BITO® Blog

Living. Loving. Parenting: Hang out with us every Monday & Thursday

11 Feb

Posted at 06:56h in BITO Blog by
0 Likes

First Day of school…Down Under! I realize that the majority of the readers reading this blog live in the Northern Hemisphere, and therefore have their school year starting at the end of August or early September, so the timing of this post may seem a bit off for you. I, on the other hand, live in the Southern Hemisphere, and am in the middle of the first week of school here in Australia as it’s the end of summer Down Under. Every September my Facebook and Instagram feeds get filled with photos of all my friends’ kids, back home in North America, on the first day of school. There are many long-winded posts about how they cried waving good-bye to their little ones, as they catch the bus for the first time. I never fully understood this. I couldn’t imagine being sad about my daughters going off to school. My two have...

08 Feb

Posted at 00:35h in BITO Blog by
0 Likes

Zika and Maternal Health Microcephaly, a word most of us, up until a few weeks ago had never heard of before.  A seemingly un-common and rare condition caused by the Zika virus has created a panic in the Americas, especially for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.  Microcephaly is a birth defect that makes a baby's head smaller than normal which results in a smaller brain and can result in permanent developmental problems.  What makes this virus particularly concerning is how it is transmitted, via mosquitoes; those annoying pesky insects that before had very rarely caused us much harm. Zika is found in the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can be spread by getting bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus or when a person infected gets bitten by a mosquito and then bites someone else. [caption id="attachment_17431" align="alignnone" width="700"] Aedes aegypti mosquito- source[/caption] And even more alarming is that the Zika...

04 Feb

Posted at 06:15h in BITO Blog by
1 Like

A little taste of home goes a long way…. As most would assume, there are pros and cons to living in one of the most beautiful, yet isolated, places in the world. For me, the pros outweigh the cons, otherwise I wouldn’t have been here for the last six and a half years; I love the climate here in the South West of Western Australia, I love the fact that I feel that my children and I are safe, and how I rarely even think twice about not locking my car doors. I adore the beautiful, un-crowded beaches and pristine waters, affordable dependable health care, and advanced education system, among other things… The downside is it’s SO DAMN FAR from… well...

01 Feb

Posted at 00:15h in BITO Blog by
0 Likes

11 heartwarming newborn photo poses Nothing comes as close on the cuteness overload meter than newborn baby photos.  O.k. except maybe those photos with babies and puppies!  Most parents want to celebrate the birth of their new baby with newborn photos.  It's a great way to announce the new arrival and maybe even share some baby facts like, date of birth, weight, time of birth and full name. Here are a 11 of the most heartwarming newborn photos ever: Cute chin-hold baby photo is a really trendy pose for newborns.  I love how they can be positioned in the cutest ways!  Photo Credit: Newborn photography St. Louis, Missouri. Emily Lucarz My favorite baby pose has to be the "bum up" pose.  This pose is very common with babies, even after the newborn stage.  Have you ever seen a baby do this?  Photo Credit:  Stephanie Robin Photography Newborn girl photos are super cute with giant headbands. ...

28 Jan

Posted at 00:50h in BITO Blog by
0 Likes

7 things to LOVE about newborns Newborns are amazing!  I know we think that they are frail little things not capable of much more than crying, sleeping and pooping, but in reality, crying, sleeping and pooping is just what they do most of the time, they're actually very strong, and quite capable of doing all of the instinctual baby things. Ever seen a baby do skin-to-skin in the moments after birth?  Like literally, minutes after being born (how traumatic is that!) they are bobbing their little heads around, and using ALL of their body and senses to find their mother to breastfeed for the first time. I find that AMAZING...

24 Jan

Posted at 00:36h in BITO Blog, motherhood, parenting by
0 Likes

5 things to make your kids feel special It's hard to keep things going in a world that moves at the speed of light.  Being a working mom, a single mom, any mom- is challenging.  Not only is it a difficult task a lot of the time, but we tend to beat ourselves up over things that we don't do perfectly.  For many women, having enough time for your kids is very important, and one of those things we tend to lament over.  If you have more than one child, it becomes even harder to make sure that you're giving them all of the attention and time they need. Here are 5 things you can do to make each of your children feel special: Ask them how their day was.  Just like adults, kids like to share their stories and experiences with the people they love.  If you can't be with your...