Flash Giveaway ~ WINNER!

To recap, twenty-four hours ago I started with 44 followers on this blog via Google Friends Connect (GFC), 50 likers on my FaceBook page, and 595 followers on Twitter =  689 fans

The giveaway is for one prize pack per every 25 new fans.

Flash Giveaway!!! ***CLOSED***

In celebration of breaking 5,000 tweets and writing my 200th blog post, I have decided to hold a flash giveaway!

Excited? Okay, here's how it's gonna work;

I currently have 44 followers on this blog via Google Friends Connect (GFC), 50 likers on my FaceBook page, and 595 followers on Twitter.

I want to increase this and I want your help!

How to enter this giveaway:

1. Follow me via GFC.
2. Invite your friends to follow me via GFC. 
3. If you don't already, follow me on twitter
4. Follow me on twitter
5. "Like" my page on Facebook
6. Suggest my FB page to your friends

Prizes:

I have prizes from some of my favorite companies ~ Burt's Bees, Mommy Necklaces, Motherlove Herbal Company, Earth Mama Angel Baby, and my Etsy shop.

For every 25 new followers/likers, I will give away one prize pack.
I will upload pictures in a few hours, please bear with me (previously scheduled family event).

Details:

Let me know what you did through a comment on this post and be sure to include your e-mail address. (one comment for each activity) e.g. " I now follow your blog." or "I liked your page on FB."

You need to do this in the next 24 hours. (remember- flash giveaway )

Fine print:

At 6pm, PST tomorrow (12/4/10) I will turn off commenting and pick the winners via random.org depending on the number of new followers. I will announce the winners here and via e-mail. The winners have 48 hours to contact me with their shipping details or I will draw new winners. One prize per person.

Ready?

Set.

Go! 

This is why I blog...

A few months ago, I shared my fustration about finding breastfeeding/nursing bras and clothing as a plus size woman. One of my readers happens to not only have experience with this issue, but decided to do something about it. Her name is Judy and she owns A Mother’s Boutique.  I am glad she chose to blog about my post and share her story because it not only validated my feelings, but she shared some items I am really looking forward to trying!

Read all about it here and let me know what you think.

Wordless Wednesday: Welcome Fall

Par-tay!!

In less than one hour, a 2 hour (!) twitter party of epic proportions will be starting. The Eco Chic will be hosting the party that is sponsored by DiaperShops.com and features over thirty prizes !! Come join in for some fluffy fun!

Click here to RSVP and for all the details.

BIG booby trap

Best for Babes does an amazing job of addressing issues (aka Booby Traps) that women face when attempting to breastfeed. These booby traps can make breastfeeding difficult or impossible for some women.

I want to address the elephant in the room that I will call the BIG Booby Trap.

Just like the name, this booby trap refers to the issues and or problems that women who are plus size and/or have big breasts face. It is almost impossible to find a nursing bra bigger than 42DDD in any brick and mortar store. And forget about nursing tanks...apparently women with big breasts just like to throw a tent on, because ya know, we don't need any support at all. Glamourmom supposedly offers a yank top in plus size, but I find they run really small. The worst offender, in my opinion, is La Leche League. I love, love, love them as an organization, but their bras and tank top are sadly lacking in size options. Sad.

Today, I came across a link that advertised the new maternity & nursing clothing line from Shari Crisco. I admire Shari for her outstanding work in supporting new parents and especially educating breastfeeding mothers. I clicked on the link and was pleasantly surprised to see the web page showing pictures of the clothes being modeled and captions such as "Sizes and styles to fit EVERY Mom!".

Oh! I was ex-cit-ted!!

So, I clicked on the "Size and Colors" link. Squeeee!

Colors available, nice! Black and pink, I like that.

Styles available, uh huh. Only two, That's okay, I can deal.

Sizes...what? No way! This can't be right!

The clothes only go up to a size 20.

Say what? Is there some odd alternate world I don't know about where only women size 20 and under are allowed to get pregnant and breastfeed?

Hmph.

So I tweeted Shari. "Really? EVERY woman in the world is size 20 or smaller !?! shar.es/0yM5V #breastfeeding #pregnancy #bigwomenbreastfeedtoo"



She responded to me " Of course there's moms larger. That's why my loungewear runs big and very stretchy. Haven't found a momma I couldn't fit :)"


Hmmm. I still don't agree with her. I'm not a size 20 or smaller and I am now breastfeeding for the third time. I can't possibly the only plus size woman that breastfeeds or has breastfed.

What do you think?

If you agree with me, help me let Shari & other brands know this is not okay.

