Beautiful Artwork...Must Have...

This amazing piece is by James Browne. I stumbled upon it on another persons blog and just had to save it for my own post so that I can look at it all the time. I will definitely be saving up to buy a nice poster size print of it.

Went on a date!

About once a month my mom is able to offer to come over and sit with the kids. She usually offers to do it at night and I always tell her I prefer daytime so we can spend time outdoors. So yesterday we went out on the boat. As usual we didn't catch a thing! I tried using reverse psychology on the fish "no, don't bite my hook. i don't want to catch a fish..." But alas, it did not work.

The silence was really nice and I got some sun on my skin. It's amazing that while most of the country is freezing, we're able to put on our bathing suits and go out on the boat snorkeling, fishing, surfing, etc.

Now the wait begins until the next time we get to go out together.

Blogging with my 4 yr old

So my daughter and I are Blogging together. You can click on my profile to find her Blog. So far it's been fun but I more or less have to interview her and then type exactly what she says. She starts to lose interest pretty quick but we have fun and it's nice to spend a little computer time together rather than her seeing me on it without her. Hopefully when she's older her Blog will have grown and she'll appreciate me having started it for her.

I recommend you start one with your kid too. Just type what they speak. It's pretty entertaining to read.

A cruel joke...

For those who don't know, I have a daughter who is 4 yrs old and talks non-stop. When she runs out of things to say she makes stuff up, english, spanish, marshian...as long as she's awake she's talking.

So for Christmas someone got her a fake guitar with a microphone and stand. Guess what? Now she's talking non-stop through a speaker! plus she realized that trick where you put the microphone up to the speaker and it makes that awful screeching noise!

I swear, it's enough to drive me insane!

Discount Codes for WAHM Stores

The WAHM Mall has created the Mall Pass. It's a collection of WAHM Stores and their Discount Codes. Simply checkout with the FREE Mall Pass at The WAHM Mall and you will be emailed the Discount Codes for the participating stores. Check it out, it's FREE!

If you are a business owner this is a great way to get FREE Advertising. By contributing your Discount Code to the WAHM Mall you receive a FREE link and listing in the Mall Pass item description. It's a great way to get your business name out there.

No surprises for me...

I guess the concept of keeping a secret and/or keeping something a surprise is a little over my 4 yr olds head. My husband bought me a shiatsu massage chair for Christmas and not two seconds after they walked in she said "Mommy we bought you an exercise chair that massages your back!" lol Luckily my husband didn't hear so I could attempt to pretend that I didn't know. This same scenario has happened with everything we've bought for eachother or family so far, she tells them right away what we bought for them...Oh well, it is kind of cute.

really disturbing

Apparently these panties were being sold in the Juniors Dept. at Wal-Mart...It really is hard to believe that anyone would produce such an item. I wouldn't even want my daughter reading them as she walked down the isle, much less wearing them.

I dream of snow...

It's a real bummer never getting to see snow. But this site SnowDays is really cute and you can design and dedicate your very own snowflake. Check it out!

Cloth Diapers for Low Income Families

If you are interested in using cloth diapers and are afraid you cannot afford the initial investment needed to get started, you should consider applying for assistance with some of the great organizations listed below.

• Miracle Diapers Miracle Diapers has assisted those in need all over the world. They accept donations and put cloth diapers and natural parenting items in the hands of needy mothers.
  
• Lend A Hand Diapers A non-profit organization dedicated to assisting low income families who wish to cloth diaper their children. Our organization also promotes cloth diapers as a mainstream diapering solution by providing the public with accurate information on their ease of use and many financial and ecological benefits.
• Grandma Jacquie's Diaper Barn Seeking to collect donated cloth diapers and accessories and place them in the homes of low-income families in need of assistance.

A Mom's Letter to Santa

(too funny, and so true)


Dear Santa,


I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and
cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office
more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars
to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.
I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases,
since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the
back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who
knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.


Here are my Christmas wishes:


I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze,
but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy
aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh
month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a
television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking
animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.


On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes,
Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids
who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way
up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in
the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can
only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough
time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the
luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it
being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to
declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around
the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses
of an organized crime family.


Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my
feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon
back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door
and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet.


Yours Always,


MOM...


P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep
my children young enough to believe in Santa.

I sleep at the foot of my own bed :(

I have actually gotten quite used to it and find a little comfort in feeling six little feet along my body as I sleep. I am not sure if there is really any other way for a parent and three kids to co-sleep in a king size bed. If you have any suggestions I sure would love to hear them.

One day I hope the boys and Guinnevere will be able to find comfort in sleeping with each other, but for now we cherish their company and attachment to sleeping by our sides.

