Interview with Jill, the genius behind our Healthy Living Products!
I’ve already told you how much I love the handmade soap I sell. What I may not have mentioned is that the soap (and laundry detergent kits, and natural dishwasher detergent, and body scrub, and shampoo bars!) is made by my real-life friend Jill.
I use every single one of these products in my own home on a regular basis and think they are wonderful.
Jill has a very high standard for the products she makes. She will not cut corners or send out something that she does not completely recommend. I love that!
This is Jill’s family. Jill is in the back in red, standing with her husband. Their daughter is the young lady in the center. The young men are their sons, and the two other young ladies are their daughters-in-law. 
Here’s my interview with Jill:
Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Jill Evely and I am the mom of 5 kids, most of whom are grown now. I have been homeschooling for the past 17 years and my youngest will graduate from our homeschool next month. My husband and I have been married for nearly 32 years and we own 30 acres that we hope to move to in a few years. Sometimes I think I was born 100 years to late because I love old fashioned things and values. I have been making crafts and baking everything under the sun since I was about 8 years old. As a girl I loved the Little House on the Prairie Books and we even named our only daughter after Carrie Ingalls, but changed the spelling to Kari.
Whenever I would make crafts, such as pillowcase dolls or sock monkeys for my kids and nephews and nieces I would put a tag on them pronouncing them as a “Prairie Kari” product. So when I started making soaps, scrubs, candles and so on, I just kept that name that I had been using for over 15 years.
How did you get the idea for your products?
I originally started my business by making soy and beeswax candles without coloring. That was because I wanted to make clean burning candles for my home that were not petroleum based. While I was researching candle items I kept running into information about making soap.
I have dry skin, really dry. The more I read about commerical soap and all the chemicals it has in it, and when I realized that our skin is our largest organ, I was convicted to make some old fashioned soap for myself for health reasons. I started out with some basic recipes and have expanded to making over 20 varieties plus shampoo bars for people and dogs.
Now, my skin is the softest it has ever been. My daughter said that she shaves with the shampoo bars and doesn’t even have to put lotion on her legs after because they are naturally moisturized. I have had folks with eczema say how much this soap has helped their condition and so on. Because of all the types of soap I was making, and the fact that it lasts so long, I really needed to market it to other folks because my family just can’t use this much soap! Also, I figured if I found it to be so great, other people would love it too. I found that many people think lye based soap is harsh, but this in not true at all if it is made properly. It is very mild and moisturzing and the goat milk soap is extra mild. I encourage people to try just a bar or two, the results are practically immediate.
Go get a bar of soap you are currently using and see if you can even pronounce the ingredients. Now look at the ingredients for my soap–organic virgin coconut oil, sweet almond oil, virgin olive oil, coco butter, shea butter, beeswax and so on. What would you rather put on your largest organ? My laundry detergent is made with my homemade soap, all natural washing soda and borax. It leaves your clothes without chemicals, and what could be better for your family? Truly I think these are products that are needed to lesson the chemicals our children and ourselves are exposed to. Also, I encourage folks to use good old fashioned vinegar on their clothes instead of fabric softener in the final rinse and to use a vinegar rinse on their hair after using a shampoo bar, instead of commercial conditioner.
Then, I developed all natural bath bombs which fizz when they are put in water and they moisturize well and smell great. I don’t use artificial colors or fragrances in the bombs or soaps. I use only essential oils for fragrance. After talking with Erica, we thought there would be a market for all natural laundry and dishwasher detergent too, so I am making them too.
How is your business going?
So far my business is going pretty slowly. I have worked up to the point that I can buy a nice variety of oils and butters in large quantities so that I can buy them cheaper. Since I use only food grade oils and butters, they are high quality and buying in bulk makes it more reasonable for me to make high quality products. I have designated an area of my basement for manufacture and have nice shelves with all the oils and ingredients, plus I have designated mixer used only for the bath bombs. I have started sewing some nursing pads too, which are being tested by real nursing moms before I offer them for sale.
How do you juggle your business with the rest of your life?
I am pretty organized by nature but I do have to push myself to get “it all done” sometimes. My family are Green Bay Packer Fans and football season would find me packaging soap in the family room while we watched games. I also work part time from home for a homeschool curriculum company.This keeps me pretty busy, but it did provide me with the money to start up my business. Essential oils are expensive and other oils, soap molds and so on become expensive very fast. I just bought things as I went along and increased my manufacture as needed. Mostly I love the thrill I get from developing new recipes and I love the point where the oil and lye water undergo the chemical change called “saponificataion.” I get a rush everytime. It is kind of a therapy for me and I never knew that chemistry could be so much fun! I feel the same way about the bath bombs. They fizz really great in water and the hint of almond oil moisturizes without leaving a greasy feeling. Many times I will make a batch of soap in the morning while I am straightening up the kitchen or make bath bombs after supper, before I relax before bedtime.
What future plans do you have for your business?
I am hoping to get my soaps into some local stores so I can increase my business and my daughter-in-law is starting to go to local stores to see if they want to carry it. I would love to expand my soap line and for people to use more natural products for their health. My problem is that though I love to make the products, I don’t really like to market them. I need to be more aggressive in this area because I think that folks will love my products if they only knew about them.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting their own business?
Well, first make sure it is a product that you love and that anyone you have given it to loves it too. Then you can judge if it will have the appeal it will need and also you won’t get burnt out doing the same thing over and over.
