BMB Video Bloggers

Halloween- Love it or Hate it?

Posted by cafebebemama on Oct 20, 2011 in Blogger Love, BMB Video Bloggers, Motherhood, Vlog Posts | 2 comments

Halloween is just around the corner. In case you have no clue (and what cave have you been living in?) the 31st of October is the big day. Now, being an American means that I have a slightly different perspective on Halloween. No holiday in America goes untouched by corporate America. The Halloween merchandise, decorations and candy comes out around June. About my only favourite thing about Halloween in America are the bite-sized versions of all of your favourite sweets and chocolate bars. Perfect for snacking and stuffing in your mouth so the kids don’t notice!

I’m going to share my memories of Halloween’s past and thoughts for Halloween future with Ella. Feel free to leave me your thoughts and memories in the comments below.

Find more videos like this on BritMums

Project Changing Rooms

Posted by cafebebemama on Oct 10, 2011 in BMB Video Bloggers, Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood, Vlog Posts | 3 comments

This week (Wednesday) will mark my 32nd week of pregnancy. Seems like just yesterday I was announcing (at 7 weeks) that I was pregnant! Well, it’s been a long yesterday, that’s for sure. Who ever decided that 40 weeks was a good length of time to do anything? Phew! So, being 32 weeks into a 40 week pregnancy that gives me somewhere between 5 and 8 weeks until delivery of Bebe. If I get my wish (which I’ll blog about tomorrow) it will be closer to 5 weeks than 8.

Let’s use 5 weeks as our target, shall we? We have 2 1/2 bedrooms to make over, wardrobe storage to sort, a loft that needs a ladder and storage sorting never mind the day to day joy of being a mum, wife and freelance blogger. Now, we just got a bit of a reprieve in the form of voluntary labour. My Dad will be coming over from the US in November to help us out with Ella’s room (currently our master bedroom). We’ve got the plan and now we just need to sell Hubby’s kidney to make it happen!

In the meantime, we have not many weekends to convert the front/guest bedroom into the master bedroom and empty the current master bedroom of its contents. This past weekend found each member of the family wallowing in cold misery so not ONE SINGLE THING was accomplished. Is this procrastination at its finest? Have a tour of our rooms and see what you think. Any suggestions are more than welcome. Hopefully our finished Project Changing Rooms will be far better than what you’re looking at now! Wish us luck! Now, 7 days in a week, 5 weeks minimum = 35 days to accomplish everything….OH.MY.GOD.

Cafe Bebe Project Changing Rooms

BritMums Video Blog Challenge: My Favourite Space

Posted by cafebebemama on Oct 6, 2011 in BMB Video Bloggers, Vlog Posts | 6 comments

On BritMums we trying to get bloggers using video. It’s not so scary you know! I don’t have a problem throwing myself in front of (or behind) the camera so I try to help by leading the charge. Where’s my trumpet?

This week’s Video Blog Challenge is to share your favourite space in your home. My favourite space just so happens to be our kitchen but it wasn’t always this way. We used to have a very “singleton-esque” kitchen with a high table/bar & stools which just doesn’t work for a family, in my humble opinion. We rarely spent time in the kitchen and it was usually me dashing in to create a meal and then us eating it off of our laps in lounge. In fact, Ella’s highchair was stationed in the lounge as well! Yuck!

In January we remodeled the kitchen when my Dad and stepmom where here and now it is most definitely my favourite room in the house. I spent the months of January and February using it as my office as well until I realised that having a laptop on the kitchen table wasn’t the best choice in the world. Have a look…

My Favourite Space

Accentuate the Positive

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 25, 2011 in American Mum Me, Blogger Love, Blogging, BMB Video Bloggers, Motherhood | 18 comments

My little English Princess. Well, my little half-English/half-American Princess to be specific. She is hilarious, my girl. The other day I finally heard how I sound to my daughter.

It’s been 6 years since I moved permanently to the England. Being from the Midwest of the US, I didn’t have a particularly strong “American accent”. In fact, for the most part, my accent is one that used to be most desirable for news presenters/readers/reporters back in the day before ethnicity ruled. A flat accent without influence from region was the optimal accent as then you couldn’t necessarily tell where the person was from. Not terribly exciting, mind you, but there you go.

Since moving to the UK in 2005 I have tried to blend into the woodwork so to speak. It’s been so long now that sometimes I forget that I don’t have an English accent. I’ll find myself talking to someone I don’t know or haven’t met before and suddenly they aske me “Where are you from then?” and I remember “Oh, that’s right, I don’t speak like you.” I’ll NEVER have an ENGLISH accent so to speak but some of my words have definitely changed and my accent generally is softer and veers more toward English than it used to. I hear an accent from my home state of Wisconsin and can hardly believe my ears now! It sounds so different.

Since becoming a Mum I have tried to model the English language and accent as much a possible for Ella’s sake. I don’t mean that I put on some fake, posh, English accent. That would be ridiculous! But I use English pronunciations and words for Ella’s benefit and as a result, Ella’s accent is perfectly English much to the delight of my American family. The other day, however, I finally heard what I sound like to Ella as she repeated my accent back to me. Here is the video evidence for you! Enjoy!

Cafe Bebe talks about Meals & Favourite Foods

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 20, 2011 in Blogger Love, BMB Video Bloggers, Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood, Vlog Posts | 0 comments

This week on BritMums, they’re asking bloggers to pull on their VIDEO blogging boots and tackle the subject of their children’s favourite foods, recipes and meals.

Ella, thankfully, has been a relatively easy child with regards to food. She took to purees readily, happily tried MOST foods and I’ve always been able to get SOMETHING down her. For this I am eternally grateful and hope that I haven’t cursed myself to have the complete opposite with Bebe #2.

Here’s what trips Ella’s trigger in the food department. What are your child’s favourite foods? Do you have a meal you KNOW your child will inhale? Or are you challenged by a particularly fussy eater? How do you handle it? Feel free to join in on the BritMums Video Blogging Challenge yourself and/or add your comments below.

BritMums Mummy Me Time

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 13, 2011 in Blogger Love, Blogging, BMB Video Bloggers, Motherhood, Vlog Posts | 3 comments

“Oh, sweetie! Flowers for Mummy? How delightful!”

Yes, this COULD happen but more than likely won’t. However, come Tuesday 13 September, I begin getting a bit of Mummy “ME” time back. Well, at least until the beginning of December. Ella begins her 3 full days a week at school which means that from 9:15-3:15 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I will have 6 glorious hours to myself. Woooo hoooooo!

Don’t get me wrong! I love my daughter immensely. I love spending our days together. If I didn’t, I would be working outside of the home. But it will be incredibly helpful, for the next 2.5 months, to have a wee bit of time back to myself before my world is turned on its head again with the arrival of Bebe #2. Have a look at what I intend to do with my time. It’s our BritMums video blogging topic of the week!