Happy and Healthy Mom.Com supports mompreneurs through this blog
After taking over a small business branding network, starting a mompreneur conference, a mommyblogger cruise, and having some sense knocked into me by a Forbes expert, I have decided to change the whole set-up of my sites & blogs. The mompreneur articles will be transferred to my super mompreneur site and my main site might be transferred into a wordpress format as a whole, once I can get it designed. Keep an eye out!
Next up for review are some products from Tommee Tippee. Tommee Tippee products started out in the UK in 1965, but are only launching in the U.S. next month in Babies R Us stores. Lucky for me, as a Mom Bloggers Club reviewer, I (really my kids) got to try out these products first. While I normally reserve my product reviews for mom-made products, I made this exception. You’ve heard of Help A Reporter Out? Well, this is Help A Mom Out, and I am a Mom who was in need of a good sippy cup for my daughter, which I got free in exchange for doing this review. Though, the fact that I got free products does not in any way influence my reviews of them.
First up was the Explora sippy cup. It came in a set of two of Stage 2, which it says is for 9+ months. My daughter Isabella is 26 months, but really has been a bottle baby. Up until now, she usually just played with sippy cups and turned them upside down, leaking juice everywhere. Even the so-called “spill-proof” ones leak. It has made it hard to get her off of the bottle. Now, in comes the Tommee Tippee Sippy and she has really taken to it. She’s not 100% off of the bottle, but she often requests the sippy cup and even pulls it from the dish drain when she wants juice. What I like most is that this cup doesn’t leak. It has some kind of little contraption under the nipple that prevents this from happening. While cleaning this part is a little inconvenient, it more than makes up for the effort required by preventing the spills. There is a piece of latex and a plastic piece that go together and snap into the nipple area, which took some getting used to, but becomes easier once you get the hang of it. Another cool feature was the grips, which make it easier for Isabella to hold the cup without dropping it. I liked the bright colors too! I did think that there should’ve been some type of measurement of ounces on it though. I know most sippy cups do not have this & that is a qualm I have with them all. The reason I say this is that my pediatrician recommends that Isabella drinks no more than 5 oz of juice a day. This sippy cup holds well over 5 ounces by my guesstimate, so adding some type of measuring lines would help me to guage when to stop pouring. other than that, these cups were great.
The other products I (my son) got to review were the Closer To Nature Bottle with the fast and slow nipples. The bottle is shaped sort of like a 4 or 5 oz bottle or an Aventa bottle, except this bottle had grip indentations and fit a full 9 oz. My aunt and I didn’t believe it at first, so we poured the milk into a regular bottle and then into the TT bottle to check the measurements. Joaquin was able to hold the bottle nicely as demonstrated in the pictures above. He tried the the fast nipples first, as he was 8 months old and it recommends the fast nipples for his age. What astounded me was how closely the nipple resembled a real nipple. Joaquin took to the bottle quickly, but the milk continued to leak from under his chin. He then tried the slow nipples to see if the leaking was just from the type of nipple, but the milk continued to leak & Joaquin cried as he was teething and the slow nipple required him to suck harder. Since Joaquin was not a breastfeed baby (due to my own medical issues- before anyone sends me “breast is best” type comments), so I suspect that he couldn’t get a good handle on this nipple because he is so used to regular nipples. The Closer To Nature nipples might be better suited for breastfed babies making a transition or supplementation with the bottle.
Overall, I would say thumbs up for the sippy cup & thumbs up and down for the bottle. I would be interested to see a review for a breastfed baby using the bottle to see if my suspicions are correct.
Want to accessorize like a star? Check out Starlet Goodies!
My daughter Isabella & I got to try out the goods of one of my Happy and Healthy MOM DAY Miami momvendors, Starlet Goodies. Leydys and Denise make a large variety of stylish hairclips and accessories that have even been seen on the likes of Nicole Richie, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, & Katherine Heigl, thanks to Babyswags.
We got to try 3 different clips from their flower clip collections; the Arielle, the Sienna, and the Juliette. What makes their hairclips pretty cool is that they can be worn as matching sets with your daughter, so you both can coordinate in style. Plus, they have soft backing material on the metal to make the clip comfortable to wear, without the pointy end of a clip digging into your scalp. There is a ton of detail in every clip & they almost don’t look handmade because they are so consistent.