Second, start slow, paying as you go. Don’t expect to make any money for a year or two. Maybe you can break even after a year, but if you think you are going to make money right off, I think you might need to reevaluate. I know for me, I LOVE making soap and the therapy and creativity of it really hooked me. I wanted to make it every day, but quickly found that it costs money and we cannot possibly consume it all. So unless I increase demand, it limits what I can make. I had to realistically evaluate how much I wanted to spend on equipment and stay within that amount.
Third: When you do buy equipment or tools, get what you need, but in my opinion, buy the absolute best you can afford. I know I saw a lot of soap molds before I decided on the rather expensive ones I purchased. But they are easy to use and the soap comes out good every time. Don’t settle for inferior equipment, because it won’t save you any money if it wastes ingredients and may cost you a lot of time.
The last thing I want to stress, is count the cost. of having a business. Do you have the time and resources to start a business? And if you say yes, then I want to encourage you to figure out the exact cost of what your product will cost you to make. Figure in all packaging, even labels, packing materials, business fees such as PayPal fees, bank fees and so on. Figure out how much the ingredients cost–don’t just estimate. I was surprised at the cost of my soaps when I actually figured out each ingredient, down to the ounce. Some things might be fun to make, but not profitable to sell. You might be able to cheapen them up, but at what cost? I know for me I wanted the highest quality ingredients and didn’t want to make a less expensive product if I had to compromise quality. Make a chart and figure it all out to see if you think folks will buy your product at the price you need to make to make a profit. If not, then don’t make it. Pehaps something else might work better.
Any of Jill’s Healthy Living Products (linked to in the intro at the beginning of this post) will come to you during Spring Fling with an extra bar of soap free! Go ahead and use your newsletter coupon and give these products a try. You will be so glad when you find out how much you love it, and you discover a way to give your family a safer, healthier alternative to your regular products! The Sampler Pack is really good for those of you that want to try a little bit of the most popular products. Click here to see it.
Deirdre’s First Birth–Hypnobirthing and Multiple Sclerosis
Photographer Dierdre Ryan was generous enough to share her birth story here with us. You can visit Dierdre’s photography web site here.
i have multiple sclerosis, while i am in pain most of the time all day long and suffer from extreme fatigue, depression, cognitive problems and occasional weakness, my husband and i were determined to have a natural birth and we chose to use Hypnobirthing.
even though my estimated due date was sept. 10th, jayden was ready to come out into the world during deirdre’s 38th week.
i delivered naturally, with no pain medication using my Hypnobirthing breathing and relaxation techniques at Good Samaritan’s in Los Angeles, CA.
i was induced while still 2cm on Aug. 29th, and apparently was walking around all week with surges. dr. dwight was concerned about jayden’s limited movement, as she has been extremely active, and the fact that eating something sweet, and she didn’t move hardly at all was a concern. so he told me to go to maternity, where there was a room waiting and to start on an IV of antibiotics and extremely low dosage of pitocin. not what we wanted, but it was medically necessary. since arriving at the hospital, i was allowed to eat whatever and whenever i wanted. since my pregnancy was picture perfect with no morning sickness, etc. i do not get nauseated, so even on the pitocin, i was fine
i was 4cm dilated the next day and my waters were broken by my doctor. i had no idea that i was that far, there was no pain. around 5cm dilated, that’s when the surges started to come closer and stronger, but i said that the pain was manageable.
i did say “uncle” 30 minutes later, but by that time it was too late. i went from 5cm to fully dilated in about 30 minutes afterwards. jayden came out with only around 6 pushes.
i was walking around and eating a full lunch after everything was done. we went downstairs to post-partum, and enjoyed our daughter. on Aug. 31rst, we were all ready to go home, since i was doing well and jayden had no jaundice, eating fine, sleeping and had her first bowel movement, we got the ok to be discharged.
in the end, the Hypnobirthing was the reason that i did so well, i gave birth with no pain medications, with david, our doula by my side all day and night, and my mother was also there. we believe that for these reasons we were able to go home early.
here is what jayden’s name means: jayden(hebrew for God Has Heard) milagros(spanish for Miracle, also her mom’s middle name) Amalurra(basque for Mother Earth/deirdre has basque in her family).
to find out more about Hypnobirthing go to www.hypnobirthing.com
-deirdre
Interview with Brandy, Creator of the Belly Hugger
Have you seen the ultra-cool Belly Huggers? These smart and fun clothing accessories help moms from pregnancy through post partum and breastfeeding by keeping belies covered and allowing your regular clothing to go the extra mile (or several miles 
)
These stretchy fabric bands wrap around your waist under your regular shirt, giving you the look of a layered t-shirt, and keeping those stretch marks and love handles under wraps. (yay!!)
Here’s my interview with Brandy:
Tell me a little about yourself.
I am a native of New Orleans but have lived in northern CA for the past 12 years. My husband is a jazz guitarist and teaches music to elementary students.
After earning a BA in music, teaching music, and teaching kindergarten, I became a work at home mom. I now have a 2 1/2 year old son, Tucker, and a 2 week old daughter, Violet.
How did you get the idea for your product?
With the birth of my son, I found myself laid off from my teaching position. We could not afford to spend money on expensive nursing shirts so I made do with my own wardrobe. I started wearing my husband’s tanks under my shirts as my clothes fit me different after giving birth. It seemed silly to have to raise both shirts to nurse. I eventually came up with the simple idea of The Belly Hugger.
