Friday: Things I've found this week.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Top Parenting Stories of the Year. 
 
1. D.C. as best city to raise kid- Parenting magazine names D.C. as the best place to raise your kids.

2. Over-parenting as the new bad parenting- Atlantic magazine published a piece that claimed that this generation of parents has lost its way. In “How to land your kid in therapy” Lori Gottlieb argued that too many of us are over-parenting and, in effect, setting children up to fail

3. Kids not wanted- Some restaurants revealed a deep anger from many childless adults, and even some parents, at what they see as this parents’ generation inability to rein in their children in public places as well as a perceived entitlement parents display.

4. The Sandusky scandal- Though this terrible, still-unfolding story was not about parenting, it did raise questions about our collective responsibility to children. The scandal brought down a folk hero and forced many of us to examine what we might have done differently had we been in the Penn State chain of command.

5. Parental responsibility in childhood obesity- This summer a commentary in the Journal of American Medical Association suggested parents should lose custody of obese children in extreme circumstances. What seemed like a provocative theory became reality when a Cleveland mother lost custody of her obese son because the county said she was neglecting his health. The commentary and the case triggered difficult questions about who is to blame for the health crisis.

6. Leiby Kletzy- One of the worst events of the year was the killing of little Leiby Kletzy. The 8-year-old got lost on the first day that his parents let him walk home from summer camp and ended up being “helped” by a true monster. His story terrified parents across the country and is one of those events that many of us will remember with chills for years to come.

7. Dads can’t have it all either- Two attention-getting studies this year found that fathers are increasingly struggling with balancing careers and families. The Families and Work Institute reported that men are feeling stressed by the increasing burdens on them to succeed professionally and be nurturing caregivers.
Meanwhile, a Pew Research survey found that fathers who live with their families are more involved than ever before. The same survey found the majority of fathers think being a dad is a tougher job now than it was 20 or 30 years ago:

8. Sarcastic parenting- This year saw the rise of sarcasm in parenting, from Tina Fey’s irreverent and beloved “Bossypants,” (Reagan Arthur Books, April 2011) to the profane take on bedtime stories, “Go the ---- to Sleep,” (Akashic Books, June 2011) by Adam Mansbach. The latter was a best-seller before it was even available and inspired a slew of copycats.
The trend must say something about our need to lampoon our reluctant transition into parenthood. But who reading these could keep a straight face long enough to explain exactly what?

9. Screen time debate- Common Sense media reported that young children are using electronic media at staggering levels, with infants and toddlers spending twice as much time with screen media as books.
At the same time, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with a reiteration of its largely ignored plea to parents to withhold “screen time” from the youngest children. Many parents, meanwhile, say the official advice is not keeping up with either the realities of parenting or the increasing benefits of modern technology.

10. The changing relationship between parents and their adult children- Adult children stampeded back into their parents’ home in recent years and with them the notion of hands-on “parenting” took on a longer shelf life.
The book “How To Raise Your Adult Children: Real-Life Advice for When Your Kids Don’t Want to Grow Up,” by Gail Parent and Susan Ende (Plume, August 2011) came out this summer. Disguised as an extended Q&A, it was really a collection of letters that revealed the angst older parents harbor when dealing with their still-dependent grown children.



Bring in 2012 with love, peace, and happiness. See you next year!

And please vote for FromBean2Baby on TopBabyBlogs.com! Thankssomuch!


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A Day Off at Our House

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Well, I wanted to give you an outline of a typical day for us. But on a typical day, I'm working. In the spirit of holiday break, I'll give you a general idea of what we do on a day off.

8-9:30ish A.M.- Clara wakes me up via the baby monitor. Normally, she babbles, but sometimes I get woken up with cries. I change her diaper and take her downstairs to get some coffee (made the night before, of course, and set on a timer) and make a bottle. Clara and I come back to my bed, and she watches Mickey Mouse while drinking her bottle and I have time to drink my coffee, pee, and do things on the interwebs for 5 minutes.

9:30-10ish A.M.- We go out in the living room and Clara and I pull ALL the toys out of her toy basket and proceed to play with them all.

