How I Make My Iced Coffee!

My sweet instagram friend, Amber was saying that she just couldn't get her iced coffee to taste right and I knew I needed to help her out! 

A few years ago I fell in love with a venti Hazelnut Breve Iced Coffee at Starbucks and just COULD NOT GET ENOUGH. I'd legit dream of them. A few months into my new addiction I KNEW that I could figure this out. I mean, it's coffee not rocket science... right?

Well, I'll let you know what doesn't work: Keurig, Instant coffee, Regular coffee maker....they just aren't the same. I can't put my finger on it but serious iced coffee lovers will know exactly what I mean! 

Right, so what does that leave?

COLD BREW. 

I've touched on this here with a review for the Toddy Cold Brew System. 

But I got bored with the Toddy. It was so big, it took a while to strain and I had to make so much at once that even a coffee addict like myself would find that it would start to taste stale. I needed a quick and easy way to make fresh iced coffee.

One day it clicked! YES! My french press! Same idea. Just smaller.

So here is how I do it! 

What you need:

• A good coffee - I am only using this one because it's decaf and I was already at Trader Joe's. I prefer Starbucks Iced Coffee Blend found here. 
• French Press - it doesn't need to be fancy, I think this one was around $20 
• Syrup or some sort of artificial sweetener. Sugar will not dissolve since the liquid never gets hot. I buy my hazelnut syrup in a huge bottle for under $10 at my local starbucks (ask for a pump!). 
• Half & Half 

How to:

Step one:
Fill the french press up with 80% water and 6-8 scoops of coffee - this is not an exact science - some like more, some like less, start with 6 and then move up or down from there. 

Step two:
Use the back of a spoon to press the coffee down. You don't want to stir just get all of the grinds wet. 

Step three:
Put the lid back on but DO NOT PUSH THE PRESS DOWN. Let it sit overnight. 

Step four:
In the morning, press down slowly, you'll need to use some pressure. Pour over ice and add your syrup (I do 4 pumps) and half & half (I just eye it - I'm not shy with it!). Put whatever is left in a mason jar or some other covered container! 

Ta-da! Perfect iced coffee! It's so smooth and refreshing! 

If you make it - I'd love to hear your thoughts! And as always, please let me know if you have any questions!! 

Baby #2 Bump-Update

I decided that it was probably time for a bump update since I'm oh-my-gosh out of my first trimester already! Everyone is SO right when they say that the second one goes by so fast because you are busy with #1! 

L2R: 13 wks, 13.5 wks & 14 wks

Here we go! 

• How far along: 14 weeks!
• How I'm feeling: Good! My nausea and sickness is really subsiding. I have the most energy in the morning so we are taking full advantage of that by doing lots of fun activities out and about before nap time! 
• How big is the baby: the size of a LEMON! 
• Maternity clothes: Yes and no! Despite how big my bump looks in the two side pictures I'm still squeaking by with some regular clothes and definitely mixing some maternity in. I really had forgotten how different the bump looks depending on what you are wearing! 
• Sleep: Yes please! I'm napping almost everyday when Trey napsand am usually in bed by 10. I do need to pull out my pregnancy body pillow though! 
• Best moment this week: We had an ultrasound yesterday and some cysts that my dr was concerned about have significantly shrunk! (SO blessed!) and hearing the heartbeat and seeing my baby move around on the screen! We got some great pictures too! 
• Movement: none yet - hoping I feel it soon! 
• Food Cravings: Popsicles, Water Ice, Limeades & cereal 
• Food Aversions: Ewww. MEAT. It's so bad. I can't see it, cook it or eat it. 
• Labor Signs: None, thank goodness! 
• What I miss: not much, maybe just some extra energy! 
• What I look forward to: finding out the sex in the next couple of weeks 
• Big Brother: Trey is so excited and is frequently kissing my belly, saying hello to the baby, asking to see my belly (and JDs - ha!) and showing me his "baby belly" ha!! We've been enjoying reading big brother books and just generally having fun! I'll be doing a (late..) 2 1/2 year update on him next week!