Tell me how you got to the point where you were selling your product.
I already had my own retail web site called Momma Bird’s Nest. In the beginning stages of MBN, I planned to create a lot of the products myself. I love sewing and crafting. When I got the idea for The Belly Hugger, I took a picture of the one I had made for myself and put it on the web site. I quickly started getting a lot of interest. The single best move I did was adding The Belly Hugger to my banner on Mothering Dot Commune. That is when I started getting wholesale orders.
How is your business going?
I am now able to add funds to our personal accounts. That helps! I no longer sew myself. That didn’t last long. I use a sewing contractor in San Francisco. I would like to see The Belly Hugger even more successful but with a new (fixer upper) house, toddler, and newborn, I can only do so much. That’s O.K. for now. Life is such a journey. I’m going along for the ride.
How do you juggle your business with the rest of your life?
I do my best to work while my children sleep. With the birth of my daughter I needed to organize my time even more. I find it very important to compartmentalize tasks and find a separation between work and family time.
What future plans do you have for your business?
I would love to see The Belly Hugger become a household name as a product for moms.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting
their own business?
Everyone works differently. For myself, if I planned too much up front, I knew I might not actually get started. Starting a web-based business is a great way to start since you can learn as you go. I didn’t even set out to sell The Belly Hugger wholesale. Business just started to grow slowly and pretty soon I found myself buying bulk fabric and heading off to sewers in San Francisco. So my advice is “just do it”. Start small if you want but just dip your toe in the water. You may be surprised how much comes your way when you finally get wet.
Interview with Karen, creator of Your Child’s Health and Wellness Record
As I’ve already said, I LOVE this product! What a smart and beautiful way to keep track of the information that could be so valuable to you!
Let’s get to know Karen a little better!
Can you tell a little about yourself?
I am a 43 years old RN, BScN, photographer and mother of three. My
nursing background includes mental health, community healthcare,
school-based healthcare, and healthcare management. I live in a small
community in Ontario, Canada, with my husband, three children and a
multitude of pets. My family enjoys many outdoor activities, including
boating on beautiful Georgian Bay. I play soccer, occasionally get to the
gym, and always make time for coffee with friends.
How did you get the idea for your product?
As a health professional who has worked in a variety of setting, I
learned early on that children whose parents are informed, organized and
comfortable advocating for them receive the best healthcare. Is this fair?
No. Is it true? You bet! As parents we aren’t taught these skills and they
don’t come naturally to most people. Throughout the years, my children have
had a variety of health and developmental issues, some serious and some not.
Because I have the advantage of ’speaking the same language’ as our
practitioners we have identified problems early, my concerns have been taken
seriously and have been appropriately acted on. My goal in developing Your
Child’s Health & Wellness Record, and the companion Document Organizer, was
to share this ‘insider information’ so that all parents, regardless of
background, can also do this. Every child is entitled to achieve his or her
ultimate potential in health and wellness. As parents it is our job to see
that this happens.
Tell me how you got to the point where you were selling your product.
My idea for Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record, and the companion
Document Organizer, festered for a number of years. Like most parents, I
had important health related information on scrap paper all over my house.
I spend time looking at tools available and when I couldn’t find one I liked
I started developing mine. No publisher was interested, so I decided to go
it alone. I became a ’stalker’ in bookstores researching what publications
were easy to handle, sat nicely on the shelf and stood out to customers. I
spoke with many other health professionals and parents, many whose children
have complex health issues. Pooling all of this information, I started to
write and contacted a designer, printer, web designer etc. As of October
2006 I have had boxes of books all over my house. I have received an
incredible amount of support. Health professionals love the book because it
ensures parents come to them with the informaiton they need to make accurate
decisions. Parents love it because it gives them the confidence to manage
their child’s health and wellness.
How is your business going?
I have been overwhelmed with the support and interest I have received.
Health organizations have shared my book with their clients. Many parent
support groups have placed information about it in their newsletters. I am
proud to say that it has been given the Exceptional Parent Award of
Excellence. I am starting to do presentations for various
pregnancy/baby/toddler/children related shows and conferences. Here I
discuss the importance of parents managing their child’s health and
wellness; communicating with health professionals so your concerns are taken
seriously; advocating collaborativley for your child; the importance of
monitoring developmental milestones and seeking early intervention; and what
information is important to record and why.
I have finally learned, and accepted, that my life will look different
at each stage of my life. I am constantly adapting and adjusting elements
to fit my needs, my family’s needs, and our finances of course. When our
children were young I opted to work from home. Our life was very stressful
and I needed flexibility, the ability to work at home and total control over
my work commitments. Once they were older and I was able to commit to a
project, I started research for my book. I am a firm believer that you need
to be quiet inside yourself in order to hear what you need. This is not
easy with a young family, but it is possible.
What future plans do you have for your business?
It is my hope that Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record becomes an
essential item for all expectant and new parents. As parents, we treasure
so many of their milestones … first smile, first tooth, friends,
kindergarden etc. We are less likely to document their health and wellness
milestones. I will continue to provide education, support and tools for
parents to be able to do this with confidence.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting
their own business?
The sky is the limit. For each and every invention, service and great
product our there, there was an individual that had a good idea. The only
difference between you and them is that they followed through with it. It
takes time, persistence, risk, courage, and often money, but chances are
good that if you think it is valuable, there will be others that agree with
you. I have been very fortunate to have a husband and children who think
that I am capable of anything. This lets me believe that also. Surround
yourself with people that believe in you, support you in your ideas, and can
be honest with their thoughts. Then go for it!