I must tell you that my daughter absolutely, positively HATES wearing hairclips, hairbows, ponytails, etc. & usually removes anything in her hair within 5 seconds flat. It almost doesn’t make sense as she is such a girly girl when it comes to everything else. I am not kidding. This girl has been obsessed with shoes and purses since she was four months old, loves getting new clothes, & I find her on a daily basis walking around in my heels while “talking” on her toy cell phone. Her resistance to hair accessories has sadly left my dreams of doing my little girl’s hair unfulfilled, until now. My daughter instantly fell in love with the clips. As demonstrated in the pictures below, she is grinning ear to ear because my Isabella loves attention & she knew she was getting it with these beautiful clips in her hair.
Then it was mommy’s turn to try on the clips. I am a ponytail sort of gal, so hairclips are a rarity in my repertoire. My absolute fav clip was the Arielle. It made me feel very movie star-ish. If only I had a beautiful Oscar-worthy dress to go along with it. I guess mommy’s can play dress-up too!
The most practical clip would be the Sienna. This clip is small, yet fashion-savvy. You could wear it to work or out on the town, giving you just enough attention without going overboard. The Juliette clip was the sturdiest of the bunch and was also quite pretty to look at. With the Arielle, the petals are soft and can get bent easily if you don’t take care. The Sienna has sequins which could also get potentially bent, as my daughter proved as she grabbed it tightly in her hand and ran from me, like most toddlers do when they have something they know you want.
The best part of these clips are that they are posh boutique worthy at not so posh prices. They run around $8-$10. Overall, I would say that these are a good deal and I am going through their site to check out other clips I might like to buy.
Being that I worked through both of my pregnancies and my main business focuses on new moms and mommies to be, I felt it would be appropriate for me offer up some tips for managing your pregnancy and your job.
Tip #1: Wear comfortable, flat shoes
Sometimes when us women go to work, we want to wear dress shoes with a heel. Even if you are used to heels, you will not be used to them when you are pregnant. Your feet will swell and can even get permanently bigger, so you might consider purchasing the wide version of a shoe or even one size larger. When your feet swell and you are carrying around all of that weight, you’ll appreciate having a comfy pair of flats for your tootsies. Additionally, when your pregnant body expands, you lose your equilibrium, causing you to lose your balance more easily. I remember once that I wore a low heel while pregnant & I slipped and fell on the ground. You should’ve seen me struggling to get up with my huge belly. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty.
Tip #2: Pack a Snack
Eating several small, healthy snacks throughout the day, helps you to maintain your blood glucose level. You will avoid an energy crash and you will not feel hunger pangs. It’s good to pack some crackers for nausea, carrot sticks & celery make a good treat, sometimes a fruit & nut mix are filling and delicious, and let’s not forget about water. You should drink several glasses of water a day when you’re pregnant. Try to avoid caffeinated beverages or at least limit them to 2 cups a day.
Tip #3: Get your work clothes ready the night before
Lay them out so that they are ready for you to get up in the morning. Many women suffer from “morning sickness” and in my case “all day sickness,” so it can be really helpful to have everything ready to go when you are feeling nauseous. Plus, having things ready, means that you can sleep alittle later and take more time getting ready before you go.
Tip #4: Buy Wrap Dresses
These little numbers can look professional, they are very comfortable, and they adjust to your body’s ever-changing shape. Plus, a good wrap dress can be used post pregnancy before you get back to pre-baby weight 
Tip #5: Write everything down
When you are pregnant, you might find that you become very forgetful. The trick is to write everything down, so you don’t forget. Carry around a little memobook in your purse to jot down appts., phone numbers, dates, names, etc.
Tip #6: Try to schedule appts. around work
I know what you’re thinking, “She says it like it’s so easy.” I know it’s not, but you will maintain a better appearance at work and keep on task better if you make your appointments around work. Try finding an ob/gyn open late, extra early, or on the weekends. Trust me, when you are pregnant you will be attending a lot of appointments, especially toward the end, and you do not want to be preceived as slacking. In an ideal world, your boss would understand, but in the real world, you need to show your commitment to your job by trying to maintain your schedule as best as possible. Even if you work for yourself, you still have a boss- your customers and clients.
