BITO® Blog

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

04 Jun

Posted at 03:41h in BITO Blog by
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Say it out loud, "I am blessed."  Think about it for a second and decide what it means to you.  It may mean favored, lucky, protected or loved.  It's easy sometimes to dwell on the hard times in our lives.  The times in our lives that we felt were unfair or not justified. I can imagine there were probably a few times where you felt fearful, confused and bothered by a situation, maybe you even felt that things were not in your control.  Tragic events, hurtful and sad events are a part of life.  Things change, situations throw you for a loop and the unexpected happens to everyone. Several weeks ago Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook lost her husband, Dave suddenly.  She has recently written so many beautiful and inspiring posts about her journey and her struggle.  She has allowed herself to be vulnerable and completely human in expressing her feelings...

04 Jun

Posted at 03:28h in BITO Blog by
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I’m a pretty tech-savvy mom, so I wanted to share my favourite “mom” apps that I’ve used, from the day I found out I was pregnant to now.  These are all free apps (except for The Wonder Weeks).  They are in order of timeline (from pregnancy onwards) not in order of rank. I have an android, so I know these are all available in the Google Play Store; however I think most, if not all, are also available for iPhones.     My Calendar: This app tracks your period and lets you know approximately when you are ovulating and the    best times to try to get pregnant. You can also record symptoms you experience, etc.      I’m Expecting: Once you have conceived, get this app. You enter in your due date and it tracks everything, day to day. Every week you get a detailed update on what your baby looks like, what organs...

01 Jun

Posted at 14:13h in BITO Blog by
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So it seems my previous blog post (Newsflash – Fatherhood Causes Amnesia - May 18 2015) has created some drama. A small number of people feel I am throwing fathers under the bus, and particularly my husband; and one even said it perpetuates the opinion that men are not equally capable in their role as a parent. Here’s the thing - it’s not a competition. Men and women, fathers and mothers all have their strengths and weaknesses. Just because women dominate in Gymnastics and Figure Skating over their male counterparts, doesn’t mean women are better at all sports… Right?!?  Just like women being generally better at multitasking and keeping the home tidier with the kids in their care, doesn’t make them better parents.   For those that didn’t read the blog, it was in regards to how my husband and numerous of my friends husbands all struggle to mind the children and...

28 May

Posted at 00:46h in BITO Blog by
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We all know becoming a mother means many things change.  I have seen my life evolve quite dramatically in the past few months since my son was born.  Here are just “some” of the many transformations, the last one being the most recent and exciting! The Mom-Mobile When my son was born, we quickly discovered that my piece of crap 4-door Sedan was no longer the ideal vehicle for our family.  Not only did this car of mine not have the car seat hooks that newer vehicles have, it also was making funny noises; and being a low vehicle meant breaking my back when taking baby in and out of the car. So, an upgrade was necessary: the Mom SUV.  Complete with: car seat hooks, reverse camera, Sirius xm radio, and most importantly, it’s one of the top rated vehicles for safety.     The Sleep Schedule Haven’t you heard? Not sleeping is the new sleeping! Everyone’s...

25 May

Posted at 04:00h in BITO Blog by
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The list of items a newborn "needs" can be overwhelming. Some of the What to buy lists on the Internet run for pages! As I prepare for our new arrival I am not even in the same boat as everyone else (pun intended) since I really am on a boat! My list of newborn items: Large items: Car seat and base Extra base for Daddy's truck Stroller frame for car seat base Playpen/bassinet/changing combo for our schoolhouse ( I homeschool 2 teenagers) Clothes: Newborn size (my last baby was pretty small but I know some can skip this size) 4 nightgowns 10 footed PJs 10 onesies 6 rompers 10 socks 6 hats 1 jacket 2 pants Diapering: 36 cloth diapers- newborn 5 diaper covers - newborn 36 cloth diapers - small 8 diaper covers - small cloth diaper pail/bag Cloth diaper washing powder 3 Snappis 1 changing pad (I made mine to fit a bureau on my boat out of foam) 3 changing pad covers Feeding: Boppy breast feeding pillow Breast pump for unforeseen circumstances 1 bottle Breast pads 4 Nursing bras 4...

21 May

Posted at 04:00h in BITO Blog by
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Last night my mom, sisters, daughter and I participated in a strange new ritual that is really popular today: making a belly cast as a keepsake of exactly how big your belly got when pregnant. Picture it: three generations of women (one naked), rolls of plaster cast material, clear plastic wrap and a very large bottle of olive oil. I ordered this kit to do mine, although there are also many people that offer this service. I decided to do it myself as a bonding experience for all the women in the family; and a bonding experience is exactly what it turned out to be! We all actually live on boats, so the choice of where to accomplish this task was an interesting one. We ended up in the bathroom of the marina where my mom and sisters live, praying no one walked in! We started by reading the instructions . . . each...