You can check out Your Child’s Health and Wellness Record here. It’s on sale until the end of Spring Fling, too!
The Birth of Stella
**Many thanks to Marla, who generously shares her birth story with us. Marla is expecting her second little bundle of joy later this year…hopefully we’ll get to hear about birth #2 too!
Want to share your birth story here? Send it to me at erica@TheBabyBoutiqueAtWombsWindow.com!
Here’s our tale of a fabulous birth, in a nutshell!
My first child, Stella was born nearly 2 years ago.
My husband and I attended a 3-hour/night, once a week for 8 weeks birthing class that we loved.
The instructor had kind of a mellowed out Bradley Method approach, with natural birth as the goal, but which educated us to be prepared for an emergency situation and plan for how we would want that handled, etc. IT was SO helpful and informative that my husband has now been known to get into conversations with strangers and has encouraged them to read and find a really informational class, learn about natural birth, and what-have-you…I often want to warn people that they need to request the condensed or EDITED version…
One of the instructor’s excercises in a prenatal yoga class that she also led, was to do kegel excercises, and as we relaxed the muscles, she would always say: “…and release, release, release your baby…relax and release your baby…” THis was one of the most helpful phrases and mental images I had in Stella’s birth. I was able to really think, while pushing, and contracting, “RELEASE”…which I believe was the reason my last stage of labor went so quickly.
The other great tip, was that when you feel a “burning” pain- it is your skin stretching…so when I felt that, I could tell my midwife, and she massaged the area, while (though seemingly impossible at the time) I stopped pushing during those contractions, and ended up with no tearing whatsoever.
I Do credit God, and through His guidance, our amazing midwife, Marcia McCulley with our beautiful and incredible birth experience…
She encouraged me to STAY home for the 2 days I labored, and when I DID go in after my water broke, our exhausted, worn bodies were greeted by candles, soft music, a warmed bed and a totally homelike environment in her birth center…but it was better than home- she had everything we needed, and an assistant that massaged and kept me hydrated, and kept my husband fed and watered:-) !
The only real struggle we had was my daughter’s wide shoulders…but due to some body maneuvering and my midwife’s saavy direction, strong and focused yet calm demeanor, we brought out our sweet angel in a little under an hour!
We were able to snuggle and hold stella, nursed immediately, and were home 3 hours later!
Hurrah!
Cheers! to midwives everywhere- who face great hardship and more than their fair share of persecution, in order to help women and men bring their children into the world as they wish and with safety and confidence!!! May they continue their work, uninterrupted, and free from struggle.
I’d add a little soap-box here, too-
If you do have a midwife, or are unable to access one, due to legislation, support them any way you can!!! Our dear midwife is facing unsubstantiated claims against her (by a local hospital that is very anti- midwifery), and legal struggles that she WILL prevail in- due to ALL claims being FALSE, but must endure and PAY for the legal work, court dates etc. ALl of which ( which is surely the plan- to tap you dry of funds and energy, and run you “out of town”) takes its toll on her work , and financial resources, not to mention, personal peace, and the joy she takes in doing what she does best. We as mothers are free to have our children in any way we chose, but those who help us are penalized?! What about the “land of the free?”
ok….I’m done .
Interview with Angie, creator of our Stylish Wipe Cases
Made by Angie wipe containers are such a fun way to handle a basic chore of diaper changing. These wipes containers are well-made and have gotten rave reviews from Baby Boutique customers. Here’s what one customer had to say:
“I got my wipes container- and fast! It is REALLY cute- looks to be very well put together, and fun. The wipes were wet, the fabric smooth, and the trim was neat!
I gave it to a friend, and she loves it and thinks it is REALLY nice quality- said she’s seen other brands of wipe containers before and they were sloppy looking- this was really neat and pretty! and looks like it’ll wear well!! yay!!!”
These wipes containers make a super fun baby shower gift since it’s so unique and fun, and an item that practical moms might not buy for themselves. (but they’ll LOOOVE it!)
Here’s my interview with Angie:
Tell me a little about yourself.
i am an event planner turned mom (two boys, ages one and three) –
How did you get the idea for your product?
the idea for my product came to me by accident. once i had my first son, i just started to notice there were tons of decorated baby items, except the boring plastic wipes container! i used it constantly, so i knew it would be a big hit if i dressed it up a little!
Tell me how you got to the point where you were selling your
product.
i played around with fabrics and perfected the finish product, showed my friends, signed up
for some local shows and started selling! they were an instant hit!
How is your business going?
my business is going great! i make an unique item that is practical and adorable, at a reasonable price point. the perfect combination!
What future plans do you have for your business?
juggle?! it’s a daily challenge. lots of late nights working.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in
starting
their own business?
do lots of research about your product…make sure that you can create a niche.
Interview with Jamie Bird, creator of The Wet Bag
Jamie Bird is the sweetie that donated one of her awesome Wet Bags for our Spring Fling giveaway! This innovative new product is SO smart and well made–I am very impressed. After years of dragging around wet diapers, clothing, and swimsuits in Walmart bags or ziploc bags that always burst open, the Wet Bag is a welcome, and stylish alternative.
Let’s get to know Jamie a little better, shall we?!
