Baxtron{Life}

Monday, August 20

Highs & Lows

#BlogHer12 Recap pt.3

I realize this has taken me forever to get to, but I need to finish writing my posts about the conference for future reference - so if you've heard enough about the event already - just skip this post and head right down to my Beauty Box Reveal or my collection of Pale Yellow for the Fall!

Ahhh Saturday. The day I threw that beautiful google calendar plan in the garbage and decided to just wing it through the event. Let me start with saying - after Friday night, I was gravely tired - like first two weeks post-partum tired. I decided to skip breakfast at the conference and take my time getting ready to go - instead relaxing a bit before heading to the event.

When I arrived at the Hilton - I went straight for the expo hall. I had decided that I wanted to spend my time there, meeting with PR Reps and Connecting with Brands. I just found that I made the best connections there. I scheduled a head and neck massage for later that afternoon at the Pfizer Booth. I learned about all kinds of new products - including:

Lifeproof iPhone cases - a must have for a mama with small kiddos!

And the Zeo Sleep Manager - a new at-home tool that helps you to get restful sleep.

While in the Expo Hall - I received the BEST compliment ever - "Are you a Fashion Blogger?" Hello - I love you, can I kiss you!? That was such a boost right there - of course I said no, and thanked the brand rep. for their very sweet compliment.

After spending all morning in the Expo Hall - I realized that I had completely spaced on my Geek Bar appointment to learn about the new SquareSpace 6 - the platform I plan on moving over to when I leave my lovely home at Google/Blogger. (I'm totally NOT doing Wordpress folks! When I get ready to switch I will share with you all why!)

L-R: Me, Kirby & her adorable daughter G, & part of Gangstagrass

Mid-day it was time for the Awesome Baby Blogs Social with a very special live performance of Gangstagrass. Hello - they are amazing. Wow. So amazing I have to share a track with you right now.

It was such a fun time of meeting other members from the ABB Directory and just enjoying some time away from the chaos of the hotel.

Immediately after the social I headed up to the 42nd floor of the hotel to schedule in some time with Starbucks and the other suites. Unfortunately it took me FOREVER to get up there with only 3 elevators going there at any time. Almost as soon as I got up there, I turned around and headed down to my massage.

Just as I arrived...the scheduler was turning down a beautiful preggo lady because their spaces were all filled. I knew immediately who it was and I was so excited to meet Ilana from MommyShorts! I love her blog - and so I said, "Hey, you know what - you can have my massage!" She immediately tried to turn it down - thinking I was giving it up because she is pregnant, and I said - nope its not that - I'm just a super big fan! She still refused, but took my business card (yay)! What a fun chance to make an impression on a blogger I look up to! <3

After enjoying my massage - I had to high-tail it over to the Getting Gorgeous party hosted by CVS.

At Getting Gorgeous - I got to check out a ton of fun products and connect with Melly Atkinson from My PB and J! I think we were both a little tired and weary at this point. Plus - waiting in epic lines is never a fun way to spend your day.

I rushed back to the hotel after spending a short time there and made it just in time for my Starbucks Verismo demo! Now, as a Seattle native, I consider myself a part of the coffee elite. Everyone knows that if you live in Seattle, Starbucks is rarely a choice of places to go for coffee - you just have so many wonderful local coffee houses that are amazing and worth going to. However; now that I live in NYC - Starbucks is the ONLY reliable place for a great cup of coffee. Its either that or what I like to call "coffee water" - the stuff served at most cafe's and carts in this city. Anyway, the demo is for their new single cup "pod" brewing system that will hit the shelves just in time for the holidays. Because they haven't given me one for free (yet) I'm going to not give you the run-down...but get ready friends - it is amazing!

After the demo - I popped in to see what was going on with the NY Moms meet-up. Then I headed down to take a rest before the first ever BlogHer Fashion Show. It was around this time (I think) that I did a wall sit to recharge my batteries (as well as my iPhone). And this is where the first major high of the day occurred.

I was so blessed to spend a good 30-45 minutes having a sweet sit-down chat with Alissa from Rags to Stitches. We both chatted about what God was speaking to us in our lives with our various ventures. And I just remember feeling at the end of the convo - wow, so much of what she said was Him speaking through her to me. I seriously will treasure that conversation - as it has helped me to really focus on what God wants me to do going forward in terms of my life, blogging and dreams.