10-11ish A.M.- About a half hour after finishing her bottle, Clara is STARVING for breakfast. And she lets you know it. She proceeds to eat about 8 ounces of baby food (equivalent to 2 jars) and normally eggs and cheerios. Sometimes toast and yogurt as well. I feed her all organic products for the most part. If we're at home, she eats homemade baby food, but if we're away she eats Earth's Best organic baby food. (Earth's Best is a wonderful company. We also use Happy Baby organic, and Plum Organics for Clara's "puffs" and "crunchies".) Anyway, the kid can eat. I don't know where she puts it all.

11 A.M.-1:30ish P.M.- After a late breakfast, Clara gets cleaned up and we read a few books. She goes down for her first nap between 11 and 11:30 and sleeps for about 2 hours. I get to work on my crocheting, clean (usually what I do), pick up Clara's toys, eat something, blog. etc.


1:30-2ish P.M.- Clara wakes up and she's always so smiley and happy. She has her second bottle and then we dump out her basket of toys (again) and play until we can't play anymore.  Sometimes we watch SpongeBob.

2-3ish P.M.- Clara eats again. Normally she has applesauce and some other fruit mixed with cereal. Sometimes eggs again. "Crunchies". Soup. LOVES potatoes. etc. Basically, it's yet another feast. And yes, it does take an hour.

3-5ish P.M.- We play some more and read more books, then Clara goes down for her second nap. I never want to give up nap time. It's the best.

5-6ish P.M.- When she wakes up (all smiles), she eats again. Big surprise, huh? No bottle this time, she goes straight for the food. She eats less at "dinner" time than she does during her other two meals during the day. For "dessert", she teethes on a rice rusk.

6-8ish P.M.- Clara has a bath (which she loves) and we play. At some point during this time, Clara has a bottle. We play a ton, and read more books.

8-9ish P.M.- Clara goes to bed between 8 and 9, and yes she sleeps for about 12 hours + naps. It's kind of ridiculous.

After Clara goes to bed, I do dishes, laundry, take a shower, clean up her toys and relax before doing it all again the next day.

And that's our typical day! Soon, I'll do a typical work day.


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My Wonderful Experience with Hypnobabies

Wednesday, December 28, 2011


I had a wonderful experience using hypnobabies during pregnancy and labor. I heard about it through a friend, and I really thought it would be worth a try. I started the program when I was seven and a half months pregnant. What I noticed right off was how easily I slept. Instead of waking up multiple times a night due to discomfort and baby kicks and hiccups, I slept....well, like a baby. 
As Clara's guess date approached, I became more and more anxious about delivery. The positive affirmations really helped. I wrote out my birth plan, and my doctor found it to be appropriate. 
I was doing prenatal yoga and hypnobabies every morning and evening until the day before Clara was born. I finally felt ready and prepared. 
If you read Clara's birth story, you know that  we had some complications, and I was brought in to the hospital to be induced. Needless to say, my birth plan went out the window. After 18 hours of labor with no epidural or IV pain medications, I was still  going strong thanks to hypnobabies. I mean, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, it was HARD. But manageable. I could do it. I was able. But I had only progressed a half a centimeter in those 18 hours. So, it was decided that a C-section would be done.
 I'm still getting over the fact that I wasn't able to have Clara naturally. I will most definitely be with a birthing center or possibly a home birth with my next child. 
I would never take back my experience using hypnobabies. It kept me calm. It kept me focused on allowing my body to do what it does naturally. I truly believe that without the medical intervention, I would have been able to have Clara naturally.
Benefits of using Hypnobabies