Christmas last year, 2006

Just came across this pic of the kids last year. They have grown so much. I'm not even sure that their Santa hats will fit again this year. I'll take a current pic and post it as soon as I can.

Nursing two little men

Many thoughts enter my head while nursing my two sons at the same time. When they were younger tandem nursing was uncomfortable, they had to be held to the breast and there never seemed to be that perfect position. Now that they are older, I am able to nurse them together comfortably and I look forward to our bedtime nursing session. I watch as they touch each others faces, feel each others ears and eyes, and I think about what impact there might be on a man who had been nursed as a baby and toddler. I tell myself I should Google it sometime, maybe I will today.

Last month in Mothering Magazine there was a great poem. Here it is...

the raspberry boys 

The nipple huge in the baby's mouth,
like a well gummed butt of an old cigar,
the baby's hands squeeze the flesh,
he pulls off every few seconds to smile
at his mother or turn to see what else
is out here. And then one brother blew
huge raspberries on the baby's belly,
the baby pulled off again, guffawing,
then the other brother blew raspberries
into the air, there being no more room
on the belly, that worked just as well,
child laughter squeaky as old pumps,
young spittle covering the scene,
then, for encore, the holy valve closed
a second late and the baby's face
was sprayed with warm milk, more laughter,
the raspberry boys waving their hands
to feel the spray as if it were a first snow,
boys who lost their privileges at their
mother's breasts not long ago,
though they remember none of it as they
won't even remember this by tomorrow,
and so I take it down for them.

Peter Waldor 

Suck My Lolly

Well, what do you think? I absolutely adore this new template and cannot believe I found such a cool site with such cool free and affordable templates. Suck My Lolly has the coolest selection, I only wish I had found her site sooner, before I wasted all my time looking at generic templates.

Oh, and I changed my Blog name. Just wanted to make it more general in nature, not just about my business and announcements.

The WAHM Mall

Recently the opportunity arose for myself and three other amazing WAHM's to invest co-operatively in a website that was for sale. The site is The WAHM Mall. If you would have seen it the day we bought it, you'd know that pretty much the only thing we haven't changed is the name!

Katie owner of KT Naturals Mineral MakeUp, Kayli owner of Nekkie Blankie, Kayla owner of Kayla's Cloth Kits, and yours truly, all have our hearts and minds set on becoming the ultimate online resource for new and existing WAHM's. We provide affordable, creative marketing and exposure for WAHM run businesses and we are developing our Forums where we hope WAHM's from around the world will congregate, connect, share, and learn from eachother.

Stop in and say Hi!

Cloth Diaper News

I have been a contributing writer for the Cloth Diaper News and I must say I am having so much fun. I tell everyone I feel like a real reporter. If you are a part of cloth diapering community, a retailer, customer, etc. then you should think about either becoming a contributing writer or guest writer. Here's the link about becoming a writer. It's very easy and articles can be as simple as announcing the release of a new product, a promotion, a press release, or a topic of your choice. The perks are that you gain more exposure for yourself and your business, if you have one, by including links in your byline.

Give it a try! It's fun.

New Hyena Cart Design

Today I put some finishing touches on my newly redesigned Hyena Cart shop! Another marvelous job by Cicily of August Afternoon Design. Now my HC is like a little mini-version of my main site.

Check it out! Right now I am hosting a FREE Lottery for a Free Business Directory Listing at The WAHM Mall.

We got a makeover!

So I had been racking my brain, trying to find a way to obtain a new site since my old site was not very customizable. I stumbled upon an auction on Hyena Cart. The auction was a collaboration between August Afternoon and Elemental Muse. It was for a Website Design / E-Commerce / Hosting Package. Basically everything I had been dreaming of. Let me just say, I stalked that auction like none before. I think I must have hit the refresh button about a thousand times and at the last minute I bid and I WON! So many thanks to Cicily & Michele for my gorgeous new site. I couldn't be happier and look forward to doing more business with them in the future!

Check it out Earth Angels Diaper Co.!

Exclusive Toile Print Diapers are here!

They're here! Custom made Toile print Just Ducky Baby diapers are now in stock. Made exclusively for Earth Angels Diaper Co.

Cloth Diapers on a Billboard?!

Congratulations to Sandra and Maya! Sandra's daughter Maya is featured on the DryBee's Billboard in West Virginia. I'm willing to bet it is the first Cloth Diaper Billboard in the world! To see a picture and to see how cloth diapers are growing more and more popular in Malaysia visit Mia Bambina and check out Sandra's beautiful Blog and Store!