I'm just overwhelmed with (pregnancy) hormones and emotions lately and am just so excited about being a mama to two!!! 

I have some goals this week to plan some nurseries and to finish up printing pictures of Trey and filling in some blank spots in his baby book! 

Now, I just need to keep up the pictures for my Belly Book and updates for the blog! 

Drive it Home By Allstate ~ A Recap

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Drive it Home Event sponsored by the Allstate Foundation. 

The event was targeted towards teens and parents of teens who are about to start driving but I personally feel that EVERYONE should attend an event like this every few years. It's so easy to become distracted while driving - kids, music, noise, other passangers. It was a {sad, but eye opening} reminder that we all need to pay better attention while operating our cars.

We watched a few skits that were hilarious but definitely drove the point home.

We heard from Allstate representatives,The National Safety council and a parent who lost his son in a teen driving in teen related crash. I'll be honest - my pregnancy hormones couldn't handle it. I cried all through his speech, after and then at home that night while recapping the event to my husband.

No parent should have to bury their child.

And the worst part? The crash was 100% preventable. 

For any of you that are about to begin (or have recently begun) the driving process with your children, here is some very important information. 

Some chilling statistics about teen driving:

Parents don't understand the most deadly risks to their teen driver. Research shows that inexperience is the No. 1 cause of teen crashes, but 74 percent of parents inaccurately believe that risk-taking is the leading cause.

• Despite the fact that nine in 10 parents say it's very important for teens to learn to manage night driving and driving with passengers, one in three parents admit they have not adequately covered these items with their teen.
• Nearly 30 percent of parents are not setting rules around some of the most dangerous behaviors including nighttime driving and passengers in the car. Many parents also don't require their teen to get permission before driving somewhere.
• Sixty-four percent of parents are actively looking for resources to help manage their teens' driving experience.

Mom on Dealz, Me & Stuttering Shell

And one thing that really hit home with me, was to raise a great driver, YOU need to be a great driver. Setting a good example is KEY. 

Here's a video on Teen's talking about their parent's driving behavior. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Drive It Home: An Event Invitation for Local Readers

Thank you to the Allstate Foundation and National Safety Council for sponsoring this post. Check out Drive it Home, a website by and for parents, dedicated to keeping our teen drivers safe.

Here are the details:

What: Drive it Home Show, presented by the National Safety Council and Allstate Foundation

When: Wednesday, April 10 from 7pm - 8:15pm

Where: Sandler Center for the Performing Arts (201 Market St, Virginia Beach, VA 23462)

Price: Free! no tickets required

Parking: With more than 3,200 free parking spaces, Sandler Center guests can park within close proximity to the venue. The Armada Hoffler Tower is the main parking garage at Town Center. This nine story parking garage can be accessed from Town Center Drive or Central Park Avenue. Dick's Sporting Goods Parking Garage is located at the corner of Independence Blvd. and Columbus Street. This five story parking garage can be accessed from Market Street. The Cosmopolitan Parking Garage is located across from the Armada Hoffler Tower. This four story parking garage accommodates Town Center guests. Also, there is a parking lot across the street from the Cosmopolitan that provides additional parking. Both can be accessed from Town Center Drive and Columbus Street.

What else? Well, at the event you can register to win gas cards and... A NEW CAR! How fun is that?

If you’d like to attend, click here to register and let them know that Clever Girls Collective sent you.  Hope to see all my local girls there!! 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Easter Edition

Minted Winner!

A big congratulations to Elizabeth from Beyond Blessed!!!

Elizabeth, I'm sending your email over to the people at Minted.com and they will be in touch!

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Minted.com $50 Giveaway!

It's no secret that I love some paper products. Cards, invites, stationary - you name it. And since 2013 is turning out to be the year of the baby - no lie, five of my friends, and myself are all having babies this year! I am currently on the hunt for all things shower and baby related.

So you can imagine my excitement when Minted.com contacted me about teaming up for a giveaway!

Here are some baby shower invites that I am just ga-ga over!!

{Sailboat}

{Gray&Pink} 

{Sip&See} 

{Sunshine}

Now, what about you? Is it the year of the baby for you as well? Do you need business cards? Stationary? 