Tell us a little about yourself-
My name is Jamie Bird, and I run an online boutique
specializing in personalized, handmade baby products. About four years ago, I
told my husband I wanted to learn how to sew. I lugged my mom’s 30-year-old
sewing machine through the airport from Michigan to California, and went to
the library in search of a good HOW To book. I started sewing a few baby
items, and haven’t stopped since. Two new sewing machines and thousands of
hours later, sewing is my life’s work.
How did you get the idea for your product?
Actually, a friend suggested the idea for the wetbags. She is a connoisseur
of baby products, and together we knew it would be a must have for any mom.
From diapers to wet swimming suits to a cosmetics bag, it is a stylish and
affordable product considering how much use you will get out of it.
How is your business going?
Almost one year ago, I had my first online order. I am a relatively new
boutique, and have been really blessed this first year. I just hired another
mompreneur to help me out so I can spend more time with my family and
developing new products. It is a constant struggle to find balance between
work and family time. I am working on setting hours that I work each day,
and that helps me put less pressure on myself to “get it all done”.
What future plans do you have for your business?
I would love to continue making products that I find useful and unique. I
love babies, and hope that my products will be cherished gifts- treasures
that will make mom’s life easier. My long range goal is to have products
available in boutiques nationwide.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting their
own business?
I have two- Initiative and Perserverence! I meet so many moms
that want to own their own business, but it seems overwhelming so they never
even try. A business takes time to grow, and small steps to make it
successful. There have been many days I would have loved to give up, but my
desire and love for this business won’t let me. If it is a true passion of
yours, go for it-and continue doing it even when things get tough. At the
end of the day, it will be worth all the hard work. I love that I get to
spend each day with my son, and I the many people I meet that make it so
worthwhile.
Interview with Beki of Pampering Beki Hair Clips
I’ve been looking for unique and adorable hair clips to offer in the boutique for awhile, and finally came across Pampering Beki. The hair clips are already a hit at the boutique–and you’re gonna love them too.
I got to interview Beki recently. Here’s what she had to say:
1. Tell me a little about yourself.
I’m a Stay At Home Mom to a 5 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a 3 month old. I’m also a jewelry designer and I create jewelry for ladies and kids, as well as hair flowers and hair clips for little or baby girls.
2. How did you get the idea for your product?
**My daughter is 6 and is starting to “outgrow” bows, but I wasn’t ready to give up the fun hair accessories, so we’ve moved into smaller things like flowers and clippies. It keeps us both happy.
3. Tell me how you got to the point where you were selling your product.
**Shortly after I started creating jewelry, I had more pieces than I could possibly wear so I offered them for sale on ebay and to my surprise, they sold! Then I branched out and began selling locally as well. I’ve been selling ever since.
4. How is your business going?
**Great! I’m busier than ever and it allows me to be able to stay home, which is so important to me. My goal for this year is to take my family on a Disney vacation with accessory sales.
5. How do you juggle your business with the rest of your life?
**I’m fortunate to have a wonderful husband who supports me completely. I really can’t think of a more ideal situation than creating and selling from home, because I can work any strange hours I want. If the baby needs fed at 3 am and won’t go back to sleep, I can get some work done! How many jobs offer that?
6. What future plans do you have for your business?
**I have a website in the works. If things continue at the pace they are, I may hire a bit of help for that extra set of hands that we all need sometimes.
7. What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting
their own business?
**Learn your target audience. Creating pieces is only half the job, the other half is learning to present and sell it. Be passionate about what you do, offer the best customer service there is, and stick with it!
Beki was sweet enough to donate a pair of Lavender Shimmer Bloom Hair Clips for a prize. Don’t miss out on your chance to get them! (Read the recent blog posts for more information on how you can win the hair clips or any of the other awesome prizes!)
Interview with the creator of the Zaky Hand Pillow
As a mom who has experienced the sadness of having to leave a premature baby in their NICU isolette day after day, always wondering if he would get enough snuggles and love while I was away, I truly appreciate the Zaky Hand Pillow.
Zakeez are not meant to be used when you do have the option of being in physical contact with your baby–they are a helpful way to provide extra contact, security, and bonding for your baby when you are unable to be there. Whether it be because of prematurity or other hospitalization issues, separation of some sort, or maybe because you have twins and simply can’t be in all places at all times, the Zaky has the potential to be the helping hand you always wished for!
In 2001 Yamile Jackson had a medically fragile baby boy named Zachary. He only weighed 1lb 15 oz at birth. Zachary spent 5 long months in the hospital while he battled medical problems and survived against incredible odds.
While Yamile spent so much time in the NICU she noticed the many innovative ways the nurses used rolled up blankets to try to create soft barriers for these tiny babies, as a way to help the feel more secure and rest better. She started thinking of a product that would meet this need while also carrying the scent of the parent, be fully washable, be easily portable, and so on. The Zaky pillow was born.
Yamile was kind enough to answer some questions when I interviewed her:
Tell me how you got to the point where you were selling your product.
As I had developed a positioning and bonding pillow for my son Zachary,
when he was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a few months later
the nurses requested me to create the same pillow for the other babies in
the NICU. So that´s how we started to sell the Zakys.
How is your business going?
Our business is doing great! And we are entering in new markets
worldwide, last week a new store started to carry the Zaky in Middle East!
We are not only helping preemies but also kids with special needs, sick
kids, withdrawn babies, healthy kids who miss dad or mom while they work or
travel, newborn, etc.!
How do you juggle your business with the rest of your life?