● Many moms use fewer drugs or no drugs, which means less risk of side effects for you and your baby, due to elimination of the Fear/Tension/Pain Syndrome, and using post-hypnotic suggestions.
● Most Hypno-mothers have shorter labors since there is less resistance of the birthing muscles when pain and fear are minimized or eliminated.
● Hypno-Moms generally have much more energy throughout first and second stage, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
● The birthing environment is much more calm and peaceful when you, the natural childbirth mother are comfortable, relaxed and confident.
● Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.
● Blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature can be lowered and nausea, back and hip pain eliminated with hypnosis during pregnancy and labor.
● There are fewer interventions for failure to progress and therefore fewer complications during labor for our mothers and babies.
● As a Hypno-Mom, you are easily "deprogrammed" from the usual negativity of childbirth stories and scenarios you may have heard or read, by way of training in Hypnobabies classes and audio CDs which have positive messages and hypnotic suggestions. This automatically allows you to have a much more positive attitude and confidence in birthing. It is truly a gift that you are giving yourself, an amazingly easy way to enjoy your pregnancy more and actually look forward to your baby's birth.

It is well worth the time to look into Hypnobabies as a wonderful birthing option, both for yourself and for your baby. Natural Childbirth without intense discomfort has many benefits to mom and baby, and the deep relaxation has even helped many a nervous birth partner to enjoy pregnancy and childbirth, since they experience hypnosis in Hypnobabies class as well! In addition, the skills you will learn for relaxation and hypnosis will benefit you both for the rest of your lives.



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9 Months Old!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Happy holidays to you and yours! If you haven't noticed, we've been a bit busy over here at our house. I've missed blogging tremendously, but I  didn't want to throw in a pity-post, so I'm here to tell you that I'm back for good! I've been crocheting like a crafting fiend, and I'm hoping the Etsy shop will be up and running here shortly, so keep an eye out for a post all about that. :)

In other news, my sweet baby Clara is 9 months old! When did that happen?

Recently enjoyed things:

-Awkward army crawling (video to come shortly for  your enjoyment)
-Eating "big girl food"... table scraps... whatever you want to call it... we're slowly moving deeper into the solid food category
-Seven teeth! That's right, people! My little girl has 7 teeth, hence the big girl food.
-Moving into 9 month clothing... slowly. She's straddling the line between 6 and 9 month clothes... which is kind of a big deal since she's been in 6 month clothing since 4 months.
-Seventeenth percentile on the growth chart, weighing in at a whopping 17.5 lbs! 1 pound larger than my 3-month-old nephew.
-Favorite songs: Row-row-row your boat, and All the Pretty Little Horses.
-Favorite books: The Little Engine That Could, and Like Mommy Does.
-New (first) words uttered this month: MAMA!!!!! and ball.
-Best friend: Triple tie between my mom, Kris Porter, and Landon Griffin.
-Favorite xmas gift: wrapping paper/tissue paper or anything she puts in her mouth.
-More weird behavior: "shakes" her head no often, does not stop moving her hands during meal-time, awkward army crawling.
-Developmental developments: signs "more" and "eat", claps hands and stands up (with help) on command.


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Being a mother is the most difficult thing I've ever done.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Hands down.

Being at the disposal of another human being 24/7 is trying. It takes away your sense of self. You become a person you don't recognize. While pregnant and after giving birth to Clara, I had to mourn the loss of the self I knew. I would never be the same person again. I had to go through the loss and understand it in order to have appreciation for the mother I have become.

At times, I feel like I'm babysitting. It's daunting to realize that this little, teeny tiny person is my sole responsibility.

There are days that I just wanna say, "no thanks". I don't want to do the mommy thing today. I want to sleep late, hang out with my sorority sisters, leave stuff on the floor and not deal with poop. I don't think that makes me a bad mother. But definitely a wistful one.

I've learned to take breaks, although I'm not always the best at it. Taking time for yourself is important. Don't be mad, but I'm gonna brag for a minute here.

I have the best baby in the world. There is nothing she doesn't like (car seat, nap time, bath time, play time, etc.). She's always happy. She smiles socially (to get attention, of course). She never had issues eating. She's been sleeping through the night since she was a month old. Even when she's sick, you could barely tell. She's just a little quiet and cuddly.

All other mothers, please forgive me. I don't take it for granted. I thank Clara ever morning when I get up for letting me sleep.

