here's what Bright Starts has to say about it:

Learning to walk has never been this much fun! The Bright Starts™ Pretty in Pink™ Walk-a-Bout™ is perfect for baby girls who are on the move.  The high back seat provides extra support as baby is perfecting those steps and getting stronger.  Also, the 3 position height adjustment allows the Pretty in Pink™ Walk-a-Bout™ to grow with baby and be used over time.  3 fun toys and 2 links for attaching more toys will keep baby entertained while on the move.  The Pretty in Pink™ Walk-a-Bout™ conveniently folds for storage.
 

Here's what I have to say about it:

When it first comes out of the box, it is in a few pieces but I found it VERY easy to put together, even with a curious kid hanging on to your pants saying "Mama Mama Mama..." and I only smashed my finger once! And for someone who walks into walls pretty regularly, that's a great sign.

As I was first putting the seat portion together I noticed how easily the washable fabric comes off for cleaning and how narrow the seat itself is. This makes the walking motion easier as opposed to the more stiff or bulky fabric seats I've seen with other walkers. It also has 3 easily adjustable height differences and collapses down to a very low profile which is good for travel or storage. The base is more narrow then old bulky walkers but still very stable so I can see this being great for people in smaller homes, apartments or places with narrower hallways.

Now comes the real test, how would Boogie do in it? Now, this isn't our first rodeo when it comes to walkers. We were given a 5 year old hand-me-down boy themed walker a few months ago from my sister-in-law. Audrey hated it. She liked to play with with toys on the tray but all she would do it go backwards.

Sit her in. Watch her back into a wall. Turn her around. Watch her back into the opposite wall. Turn her around.

Rinse and repeat.

So I wasn't really expecting too much when I finally put her in it. Observe what happened next...




Do you notice anything about these photos Um, maybe that they are not in focus? Yeah hard to get good photos when THE KID WON'T SIT STILL!

It was amazing.

I put her in and off she went! IN A FORWARD DIRECTION! Like she had been doing it all along!

I had to take this video...



Does she look happy or what?

Also, notice I have all real wood floors which worried me at first since real wood can be damaged easily but so far I haven't seen one scratch, scrape or dent!

Next came a safety concern... We have a sunken formal living room that is now used as a play room that means a step...DOWN.

And it happened. I turned around and saw she was right on the edge and before I could run to save her life..... Hey wait, what happened? Why did Boogie just not plummet the 6 inches to her doom?

She's stuck. Stuck? Wha?




Those white strips are actually bumpers or stoppers, when they touch the ground they actually stop the walker from moving entirely. This is, in my opinion, the best feature for the type of house we have.

We even took the walker to test it out over at my in-law's house where she has tile floors and several area rugs since I was curious how it would do on those. The rugs didn't seem to slow her down one bit with the exception of one small one but it slides and has fringe so it was just moved out of the way while we were there.

They also have a back patio with a step which the safety stoppers worked perfectly on and a back walkway covered in pavers that was no match for my newly mobile monkey!

Momo & Papa's back patio.
In the end, everyone in the family is happy. Rutherford loves being chased up and down the hallways by a laughing and screaming Boogie. I love that I know I can set her in there and not have to worry about her trying to climb into the fireplace to eat rocks (Worlds Best Mom Award!) and that she is safe to run around to her little hearts content. The mutts surely feel safer knowing that they aren't going to squished and loved to death at any moment....but they do need to watch their tails. Beanie learned that one the hard way.

Check out my video wrap up with a cameo by Beanie, the menace wiener dog.



You can find more information on the Walk-a-Bout walker, as well as, where to buy and the entire line of Pretty In Pink toys, gear and accessories at www.kidsii.com!

Happy shopping, my friends!








I was given this walker by Kidsii PR with the purpose of doing this review. I was in no way compensated in exchange for a good review. I just really think this is awesome sauce. Now go buy their stuff.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Stupid Planes, Stupid People & Stupid Poop

Here I am blogging again. It must be because I don't have a job and have too much time on my hands. No seriously. I was told this by someone this past weekend as they were sitting in front of a computer. Reading my blog. And then looking right at me. Paraphrasing here but it was pretty much "Blogging is for people who don't work and have entirely too much time on their hands."