Shari Crisco/Nurturewear       Twitter     E-mail
La Leche League     Website feedback form
Bravado      Twitter   Website contact form
Medela     Twitter     Facebook    Webpage contact form
Glamourmom    Twitter     E-mail

Enter to win an Ergo!

Head on over to the Mom's Milk Boutique blog for details on their 7000 FaceBook fan giveaway ~ ends October 15th.

Hmmm

I was reminded today of one of the reasons I am glad I breastfeed - a recall by formula maker Similac of almost 5 million cans of baby formula. The recall was prompted by findings of beetle and/or larvae in their Michigan plant.

The first thought that I had was of all the parents and babies affected. How would they get reimbursed? Can they return the formula to the store they bought it at? What a pain to change brands, especially if the Similac formula was a special kind.

As I told my husband via the phone of the recall, I joked with him that the recall just meant that more beetles than the allowed amount was found. I joked, more than likely because the thought of feeding an infant

Wordless Wednesday..

Airplanes, babywearing, boobies, oh my....

I just read a tweet linking a story of a Mom who was recently harassed about wearing her baby in a carrier while on a airplane.

As I read her tale, it brought back memories of a similar situation that happened to me with my oldest daughter four years ago. We were on a flight from Portland to Chicago to attend the wedding of my oldest sister. My babe was just a little thing, all of three months old at the time. I had her in a pouch sling and was focused on making her comfortable (Read:quiet) so as not to disturb the other passengers. She was very content in her sling and I was holding off on nursing her until takeoff, so as to avoid any discomfort in her tiny ears.

I was approached by one of the flight attendants, who demanded that I take my daughter out of the sling, so that "in case of an accident she would be protected" in my arms.My first thought was what?...that doesn't seem very logical. If she was out of the sling, her safety would depend on me holding her. My mind raced thinking of possible scenarios. What if I was jolted and instinctively tried to grab for something to hold?  I told the attendant that I didn't think it was safer. She then insisted that I needed to take her out anyway so that she would be facing forward. Before I had a chance to respond, she walked away to help another passenger.

I was at a loss of what to do. Should I follow my gut instinct or listen to the flight attendant? The woman sitting next to me (perfect stranger), leaned over and whispered "just ignore her, do what you think is right". So I did. I kept my babe in the pouch sling and just made a point to not look at the flight attendant. On our return flight home, I did the same thing I did on the first flight. Not a single flight attendant said anything to me in regards to my babe being in her sling.

That's where my story is different from Jen Starks. In her situation, she was harassed further by a Delta flight attendant, who called the police on Jen. Yes, I am serious. Read her story here.

For the record, this is from Delta's website in regards to their official policy on Infant & Child Seating;
"An adult (12 years or older) may hold an infant or place the infant in a FAA-approved child restraint during take-off and landing." That's it. Nothing stating what position the child must be held in or which direction the child must face.

What do you think? Was the flight attendant in the right? Should all children be forced to have their own seat and in turn, plane ticket?

MomGyver

So today's fun included a trip to Target. Like normal, we visited the bathroom at the beginning of our trip -

It used to be one my favorite places, but not so much anymore.

When I s feeling overwhelmed when running errands with my children and then one day I realized I was trying too hard. I was simply putting too much on our plate. One or two stops for my "needs" followed by a "kid stop" is what I usually do. For example we might go to Costco to shop, get gas, and then go play/eat snack at a park. I had forgotten the crucial ingredient - addressing their needs also.

Another important step is visiting the bathroom when we enter a store. Man, it can be very taxing in your patience when you just need "one more thing" and your child pipes up with a request to go to the bathroom. Now.

I

Please don't share this on FaceBook!

Pull-Ups iGo Potty for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Okay, at first I thought, hmmm - kinda weird. Does this mean a child at potty-training age needs to have their own iPhone? What the heck is wrong with an old fashioned kitchen timer? Jeez.

Then my next thought was....I hope some Mom somewhere doesn't forget to turn off this app before going into that important business meeting. "Hi, it's Potty Patty!"

Lastly, as I looked over the app description and screen shots, I noticed the handy feature that allows a proud parent to "share a progress report with family and friends".

Seriously? Yeah, ummm, don't even think about including me in that. I don't want to read an e-mail or Facebook post that your child peed in the potty. Really, no thanks.

Easy Peasy Giveaway ~ Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag

This goes out to all the ladies like me that don't have the time or patience for giveaways with multiple steps to enter...

Large Fabulous Bag Giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only. The contest is open until midnight EST on August 27th, 2010(Friday).

Good grief Charlie Brown!