The high continued through the Fashion Show - an amazing and inspiring event that I am super glad that I didn't miss, especially because I didn't really plan on attending it. The evening went on from there to party after party - none of which are really worth mentioning. :) I said my good-byes and headed home, very much missing my hubby and daughter after the whirlwind of the weekend.

Read Part 1 & Part 2 here. And stay tuned - I have one more recap post - as well as a very helpful list of take-aways coming this week! And then you won't hear another word about BlogHer from me - at least for another year! <3 <3

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I've Discovered e.l.f.

Beauty Box Reveal

Thanks to the LOVELY and not so plain Jade, at An Organized Mess, I was spoiled with a bunch of e.l.f. cosmetics, as well as some other fabulous items in my Beauty Box from the swap! I had such a great time participating in this!! <3 <3

My beauty box from Jade arrived RIGHT before BlogHer, so I got to try out a bunch fo the items one of the days I was at the conference - and LOVED them!! <3

Thank you SO MUCH JADE! And HAPPY Birthday!! <3 <3

I sent a Beauty Box to the lovely Aimee at Aimee's World - I was really nervous about whether or not she would like the things I picked out, having never done anything like this before. And I didn't shop off her blog beauty list (cause I didn't find it until after) so I was even more worried when I hadn't got any of the items on her list! (I shopped off the small description provided to me by the hosts of the swap)! Eeeep! See if she liked it on her reveal post here.

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Pale Yellow

#PINNING!!

"Pinning!" is a Weekly Pinterest Link-Up

(Share pins, meet others who love "Pinning", get inspired!)

First Time? It's simple just follow these rules:

Please follow your hosts' blogs & Pinterest boards:

Courtney // Baxtron{Life} //

Kimberly // A Night Owl //

And your Co-Hosts:

Ann // Living with Porteous //

Holly // The Artist Who Never Starved //

Devon // The Jack Chronicles //

then

Link up your Pinterest Inspired Post & Profile below

and

Make sure you link back to the party!

<center>
<a href="http://www.baxtronlife.com/search/label/Pinning" target="_blank"><img src="http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m307/bagleykim/Pinning200x200PP.jpg" height="150" width="150" /></a></center>

Share the link-up:

***

I've got a color crush - PALE YELLOW -

which seems slightly out of place for Fall,

but I actually think I'd wear or use it this Fall anyway (if I can find it!)

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: plus.google.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: chictopia.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: room269.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: neimanmarcus.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: thefancy.com via Courtney on Pinterest

THANK YOU to all who linked up last week!

So, who's "Winning at Pinning?"
This week it's Natalie from Growing Up a NJ Wife & Mom for this adorable balloon cake pin:

Source: growingupanjwife.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Natalie! Feel free to grab the button, and flaunt it!

Each week a winner is chosen to flaunt the title of "Winning at Pinning" for successfully wowing us with the best Pinterest find. The winner will be featured/announced in the following week's post!

WANT TO BE A GUEST JUDGE or HOST?

Email us!

Are you "Pinning"?

Come on, everyone is doing it.

Join us MONDAYS for weekly sharing of Pinterest finds.

***

Link up your PINTEREST INSPIRED POST below:

***

Link up your PINTEREST PROFILE below:

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Thursday, August 16

8.16.12

The Weekly Wrap

1. Little Gym Grand Opening // Rejoice // Action // Sweetie

2. Carpal Tunnel // Insomnia // Pachyderm & Jelly // BFF's

3. I'm Still Here // Tweet // Playdate // Gameface

4. Freeze // Snacks // Color // Bliss

1. Turtle Shell // Solace // Like Mother // Fancy Snack

2. French Toast w/PB&Maple // Boots! // Selfie // Sleepy

3. For Real // Hippo Park // Steeple // Lounging

4. Hudson River // Vivid // Epic Haul // TJ's

1. Sunset // Te Amo // Not Acting // Cheese & Crackers

2. Marker Pedi // Marker Mani // Marker on Mommy // Retouched Vivid

3. Turkey Burger w/Garlic Fries // I Win // Swangin' // Four-legged-Daddy-Creature

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Wheels on the Bus go - clash, boom, bash!

LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus letters toy

Last week, I had the opportunity to gloat a bit about our sneak preview of the fantastic new LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar - which Zion has been jamming on daily! This week - I want to share with you another great product in their new Touch Magic line - the LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus! This is my favorite new alphabet learning letters toy I have come across!

What sets the Touch Magic Learning Bus apart from other alphabet learning toys is the modern feel. You know everything is "touch screen" now - and it just has a stronger appeal to our little ones who have been exposed to the excitement of tablets and smartphones. It is also a brilliant design when you take into account - again - the lack of cracks that toddler drool/mess/ickies can get into (and never get out!)