Tip #7: Do Some Extreme Advance Planning Many jobs provide for unpaid family leave if you have worked at your job for a year and worked at least 1200 hours. But what if you don’t qualify? You need to discuss your impending birth with your boss to try to keep your job when you return to work. Can you afford to take unpaid maternity leave? If so, more power to ya. But, if you are like me, you need some kind of income to survive. Your job might be willing to offer some work from home, so that you can still do some work until you have steady childcare. Many daycares require babies to be at least 6 weeks old. Another way to plan for the leave is to put aside a little from each of your checks, so that you have something saved up to draw from when you aren’t working. Trust me, those first few weeks can be extremely expensive with all of the diapers, clothes, baby equipment, etc. you go through. Who am I kidding, for the next 18 years, your baby will be expensive, but hopefully you can save enough for the weeks you will be away from work. Also, you need to plan for how your work will get done while you are away. You don’t want everything to fall apart without you. You need to plan to have another worker or workers cover you until you get back. Some jobs even hire temps, so you need to find out about their policies and what you need to leave for them, such as passwords. You should also have your work e-mails forwarded to someone who will be covering for you. They can kindly respond to all inquiries on your behalf.
Tip #8: Get Shoulder Massages Work can already be stressful and can be amplified even more when you are going through so many changes. Many people store their tension in their shoulders, and getting a shoulder massage could be quick, easy, effective, & affordable. If you’ve got a good partner, maybe they can massage your shoulders. If you prefer a professional, a simple shoulder massage can be done at a mall kiosk. If you’d like to delve into other massage, like back, and feet, you should hire a licensed massage therapist that has specialization in prenatal massage. For instance, there are actually triggerpoints in your feet that could lead to contractions and a specialist should have a special table with a cut-out for your stomach.
I hope that these tips have been helpful and feel free to contact me through my site if you have any questions.
Seriously folks, I have never owned my own laptop. Once, my friend bought one used that he was going to share with me, but the thing turned out broken. I even braved the cold morning air to go to Walmart at 3am on Black Friday to stand in line and get one, only to find out that the person before me got the last one in stock. I even posted a wanted on freecycle. How can I possibly continue on with my business without a good laptop? I don’t sell products or have a store, so my business is almost 100% online. My real world connection comes through my events, but even there I need access to the internet. Plus, I don’t want just any old laptop, I need a mini. I used to use a full-size laptop at my old job, but it was so huge and really not comfortable to lug around. I decided a mini or netbook would be better suited for me, especially because I already lug around 2, count ‘em 2, diaper bags and my purse.
I would like to be able to leave my home office and meet with a potential client, partner, or sponsor and bring with me a prepared powerpoint or pdf, or even go on the internet to demonstrate my websites. I don’t need to have a full laptop. I can store data on an external hardrive or thumb drive if need be.
The absence of a laptop was once again brought to my attention when a woman I am meeting with tomorrow told me “not to worry, [she]‘d bring [her] laptop to the meeting.” How embarrassing is that? I am helping her develop her site and I don’t even have a laptop to bring to our meeting. Sadly, I really can’t afford one right now.
However, I just received a ray of hope today as I was sifting through my hundreds of e-mails and came across a contest from the Mom Bloggers Club. They were mentioning a contest to win a free HP Mini 110 with Windows 7 just by blogging about how an HP Mini 110 with Windows 7 would “Simplify My Life.” Well, I think I made it pretty clear on why I need a laptop, so here’s my plea to the judges, “Please, please, please Simplify My Life and give me an HP Mini 110 with Windows 7.” BTW, they are also giving 3 random readers a mini too, so if you catch this before midnight EST tonight and post a comment, you could have a chance to win one! How awesome is that?