Last week, I came across a product that props a bottle for a baby in a stroller.

Then tonight, I came across this while researching a tweet about bottle propping in a car seat.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I found this product .

I am just furious now. Only time I would EVER see this being a positive thing is in the case of multiples. According to the products website, "The Baba Buddy was designed by two mothers, a mother of four with twins, and a mother of three." However... it is being marketed to "every Mother".

When did convenience take a front seat to safety or love? This just pisses me off that a parent would not stop to take the time to hold their baby & their bottle just to "fold the clothes, empty the dishwasher, cook dinner, or just get yourself dressed and ready for the day!"

Why are these people procreating to begin with? Somebody should point them in the direction of the nearest animal shelter. What moron told them that babies don't need attention or love?

I could care less whether a parents feeds their child a bottle, but for goodness sake - take the time to hold your baby, bond with your baby, and make sure your baby doesn't choke on their propped bottle while you are driving somewhere "important".

Children grow up so fast and become independent when they are ready. Why force it just for the sake of your selfish need to get things done?

Bravado Contest!!

If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!: Enter to win a FREE funky pro-breastfeeding t-shirt!

If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!: Enter to win a FREE funky pro-breastfeeding t-shirt!

Earth Mama Angel Baby SALE

Don't miss out on a great sale during this month!

Booby Tubes® are a natural, safe, gel-free breast pack made with a 100% organic cotton shell and filled with all-natural flax seed. Use warm or cold, depending on your nursing needs.

Bosom Buddies™ is a blend of healing herbs, cabbage leaves and black tea (ever hear a grandma say that nursing women should put cabbage leaves or tea bags on their breasts? Turns out grandma is right!) along with organic calendula blossoms, organic plantain and organic marshmallow root.

Earth Mama Angel Baby's Breastfeeding Support Kit has four of our best all-natural necessities for every breastfeeding mama! Our most requested nursing tea helps support healthy breast milk production, lanolin-free nipple cream helps prevent sore, cracked nipples, gel-free breast packs ease breasts sore from engorgement or mastitis, and organic, herbal breast compresses provide extra nipple and engorgement care.

Ruby red, minty, refreshing and delicious, USDA Certified 100% Organic & Certified Kosher No More Milk Tea is a blend of herbs traditionally used to naturally reduce the production of breast milk. Lovely iced or hot, Mama suggests drinking up to three cups a day.

PumpEase 1/2 off sale

THIS MONTH ONLY to celebrate Breastfeeding Awareness Month ~ 50% off the regular price of PumpEase Petite!

The picture above might look strange to you - it sure did to me. Then I read about it and thought about how hard it was for me the year and a half that I pumped for my oldest daughter and WISH I had something like the PumpEase.

An excerpt from the description on the PumpEase website explains the benefits;

Wrap PumpEase™ hands-free pumping support around your chest and fasten in the front over your nursing bra, nursing top (lower panels first) or over nothing at all. Insert the breast pump horns into the openings, centering over your nipples and start pumping. You will enjoy having both hands free for checking email, taking phone calls, banking online, writing thank you cards or tending to baby - all while pumping!

Glamourmom BoGo

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Glamourmom has put together a donation program 'Buy One, Give One', which will run until August 31, 2010. Any purchase of a nursing bra tank on www.glamourmom.com during the duration will be matched and will be donated to moms in need.

Earth Mama Angel Baby FREEBIE

You’ve heard there are herbs that can help stingy milk, and you know there are herbs you shouldn’t use while breastfeeding. But what if you don’t know your Pimpinella anisum from your Borago officinalis? Now there’s a book to make it all easy for you.

Filled with herbs, breastfeeding tips and advice from Mama, EMAB’s A Comprehensive Guide to Herbs and Breastfeeding is an essential reference for careful mamas who want to safely harness the goodness of herbs. Best of all, it's FREE!!



Simply click the picture above to fill out a form and you will get an email with the secret link so you can download your very own copy.

Wordless Wednesday...er, Thursday

Pacifiers Recalled

Link to CPSC;

Pacifiers Recalled by Antonio Flores Due to Choking Hazard


Sold in California and Texas.

****The nipple is filled with corn syrup.*** ====> However - not the reason for the recall. Sheez.

Dear Lisa, Yes, there is such a thing as talking too much...

Dear Lisa,

I am glad we live in a country where we can speak freely and share our personal opinions. That being said, everyone has a right to disagree with the opinions of others. I am exercising my right to free speech by protesting against you, a radio personality, sharing such a hateful opinion in a way that may influence the decision of women on whether to breastfeed their children and/or future children.