I guess what I'm getting at is that even if you have the best baby, being a mother is the hardest job I've ever done. But if it makes you feel any better, she'll probably go through some pretty wicked terrible twos.

Also, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of attention to the blog. We've been very busy. The good kind of busy. Things in my life right now are fantastic. Hopefully I'll be able to post an update soon here.

In  addition, please vote for us on TopBabyBlogs.com and make a happy girl even happier.



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Friday: Things I've found in week 11!

Thursday, December 1, 2011


1. What to Say if Your Kid Asks if Santa is Real: Hilarious and useful. :)

2. Extreme Attachment Parenting: How to practice attachment parenting without going to the extreme. Wonderful advice!

3. 10 Ways to Get Your Child Interested in Reading: I'm definitely going to take these tips into account when teaching the Bean to read. She already has a love for books, mostly chewing on them... but that counts, right?

4. Free E-Books.net: Free books? Umm, YES.

5. Disrespect for Children: Does our society have a blatant disrespect for children? Read this blogger's opinion and decide for yourself.

6. Lunch. Parenting: Relevant reviews by real people.

7. Secrets of Boob Feeding: Oh the powers of boobies.

Enjoy! Feel free to comment. Also, the competition on TopBabyBlogs.com is a bit ridiculous, so could you spare a vote? Thanks. :)


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Wordless Wednesday: Reindeer Hat

Wednesday, November 30, 2011




Can you handle this amount of cute!? Sorry for the crappy pictures. I need a new camera.
Leave me a comment or send me a message if you want a moose/reindeer hat.


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Blankets! Favorite Pins of the week.

I'm making a baby blanket for my friend Angie's little boy Leyton. I wanted to post some options so she could pick from them.

Don't forget that I'm taking custom orders for hats and blankets. Email me if you're interested.

This one is actually from Ravelry. I like the simple pattern.

[2]
I posted this one recently. It's a little girly, but I love it. I might make one for Clara.

[3]
I believe I posted this one before, too. I just love it. :)

[4]
Love it!


[5]
Very cute. A little granny-ish. But I still like it.

[6]
I think this one is my favorite.

Let me know what you think, Angie! And don't forget to vote for the blog!


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Giveaway!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Not my own, but please check out this giveaway on holding onto the little things. Jordan is a great blogger and has the most adorable little girl. You should head on over and follow her, if you aren't already. Thanks!


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How Awesome

That's right. I feel as though I deserve the title "Awesome" right now. I just weighed myself for the first time since Oct. 27th (It's the day I weigh myself... I always remember because Clara was born on the 26th, so on the 27th of each month, I weigh myself). I struggled with eating disorders in college, and I still struggle with thoughts, so there's not many people that I share my weight loss with. What can I say, old habits die hard. I was used to keeping everything to myself for so long. Keeping secrets about how much I exercised that day, or how I'd been fasting for 4-8 days at a time. Ridiculous, I know! I can't believe I did that stuff. I wish I could say I've given up on all of that. I still struggle with it daily. It's so much faster to lose weight that way, but it's not healthy. And now I don't just have myself to think about. Clara is in this, too. I want her to have a healthy body image. I never want her to hear me say that I think I'm fat. So, I've taken a pledge to do things the healthy way. I've always eaten healthy. I'm not a big sugar fan. But OMG, the carbs! I've cut out a lot of carbs to help with my weight loss, but I know I can't keep it up forever. I love bread too much, haha. I've changed my diet to mostly vegetables and fruits with lean meat. I barely eat red meat. I've been going mostly vegetarian, come to think of it. (Minus Turkey Day, of course.) I can say I've felt better than I have in years! I've been doing P90X for 3 weeks now, and I've lost 25 POUNDS of gross baby fat since Oct. 27th! I can't believe it. I barely noticed a difference until I tried on a shirt the other day that was wayyy too tight on Halloween, and now it's loose! Yay for me! Because I'm awesome. :)


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Friday: Things I've found in week 10! Celebrated with 10 links!

