Any interest in these?
Hey folks,
I am considering adding two cool new products to the store, but wanted to get some feedback from you to see if these would even fill a need.
The first item is glass baby bottles with a cool silicone sleeve. Many parents are becoming increasingly concerned about the chemicals in plastic baby bottles, particularly when warming them or having warm milk in them. Glass bottles are great for the safety, but can be too hot to hold, slippery, and of course there is the concern about breakage.
These cool silicone sleeves go over the bottle, so they protect little hands (or yours!) from the heat of warm milk and slippage, and still allow you to see the measurement markers.
These come in both 4 and 8 ounce bottles, and would be priced at $10 and $12 plus shipping.
The other item I am considering adding to the store is this:
These are knee pads for your little crawlers! They can slide right over bare legs or pants, and provide a silicone cushion at the knees for your little tyke as they explore their world. I think these are really cute and smart, and wish there had been something like this back when I had crawling babies!
These would be priced at $17.95 (plus shipping) for a pair.
What do you think? Any interest?
Don’t forget!
Just a quick reminder that any orders placed from now through next week probably won’t be sent out until after Friday, June 13, 2008. Thanks for your patience! 
~Erica
Last Chance for Supermarket Savings
Today is the last day that you can take advantage of the awesome $8.97 price for the Supermarket Savings 101 program. Don’t miss it–it’s a really valuable skill to learn that has the potential to help your family SO much!
OK..here’s the gardening deal!
So the owner of the gardening toolkit site decided to offer a one day sale to celebrate the first day of spring. You can get the whole set marked down from $27 to $14. Check it out here. This sale ends at midnight!
Happy Spring!
Hey–hold off on the gardening resources…
I just found out that Jim is going to make a better price on the gardening toolkit for One Day Only. That will be tomorrow–to celebrate the first day of spring! Come by tomorrow and I’ll have the info for you. (He’s still putting it together right now)
We have a winner!
This gal is the winner of the Ultimate Blog Party giveaway. Congratulations!
We’re Raising Money for Children In Need
ZOE Children’s Homes is an international Christian organization that rescues children who are sold, or at risk of being sold, into prostitution slavery; orphaned, or victims of other heinous crimes and abuse. You all have heard me talk about this organization before. The work that this organization does is amazing because they literally save the lives of children. We can’t even imagine the evils that await the children that fall into the trap of human trafficking, and it’s amazing what a small amount of money is enough for the ZOE team to take in one more child that they will love, feed, clothe, educate, and care for…until adulthood! ZOE is committed to their children for life. They are simply amazing.
I have looked forward to the day when I would have an opportunity to make a sizable donation to this organization, and now it’s here. I am offering my two books as a fundraiser for ZOE Children’s Homes. I will be donating 50% of the proceeds of this sale directly to ZOE Children’s Homes on March 15. Feel free to spread the word on your blogs and egroups so that we can make a huge impact in helping these children.
If you would like to make an additional donation to ZOE, please follow this link to do so. Every little bit helps. I have a personal friend that works with this organization and she has told me that many times ZOE has a list of children waiting to be rescued, but they have to wait for one. more. donation. before they can get that child. YOUR DONATIONS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Visit the fundraiser here.
Cruisin’
I have been dreaming of going on a cruise for a long time now. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make that happen this year. I love the idea of the all-inclusive vacation, where you can just go eat, hang around, sleep, and check things out without constantly having to worry about how much it all costs. My husband and I would love to go on an Alaska cruise tour and hopefully do some whale watching. My mom, sister, and sister-in-law have been talking about a girls-only cruise for about a year. We would probably aim for something warm and tropical.
I found a helpful site today. TravelStoreUSA.com has all the info you need about flights, car rentals, and of course cruises. I like it that you aren’t stuck looking at just one cruise line. Plus they have a cool search area where you can find cruises for particular interests, age groups, etc. They also have experts that are available to help you find what you’re looking for and get the best deal available. There is info to help you navigate passport issues, too.
Have you ever been on a cruise? Do you have any suggestions for me?
~Erica
Supermom’s Simple Steps to Healthier Eating Interactive Online Class
If you’re thinking about eating healthier in 2008, you should check out my upcoming interactive online class. This class will help you succeed through
-encouraging you to establish realistic health habits rather than going to extremes
-go slow enough to let you have a chance to get the hang of one thing before adding something else
- lasting 12 weeks–so that you don’t burn out on your goals before they even have a chance to bloom
Check out the class here, and sign up today!
New podcast interview
I was recently interviewed on Wonder Years Talk Radio about my Supermom’s No-Lice products. You can listen to it here
or here
Bumbo Baby Seat Recall
Have you heard about the Bumbo Baby Seat recall? Read about it here.