Do you honestly think that no are NO benefits to breastfeeding? It has been proven over and over again that there are economical, financial, and health benefits. Why would you protest against such a wonderful act on air, instead of turning your head in the same manner to other things you do not approve of?

I refuse to sit idle and instead will do my best to refute such negativity about breastfeeding and support breastfeeding mothers, whether they choose to NIP or not. We should have the choice and legally we do.

Sincerely,
Laura Perkins

P.S.
I am NAK while I am typing this, aren't you glad we are not on Skype?

Laugh or cry?

I don't know what to make of this product I stumbled upon (thanks insomnia).

All the pictures look to be of babies in disposable diapers. I find this very intriguing because my daughter , who is almost 16 months old, spends most of her time at home in just a diaper. My older two children never took off their diaper and/or did anything with the contents.

In fact, I was swapping stories recently with a Mommy friend of mine about how our children pick out their own new diaper when it is time to be changed. We both use cloth diapers. Our daughters seem to be in love with their "fluff".


I can't imagine being in this situation as described on an eBay listing for a BUB;

I used to have to duct tape my daughter into her diaper!

Say what?!?



Have you ever seen this product? What do you think?

Twitter Party - not just for the birds

Do you tweet? Have you been to a twitter party? No, it does not involve throwing birdseed in the middle of a park....it is a virtual party using twitter accounts. Prizes, fun, and fast typing are usually involved.

I just attended my first twitter party a few days ago and just finished my third tonight. It can be confusing and very fast paced, so I strongly recommend reading this short article from Calley at the fabulous Eco Chic Parties website. Her article is very thorough and so I saw no reason to write my own. Also, don't hesitate to "lurk" during a party or two until you get the hang of it.

Party on!

Giveaway - ends Friday night

Oh these are really beautiful works of art!

Enter this giveaway to win one of your own.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, May 21 at 10:00 pm CST.

Itty Bitty Giveaway

Currently, I have 41 "fans" on my Facebook page.

If the number reaches 50 by this Sunday(the 10th), I will giveaway a $10 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop.

If it reaches 100 ~ I will giveaway TWO gift certificates instead.

Sounds good?

Ready, set, go suggest!

Soaker Sale @ Have Mercy!

My friend Paige is having a soaker sale in her Etsy Shop right now. I am going to take advantage of this awesome deal to order the next size up for Athena. I am having a hard time deciding what I want to order - I love all the prints we have gotten so far!

Hot Hot Sale Alert!!

Wow!

Not only is there a gorgeous new bracelet over at The Vintage Pearl, but today only it is $10 off! Sweet! It is perfect for Mother's Day.

See? I told you so.

By the way, her ordering cutoff is April 20th for Mother's Day.

Hurry over!

Handstamped Necklaces 50% off today- while supplies last

StephieMc Designs are featured on Baby Half Off today.

Just two options remain & the sale ends today!

Be still, my beating heart...

I am in LOVE with this.

If the suit wasn't adorable enough - the name alone got me.

~ Esther Williams Bathing Suit (Infant & Toddler) ~

Esther Williams - oh how I adore relaxing and watching her movies.

Bathing suit? Yes, bathing suit. Not bikini or tankini or even swimsuit. Ahhh!



Okay...I'm off to pretend my umbrella is really for the beach and not the rain.. and that the suit comes in my size.

9 reasons why I use cloth diapers (giveaway)

1. Cloth doesn't have any nasty chemicals.
2. Cloth is soft against my baby's skin.
3. I am not adding disposable diapers to a landfill.
4. I am saving $$ every week!!
5. My baby truly seems happier (during diaper changes) since switching to cloth.
6. Cloth diapers are cute!
7. I don't ever have to worry about running to the store because I am out of diapers.
8. Cloth is as easy to use as disposables.
9. I love the look of a fluffy bum!

If you use cloth, what are your reasons?

If you can come up with 9 reasons like me, head over to the Networking Nine Giveaway hosted by The Cloth Diaper Whisperer.


They are giving away 9 One Size Diapers!

Giveaway includes:
3-bumGenius One Size 3.0 diapers
1-Flip One Size Stay Dry System
1-Flip One Size Organic System
1-FuzziBunz One Size Diaper
1-Gro Baby One Size Shell Set
1-Econobum One Size Diaper
1-Rump-a-rooz One Size Diaper

Don't fret if you can't, there are eight other ways to enter - hurry on over, the giveaway ends April 9th!

Bonus Bargain Day on Green Baby Bargains!

Grab a few bonus bargains, and combine shipping! A NEW bonus bargain will be added when one sells out!