Saturday, November 26, 2011


I know. Today is Saturday. Yesterday, I kept thinking it was Thursday. Messed up my whole schedule. Anyway. Clara is 8 months old today. How did that happen? It's like the 7th month didn't even exist. I feel like I should start thinking about her first birthday party. Probably need to focus on Christmas first.
I did ten links this time! Partially because this is the 10th week of Things I've Found on the interwebs, but also because I had so many great links to share. 

1. Mother Glow: Videos of couples telling their families that they're preggers. It's apart of FeelGoodBlogs. Look at it. You won't regret it, I promise.

2. Ring on the Finger: From the same FeelGoodBlogs site. Videos of couples getting engaged. More tears shed here. Mostly because I'm super jealous. I want something special. :( #PityParty

3. 1000 Awesome Things: Fantastic! You'll love it!

4. We make it Safer: Product recall site! Keeping your baby safer when it comes to toys and gear. You can search for whichever products you own, and it will tell you if they're recalled or not.

5. So They don't Like the Name You Chose: Lines to reply with when family, friends, and strangers aren't fond of your kid's name. I mean, some criticism is legit. Don't name your kid Harry James Potter, because those are big shoes to fill.

6. The Tucker Diaries: I gave you a link to the first post. This girl is FUNNY! She should have her own column. The blog is specifically for this girl's crazy online dating story with this guy named Tucker. I was so into the story, which is both funny and suspenseful, I sat and read through the whole blog in one go. I promise you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for the next post. Turns out she's my sister's boyfriend's cousin. ANNND she might be featured on Ellen.

7. Bundle Bee: Such a great idea for Christmas gifts and something for the new parent(s). Feel free to send me a bundle if you so desire. :)

8. Post Preggo Exercises: I know, you've probably read tons of articles about how to tighten your bum and such post pregnancy, but this site helps you tighten SKIN as well! Crazy! Take it from someone who does P90X, these are a piece of cake!

9. 15 Stress-Less Ways to Shop with your Kids!: Just in time to do all of that Christmas shopping!

10. Top 4 Foods to Avoid for Toddlers: Wonderful advice!



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Blog Challenge: 30 days of Good

Friday, November 25, 2011

I've decided to do the 30 Days of Good challenge. They won't be consecutive days, since we all know that didn't work out the last time I tried. Link up! Do the challenge with me! It's supposed to be for the month of November... but I just found it soo... yeah.




Day 1: Document Street Style
Day 2: Document a Pet
Day 3: Document Happiness
Day 4: Document something old
Day 5: Document something new
Day 6: Document art
Day 7: Document autumn
Day 8: Document something funny
Day 9: Document inspiration
Day 10: Document your coffee break
Day 11: Document your favorite shoes
Day 12: Document the highlight of your day
Day 13: Document hopefulness
Day 14: Document a friend
Day 15: Document your commute
Day 16: Document a life
Day 17: Document something you made
Day 18: Document a boredom
Day 19: Document a room in your house
Day 20: Document inside your fridge
Day 21: Document a neighbor
Day 22: Document the thing you spent most of the day looking at
Day 23: Document a mentor
Day 24: Document giving thanks
Day 25: Document a stranger
Day 26: Document (the rest will come out day by day)
Day 27: Document
Day 28: Document
Day 29: Document
Day 30: Document




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Crochet Giveaway Results!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

ASHLEY GRIFFIN won the first draw and chose the crochet item of her choice. Look for a future post and I'll show you what she picked!
KELLY-MARIE and AMY C. won the 2nd and 3rd draws! You will both have sponsor spotlight on my blog! I'll contact you about that.

Thanks for participating everyone!



AND I would love if you would vote for us on TopBabyBlogs.com. :)


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My Thank You's.



T: Time. I've had almost 8 months of opportunity to stay home and raise my daughter. It wasn't exactly my choice to do so. But I would never take back that time. I was there for her. She has a secure attachment. I couldn't be more thankful.

H: Help. Since finding out I was pregnant, and especially since becoming a single mother, my family has been so supportive. Especially my parents and sisters. Now that I'm a single mom, my mom helps me sooo much!