I know that these seats have gotten pretty popular, but I want to caution you moms that babies that are still not able to sit up on their own shouldn’t be. A baby’s spine is not meant to support all of that weight in an upright position. You can hurt your baby’s spine and cause them to be in pain by forcing them to be in a fully upright position a lot–whether in a supportive seat, a front carrier, etc. This is why I recommend the baby slings here–they allow the baby to be reclined in a hammock/cradle position, which is how little babies should be carried and held as much as possible.
Just something to think about.
Big Benefit Sale
A gal on one of my egroups is a farm owner, and their family and farm has really suffered this year because of the drought. They have put together a humongous benefit sale to help save their farm. They have tons of cooking resources, some amazing looking real estate/repo information for people that are interested in good properties to flip, and lots more. You can check it out here.
Winter Bazaar
I found out about this fun event at Scribbit and decided to participate. Right now you can get a Free Halloween ebook that has lots of fun, kid-friendly recipes, activities, and games for Halloween parties. You can get it here.
Thinking about Homeschooling?
I just wanted to let you ladies know that The Old Schoolhouse magazine, one of the most popular homeschooling publications, is offering 25 Free Bonus Gifts when you subscribe to their magazine! Check it out here.
Handling Unwanted Advice
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Gentle Baby Care
“Help! I’m getting so frustrated with the endless stream of advice I get from my mother-in-law and brother! No matter what I do, I’m doing it wrong. I love them both, but how do I get them to stop dispensing all this unwanted advice?”
Just as your baby is an important part of your life, he is also important to others. People who care about your baby are bonded to you and your child in a special way that invites their counsel. Knowing this may give you a reason to handle the interference gently, in a way that leaves everyone’s feelings intact.
Regardless of the advice, it is your baby, and in the end, you will raise your child the way that you think best. So it’s rarely worth creating a war over a well-meaning person’s comments. You can respond to unwanted advice in a variety of ways:
Listen first
It’s natural to be defensive if you feel that someone is judging you; but chances are you are not being criticized; rather, the other person is sharing what they feel to be valuable insight. Try to listen - you may just learn something valuable.
Disregard
If you know that there is no convincing the other person to change her mind, simply smile, nod, and make a non-committal response, such as, “Interesting!” Then go about your own business…your way.
Agree
You might find one part of the advice that you agree with. If you can, provide wholehearted agreement on that topic.
Pick your battles
If your mother-in-law insists that Baby wear a hat on your walk to the park, go ahead and pop one on his head. This won’t have any long-term effects except that of placating her. However, don’t capitulate on issues that are important to you or the health or well-being of your child.
Steer clear of the topic
If your brother is pressuring you to let your baby cry to sleep, but you would never do that, then don’t complain to him about your baby getting you up five times the night before. If he brings up the topic, then distraction is definitely in order, such as, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Educate yourself
Knowledge is power; protect yourself and your sanity by reading up on your parenting choices. Rely on the confidence that you are doing your best for your baby.
Educate the other person
If your “teacher” is imparting information that you know to be outdated or wrong, share what you’ve learned on the topic. You may be able to open the other person’s mind. Refer to a study, book, or report that you have read.
Quote a doctor
Many people accept a point of view if a professional has validated it. If your own pediatrician agrees with your position, say, “My doctor said to wait until she’s at least six months before starting solids.” If your own doctor doesn’t back your view on that issue, then refer to another doctor - perhaps the author of a baby care book.
Be vague
You can avoid confrontation with an elusive response. For example, if your sister asks if you’ve started potty training yet (but you are many months away from even starting the process), you can answer with, “We’re moving in that direction.”
Ask for advice!
Your friendly counselor is possibly an expert on a few issues that you can agree on. Search out these points and invite guidance. She’ll be happy that she is helping you, and you’ll be happy you have a way to avoid a showdown about topics that you don’t agree on.
Memorize a standard response
Here’s a comment that can be said in response to almost any piece of advice: “This may not be the right way for you, but it’s the right way for me.”
Be honest
Try being honest about your feelings. Pick a time free of distractions and choose your words carefully, such as, “I know how much you love Harry, and I’m glad you spend so much time with him. I know you think you’re helping me when you give me advice about this, but I’m comfortable with my own approach, and I’d really appreciate if you’d understand that.”
Find a mediator
If the situation is putting a strain on your relationship with the advice-giver, you may want to ask another person to step in for you.
Search out like-minded friends
Join a support group or on-line club with people who share your parenting philosophies. Talking with others who are raising their babies in a way that is similar to your own can give you the strength to face people who don’t understand your viewpoints.