::nervous laugh::

Well, okay then...

This past weekend I flew back to California, Boogie in tow, for my BFF Trudy's bridal shower. The shower itself was beautiful and she made out like a bandit in the gift department, as she should. I made the mistake of PURCHASING my gift for her and flew it with me. Apparently, I didn't think I had enough to pack, what with the baby, the stroller, the car seat, her clothes, my clothes, diapers, formula, monitor, toys, food, etc....so I figured, what the heck, go ahead and throw THIS into the mix.
 Yes, that's a door mat. And yes, door mats are heavy. Duh. And yes, Southwest Airlines charges for obscenely heavy luggage. But I am smart! I broke out the digital scale in my bathroom and weighed my bag over and over till it was the appropriate 50 lbs! (That leaves the excess heavy stuff to go in my back pack because once again, I didn't have enough to strap to my body, what with the baby, food, formula, toys, bottles, water, diapers, etc....you get the picture.)

Okay, so I am apparently not that smart. And I am also in constant back pain since I've been home. But hey, she loved her door mat and isn't that what's important??

So the morning we flew out there was nothing to indicate there would be a problem, no poop filled red flags, but of course that's not how the Murphy's Law of motherhood works. Well, there was the night filled with crying, the unusually poopy diaper in the morning...oh and the 2 other poopy diapers before we left....but other than that, nothing unusual.

::face palm::

We finally make it to the airport, Rutherford helps with the extremely heavy and EXACTLY 50 pound bag (No bag fee baby! ::fist bump::), he sadly hugs and kisses his girls goodbye and off through security we go.

Our airport, fortunately and unfortunately, has a breeder lane. Fortunately, because we got to zoom past all the other sucka's waiting in the zigzag lines. Unfortunately, because I got to zoom ahead just to wait behind the family, with the screaming baby, the stressed out Mom, the confused grandparents (She's only going to ask you 1 more time to take off your shoes, Grandpa, before she taser's you), the pissy preteen with the attitude and the Dad who is ready to jump off the nearest bridge. Poor dude.

Let me show you how it's done, people.

I pop off the flip flops, take out the laptop, water/formula, throw the baby on the hip, kick the stroller closed with one foot and hop it on the conveyor...Like. A. Pro. I then sneak past the family from hell, give the Dad an "i feel ya, brother" look and  thru the xray I go....just to be sent back because Boogie has HER shoes on. Damn you Stride-Rite infant pre-walker shoe bombers!

Now here's where the weekend gets exciting...Picture this...

Boarding overly crowded, hot airplane with infant. Of course everyone sits on the aisle or window so there are a bunch of empty middle seats so I continue to walk towards the back of the plane when the flight attendant announces that the flight is packed so we all need to be civil and move our rears over to make room.

Just then a very nice woman moves to the middle seat and I ask if I can sit there. She says, yes, of course and even helps me with the worlds heaviest back pack as I get settled and grab a pre-made bottle for Boogie.

Now I don't know this but I am about to have, what will from then on be, the MOST awkward moment of my life because about 2 seconds after I sit down, the very nice lady then begins to FIGHT with her husband whom is sitting on the window.

Oh yeah. And not just the dirty look pissing match fighting that we all do with our other halves but the full on fighting.

Here's the best part: They are fighting about ME!

You read that right.

"I can't BELIEVE you let her sit there! She's got a BABY!"

"What did you want me to do? The flight is full!"

"But she has a BABY!"

"Be quiet, she can probably hear you!"

"She can't hear me!"

I can totally hear him.

They continue like this till, I kid you not, pretty much the entire flight. I finally lean over and tell him "I promise you, she's a very quiet baby!" ::awkward smile:: Then I give Boogie the don't-you-dare-make-a-noise death stare and pray she can read my mind.