A: Awesome-ness. Let's face it. I am. Kidding. My kid is awesome, though! Want examples? There's too many to list. Read my blog and then you'll know.

N: NFL. I am so thankful for the NFL! Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to watch the Lions today. :)

K: Kid. My kid. Clara sees things in such a cool way. Everything is new to her. She giggles at me for no reason, but doesn't laugh when I'm trying to be funny. I am so thankful for every day I get to spend with her.

S: Silliness. When does silliness go away? When you're an adult? Because then I'm a 23-year-old child. I think some parents are too serious. You have to get on the floor and play with your kid. Be silly. Dress up. Make funny faces. (And no, they won't get stuck that way.) Do different voices when reading books. Just be silly. I promise, your outlook on life will change. For the better.

G: Great Mom. I have a wonderful mother who is there for me always. She takes Clara when I need a break. She has helped me with bills. I live in her house, rent-free. She's pretty freakin' great! In fact, I think Clara likes her more than me. Whatever. :)

I: Irony. I'll elaborate some other time. Just know that I'm thankful for it.

V: {Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.  Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me "V".} V for Vendetta. All-time favorite graphic novel.

I: Imitation. Clara imitates EVERYTHING. She loves to do what mommy or Grandma do. It's become really awesome for sign language, too. Since we're doing that now. Eventually, she learn it for real.

N: Nachos.

G: Good night. Clara and I both love our routine. Baby food. Bath time. Book time. Singing and rocking time. and bed. I know people say not to rock your kid to sleep. They start to
demand it. But not only so I enjoy this routine just as much, if not more, than Clara, she goes to bed at nap time without any of it.

What are you thankful for this holiday?






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Favorite Pins of the Week!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

So useful! 31 million ways to wrap presents! Check it out.

Such a cool idea to keep in my car when Clara gets a little older.

 [3]
Should I make these birds and turn them into 
a mobile? I think yes.


Oh my goodness, I love the organization! I'm so totally going to do this.

I need these. I would have gone through over 100 just since August.


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Friday: Things I've found in week 9!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

I know. It's Saturday. Oh well.

I can't believe it's already week 9! Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Only 2 days left! There have only been 11 entries so far, so you should have a pretty good chance of winning if you enter now!


1. Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts that do good! Wanna feel good about the gifts you give this Christmas? This site has lots of ideas. I wish I was closer to NYC so I could get the museum pass. I would DIE!

2. What to do with that Leftover Turkey: This site has fantastic ideas of what to do with your leftover turkey. Better than a week of plain turkey sandwiches.

3. 40 Sayings From Your Parents that You Swore You'd Never Use (But Do!): A big saying with my parents was, "Because." or "Because I said so!". I've promised to never do that with Clara. To explain my reasons to her. I know I have good intentions, but it's useless. I'll do it. What do you say to your kids that you hated when your parents did the same?

4. Top 10 Things Your Baby Doesn't Need: I agree with the Baby Einstein videos. Do I think they make Clara smarter? No. But it's like baby crap. I don't feel good about using the TV as a babysitter. But it's REALLY nice to have when I need a break for 10 minutes, or have something I need to do.
I have to say that I disagree with the boppy. I NEEDED the boppy. A regular pillow would not have cut it. What do you feel like you could not live without when it comes to caring for your baby?

5. Permits for Parents?: An interesting take on what it takes to parent our future generation!

PLEASE don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY! Only 2 days left! And feel free to vote for us on TopBabyBlogs.com. We've fallen over 10 spots. :( So PLEASE vote!



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We're busy.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Things have been pretty... overwhelming lately.
I'm substitute teaching almost every day. It's nice to be working and have some time without the bean. I feel bad even saying that. But after 7 months of being home with Clara all day, it's a nice change. I feel like an actual adult. I get to talk to other adults. Clara has been going to day care regularly, and I think it's good for her to be around other kids.
On the other hand, I'm really feeling like a single parent. If I'm not at work, I'm taking care of Clara. It's all on me. Not that it wasn't before. It's just... different now. I rarely have "me-time". If I'm not with Clara, I feel guilty. And when I am, I feel like I need some breathing room. It would be nice to read a book, work on the blog more regularly... etc. I've been feeling lonely. There's no one to come home to. To share my feelings with. To discuss parenting. It can be isolating.
Anyways, enough feeling sorry for myself.