If you want to check out the details, go to their contest page, by clicking here Here’s a video by Dara Torres about the contest:
Dara Torres invites you to \”Simplify Your Life\” with HP and Windows 7
And TADA!!! Here’s what we could win:
I am a member of the Mompack. Some of you may or may not be familiar with this great group of supportive women. As part of being a good Mompack member, I am trying to help support my fellow mompreneurs. One of the mompreneurs is Tiffany, who asked me to review her blog, The Gracious Pantry.
This blog is very cleancut in appearance, as there are no flashy banners or colorful distractions. Just a plain white background with a standard type font in black. However, for where it’s lacking in design, it makes up for in content. It is loaded with a ton of information like detailed, easy to follow recipes and fitness videos you can use to carve a nice exercise routine. I especially like the “Munchkin Helpers” segment, where she discusses the need to teach children how to cook. I used to coordinate an afterschool program that incorporated a nutrional education & cooking class every week. It is very important to teach kids about healthy eating and how to prepare healthy foods, as this is the key to helping prevent the epidemic of obesity in this country. She also offers informative articles and videos on “clean eating.” If you don’t know what “clean eating” is, you should check out her blog and find out. Lastly, she offers a home & garden page, which currently is showcasing a cute little “how to” for making a chalkboard spice jar.
While searching through the site, I got a sense of “home,” which I am thinking is Tiffany’s intentions. Come check out The Gracious Pantry and see for yourself!
“What was that?,” I cried out to my daughter who obviously was the cause for such a noise. Of course, she’s still a toddler and can not really answer the question. So I go into the room, and there she is standing atop her toy bin, which is shaped almost like a staircase (Thanks IKEA) and throwing the items off of the shelves on the wall. Typical toddler behavior I’m sure, but it does not change the fact that it is very hard to take care of your children and run a business at the same time. There I was sneaking in some morning hours of work on the computer and she was turning her bedroom into a disaster area. My next thought is, “How can I still be a good mother and make sure that my children are safe, when my eyes are fixated on a computer screen?” Then I remember that I will need to keep doing what most wahms/mompreneurs with young children do, sneak in work while they are sleeping. I was a little lazy this morning and got up at 6am, instead 3am to get the work in. This really put a kink in the amount of work I was able to get done before Isabella got up. The loud sound was my true wake-up call, as it brought the memory back to my brain that I have a toddler needing my attention right in the other room.
But what about the times that they are not sleeping? And then there is the need to interact with your clientele while they are awake as well. How can we balance work and babies, all while making sure we have time for ourselves? The truth is, I don’t have the answer. Nor am I going to be able to tell you how you can make it work. Every situation is personal and it takes you to figure the answer out. I can, however, offer you some suggestions and tell you what other things have worked for me.
First off, I go to bed early. I know it sounds cheesy, but the old saying, “Early to bed, early to rise….” really does work. My grandparents are in their 70’s, they get up early every morning, and they greet each day with enthusiasm and energy. I put my kids to bed early and I follow shortly after, after spending about an hour with my husband to have that connection and communication you can’t really get while changing diapers and such.
Going to bed early helps me to get up early, before the kiddies wake up. In the wee hours of the morning, I read and respond to e-mails, write blogs, update my site, interact in my social networks, and sometimes schedule tweets for when I won’t be at the computer.
I squeeze in at least 15 minutes of break to have some mom-me time. I sometimes just sit and think, sometimes I watch something on tv, sometimes I take a bath, or read a magazine. What’s important is I get that chance to be with just me.
Once they are awake, I stop and take care of their needs. Don’t forget that they are one of the reasons we are doing what we do. We need to take care of their needs as well. They can not do it all alone and they need us to help them.
Usually after they eat breakfast, I give them a bath. When they are fed and relaxed from that, I put them down for a nap. This usually gives me about a half an hour to an hour of time to do some calling or work on the computer.
When they wake up from the nap, I play with them and make sure that they know that I want to spend time with them. This way they still get my full attention and they know that they are important to me. I have slowly learned that my daughter getting into things and taking things out of her drawers was just a cry for attention, and that she is more cooperative with me working when I give her one on one time.
After playing with them, I let my daughter play independently in her room and I place my son in his play yard or on his playmat on his tummy so he gets tummy time. This way they get a chance to develop their imaginations and independence. Additionally, it gives me the chance to do some more work on the computer.
