Posts Tagged "Computer"

Little Miss du Jour-February 5

Posted by cafebebemama on Feb 5, 2011 in Little Miss du Jour, Motherhood | 2 comments

Well, I’m a bit late to the Project 365 party. Actually, I’m about 36 days late to be precise. But I’m a rule breaker aren’t I? So I’m going to take the Project 365 idea and turn it into Project 329 Little Miss Stylee.

This is Number 1- my Little Miss du Jour. In it you find Little Miss doing what Mummy does so much of the time…working on her ‘pooter. Just like Mummy does. I’m so proud! Now, if we can just get her bringing in some income…

And BREATHE…

Posted by cafebebemama on Jun 28, 2010 in Motherhood, Travelling Adventures | 5 comments

Newquay, Cornwall

The view above is from our hotel balcony in Newquay.  Newquay is where I had a revelation!  Blogging will not bring me riches and fame (never really thought it would).  Blogging is my creative outlet which allows me to dangle my feet in some new waters.  Blogging has opened a lot of doors for me.  But what I really need to do now is BREATHE.

The fresh air off the Atlantic Ocean cleared out a few cobwebs.  I’m a wife and a mother…and a pretty darn good one.  But if I got my ass off the desk chair, got out of the dark corner where the computer is situated and lived my life I would be a lot better wife, mother and ME!

Hubby, Little Miss and I went to the east coast this weekend to spend time with family who are visiting from Australia.  We drove away from the house Friday night and didn’t look back.  I signed off of Twitter and the computer and didn’t touch the thing until Sunday afternoon when I briefly checked emails and Skyped with my Dad.  I was free.  I was happy.  It was a RELIEF!  No computer to distract me or draw me in.  No phone.  No RESPONSIBILITIES!  We focused on our family.

When was the last time you said…”and BREATHE”?  Why don’t you?

The Great British Blog Festival- Wednesday

Posted by cafebebemama on Jun 9, 2010 in Blogger Love, Guest Bloggers, The Great British Blog Festival | 0 comments

I bring you a not-so-wordless-Wednesday for The Great British Blog Festival today.  Isn’t it fun to see all of the great posts about blogging?  You surely have been to visit Littlemummy, Littlemumpreneur, English Mum and Me, The Man and The Baby?  They’ve got brilliant posts on their sites as well…make sure to visit them after you read this brilliant offering today.

Today’s guest blogger is Victoria from It’s a Small World After All.  She and her lovely family are about to embark on an amazing trip around the world!  As she says on her glorious blog, “We are a family of five from London, planning to embark on a round the world trip in November this year. We will be travelling for about nine months before returning home in July 2011.” I love how Victoria is so CASUAL about this MAHOOSIVE adventure!  What an amazing experience for them all.  Here Victoria shares with us some of her travelling experiences with regards to blogging…

Travelling with a computer

My first entry into the blogging world was about three years ago via travel blogging. Through hanging out in the Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forums, I became aware that people were writing online diaries of their trips. Being an ex-travel junkie, stuck at home with three children aged 5, 3 and 1, I couldn’t get enough of reading these blogs and would travel vicariously while my children napped.

Like parenting blogs, some travel blogs are online daily journals, whilst others are a series of articles about different aspects of their journey. Personally I find the latter more interesting, as I don’t usually feel the need to know what someone eats three times a day and there are only so many times I can read about the glories of Macchu Picchu without ever having visited. But sometimes I also pore over the details of the former, particularly when it’s a family travel blog. How do they cope with overnight trains? What do their children eat? What kind of luggage are they carrying?

The community aspect of travel blogging is very important, as with most blogging. Instead of parenting tips, travel bloggers share news of great guesthouses and interesting things to do. It’s a brilliant way of connecting with people all over the world, I know who to contact when I’m visiting Hawaii or New Zealand, and that they’ll tell me the best places for shave ice and sheep shearing. Travel bloggers have also been known to offer each other beds for the night. We almost had a Kiwi family with eight children to stay, but last year’s terrible summer chased them south to Greece before they made it to London. Hopefully we shall finally get to meet when we go to Auckland later this year.

Travel blogging can be logistically difficult. Many countries don’t have readily available Wi-Fi, and you can spend a lot of time hunting out the nearest McDonalds to upload a post. There is also a conflict between getting out there and doing stuff to actually write about, and writing about it. Hours spent behind the computer uploading all your gorgeous pictures are hours that could perhaps be better spent on the beach.

