March Goals: Update

March Goals {Updates in orange}

1. Try out Stroller Strides & Look for another Mommy & Me-type activity - {Fail. I didn't do either of these. I will say I have become pretty close with a few of the girls from Story-time and Little Gym and we have started doing our own activities outside of the groups. That has been really exciting.} Since I didn't make it to SS last month that is one of my priorities for this month. And since we are loving Little Gym and the Library so much I'd like to see what else is out there

2. Lose 4 more lbs - {I'm down 2 more!! It's not 4 but I'm still happy. I'm back in my pre-pregnancu jeans and tried on a few size Medium things at Target the other day. It definitely gave me motivation to keep going. Oh, and I probably would have made it to for had J not given me Amish (un)Friendship bread. Friends don't let friends get fat! LOL} I'd like to lose 4 more lbs (which I realize is WAY more realistic than 8 a month) and work on being healthier overall. More fruit, veggies & water! Working on cutting down on my coke zero habit, but baby steps people, baby steps.

3. Dive deeper into blogging - {Nope. I wrote a post one night. Started crying, deleted, re-wrote, cried some more, repeat. I'm having a hard time with some family things. Please just keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I promise I'll write about it soon, it's just hard for me.} I love that I did so great blogging frequently in February but this month I'd like to work on some more serious posts. I need to write about my Mom, Trey's silent reflux and when I stopped breast feeding. All of these things make me very emotional but I'd like to share the journey of each one.

4. Re-organize my closet & Trey's closet - {I did Trey's and I did the hall closet. Hope to do mine this month!} I need some serious help. Neither are a complete mess but they just aren't organized in a super-functional way. I'll be posting before and after pictures. And have any of you seen any cute cheap baskets anywhere? The ones I want at Target are $20 each and I need way too many for that to work.

5. Menu Planning - {Eh. 50/50. Definitely LOTS of room for improvement on this. I have been doing awesome at stocking up. AND... I'm still fast food free! It was hard because one day all I wanted was Chick-fil-a!! I need this will-power to carry over into other areas of my life!} We've been doing great not eating out and stocking up but we are still doing quite a few "what do you want" "well, what do you want" dances around 6pm every night. I'm hoping to alleviate that some.

P.S. I haven't had fast food once in 2011! That's right - not even Chick-fil-a! I know this will end at some point and I'll just need to use that will power to order a salad!

6. Get a haircut & make dr. appt - {Yes and Yes!! I got my hair cut and made my Dr. appt!} It's so sad I have to put these on here. I haven't had a haircut in 5 months and I need to make my ahem womanly appt. I've just been stalling on both. Time to get them done!

7. Read a non-baby related, fiction, fun book - {Yes! I'm almost done with Mini Shopaholic!} I downloaded the newest Shopaholic book on the iPad a million years ago when it first came out and I still haven't read it. I'd really like to put down "What to Expect the First Year" and do some fun reading for myself!

I'll have my April goals up tomorrow!

From Falls to CRAWLS!

Yep. you read that right!! Trey is officially full-on CRAWLING!!!

He's been doing a few crawls here and there but when we got home from dinner last night (Mexican, with J & Co., I needed it after the stress of yesterday morning) I sat him down to play and off he went - without stopping or flopping!!

We were able to capture it on video but the hubs is downstairs studying and I cannot figure out how to work my iMovie. Any advice? I hope to have a video up by this evening!! Here's some pictures in the mean time!

Trey's First Fall

I don't know how it happened. One second we were being silly and getting ready for Little Gym and the next Trey was screaming with tears running down his face.

I was holding him and went to put him down on the floor to play and the next thing I know he had wiggled out of my arms and fallen. He hit his head, but I didn't know what part until the right side of his forehead started turning red.

I immediately called the pediatrician's office who told me to bring him in at 2:45. She said if he starts vomiting or *doesn't seem like himself* then go to the ER. And oh yea, don't let him fall asleep.

Um what? It was 11am... Trey got up at 9:25 today (yea, that's what happens when babies don't nap the day before) and there was no way I was going to be able to keep him up until 2:45.

And *doesn't seem like himself*? I don't know about you but I had no ability at this point to know if he *seemed like himself*.

I called back crying, the girl that answered was so sweet and said to bring him right in.

Note to self: make this practice a cake pop bouquet. Stat.

The car ride there was comical to say the least. It is POURING here. Trey LOVES to sleep in the car. LOVES it. So I am driving a million 45 mph with my hand reaching back to keep boogie from falling asleep - singing the most obnoxious songs I can think of all while trying not to wreck or spin my SUV.

Fun times.