Then we break for lunch. Sometimes we might forget to eat when we get so enthralled with our work. I am totally guilty of this and I have been making extreme efforts to make sure that I eat lunch everyday. It is important that we nourish ourselves so that we can stay healthy and maintain our energy level.
I squeeze in some more work and play after lunch. Having a business, especially one that is almost entirely online, requires a lot of time. I try to do some work and have the babies there so that I can keep an eye on them. I steal glances away to respond to an e-mail here or there and I talk to people on the phone while I am cleaning the house and folding laundry. It is all a balancing act.
My work almost completely stops when the hubby gets home. I must admit that this was not something self-inflicted. This is something my husband enforces as he wants to make sure that we get time together as a family. Though I reluctantly agreed to this at first, I can totally undertsand his rationale.
Like I said, it is all about you and your personal situation. It isn’t going to be easy. In fact, there will be days you want to give up, but don’t forget that what you are doing will empower yourself, empower other women, and will empower your daughter(s) if you have them. Now isn’t that worth the chaos?
The holidays are a special time for memories with family and friends. This holiday season, I have an opportunity for you to give a powerful gift to the powerful women in your life. This is the gift that will make a life-long impact for the women you care about the most.
You are invited to the transformational Ignite Your Spark annual women’s conference February 26-27, 2010 in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah. See below for your two bonuses.
This is a must-attend to make a 2010 that you won’t forget! Get inspired by Lisa Nichols, one of the teachers on The Secret and guest on Oprah, along with over 15 other experts. Attend this phenomenal weekend and you will:
Tickets start at just $160.
Attention women entrepreneurs and executives – Register for the VIP Business Builder ticket and receive over $1,400 in bonuses and perks for an unbelievable price. There are only 100 VIP tickets available for this event so act fast.
Bonus #1
Receive 10% off ANY ticket when you enter coupon code: HAPPYMOM. That’s right, you get an even lower price than the current early-bird pricing! (The discount is applied to the VIP, General Admission or 1-day pass when paid in full.)
Bonus #2
Receive your free Overcoming Obstacles Book Bundle that includes Lisa Nichols’ No Matter What!, Rene Johnson’s Leaving Your Comfort Zone and Bretton Hadfield’s My Three Wishes, when you reserve your General Admission or VIP ticket by January 5. These books are immediately shipped to you so you can enjoy them now. (You will receive a second gift copy of No Matter What! that comes with your ticket at the event.) These books are valued at over $65 and are the perfect gift to empower you to create magnificent things in 2010.
Register here and get all of the details. It’s your turn to say YES to your DREAMS this February!
Ignite Your Spark is hosted and produced by Illuminated Woman, an organization that creates transformation events and programs to empower every women to remember their greatness.
Remember that for every 10 tickets sold using my code HAPPYMOM, I can nominate one of the grant fund applicants to receive a free ticket. Help support other mompreneurs, while learning how to Ignite Your Spark
Next up on the Hotseat is Holly Reisem Hanna, the founder and publisher of The Work at Home Woman; an online business resource dedicated to helping women and moms fulfill their dreams of working at home and/or becoming self employed. Her site gets 78,000 page views a month, has over 4000 + Twitter Followers and 450 + Facebook Fans. Even with all of the busy activity of her site, Holly remains down to earth and easy to communicate with. If you are a mompreneur or wahm, check out her “Woman Owned” tab on her site. The great thing about “Woman Owned” is that because it is a main tab, the businesses and blogs listed on it won’t get lost in the shuffle like a normal blog post. So without further delay….
Bio:
Holly Reisem Hanna graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in Sociology. A few years later she obtained her Associate Degree in Nursing, as well as securing her license as a Registered Nurse. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband Jeff, her daughter Hadley, and their cat, Alex. Her favorite holiday is Halloween; She loves coffee, the beach, ice-cream, chocolate, amusement rides, traveling, reading, cooking, being outdoors and spending time on the lake! To learn more about Holly, please see: The Work at Home Woman or follow her tweets on Twitter @Holly_Hanna.