For me, blogging about our upcoming round the world trip is a way to make sense of it all, cope with the anticipation and excitement and keep a record for the future. We’ll be taking two netbooks with us so hopefully I’ll be able to keep blogging regularly as we travel. It will be a useful way for us to stay in touch with family and friends when we’re away, and when we come back we will have an amazing family album. A great bonus of my participation in the UK parent blogging community is that I’ll be able to take all of you with me.

Victoria Wallop has been blogging for over a year, mostly about travel stuff, at It’s a Small World After All.

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I CANNOT imagine undertaking something like the “It’s a Small World After All” family are about to undertake!  The stress of flying with ONE toddler to America & back is enough to knock me for six!  I can’t wait to see what they get up to.

Now for tomorrow’s blogger: Well, let’s see, she’s writing a wee post for us about anonymity which is THE hot topic in the blogging world these days (she’s so hip!).  She’s a former London lawyer who’s switched City Life for Scottish Life and is wondering how much fun being a SAHM to 3 will be?  Remember to pop back to see this lovely blogger…she’s got some gorgeous HATS as well!

Blog Business-The Write Equipment

Posted by cafebebemama on Apr 23, 2010 in Motherhood | 10 comments

Those of you who follow me on Twitter read my complaints about my “craptop” on a weekly basis.  I have a Dell Laptop from 2003.  I couldn’t begin to tell you what it has in terms of RAM, memory, etc…etc… but I can tell you that this craptop really does my head in.  I know it’s probably mired in tiny viruses and “malware” and it’s so full of documents/pictures/songs/rubbish that it cannot possibly run properly.

It takes a good 5 minutes to get rolling when it’s first turned on and can’t possibly have more than 3 windows running at the same time.  If I try to refresh a page I have to go make a cuppa or do the dishes before it will reopen!  God forbid someone sends me an attachment in an email.  I generally have to wait until hubby gets home with his laptop in order to open a document/photo/pdf attachment or risk blowing up my craptop.  Opening Word to write a freelance piece is just asking for all sorts of trouble and as far as publishing a blog post…well, 45 minutes later it might be done.  It doesn’t take me 45 minutes to write, I might add!

All of these factors conspire to make me bang my head on the desk at odd points throughout the day and do a great deal of swearing under my breath (unless Little Miss is sleeping and then I let ‘er rip).  I’m trying to make a wee living with my writing and have a great deal of pride about my blog so having a computer that functions is integral to my success.  This craptop has accompanied me from the US and has been a real life-saver in so many ways but I fear that it’s reaching the end of it’s productivity and is destined to become Little Miss’ laptop only.

As a result of crappy craptopiness, I have to resort to using hubby’s laptop when he gets home from work.  I revel in it’s speediness and beam when I can have 5 windows open AND refresh a window at the same time.  It’s gorgeous.  But it’s hubby’s work laptop.  Justifiably, I shouldn’t be using it but needs must!  However, after a bit of harumphing last night hubby threw me a bone.  He said that if I can manage to get some money that would buy me a laptop, I can get a shiny new laptop of my very own!  Squee!

Now, I don’t mean that hubby won’t let me have a laptop UNLESS I EARN the money…we share everything we bring into our bank account equally.  It’s just that everything that we earn (including me) goes to our bills and our life…not fun things like laptops.  But I NEED a new laptop in order to make the money that we need.  It’s a bit of a vicious cycle isn’t it??  So, if I can get me a little freelance dosh…a new laptop could be making my freelance life that much easier.

That’s my question to you now…what do I need?  What is the “write” equipment?  Here’s what I think I might need:

• A laptop- ideally one that doesn’t weigh 800 lbs and isn’t too big. This would make some of my “blogging adventures” that much more productive.  Get me…I’d like to think I’m a journalist!
• I don’t need something that does gaming or plays movies although I do need something to hold my Flip videos and maybe has some installed editing software besides the Flip software for my Vlogging.
• I need to have plenty of space to hold pictures and songs.
• Obviously Wi-Fi and a built in Webcam for Skyping are mandatory.