Once we got there and the Dr. checked him over - I was still shaking but could finally breathe. He said that he was fine, he was ok to nap and that he may have a headache for the rest of the day. He told me just to keep an eye on him and to make sure that he didn't start vomiting.

More concerned with "that handsome guy" in the mirror than his Dr. or his crazy mama.

Trey was asleep before we even got back to the car. (Don't worry, I have checked no less than 50 times to make sure he is still breathing) and I of course, drove to the closest drive through Starbucks I could find.

I appreciate everyone's sweet Twitter comments and reassurance. But I just feel like the worst mom in the world...

Beach Bum Necessities: Quest for a *Mom* Suit

Ugh.

I need a swim suit. Actually I need like 3.

I've always had lots and lots of bathing suits. Even as a child. We live right near the beach and my parents have an inground swimming pool. When we were planning our honeymoon I packed no less than 2 for each day we were going to be there. A girl needs options, yo.

As a teenager and college kid I had probably 20 bathing suits at a time that fit. I'd wake up at the crack of dawn grab a water, my towel and one of my billions of bikinis and be on my way! I didn't even have to look, I'd just grab whatever and go!

I have a feeling things are going to be a little different this year with a. a baby beach bum in tow (there will be a separate post about how & what I am going to lug with me everyday) and b. (ugh) my body.

I'm starting my quest early to try and find some "mom" suits that I feel comfortable and semi-cute in! Here is what I have came up with so far!

{via}

I'm going to start with an order for this one and see how it fits, I'll let you know!

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This one I actually think would be perfect for J! The name "smocked, gingham" made me immediately think of her!

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I really, really love this but $150... c'mon J.Crew...

{via}

And I actually didn't find this one on my own - KLaw did!! Check out her blog - she's awesome!

Have y'all found any cute suits for the summer?

My New Love ~ Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System Review & Giveaway!

Y'all KNOW I love some iced coffee. Like, would marry it if I could.

Whenever I try to give up certain things, to save money, lose weight, etc. my first thought is, ANYTHING besides my coffee. It really gets me going, and makes the mornings a little more palatable.

A few weeks ago on Twitter we were discussing how to make an iced coffee just like a local coffee house. Whenever I buy an iced coffee it's just different than I what make at home. I've never been able to put my finger on what it was until now. The bite.

Yep, when I go purchase a venti, hazelnut, iced coffee and take that first sip it's so smooth and refreshing. I could never get that at home. I would always be able to taste the bite, or bitterness.

Lucky me, I was contacted by the awesome staff at The Toddy Cafe - makers of the Toddy Cold Brew System. We have teamed up for a review and a giveaway!

Here are a few things to note about the system:

"Toddy is great for iced coffee. Since it is cold already, it does not instantly start melting your ice and water down the drink. Plus it will not get stale, like a hot brewed coffee would if you waited for it to cool down.""

"Keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks without a decline in flavor, so there is no wasted coffee."

"Brewed as a concentrate which allows the cup of coffee to be tailored to individual strength preferences and served hot or cold one cup at a time. To drink it hot you would simply dilute the concentrate with boiling water. You could also gently heat up the concentrate as well to make it extra hot. But I would recommend not boiling it."

"67% less acid than a regular hot brewed cup. So it is easy on the stomach and produces a very smooth and creamy coffee. Yum!!"

"Toddy has been around since 1964. The system is almost entirely made in the US, the one exception is the glass decanter which is produced by glass company based in Germany.

"The Toddy is also great for cold brewing tea!"

I tried it out this weekend and I was so pleasantly surprisesd!! It was SO good - I was practically jumping up and down in my kitchen thinking about how much money I will be saving not having to run out and buy iced coffee when I want that smooth and refreshing taste!!

You make it the night before, by basically putting some water and coffee grinds into the white part and letting it sit over night. The instructions are very specific and let you know exactly how much coffee and water to add.

The next morning you remove a stopper in the white portion and the coffee "brews" into the glass decanter. Easy peasy right?

Then throw some ice and your chosen "poisons" - mine are hazelnut syrup and half & half! And you have got yourself one delicious coffee to enjoy!!

WIN IT!!

Would you like to win a Toddy Cold Brew coffee system for yourself?

All you have to do is make sure you are a follower of Beach Bum & Baby and leave a comment letting me know how you like your coffee or latte!

I'll be picking a winner on Friday!!

Couponing Update

One of my goals this year has been to learn about this whole "couponing" craze. I like the idea of having a stockpile and trying new things for cheap or free. I am NOT interested in saving up 40 years worth of toilet paper like the loonies on Extreme Couponing. I'm not going to get junk food just because it's free and I have no desire to spend hours and hours clipping coupons and browsing stores.