Mompreneur 10 Hotseat:
1. Tell us about what inspired you to become a Mompreneur.
When my daughter was born, I knew that I would not be able to return to my full-time job as a RN Clinical Research Coordinator. With the support of my husband Jeff, I was able to quit my full-time job and become a full-time stay a home mom. During this time I looked for different work at home opportunities, only to be disappointed with many of the resources out there.
Motivated to become a work at home, mompreneur I decided to create The Work at Home Woman and share my research and knowledge with other women who had the desire to work from home and be self employed.
2. What is one thing that you think that all moms planning to start their own business should know?
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of time and effort and you really need to love what you’re doing, not to mention you need to believe in yourself. When the going gets tough you will need to keep chugging along, the ones who persist are the ones that end up being successful.
3. How are you able to balance being a mom and an entrepreneur?
I used to work while my daughter was napping, now that she no longer naps, I have had to modify my work arrangement. My daughter is now enrolled in a mom’s day out program two days a week, which is when I get the majority of my work done. I also can’t live without my daily planner and daily to-do list.
4. What is your opinion on large businesses that seek out moms who want to work at home? Do you think that these are good options or should women just be focusing on doing their own thing?
It just depends on what you want and need out of an opportunity. If you need health insurance and benefits working for a large company can be a wonderful home-based opportunity. If you want to start your own business or do freelance work, you need to take into account that you will have to pay self-employment tax, as well as out of pocket health insurance if you’re not covered under your significant other’s insurance plan.
5. What is one technological device that you can not live without?
I can’t live without my laptop and wireless internet connection.
6. How were you able to fund your business as a start-up?
I work part-time as a Social Network Liaison for a small publishing company.
7. How were you able to overcome the “glass ceiling”?
Since I have created my own business, my income potential is based on how hard and smart I work. There’s not anyone over me deciding how much I should make or what I should be working on.
8. Are you able to take time for yourself to focus on your own health and wellness?
Yes, weekends are family time and I don’t schedule any work on these days. I also love to travel and make sure to carve out time for trips, which totally renew and refresh my outlook. My goal for 2010 is to start working out again, which I just need to schedule into my day.
9. Do you think your family life suffered because of your work ethic?
No, I only work part-time and I’m still able to be readily available for my daughter since I work at home. And because I don’t have a daily commute I save two hours per day – I’m very happy with my work and family life.
10.Tell us more about your product or service.
The Work at Home Woman is an online business resource and blog for women and moms who wish to work from home or become self employed. It covers everything from finding your perfect niche, to blogging, social networking, home business financing, marketing, work at home scams and small business information. My mission is to help women and moms acquire the knowledge and skills to be able to successfully work from home or to become self-employed while providing support, inspiration and motivation.
Imagine you have an event you are planning and you need custom, personalized, and/or unique party favors or decorations….
In my day to day social networking, I came across another mommade business in Florida named First Impression Favors. Upon visiting the site, I realized that they had an extensive variety of beautiful party favors, many of which I had never seen before. I honestly must say that I was impressed. The website has a ton of categories and is broken up in a way that makes it easy to find what you are looking for. Plus, they list prices right there and you can pay for items usually in increments of 12 using a credit card and Paypal payments. You can even purchase one as a sample (except custom or personalized items). Today I am featuring two of their favor boxes below:
This pretty Tiffany-like aqua blue favor box has a gorgeous white bow on top, complete with a satin finish and diamond-like rhinestones. The box and bow colors can be selected to fit your event. I reviewed the prices and they seem in line with what party favors boxes usually cost sans rhinestones on the bow. It is little accents like these that make the favors stand out.
Another favor box features an aqua blue box with a white lid, an aqua blue bow that is made up of several ribbon strands, and let’s not forget the full-size faux diamond ring that can actually be worn by those wearing sizes 6-7. How often do you find a favorbox like this that doesn’t have a cheap, fake plastic ring atop? It is really worth the money to make your event stand out. Plus, you can customize the box and lid colors of this one too!
I am considering using them for the Happy and Healthy Mom Day event I am planning in February. Let’s see what kind of sponsorship I get. Fingers-crossed……