What would you recommend?  I’ve always been a PC girl but I wouldn’t MIND a Mac.  I hear that the MacBook is genius and I quite enjoyed the iMac that I got to use at the City Inn Westminster but I fear that they may be out of my price range.  I would probably only have a budget of around £500 max which might get me a keyboard for a Mac and little else.  What software do I need/want?  How do I make sure that I have enough space?  How many giga-whatsits do I need?  What sort of daily/weekly maintenance do I need to do to make sure my computer runs efficiently?

Now if there are any tech companies that would like to give me their bestest laptops for a proper review, I’m more than happy to accept.  Or if any generous benefactors would like to anonymously donate a new laptop to me, I’ll be sure to do you proud.  I kid…I’m a kidder.    Cafe Bebe is open for suggestion…over to you now.  What is the “write” equipment for little old me?

A Day in the Life

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 17, 2009 in Writing Workshop | 14 comments

Oh damn…it’s nearly 7:30am.  You know she always comes down here around that time.  Hubby gives her a wee lie-in while he gets ready for work, Little Miss runs around like a mad woman and she finally shuffles down here.  What’s the first thing she does?  Well, after turning the kettle on, turns me on!  Dammit.  I’m off again…running and running and running.  Why does she abuse me so?

How come she always opens TweetDeck first?  Does she think someone is going to have mentioned her or Direct Messaged her overnight?  See!  I told you so…no one…no messages!  Silly woman.

Oh here we go now.  Opening the email accounts!  Why does she have three email accounts?  How does she keep those passwords straight?  Why does she think she needs to check those accounts right away in the morning?  She must be hoping for something amazing coming from America or something?

No, no, no….turn the fan on!  She’s opening like 5 windows at the same time!  I can’t keep up!  Quick…get that “running script error” thingy on the screen!  I need to catch my breath.  What on earth does she need 5 windows open for?  Oh dammit, that Google Mail window is going into hyperdrive…shut it down, shut it down!  There…end program, end program, end program…breathe, breathe, breathe…

Did you ever notice how many times a day she says “Just a minute my love” to that Little Miss?  Like a bazillion!  Get off me woman…get some fresh air for goodness sake.  Oh, yes, you just checked that email account 10 minutes ago.  I’m sure there’s going to be an email there now.  Oh, damn, there was one.  Don’t the people know that they’re just encouraging her by feeding her need for contact?  Silly people…maybe I’ll just mess with her for a bit.  I’m going to take FOREVER to open that next site!  And the next download??  Oh, at least 10-12 minutes.  You need to slow down Mrs!  I just can’t keep up anymore!

Little Miss is finally down for a nap…do you think we could get one?  NO!!!  She’s back again, now fully focused on getting a post written or an email answered or another creation created.  Oh. God. No.  She’s on her WordPress sites again…can she not pick one theme and stick with it?  All this downloading and uploading is really starting to wear on me.  I just don’t know how much longer I can keep working for her.  Yes, I like that theme!  It’s pretty and easy and doesn’t take forever to load.  NOOOOO!!!!  She changed it again!  Oh yeah, pick that theme!  Like you’re going to be able to work with that one!  Silly woman.

What time is it?  Good lord, it’s nearly 7pm!  I’ve been running for practically twelve hours!  She keeps me running regardless of whether she’s here or not.  I’m going to tap into those British Gas people and let them know that this woman is not very GREEN.  At least we get to look at pretty pictures of Little Miss while she’s not working on us.  Oh, there goes that one where she’s sleeping…I love that one.  Yes!  It’s time to start closing those windows…oh, yes, I can breathe again!  Last window…finally!  Yes…shut down the TweetDeck…no one is paying attention to you anyway, I’m telling you.  Their constant conversations do keep me entertained throughout the day though.  The stories I could tell you!  Phew!

Oh, yeah, I know…you’re going for the Hubby’s bigger, better laptop to take my place for the night.  Trollop!  All the work I do for you and the peace and quiet I sacrifice so you can do bigger and better things with ANOTHER YOUNGER model.  Fine…see if I care!  Oh…slowing down now…last window…YES PLEASE TURN OFF COMPUTER!!  Nighty night now….at least we get a 12 hour sleep unlike her!  Revenge is sweet!  zzzzz

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF…the Café Bébé computer!  After 6 years of sometimes mediocre service, we’re really hoping to “retire” the Café Bébé computer in 2010.  Maybe Santa will take pity…Thanks for all you do Felicity…I may shout and swear at you but I do appreciate the effort.