Luckily sites like the ones on the bottom right of my blog roll have spelled everything out for people like us. Southern Savers is one of my most favorites. They have it all spelled out for you - it doesn't take much longer than my usual browsing the sales and making a list.

Since I'm new - I'm not going to have the craziest deals - or tons of awesome stuff but, I thought I would post a few things I bought last week and how I did it!

Target -

Free socks with coupon for $1 off any Circo Apparel or Accessory (found this on the Target coupons site - you can print two!)

Cat food - on clearance for $.38 - used $1.50 coupon from the Red Plum that comes in the mail! Was able to use my overage towards the rest of what I was buying! So yes, I was paid money to buy a treat for Sizemore!

Harris Teeter- (Super Doubles going on now!)

Free Starbucks tall drink - check the bottom of your receipts! I keep getting a survey on the bottom of my receipts from the Starbucks inside of the Harris Teeter for any tall beverage!

Earth's best wipes - $2.99 sale, used a $1 coupon on the Earth's Best site (they doubled) final cost - $0.99 for 80 wipes!

Hidden Valley Dressing - $2.99 sale, used $1 coupon from the paper - final cost - $0.99

Happy Baby Puffs - each free with my Recyclebank Rewards

Earth's Best Baby food - on sale for $0.50 each - use the "Share and Save" on the Earth's Best sites - get the baby food for $0.10 each after they double the save $1 on 5 jars coupon!!! Trey is eating bigger portions than this now - but for that price I don't mind stocking up and using two of them!!

Kraft Cheese - shreds on sale for $2.00, block on sale for $1.68, used $1.00 coupon I found on the bags of cheese - they doubled - so I paid $1.68 for both or $0.84 each!

Walgreens

Huggies Wipes - on sale for $5.99, used coupon in the Walgreens infant care book for $2 off each one, and had (3) $2.00 off wipes coupons. So $1.99 for 184 wipes!

Almay - on sale, used $2.00 coupon in the Walgreens Spring Beauty book - paid around $2.20 for each item and got back a $5 register reward (coupon for next time) back! (I had to do these in two separate transactions.)

Method Hand wash - sale for $2.99, used $.75 coupon I had. Got back a $2 register reward for next time!

Organic Hair Masques - on sale B1G1 Free - $.99 for two - LOVE these!! They make my hair feel amazing!!!

(I used some register rewards I had from the previous week to buy lots of these - and I hope to do the same next week!)

Phew. I'm exhausted just typing this out.

Like I said, I'm not trying to fill my house with lots of free things we won't use - just work on stocking up on things we will use when I can!

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do the best to answer them or point you in the write direction!!

Weekend Recap

Trey wanted to share his puffs with Addie

Friday night we had the besties over for dinner. I finally put Trey's highchair together (The green one was one I got as a review - I'll be using it as an extra or "outdoor one") I was cursing the company that made it and my husband (love ya babe!) the whole time. It was a mess. Don't get this highchair - it's no bueno.

We ordered pizza and earlier in the day I picked up some of the most amazing cupcakes from a place called Carolina Cupcakery. It was one of the first cupcakeries in the area and they are truly top-notch in their sweets and their service! I always leave with a huge smile!

On Saturday we ran some errands and played around the house with Trey. It's been a really big week in our house. He is starting to say ma-ma-ma-ma I thought it was a fluke at first, but he will look right at me and say ma-ma-ma (just ask J - she heard it too! so exciting!). Today he started making da-da-da-da sounds and JD is just over the moon about it.

He's holding his own bottle now, and it makes me super sad to think "he doesn't need me" but it was rather nice when I got to shop around Target the other day while he sat in the stroller and just drank his bottle himself!!

He is still crawling a few crawls and then face-planting or deciding he'd rather sit up and look around and play. He came a lot closer to making more crawls in a row tonight and JD and I kind of freaked out, we don't have any baby gates yet! Have I mentioned our house has 3 levels? Amazon here I come!

On Sunday we made iced coffee and waffles and just hung around before it was time to watch...

Yep, that's right!! JD and I both went to VCU!! So did one of our super sweet friends who reads my blog - hi M!! I cannot believe they are in the final four!!! I'm not a big sports person but I am SO into watching the rams take it all the way!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Saturday Morning Scene

This morning I'm linking up with Loves of Life for Saturday Morning Scene! You should head over and link up too!

Yep, that would be me *torturing* Trey with some bunny ears I found in the $1 section at Target.

iPhone Randoms: iPad, Target, Etc.

Yep, we got the new iPad 2, loving it so far! Skyping with the sister-in-law on it has been super fun! Way easier to carry that around than the laptop while chatting with her!