It is just a matter of equilibrium and also having the right people at
the right time in the right place. Fortunately I have a great staff at
Zakeez Inc. who are all committed with the company and its vision, so we
work together as a team and that allows me to enjoy my life at work as well
as my personal life. Also for me has been very important the support of my
husband.
What future plans do you have for your business?
Continue to research and develop products to improve the quality of life
of children especially those born prematurely and sick kids.
What advice would you have for someone that is interested in starting
their own business?
To remember that if it was easy everybody would do it. So be prepared for
hard times.
You can look at a whole bunch of photos of the Zaky in use, get lots of ideas for it’s use, and purchase it here. Zaky Hand Pillows will be on sale for an additional $5 off, and you can still use your coupon code in addition to that! This sale ends March 30, and don’t forget–shipping on the Zaky Hand Pillow is FREE!
Check out Posh Points!
I just found out about this great site today and wanted to tell all of you about it. Posh Points is a trading site that works sort of like ebay. Basically, anything that you want to get rid of, list it here and send it off to those that “buy” it from you using points instead of money.
Then you can use the points you’ve earned to “buy” things from others!
There is a really nice amount of baby stuff including equipment, toys, clothing, accessories, breast pumps, books, etc. Some of it is totally new!
Click the graphic or here to go get yourself signed up!
It’s free to sign up, and you get 15 points when you do! So you can get something free right off the bat! (I just got a Bruce Almighty DVD!)
Listing your items is super easy and only takes a minute. Very simple, straightforward design and system.
Good things:
(Something I wrote back in the fall of 2004)
2 little preschoolers with their backpacks walking down the driveway to the bus. One always turns and waves to me as the bus drives away. He looks so happy and full of adventure, his big brown eyes smiling at me out the bus window. “Bye Mom!!!” Most days the bus pulls away and I stand there for a second after I stop waving back and have to put a hand to my heart and try not to cry….
A 6 year old son who claims the best part of his day is spent with *me* because I’m “such a sweet mother.”
An 8 year old who will see a need and take care of it, and will make a dozen little paper hearts all carefully colored and drawn upon that all bear the same message: “I love you mom!”
A round, soft bundle of giggles that is my youngest child, learning to identify eyebrows and tell his own name, running along beside me as I walk, always wanting to keep up. Always a ready smile on that face.
Kids who get off the bus every day and smile and wave as they come up the driveway, all eager to tell me about their day and give me hugs and kisses.
A 12 year old who, despite having a strong tendency toward sullenness lately, will still hug and be hugged, and tells us he loves us.
Little ones who learn more than you thought possible.
Little surprises every here and there where a child dazzles you with some piece of knowledge, or strength of character that you did not realize they possessed.
Breastmilk breath on a one year old.
Little songs learned from preschool and shared at home, with a lot of hummed parts for words forgotten or unknown.
Sibling hugs and kisses.
Bedtime prayers and snuggles.
Kids who think that mom’s bread is the best.
Homemade entertainment, including puppet shows, made up songs and dances, and skits.
Things They Never Tell You
Monday March 12th 2007, 9:57 am
Filed under:
Life As MomI once read a post written by a mother who shared about how nobody had ever told her certain things about motherhood, which in her case was that her body could be so badly damaged from having a baby that it would take over 7 months post partum before she could “Reconvene the Procedure.” She mentioned how she had looked all over the internet to see if she was normal or a freak or what, and all things pointed to her being very, very abnormal. This prompted me to send off an email to let her know that my first birth and the wretched episiotomy that went along with it did some pretty bad stuff to me as well, so she wasn’t entirely alone. (I’m all better now, though, so don’t cry for me, Argentina….)
All of which got me to thinking I should make a list of the things they never tell you about being a parent. I’m tempted to start the list, but I’m realizing that there are REASONS why nobody tells this stuff.
Nobody tells all the stuff because
-they don’t want to sound like a bad person, an unloving parent, or a selfish jerk
-they think they might be the only one who has these experiences, and therefore nobody will know they are not the above bad/unloving/jerk
-they don’t want the people without the kids to hear this stuff because it might scare them off from having kids, and the trick to all of this is that yes there is a lot of untold (negative) stuff that can go along with parenting, but there is also some pretty incredible wonderful stuff too and if you don’t already have the kids you can’t really imagine that the good could outweigh the bad
I am reminded of when Oprah had a show where women came on and basically said stuff about being a mother like, “It isn’t worth it.” I didn’t see the show but did read some chatter about it on a bulletin board. A lot of responses were things like GET A LIFE LOSERS! and about how crappy and pathetic the women were that came on the show and just whined about motherhood being hard and thankless and such. But then there were some others who said, “well, maybe nobody tells this stuff because of the kinds of comments you are sharing here.” Hmmm.
There seems to be a lot of pressure on women/mothers to always wrap up any negative garbage in a pretty bow. You know the ones. It’s like:
The horrible, terrible birth story where the mom got totally abused by the medical personnel, yet she ends her story with the obligatory, “But at least I got a healthy baby. That’s all that really matters.” Yeah, right–it doesn’t matter that you got abused.
OR
A rough experience with a sick child, a rebellious child, or just a rough life with the kids she has for whatever reason. She has to end it by saying, “But I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.” I guess we just think we better make sure nobody thinks we’re going to sell off the kids or trade them in for a motorhome.