This article is an excerpt from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)
Stop the Diaper Changing Battles
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Gentle Baby Care
Babies are little bundles of energy! They don’t want to lie still to have their diapers changed. They cry, fuss, or even crawl away. A simple issue can turn into a major tug-of-war between parent and baby.
Diaper changing as a ritual
The position of parent and baby during a diaper change is perfect for creating a bonding experience between you. You are leaning over your baby, and your face is at the perfect arms-length distance for engaging eye contact and communication. What’s more, this golden opportunity presents itself many times during each day; no matter how busy you both get, you have a few moments of quiet connection. It’s too valuable a ritual to treat it as simply maintenance.
Learning about your baby
Diapering offers a perfect opportunity for you to truly absorb your baby’s cues and signals. You’ll learn how his little body works, what tickles him, what causes those tiny goose bumps. As you lift, move, and touch your baby, your hands will learn the map of his body and what’s normal for him. This is important because it will enable you to easily decipher any physical changes that need attention.
Developing trust
Regular diaper changes create rhythm in your baby’s world and afford the sense that the world is safe and dependable. They are regular and consistent episodes in days that may not always be predictable. Your loving touches teach your baby that he is valued, and your gentle care teaches him that he is respected.
A learning experience for your baby
Your baby does a lot of learning during diaper changes. It’s one of the few times that she actually sees her own body without clothes, when she can feel her complete movements without a wad of diaper between her legs. Diaper-off time is a great chance for her to stretch her limbs and learn how they move.
During changing time, your baby is also a captive audience to your voice, so she can focus on what you are saying and how you are saying it — an important component of her language learning process. Likewise, for a precious few minutes, you are her captive audience, so you can focus on what she’s saying and how she is saying it — crucial to the growth of your relationship.
What your baby thinks and feels
Many active babies could not care less if their diapers are clean. They’re too busy to concern themselves with such trivial issues. It may be important to you, but it’s not a priority for your child.
Diaper rash or uncomfortable diapers (wrong size or bad fit) can make him dread diaper changes, so check these first. Once you’re sure all the practical issues are covered, make a few adjustments in this unavoidable process to make it more enjoyable.
Take a deep breath
Given the number of diapers you have to change, it’s possible that what used to be a pleasant experience for you has gotten to be routine, or even worse, a hassle. When parents approach diaper changing in a brisk, no-nonsense way, it isn’t any fun for Baby. Try to reconnect with the bonding experience that diaper changing can be — a moment of calm in a busy day when you share one-on-one time with your baby.
Have some fun
This is a great time to sing songs, blow tummy raspberries, or do some tickle and play. A little fun might take the dread out of diaper changes for both of you. A game that stays fresh for a long time is “hide the diaper.” Put a new diaper on your head, on your shoulder, or tucked in your shirt and ask, “Where’s the diaper? I can’t find it!” A fun twist is to give the diaper a name and a silly voice, and use it as a puppet. Let the diaper call your child to the changing station and have it talk to him as you change it. (If you get tired of making Mister Diaper talk, just remember what it was like before you tried the idea.)
Use distraction
Keep a flashlight with your changing supplies and let your baby play with it while you change him. Some kids’ flashlights have a button to change the color of the light, or shape of the ray. Call this his “diaper flashlight” and put it away when the change is complete. You may find a different type of special toy that appeals to your little one, or even a basket of small interesting toys. If you reserve these only for diaper time, they can retain their novelty for a long time.
Try a stand-up diaper
If your baby’s diaper is just wet (not messy), try letting her stand up while you do a quick change. If you’re using cloth diapers, have one leg pre-pinned so that you can slide it on like pants, or opt for pre-fitted diapers that don’t require pins.
Time to potty train?
If your child is old enough and seems ready for the next step, consider potty training.
This article is an excerpt from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)
Freebies!
Hey!
I just found out that you can get $300 worth of ebooks when you sign up for Living on a Dime’s newsletter. They have lots of great money-saving ideas there, so it would be well worth your while to get in on this deal and spread the word. Check it out here.
Doula Blog
Hey gals,
I wanted to let you know about a wonderful resource: Birthing with Guinever. Here you will get lots of wonderful advice for pregnancy and birth from a natural birth perspective. Check it out!
Simple Steps to Healthier Eating Online Class Starts SOON!
Do you want to eat healthier, but don’t know where to begin?
Have you tried healthy eating plans, but weren’t able to keep up because it was too hard, too extreme, or too weird?
Are you afraid that your husband and kids won’t want to eat anything “healthy”?