We did have to visit the Apple store last week and exchange the iPad for a different one - you could see some weird light coming through on the left hand corner. This is apparently a known problem and could be due to the glue in it not being completely dry (strange) and may resolve itself. They were super nice and replaced it with some they keep in the back for times like this.

How much do you love this Mac Book bag? I about died over it - the inside is super nice and soft too! I really need to get a bag for mine!

While we were at the mall I ran in Coach bc my keychain had broken - they were super helpful and replaced it for this pretty purple one (my old one was the same but orange to match the accents on my diaper bag). I love being able to have my car keys and house keys separate or together!

I picked these cuties up for Trey at a local gift shop! Aren't they adorable?!

Trey and I had planned on doing a Target Tuesday post but that didn't happen - here is what we found!

I am in love with all of the Caldrea products! These two in particular smell amazing! And the price is right!

I'd love to have the candles of them too!! I should have taken a picture of them out of the box because the jars that they are in are gorgeous! They would make a perfect hostess gift!

This Salt Water Orchid is blissful! I'd put it in my bedroom or master bath!

And if you are on a budget (like us!) then these plus a coupon would be perfect!! They smell great! I feel like they smell much more high-end than they are.

Thought these note cards were super fun and only $3.99!

And here is a "mom" question. Do y'all use overnight diapers? When did you start? Trey sleeps about 12 hours and his diapers have been SOAKED lately. I started putting him in the next size up at night but now I'm wondering if I should be buying these? What about cloth? He rarely poops at night - should I just get some cloth ones with inserts for night time? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And if you love Target like Trey and I do - make sure you are checking out Totally Target! I can't even tell you how much stuff I'm getting for cheap or FREE there lately!!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

Tweet, tweet!

What's in your... Make-Up Bag?

I've always loved reading blog posts about "What's in your... make up bag, purse, closet, etc" so I thought I'd do some myself!!

Today's topic is my make-up bag. These are my most used products! I have a whole train case full of make-up (I love you Sephora, LOVE) but these are the ones I use (almost) daily!

As you can see I LOVE me some Make Up Forever. I was first introduced to the brand in 2009 and I have been shelling out some serious cash for it ever since. I love a good deal, but I can't skimp on foundation and powder - they are worth every penny.

I'm also really starting to love Tarte. See that eyelash curler up there? Thanks to that little beauty I have had 3 people ask if I was wearing false eyelashes recently. It's amazing.

The Benefit eyebright is my key to looking "alive", as is the white eyeshadow by MUFE. I've been using matte white eyeshadow as a highlighter for years and I flip flop between MAC and MUFE in the eyeshadow department now - they are both super long lasting.

I am part Italian so I have an Olive skin tone but I still like to use bronzer year-round. I hate bronzer that has shimmer in it, and while this Too Faced one has an odd smell (like chocolate, not bad, just weird) it's well worth it for the perfect non-shiney color it gives!

I hope you all have enjoyed this peek into my make-up! I'd love to see what you are using these days too! Let me know if you do a similar post so I can check it out!!

Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout My Best Friend

I am excited to announce that my BFF, J has officially started a blog!!!

J is a supermom who works and takes amazing care of her daughter Addie, her husband, S and their beautiful home. She will be blogging about all things baby, family & friends, home, eco-friendly, monogrammed and fun! Please head on over and check it out: the workaholic momma!!

Sunday Randoms

J.D. got me this little daisy kit at Target and I am really enjoying watching it grow. I have it on my kitchen table and I'm hoping that I can actually keep it alive. I'm really bad with plants.

Trey wants to hold his sippy cups and Dr. Brown's bottles by himself now most of the time, even the glass ones. Pair that with some babbling that sounds like Mama and a few first real, traditional crawls last Friday and you have yourself one hormonal mom over here. I'm so proud of him but so sad it's all happening so fast!

FINALLY cleaned out the hall closet. And I think I'll be moving the ironing board and iron to the guest room so it will have even less clutter! YAY!

Thought this picture was just funny!

This is Trey's "Mama, why do you always have that camera in my face?" look.

I hope everyone had a great weekend - I can't wait to catch up on everyone's posts!!

Saturday Morning Scene

This morning I'm linking up with Loves of Life for Saturday Morning Scene! You should head over and link up too!

This morning my SIL and her boyfriend came and met us for our usual Starbucks visit. She brought Trey a new fun toy and him and A had a blast playing with it!

Trey and I are off to go play and work on organizing his closet today - one of my March Goals!

For Japan With Love

Ever-Ours and Utterly Engaged have teamed up to bring the blogging community this great way to raise money and show our respect and support for Japan. This info is from these two wonderful blogs:

There are two parts to it.