A Cloth Diaper Blog for New CD Mamas

I have begun a cloth diaper blog for new and existing moms who are interested in cloth diapers or who have questions about them. The Blog is Diaper Discussions and it is a compilation of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers, most of which have come from my own customers and friends.

I hope you find it helpful.

Local Natural Moms Gathering

Tuesday August 7th at 11:00am is the official first meeting of the Natural Moms Club that I am organizing. It can get a little lonely when you feel like your the only mom who breast feeds, cloth diapers, co-sleeps, etc. Hopefully this group will help other "Odd" moms meet and get to know each other. If you are a local Brevard County resident and are interested in joining us, send me an email for more information. The group will meet every other Tuesday beginning on August 7th. Meetings will be in the Melbourne area.

Subscribe to Mothering Magazine

We are pleased to announce that we are an official WAHM re-seller for Mothering Magazine. Monthering Magazine is a must have for any new or current mom, and is loaded with tons of useful natural parenting tips, articles, recipes, product reviews, and more. It is the only remaining independantly owned, natural family living magazine in the world.

Why you should support WAHM's

Not long after starting my business and creating my website, I realized the importance of supporting other WAHM'S (work-at-home-moms) and other Small Businesses. The first few weeks, ok the first month, was really slow. The internet is a big place, they don't call it the World Wide Web for nothing, and it takes a while for your site to start showing up in searches,etc. Many times a day I'd check my email, "refresh" -no emails, "refresh" -no emails, "refresh" -no emails. It was depressing, all those dreams and ideas, all the inspiration, it was hard to keep my chin up and keep on keeping on. And then it happened, "refresh" -"A New Order Has Been Placed." My first order, it was as if the clouds had parted, the angels sang out. The amount of the order didn't matter, it was the fact that someone visited my site, my store, my baby...and made a real purchase! You know what? Many months and many sales later, I still check my email way too often, and I still get that giddy feeling when I see that someone's placed an order.

The difference is that now I know how it feels to struggle, to have a dream, to own a small business, and I want to support others who are in the same boat as I am. I want my order to give some other wahm that excited feeling, I want to imagine them packaging my order with care while holding their babe on their hip. I want my $10-20-30+ dollars going into their bank account and contributing to their success. I want their dreams to come true just as I imagine and hope for my own dreams to become a reality.

So, I hope that you'll remember my little story and imagine the small business owners appreciation of your business next time you're shopping for a gift or looking to make a purchase. You could be making someone's day and not even know it!

Check out http://www.pinpack.blogspot.com and visit the links of some of my WAHM friends. You'll find great products and even discount codes for some of their sites!

About Me

I am 29 and holding...I can't believe that. I feel 19, and sometimes still get carded for beer so that's a good thing right? My husband and I met when I was 19 and he was 17. We eloped 5 years ago on top of Grandfather Mountain in gorgeous North Carolina. Someday we'll retire there. My husband Matthew is a musician and works as a Firefighter/Paramedic locally. We have a 4 yr old red-headed, freckle faced daughter named Guinnevere, and identical twin sons Mason & Spencer who are 9 months old. I am an only (lonely) child who always begged for siblings. I love to create things, paint, craft things, imagine things, but I have a serious problem following through with my ideas. If something doesn't happen easily or perfectly on the first try then I usually give up. Recently I've been attempting to sew. The problem is that I want to cut some stuff out and sew a masterpiece like I envision, but I don't want to take the time to measure, make patterns, use pins, or read directions. So, my first attempt at sewing yoga pants ended up with the legs sewn together. The wearer would have had to waddle like a penguin! Now I have resorted to sewing things that only require sewing in a straight line....OK, I am rambling now.

Back to business...I have always had a passion for retail and always knew that I'd love to own my own store. But for the past ten years I've had trouble figuring out just what I'd sell. Then the boys came along. We were so blessed to have literally received a truckload of disposable diapers at our baby shower. That supply was due to run out about 4-5 months after they were born. My husband and I discussed how expensive diapers were going to be. Believe it or not he said "what about cloth diapers?" Funny thing is that I had recently met some cool mamas online who use cd, I just never thought he'd go for it. So I said "yesssssssssss!" I price shopped online that night and literally (no lie) woke up the next morning and told my husband we were going to use cloth diapers and open our own business selling them.

And here I am.

A Conversation with myself

Leave it to me to find one more thing to do, like create a blog first thing in the morning, rather than work on the pile of all the other things that need my attention. Hopefully this blog will help me organize my thoughts, help you get to know me, and help people looking for answers to questions about cloth diapers, support for their addiction to cloth diapers, and support and encouragement for life in general. It always helps knowing your not alone in the world.