Well, here is your chance to win a $50 gift card to Minted.com! All you need to do is make sure you are a follower, head over to Minted.com and leave me a comment letting me know specifically which Minted.com product you'd use your gift card for! 

Easy Peasy! And best of luck!!!

The giveaway will end next Tuesday, March 26th. 

Disclosure: I was given a voucher to be used at Minted.com in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own. I mean seriously, y'all know I love stationary. 

Hair Cuttery Gift Card Winner!

And the winner of the $50 Hair Cuttery gift card is....





Congratulations Stefanie!!

Trey Has Some Big News to Share!

Details to follow!! 

Hair Cuttery Review & $50 giveaway!

While I was pregnant with Trey I became slightly obsessed with trying to grow my hair long and at the same time make sure it was super healthy. 

I have had many bad experiences trying new hair stylists, too short, not the right color or someone I just didn't "click" with. Because y'all know that a hair stylist is half therapist, am I right? 

When I was contacted by One2One about doing a review of Hair Cuttery I was a little anxious about trying someone new. But I had been feeling kind of blah with winter and figured what the heck, I could definitely use a little confidence boost! 

On a freezing Sunday morning I drove to my local Hair Cuttery which has definitely been re-vamped inside! It was bright and buzzing! I met with Lauren, who I quickly grew to love! 

I asked for the "shape up" package which included a shampoo, cut, Redken Chemistry treatment, eyebrow wax and blow-dry. 

It was FABULOUS! Lauren took the perfect amount off the bottom and added a little "oomph" to my layers, the chemistry treatment really helped with any damage and she was very careful not to over-wax my brows. I walked out of there feeling awesome!!! 

On my way out I couldn't help but notice all of the amazing hair care brands that they carry and per Lauren's suggestion picked this up! It's AWESOME!!! 

And here is where the fun comes in for you! I'm teaming up with One2One Network to give away a $50 Hair Cuttery gift card (good for products or services!) to one lucky reader! 

To Enter: You must be a follower of Beach Bum & Baby and leave me a comment letting me know what you'd do with your  gift card!  

I'll pick the winner next Monday night!! Good Luck!! 

You can follow Hair Cuttery on Facebook & Twitter too! 


I participated in this sponsored campaign for One2One Network. I received a Hair Cuttery gift card to facilitate my post and monetary compensation, but all opinions stated are my own.

On Repeat

Y'all already know how obsessed I am with Nashville, and I CANNOT get enough of this song!




And I have foung myself singing and dancing along to this a *few* times lately. And yes, I love me some Brit Brit!




And I didn't have the slightest clue who Macklemore was until I saw Young House Love's challenge and realized that I have been breaking it down to this tune in the car for a minute now!!




What songs are you loving right now? My car-radio time has been limited due to a certain two-year old's love of kids music so I always feel like I'm behind on new music!!

The Great Green Clean

One of my resolutions every year is to try to live a more "green" lifestyle.

I'll let you in on a little back story: this wasn't something that I was always concerned with.

It was when I became pregnant with Trey is when I knew I needed to do some research and start making smart changes around my home.

I knew if he was going to be wearing something washed in it, inhaling it, licking it, sitting or playing on it - "it" needed to be "green".

One of the first "green" products I tried was a Clorox GreenWorks countertop spray! I vowed to never let myself turn into a "Green Housewife" and act "Greener than Thou"like the ladies in this hilarious video!

Going green doesn't have to be difficult - it can actually be really fun. Instead of throwing out all of my non-green products I just waited for them to be used up and as I needed to shop for more I would replace them with a more "green" version! It was easy, I didn't feel like I was throwing away everything that I had and starting from scratch!

And every little bit helps. Do you need to buy everything organic? Absolutely not! Start with your milk and the "dirty dozen" and go from there! It's not an all or nothing!

What are your favorite "green" cleaning products? How did you make the switch? How do you live a more "green" lifestyle?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

DIY: Lucky Duck Valentines & Teacher Gifts

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon these cute rubber ducks in the $1 section at Target. I went ahead and scooped up as many of them as I would need for Trey's class hoping that I could think of a fun way to turn them into Valentines!