Fundraising:

For Japan With Love has a direct link on the website to our fundraising page for ShelterBox.

ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

Please check it out and whatever you can contribute will be so appreciated.

---

Bloggers Day of Silence:

Anyone that has a blog can help out with this one.

The aim is just raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.

The guidelines are simple.
1. This coming Friday, March 18th, no posts at all on your blog.

2. Please post a blog post about what you will be doing this Friday whenever possible in hopes to spread the word and whoever else would like to join in.

3. Encourage your readers to contribute to donate shelter to Japan.

Whatever anyone can contribute will be appreciated.

Every little helps.

Feel free to ask other bloggers you like to join in on this. Whatever impact we can make will be so awesome!

If you’d like to participate in the Bloggers Day of Silence this Friday, March 18th, please leave a comment with your blog name and link.

My heart aches for Japan. Everyone that is suffering, scared, lost, weary and sad. Please join in the Bloggers Day of Silence this Friday March 18th. Give blood, make a donation, say prayers, whatever you can do to help these people. This really is a global crisis. My blog will be silent tomorrow, the 18th to show my support of JAPAN WITH LOVE.

Things That Go Bump In the Night

Last night before JD and I went upstairs to go to bed I checked in on Trey on the video monitor.

This is what I found....

Mind you, he was dead asleep like this!!! (Yes, he sleeps on his belly - he started doing it once he could break out of his swaddle and turning him back over never worked) And who knows how long he had been like that because he hadn't made a peep on the monitor.

JD had to go in, wake him up and move him!

You see this bumper in his Nursery pictures:

I took it out when Trey was about 5 weeks old. He was already rocking and rolling around at night.

So what do I do? Not worry about it? because he was ok... and I'm sure he would have let out a cry once he realized. Or should I order a breathable bumper to prevent this from happening again? Do they even work?

Since he's only 7 months, I still don't feel comfortable putting the other bumper back in. I'll probably never use it again.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

Making Baby Food FAQ

I knew I wanted to make Trey's baby food from the beginning - I remember my friend J and I sitting around talking about it and how excited we both were to make their foods.

When she came over after Trey was born with a warm, home-cooked meal she also gifted me this book. It has pretty much everything you need to know about making baby food and lots of great recipes!

I also like this website: Wholesome Baby Food

Ever since I first posted about making Trey's food I have recieved a lot of questions. I'm by no means an expert - these are just my personal opinions and what works for us. But I thought I'd do a blog post about them!

My dear friend Andrea also has TWO great posts on making baby food here and here. Check em out!

Do you make all of his food?

Nope! When we are at home I use what I have made but I love to grab the Plum Organics pouches & the boon spoon or a jar of the Earth's Best or Pouch of Sprout food and the boon squirt spoon for when we are out and about! Because really, as much as I like making food for Trey I love buying it and trying out different organic brands!

Do I need to buy a fancy baby food making machine?

Again, no way! I know that my sweet friend LG does have the Beaba and she loves it!! If you have any questions for her - please head on over and I know she will be happy to answer them!

I just use a Cuisinart Food Processor (or my magic bullet - whatever is clean and ready!), and I use a steamer basket.

I personally do not steam the food in a Ziploc type bag because I haven't been able to find any that are BPA free - if y'all happen to find any that are can you please pass that info my way?

I also steam them with the skins on - this is definitely more of a pain but everything that I have read says to do it that way because it helps the food retain it's nutrients.

Do you buy everything organic?

Right now, yes, everything besides bananas (because of their thick skin, I am ok with not buying them organic) we are buying organic - but I do hunt for sales big time! I can't wait to go troll the Famers Markets with J and Trey's girlfriend for lots of (hopefully) cheaper, locally grown organic foods!

A lot of the time sales are how I figure out what I am making for Trey that week. Pretty much the same as how I plan mine & JDs meals! Last week my Harris Teeter had organic red delicious apples for the same price as non-organic! So guess what I made for Trey?

How do you store the food?

I re-use the Earth's Best jars and just pop them in the freezer. I also use this tray for freezing the food - you can use regular old freezer trays. And then I pop them out and store them in a Ziploc bag with the date and what's inside.

Sidenote: I am ok using non-BPA items in the freezer - I'm just personally not ok heating with them. It's just my personal choice - n0 judgies on what anyone else does - just letting y'all know how we roll in the Beach Bum household right now. Same goes for the organic food discussion.... it's a personal decision for everyone.

Do you have any questions? Any great baby food posts that I should check out? I am always looking for new ideas, recipes, tips & tricks!!

And as always - feel free to email me at BeachBumandBaby@gmail.com