He looks me right in the face and as sweetly as ever says to me, "Oh no worries! We LOVE kids! We have 2 boys at home and are thinking of having another once because we want a little girl like her!" Then gives his wife the nastiest look ever to which she says "Are you done yet?"

If he wasn't done yet, I sure was.

But wait! It gets better...

So now I'm sitting there, quietly BEGGING the kid not to make a sound, unless she wants to become a homewrecker before the age of 1...and then it happens.


Big.

Giant.

Poopy.

BLOWOUT.

Kill. Me. Now.

I've been there before, I know what I'm up against..just never been there in a square foot of personal space while wearing a cream poop covered shirt...so I, of course, freak out.

I immediately grab for the Diapees&Wipees, jump out of my seat and run for the back of the plane...not really noticing that we aren't really all the way in the air yet, still on that slow climb when walking around freely is not recommended...

Bitchy stewardess A: Um, the seat belt sign is still lit.

Me: Yeah I got that. ::lifts baby:: I'm full of poop can I please change her???

Bitchy stewardess A: Yes, sure, but the lavatory with the changing table is in the FRONT of the plane.

Now I'm the crazy woman with the baby running to the front of the plane with the seat belt sign still on.

Bitchy stewardess B: Um, the seat belt sign is still lit.

Me: Yeah, heard something about that already. ::lifts baby:: I'm full of poop can I please change her???

Bitchy stewardess B: Yes, I suppose, but use this bag and dispose of the diaper in THIS trash can. I don't want you DIRTY baby diaper in MY lavatory.

Me: But, I have my...

Bitchy stewardess B: I want you to USE MINE!

Me: Yes ma'am.

I'm not going to argue with her anymore, she's small but she looks like she can take me.

In what I can only imagine is the WORLDS SMALLEST BATHROOM, I give Boogie a sponge bath, wash her clothes, wash my clothes, PUT THEM BACK ON US, change her diaper and appropriately use Bitchy stewardess B's trash bag.

No, I did not pack a change of clothes in my carry on for Boogie.

::ducking for cover::

How was I supposed to know!!!??!?! She's almost a year old! It's a 50 minute flight! We NEVER have blowouts anymore!

The remainder of the flight went as expected. I used Boogie as a human shield, not wanting to show off the wet t-shirt contest that was going on with me, the couple continued to argue, I continued to hear them, I tried to keep a now very sick baby from crying, I tried to keep from crying myself and I just prayed.

A sick baby is no fun, but a sick baby 500 miles from home and on your own, is my little version of hell. Poor girl spent a good amount of time whining and wanting to be in my arms but we had a good time anyway. I did, however, change my flight to return home a day early. As soon as the shower was over I was packing my bags to get ready to come home. It would have been fun to stay and hang out with my BFF but it was more important to get that baby home and in her own crib.

The flight home was less exciting than the flight out which was just fine by me. I think by then I was just over it. Over poop, over people, over all of it.

Of course it started to POUR on the way to the airport which made unloading me, all my crap and baby, very interesting. We say our thank you's and goodbye's to the BFF, I get us checked in and through security only to find out my plane is now delayed almost 50 minutes.

Of course.

We decided to use this time to window shop since all of the little stores where you can buy all of the fun stuff that would keep a sick baby busy as you're waiting for your delayed flight...are now closed...except for 1. Thank the Lord....AND...they sell The Backyardigans beanie baby's!!

Boogie & Tyrone ready to go home.


Thank you, Baby Jesus, for small favors and Tyrone.

We have 2 more poopy diapers as we are touring the airport with our new friend and one just as we are boarding but I did remember to bring a change of clothes this time.

Saying we are so happy to be home is a total understatement and I don't see me doing that again any time in the near future but I learned a few lessons.

Lesson 1: Babies who are never sick will get sick as soon as it comes time to go somewhere in a plane.

Lesson 2: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS take an extra change of clothes on a flight for everyone involved.

Lesson 3: Some people are just big ol bitches.