Music & learning fun with every little touch!

• Touch and learn with 200+ learning and musical responses

• Switch between three modes: Learning, Letter Exploration

and Music, which includes fun sing-along songs about the alphabet, motion and more.

• Explore 40+ touch points including letters, piano keys and more!

Our favorite feature on the Touch Magic Learning Bus are the adorable passengers! Each of the cute little characters on this letters toy play a special instrument - and when you are using the bus in music mode - they can play along with their instrument when you press them. Another fun musical feature is the mini keyboard and drum symbols at the bottom of the bus. The wheels on this bus go clash, boom, bash!

I'm also impressed that Zion, at 2 years, really gets into the game mode - where she can hunt for either a letter or an object according to what is asked. This Learning Bus letters toy keeps her attention and strong focus for anywhere from 10-20 minutes at a time - which is perfect for her age. We loved having the opportunity to explore the features and enjoy this new learning tool/toy!

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Wednesday, August 15

Tumbling, Balancing & Charity

Little Gym Grand Opening Event

Right before the craziness of BlogHer began, I was invited to a special grand opening event at the newest The Little Gym on the Upper Westside in Manhattan. I'm always excited to attend special events and activities in New York, especially those which offer a fun and unique experience for Zion.

Zion, now 2, is in full curiosity and exploration mode - its hard to keep her interested in any one thing for too long before she craves something new and different. It is as if she senses the scale of the incredible world that exists and wants to taste, see, touch, feel and experience anything and everything she can. I love this stage for that reason!

The event was really top notch. Zion was able to experience some of the variety of activities she would participate in if enrolled in their programming, as well as just have free play in their incredible gym! From tumbling - to swinging on bars - to walking the balance beam - she enjoyed every single moment!

While Zion and the other children were experiencing the thrill of endless mats to somersault, roll around and jump on - I had the chance to learn a about the Little Gym's philosophy, history and curriculum. I also feel honored to be given a first look at the partnership between the Little Gym and Soles4Souls!

The Little Gym has a really cool "Three Dimensional Learning" curriculum - based on 35 years of experience, parental feedback and early childhood research. The goal of the curriculum is to get kids moving, help them foster a love of learning, and equip them with life skills - like sharing, listening and taking turns.

The Little Gym and Soles4Souls have recently joined forces to launch their "Big Hearts, Little Shoes" campaign to collect shoes for those in need. The Little Gym has set a goal of collecting one million pairs of shoes - and have set up special Soles4Soles drop-boxes on all of their campuses for the 2012/13 season. What an awesome and powerful way to get the kids involved in being charitable and generous at an early age! One of the biggest highlights to me was that any shoe could be donated - and nothing is wasted - so even heavily worn shoes will be recycled and not wasted!

The Upper Westside just got a little brighter by the addition of The Little Gym! We had an amazing time at the event, finishing it off with a nice little reception and mingling with some other New York City mamas and their little ones. Thanks to MomCentral for inviting us to the event!

I was invited to this event by MomCentral. A post was not required - however; this event was just such a great experience I wanted to share it! All opinions expressed in this post are my own. :)

I'm No Angel

But in this case, I am!

Today marks the halfway point for the August Blog Angels program. I like giving back to the community that has helped me so much to grow myself, so this program has been really fun to participate in.

I think that in reflection, the hardest thing to do so far is not to reveal myself. I'm not sure if my assignment has figured out who I am already or not, but I do know that I have actually had to hold back a little of what I want to do for her, because if I didn't it would be totally obvious!

So far this program has not really stretched me in any way - as I am a promoter of others by nature - I want to help people grow. I follow the Golden Rule, even in blogging. So if anything it has mostly introduced me to another blogger who I perhaps wouldn't have encountered if I hadn't signed up.

Whether or not the program is beneficial to her - we'll see what she thinks in the end!

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Tuesday, August 14

She Said What!?

Tuesday 10

I'm totally jazzed to be co-hosting this week's Tuesday 10 with Lena from Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby!

Every Tuesday Lena has a fun link-up - super simple - 10 of something - anything really that you want, or you can go along with her theme of the week, your choice!

This week, as co-host - I got to choose the theme -

and I thought it would be great to see a showcase of favorite blog posts -
could be blog posts others have written -
or a collection of your own!

Either way - I look forward to seeing what you come up with!