Do you wish you had someone to coach you along the way toward eating healthier and achieving your goals?
Have no Fear….Supermom is Here!
By popular demand, “Supermom” Erica Johns (owner of the Baby Boutique at Womb’s Window, too!) is now offering an Interactive Online Class and Coaching to help you achieve your goals!
What you’ll get:
-Internet-based lessons that you can read and work through when it’s convenient for you.
-Personal internet-based coaching that will help you overcome obstacles, brainstorm, and achieve your goals.
-Assignments that will help you take the leap into trying new recipes and new products that can help your whole family eat healthier.
-Convenient access to healthy eating products that can be difficult (or impossible) to find in regular stores.
-Tons of ideas on how your family can eat the kind of foods they like, while improving the healthfulness of their diet.
-Many thrifty, quick, easy, and healthy recipes that even the busiest family can put together.
See all the details HERE.
Comments Are Now Off
Hey gals,
I’m sorry to say that I’ve had to turn comments off. I’ve been inundated with hundreds of spam comments every day, and I have to go through all of them to make sure I don’t accidentally delete YOUR comments. Ugh. I’m just too busy to keep up with it, so for now am turning the comments off to stop spammers in their tracks.
However…I DO want to hear from you! If you have a comment, please use the Contact Us form to let me know what’s on your mind. I can even add your comments to the post you’re referring to.
If I was more technically savvy I’d probably be able to figure out some way to fix this differently. For now, this is all I’ve got….
The Homemaking Cottage
The Homemaking Cottage is a great web site filled with lots of ideas for cooking, home and garden, decorating, holidays, health, and lots more. Not only do they have a lot of free articles, but you can gain access to over 800 more articles and resources when you sign up for the Deluxe Edition! Check it out!
Kathleen’s First Birth
On September 26th 1999, we celebrated my husband’s birthday, a day early. I was not due with our first until October 24. My brother called to say hi. I recalled saying to him…. It’ll be soon. He said ya they all say that!
We went out for a quiet evening on September 28th. Around 1 am September 29th, I felt like my water broke. But nothing was going on and I didn’t want to go to the hospital too soon. So I waited until I was sure and that something was going on. About 3:30am I woke Mark up. He rolled over and said “ ya right” . Then sat bolt upright in bed and said really??? … okay I’m up.
I had everything ready to go. We went to the hospital. They didn’t believe that I was in labor. I was at 4 cm and 80% effaced. Until I threw up all over the nurse that was checking me in… she realized very quickly that I was in transition. They admitted me. I sat in the whirlpool for about an hour or so. Then insisted I had to get up and go to the bathroom. The Nurse checked me and discovered I was fully dilated and baby was descending. He was comingJ
So they did all they do, I was a first time mom. I let them lead me too much. The Dr was attempting to cut me to ease the baby’s arrival. Mark about decked to DR J insisting that his wife did not want thatJ GO MARK!
At 7:11 Wednesday September 29, 1999after about 20 minutes of pushing…. Lucas Graham Visscher was born. He weighed 7# and 4 ounces. He was 20 inches long. He was fine for a bit and then they felt he had a breathing issue. Since he came so quickly he had what they called “wet lung” and was in what we called his cage…. For a few days. On that Saturday we were able to take our first born son home. My parents drove from Pennsylvania to Michigan to see their daughter’s firstborn child. Mark’s parents were in the same town and were very shocked When Mark called Wednesday morning to say we had a baby! It was very tense for a few days there but things did smooth out and our son is now over 7 years old, lost a tooth, but more importantly than any academic or physical change… he has accepted Jesus into his life and we can see he has a tender heart towards things of God.
Before we knew it we were excited to discover we were going to be parents of 2 J that story is yet to come… and so are a few more:)
Kathleen
Sweet Maddie!
This little sweetie is my friend Maddie that goes to our church. Her mom shared this cute photo of her sporting her cute flower hat that I got for her. I have so much fun buying these hats for my favorite new baby girls! You can check them out here.
Great New Site–With Fun Freebies if you hurry!
Hey gals! Check out this great new site! Here’s the info:
We would like to announce the Grand Opening of www.craftylilmomma.com. The newly formed team of Jennifer Harris & Jodie Gentile bring you the site which features custom invitations, photo announcements, stationary, favors, and more. We are very excited about our new venture and hope you will take part in our message board and subscribe to the blog. We will be giving away door prizes to the first 5 people who do so on April 15th, which is our official opening to the public! Visit us online by clicking below and pass this email to anyone you think might be equally interested.
When you go to their site click on “Club Crafty” to find their blog. There are many cute ideas for things you can do on your own at home!