I recently read an excellent book by Anna Quindlen. The title is Loud and Clear, and it is a collection of essays and speeches. In one essay she states something like, “Motherhood is a decision made in great ignorance.” Let that sink in for a second, mothers. I think that is SO TRUE. SO true. Because there is NO way that you can be prepared. I don’t care how many books you read, how many kids you babysat, how many friends you have who went before you and told you all about it. You CAN NOT KNOW what it is to be a parent until you are there. You cannot know the depths of love, fear, pain, expectation, anticipation, and worry that come with it until you are in it.
So, I’m sorry. I’m not going to tell you the things they never tell you. You wouldn’t believe it if I tried.
The Potty News Network.
(I wrote this back in October 2004 when I was in the throes of potty training two preschoolers….one of my funnier works, if I do say so myself.)
The Potty News Network.
All Potty, All The Time.
(PNN press) Yesterday war was declared on two unsuspecting terrorists, Izzy Bin Peein and Doodles Bin Poopin. The terrorists had been going about their business unencumbered for 4.5 and 3 years, respectively. Their crime: The Only Two Children in Preschool Still in Diapers. President Mami Bin Changin, learned of their crime and decided to take matters into her own hands. “This means war!” she declared to the crowd that had assembled to hear her speech over the weekend.
Mami Bin Changin took the first strike in the cold brightness of Monday morning, when she told Bin Peein and Bin Poopin that they had to do time on the potty before they would be allowed to go on the bus to school. While they sat she told them of their crime, and let them know that war had been declared and would not end until they changed their messy ways.
Bin Poopin fought back with a double retaliatory strike, soiling two pair of underwear in less than 20 minutes. Bin Peein took the opposite approach by keeping his underwear dry, agreeing to do time on the pot, but saving his soiling for the diaper that he was changed into before preschool.
Later on Monday Mami Bin Changin began to stockpile weapons:
Potty Posters
Potty Stickers
Potty Prizes
and other Potty Paraphernalia
Mami Bin Changin’s Military Advisor Daddi Bin Feddup suggested new underwear, but only if it could be purchased in the color brown. Mami Bin Changin decided against taking this advice and instead purchased fresh Spongebob and Scooby underwear. Her strategy? “I’m going to do all I can to break down the walls of terrorism! If it takes candy or prizes or cartoon undergarments, I’ll follow this thing through!”
Attenders of her speech were amazed at the steadfast resolution that Mami Bin Changin displayed. “I’ve never seen her so determined!” “All those prizes and stickers….Bin Peein and Bin Poopin don’t stand a chance.” “She’s a strong leader. When she puts her mind to something, there’s no stopping her. It won’t take long for Bin Peein and Bin Poopin to change their ways.”
Mami Bin Changin declared that the war would be relentless until won, even if it takes months or years. “It will cost the taxpayers money, time, resources, and energy, but we will press on. The victory that we will win shall ensure peace and prosperity in our society. We cannot back down!”
PNN correspondents will be on the scene 24 hours a day until the conflict is resolved. PNN: The leader in potty news.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday…..
(*This is something I wrote about back in the fall of 2004 when I had children ages 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12. I thought some of you might appreciate the horror of ending up in this situation.)
(for those of you who don’t recognize it, that’s a title from an old U2 song)
Well, today was my first day to teach the 3 and 4 year old preschool class at church. “Are you nuts?” you may be asking. Well, mainly I’m just a wimpy optimist. Y’see, a few weeks back the lady at church who is in charge of nursery mandated that all mothers with nursery age kiddos would be needed to take a turn on nursery/preschool class duty. The nursery was understaffed and this was her solution, despite my suggestions to:
-try to get more workers to work fewer times a year
-pay someone to always work in nursery and not worry about rounding up workers any more (I even offered to pay for it myself, yet this idea was shot down as fast as it might have been if I had proposed hiring pedophiles to run the nursery….)
So, I never did agree to work in the nursery. I am with my kids all day long every day, and I look forward to church all week long. I do not wish to give up this important time in order to go stay in a cramped room with my own kids and a bunch of other ones and try to “teach a class.”
So you might be able to imagine my SHOCK and HORROR when one day there was a meeting for nursery workers and while walking past the table with all the meeting papers on it, I saw that I HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE WITHOUT MY CONSENT!!!!! To work ONCE A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Do you hear the blood curdling screams???)
I was SO flabbergasted (I love that word!) and dumbfounded that I just stumbled home with a copy of the schedule, incredulous. I had been drafted. Against my will. By a woman in my church.
At first my husband and I were so shocked and aggravated that we spent most of that Sunday afternoon with ours mouths kind of hanging half open and a dazed look in our eyes. From there we went to the “Hell no! We won’t go!” perspective, but of course this would require one of us to go deal with The Nursery Lady and tell her.
There was so much wrong with the scenario that it was hard to know where to begin. Mothers who drag their kids to church should not have to work in the nursery. People who would like to bless the parents of little ones and are gifted at taking care of them should work in the nursery. Frazzled moms need their church time, not an opportunity to get pushed over the edge by a smelly small room full of rowdy, crying, cookie-demanding, pushing, kicking, whining, tattle-taling children! But, hey, tough luck gals! Now get yer rears in gear and report for duty! (Left, left, left-right-left…..)