I grabbed some cellophane bags, put the duck and a lollipop inside, tied it up with bakers twine (also in the $1 section at Target!).

I created the tags on PicMonkey and had them printed at my local printer on a heavy card stock.

Side-note: I feel like getting tags or other party-type goodies printed there or at Office Max (versus at home) is totally worth the effort! It's dirt cheap and you can really tell the difference in person! 

I used a 2" punch by Fiskars to cut them out and used my Cricut for the blue backing and added them on.

Easy Peasy!

And for the teachers (of course we couldn't forget OMGILOVEMISSKATHY his music teacher too!) I found these cute glass jars at TJ Maxx and filled them with Lindt truffles and Starbucks gift cards. I added the ribbons to the side to make them a little more festive!

This is similar to what I did at Christmas for them (Lindt truffles, fuzzy socks from Old Navy and Target gift cards) and they really seemed to like them. I never know what to get for the teachers!! 

Any teachers reading? Suggestions are greatly appreciated!

So there you have it! Our Valentine's Day goodies! I'll be sharing what I picked up for Trey and made for J.D. next week!

You can also see the Valentines that I made last year here. 

Trey's Current Favorites (30 months)

I often share what I'm currently loving so I thought it would be fun to do a blog post of the things that Trey is really enjoying right now! 

Melissa & Doug - Band in a Box 

Since Trey has been so into music and instruments lately when he asked for this on a recent Barnes & Noble trip I had no problem saying "ok" because I knew he would get a ton of use out of it. It's fun to sit down with him and have him "assign" instruments to J.D. and I and play songs together. 

Choo Choo soul - the CD 

If your little one watches Disney Jr. there is a good chance you've heard of Choo Choo soul. Trey FREAKS when it comes on! And I'll be real - I am pretty much over the Mickey & Jake & the Neverland Pirates cds in the car so I used part of my Big Fat Ebates check (woo hoo for free money!) to buy this tonight - it'll be here on Monday and that can't come fast enough! 

Plum Organics - Jammy Sammy's 

I used to buy these when Trey was really small and then for some reason stopped (maybe because they are small - but really - they are a great size for a quick snack or in addition to some other things). Well, I ordered them again the other day and Trey has been eating them up! I literally bought every flavor that Ecomom has and he has enjoyed them all. The ones without peanut butter have been a great addition for his lunch at school!

Melissa & Doug - Trunki

I ordered this cute Trunki for our upcoming Disney trip but it's oddly turned into one of his favorite "toys" in the meanwhile. He loves filling it up, pulling it through the house and of course, riding on it!

  

Thermos Food Jar - Foogo in Tripoli

(Ok, this one may be more of one of my favorite things for him.. but he loves what's inside!)

When it's super cold outside I like sending Trey to school with a warm lunch - this thermos has been awesome for sending chicken nuggets to school in (we like these by Applegate Farms - whole foods sells a big bag), but I'll also do meatballs, hot dogs or sausage! 

What is your little one loving right now?

Valentine's Day Lust List

What's on your "lust list" this Valentine's Day?

Say Hello {Link-Up}

Today I'm linking up with Laura from The Everyday Joys! She is hosting an awesome, one day, Say Hello link up! I've "known" Laura since our pre-boy-mama days! She is awesome - head over, check her out and join the fun! 

me & my little beach bum 

1. What blogs do you visit daily? Please list 1-3 of your favorites.

3 of my favorites are:

The Polluck Potluck 

Stuttering Shell 

Workaholic Momma 

{But you can see lots more of my favorites on my sidebar too!}

2. Are you on Instagram? If so, what is your user name?

Yep! BeachBumandBaby

3. Can we find you on Pinterest? What's your Pinterest address, and what can we expect to see you pinning most? (recipes, DIY projects, home decor, etc.)

Duh! Of course I am. I love Pinterest like a fat kid loves cake. You can find my boards here. 

4. What are your favorite blog link-ups to participate in? (weekly link-ups other bloggers have...any number will do...please link us to them!)