Clara has been busy, too! She's sitting up like a pro. She recently got two top teeth in, and she WILL NOT stop grinding them. I know she'll grow out of it soon. It's just new and fun, but it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Today, she's picking up food with her thumb and finger. Sounds like a little thing, but it shows me that she's developing. She's learning and  growing. It's bittersweet. I miss the teeny tiny baby who would cuddle on my chest. But it's also so cool to see her learn new things. Things that happen as a person grows, and also things that I'm teaching her.

I'm super excited because I've had several people ask me to make things for them! Mostly, the hats I've been working on. I actually have two different stores asking to make things for them to sell. I feel valued and important! Definitely a change. I've been working on them while Clara is napping, and I can almost finish a whole hat before she wakes up!

Please contact me if you're interested in buying a hat. I would love to hear from you! If you would like to win one, don't forget to enter the giveaway! But  hurry, there are only 5 days left!

Sorry for the blurry crappy cell phone pictures, but I had to share my adorable kid. :)



If you get a chance, please vote for From Bean 2 Baby by clicking the link below. Thanks!


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Favorite Pins of the Week!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Explosion box! Would be so cool for Clara's first year.

Instead of making Clara a blanket of crocheted flowers, I 
decided to do some tiles like this instead. Angie, what do you 
think of something like this for Leyton?

Really awesome mobile/activity for little ones. :)

Would be pretty awesome for baby Leyton, I think. 

Crochet newsboy cap similar what I made thanks to Amy C. 
Thanks for submitting your idea, Amy!


Make sure you enter the giveaway and send me your ideas of what you'd like to see me crochet!

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Sponsor Swap for the Month of December!

If you sign up to do a sponsor swap with me for the month of December, you will get an extra TWO entries in the Crochet Giveaway. But hurry! The contest ends in 6 days!
If this giveaway goes well, I'll be doing another in a few weeks giving away a Sun Baby cloth diaper! So hurry up and enter!




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Giveaway! Get Excited!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Time for a really awesome GIVEAWAY!!!!

I'm looking to build my Etsy Shop! So, I need your help getting Ideas of what I can crochet. I want you to send me a picture and description of something crocheted that you would buy from my Etsy shop. If you need inspiration, Pinterest has tons of great ideas!

There are many ways to enter, below. Please leave a comment each time you complete a task.

When the week is up, I will pick three numbers with a random number generator and those winners can pick which prize they want. The prizes are a crocheted item of your choice, and 2 available spots for 2 months of free sponsor spotlight on From Bean 2 Baby.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment, or email me.

Here's a cute baby:



Click "read more" below (if available) to view.

Friday: Things I've Found in Week 8!


1. Why You Should Stop Yelling at Your Children: I know it's going to be hard to not yell in the future when I'm frustrated. But this is good advice.

2. Video! Notorious B.I.G: The Ultimate Baby Pacifier: BAHAHAHAA! Best baby reaction EVER! Reminds me of something Baby Daddy would do.

3. Advice for a Hypothetical Daughter: Cute :) I should do something like this for Clara.

4. Cool Way to Welcome a Baby into the World: Such a cool video! I would love to do something like this.

5. How Much Bacteria is in a Nursery?: Swab results of this Mom blogger's nursery.



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Wordless(ish) Wednesday: Photos I meant to share, but never did.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011


Boo-bees. HA! My nephew, Landon, Clara, Niece Lilly, Nephew Levi.




Clara and her Dad at the play center thing at the mall.




Some of the 7 month pictures that I took that were really bad.
She loves that cow. Mr. Moo-cow.




She wouldn't leave the sticker alone!




Still learning to sit up, and finding multitasking difficult.



VOTE!? For us? Pretty please? I fell pretty hard this past weekend, and would love a little help from my friends.

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