Well, I meant to talk to this lady about this that night and didn’t end up getting to go. Then I meant to talk to her about it on Wednesday night, and also didn’t end up getting to go. Then the next week we had new friends visiting our church and Nursery Lady came up to me and gave me a new schedule, saying with annoyance in her voice, “I had to go and redo the whole thing, so here’s a new schedule.” Well, as it turned out, other people with more backbone than me had already gone to her and said NO WAY to her plan. (Apparently I was not the only drafted mommy!) I didn’t feel comfortable getting into the issues with her while I had visitors sitting right there (didn’t want to scare them off!!) so let it slide……
As I continued to think about it I decided that yes I want to help out at church. (We have only been going there since May so I don’t have any other thing I do there yet) Also, the teenage girl I got assigned to be my helper is someone I have felt like I wanted to get to know better and reach out to. Seeing her assigned to me was actually the one good thing about all of this. What I have really had a heart for at this church is to reach out to the girls in the youth group. So, I thought that maybe this was a way God was going to work it out for me to build a relationship there and see what the needs are and what ways I might be able to get involved. So, I decided to just grin and bear it and see how it went.
So today was D-Day….. There was no curriculum to follow, nothing prepared for crafts or activities….. And let me tell you, although I have children in this age group, and although I have homeschooled, and although I love my children very much, this kind of thing is NOT MY AREA OF GIFTEDNESS. I can’t even accomplish (and I do not enjoy!) crafts at home with 2 kids sitting at the table. Why would I be able to do it with 6 or 7 or more kids most of whom I don’t even know???
Our church services are usually over 2 hours long. So, if you divide that up into 5 minute attention span slots, you can imagine that it takes some quick thinking and fancy footwork to keep it all together. Somehow I managed it, mainly with a lot of humor for my own benefit. The worst behaved kids were my own. (too bad I couldn’t send them off to their parents!) Always a big plus there……
They’re a tough crowd to play to, too:
ME: Hey kids! Want to sing some songs?!
KIDS: (just look at me with big eyes and a little drool coming out of their mouths)
ME: OK! Who knows a song?
(silence)
ME: OK! How about Jesus Loves Me! Jesus loves me this I know…. Come on kids! Sing! For the Bible tells me so…
KIDS: (still just looking at me, except with less drool and more of a look like, IS SHE NUTS?! What is she talking about? Sing? What do you mean, sing?? I have never heard of this before..)
ME: OK! Well, I guess you don’t want to sing that. Um, ok, how about the ABC song? Surely you know that one. Right?! A B C D E F G
KIDS: (continued silence. Even my own kids refused to join in, even though at home they sing with me all the time)
ME: Ok then, no singing right now.
KID 1: I want a cookie!
OTHER KIDS: Yeah, I want a cookie too. And a drink.
And on and on it went. “I want a cookie.” (I had made healthy banana bread for the snack because I was going to be Ideal Teacher and not ply them full of cookies and candy like other teachers do. Yeah, well, they loved the bread and chowed it all down and then continued to beg for cookies, so by the last 20 minutes I was passing out cookies left and right just to keep them off my case….. So much for ideal!)
“I need to go potty.” (You know that one is contagious. Once one has to go, they all do. Even ones that aren’t potty trained will suddenly have a mad desire to get in line and sit on the pot…..)
“He took my toy.”
“He’s not being nice.”
“He hit me.”
Lord in heaven, have MERCY ON ME!!!! Calgon, take me AWAY!!!!!!
Well, you’ll be glad (and relieved, I’m sure) to know that now all the 3 and 4 year olds at my church know that God Made The Animals (the only thing I could think of to “teach” them), and they have a pasted and colored-on piece of paper to prove it. Good thing I was there, or they might have missed that important lesson. (Taking my bows now. Thank you. Thank you…..)
NAPTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Product Review: Amby Baby Bed
I think these baby beds are so cool! I was happy to see this review from an online buddy of mine!
Product Name: Amby Baby Hammock
Submitted by: Amy Jones; Austin, TX
Rating: 9
Where to buy: here
Review: The Amby Baby Hammock is a soft cloth baby bed/hammock that hangs from a steel stand on a spring. Your baby is nestled inside, and if she wakes up, her motion will cause the hammock to gently sway and bounce which lulls her back to sleep. Her body is snuggled in a slightly upright position, so this bed is great for babies with reflux or colic. My first 5 babies all slept in bassinets and in my bed, and were up every few hours until they were 1-3 years old. My last 2 babies have slept in the Amby Baby Hammock at least 5 hours a night as young as 2-3 days old. At 2 months old they are sleeping 8-10 hours a night, and NEVER did I ever listen to the baby cry to “train” her to sleep at night. The baby sleeps cozy and happy in her hammock.
Criticism: Baby doesn’t stay in one place in the hammock any more than she does in the crib– expect to find your baby creatively positioned in this thing. I woke this morning to find my baby’s leg hanging over the rail like your college roommate in the shotgun seat on a road trip. Sleeping soundly and happily, 10 hours since I’d put her down. My first experience with the Amby, I found that at about 7 1/2 months, my baby figured out how to sit up in it, and lean forward until she somersaulted forward out of it and crawled to me. Smart little cookie. This wasn’t a huge problem; I adjusted by paying even more attention to her and getting her up as soon as she woke up so she wouldn’t have to come looking for me. She slept in it until she was about 18 months old (then she kept getting out and coming to my bed, where she still sleeps now at almost 3 LOL)
And I love this keepsake silver rattle! It has beautiful detailing, crystal embellishment (pink, blue, or clear), and comes in a gorgeous gift box!