Right. So I'm not so great at the link ups but I LOVE reading:

Shannon's So What Wednesday

Rachel's Menu Monday 

Emily's Friday Confessional 

5. Why do you blog?

I blog to document, to journal, to share, to learn and to interact. 

I may not be the best or most consistent blogger but I love it and the blogging community just as much!

6. Tell us one random fact about yourself.

I can fall asleep just about anywhere. The car, the sofa, the floor. You name it. And STAY asleep. A plane could land in my house and I'd still be all nice and snuggled up. Drives my husband batty!! 

{I didn't have a huge problem waking up to nurse when Trey was a baby but I did have the monitor turned up HIGH at all times! You know... just in case...}

Weekend Wrap-Up

Let's start this off with the most exciting thing to happen around here - it SNOWED on Friday. Like actual stick-to-the-ground and make snow balls, snow!



I ran and woke Trey up from his nap as soon as it started to stick and we ran outside to play in it.

Why, you might ask?

Because I WAS SCARED IT WAS GOING TO STOP.

It doesn't snow often 'round these parts so I wanted to make sure Trey got to see it.

But it didn't stop. We went inside to warm up and J.D. called and told me he was on his way home! Trey and I were SO excited!! Once he got here we went back out for round 2 and by this time we were able to make snow angels and throw snowballs with a bunch of our favorite neighbors. It was such a fun time for everyone but especially all of the kids around Trey's age who hadn't really seen snow before!! They didn't even know what to do with themselves!

Once we got back inside I showed J.D. Trey's new furniture that had been delivered and placed that morning. Our plan was to leave Trey's crib (which we hadn't converted to a toddler bed) in his room and just have the delivery people place the other items wherever so that we could paint this weekend and then maybe switch him to his new bed next weekend.

Well.... Trey had other plans.

Pretending to sleep on Friday afternoon

When I went to put him down for his nap Friday afternoon he cried "Noooooo crib, sweepy in my biiiiiig boy bed."

So. Friday night we took the crib apart.

And guess what?

He did great. Really great! Slept just as long as normal which is 8-8ish! Naps have been slightly shorter at about 2 hours instead of 2 1/2.

He told J.D. the next day that his new room was "a wittle scareee". I can't blame him for that. The only things that haven't changed yet are the wall color and the drapes. He also spent WAY more time playing in there this weekend than he ever has before - every time I turned around he was off to "go play in my big boy room". I'm very, very glad he likes it so much!



Saturday we hung around the house, played in the snow a little bit more and then when the cabin fever had gotten the best of us we headed out to our favorite Mexican restaurant!

Trey's had a pretty bad runny nose this weekend - so I picked up a fresh pack of boogie wipes and a new vicks plug in to help him breathe a little better in his sleep.

Once we put Trey down for bed JD and I decided to order a movie. 

I picked this. We had watched the preview for it Friday night and it looked funny. 

Right. Because oh, about 3 seconds into the movie....

J.D.: "We've seen this"
Me: "Huh? no we haven't!"

Hmmm yea maybe we have....

Me:  "Gosh we should have watched the preview first!!"
J.D.: "We did!..... LAST NIGHT"

So... about that.... 

Tell me I'm not the only one that this has happened to. Puh-lease.

Jams in jammies while Mama was at the store!

Today was spent working on random things around the house, a grocery trip for me while the guys played at home and just getting ready for the week. Nothing exciting at all! 

Now I'm off to snuggle up by the fireplace in J.D.'s office and catch up on some DVR! Perfect Sunday night! 

Sometimes We All Just Need a Laugh

Source: platinumdotcom.tumblr.com via Beach on Pinterest

I mean, RIGHT?!

Source: themetapicture.com via Beach on Pinterest

I've never even seen Twilight and I can't stand that chick... 

Source: someecards.com via Beach on Pinterest

Isn't this why they invented Pinterest? 

Source: imgfave.com via Beach on Pinterest

ALWAYS

Source: via Beach on Pinterest

Dog shaming. I love it. I need this for when Zoe runs away!!! 

And for all of my fellow PLL fans... RIGHT?!?!

Hope this got a laugh out of some of y'all!!!