Mom4Life

Dunstan Baby DVD winner & new product giveaway - The Potty Watch

Candice is our latest winner for the Dunstan Baby Language DVD set, congratulations Candice!  This week we (my mother, mother-in-law and I) canned 200 pounds of peaches and tied that into our giveaway.  I hope you will take a moment to see how we chose our winner!  (If you get email notification of our new blog entries via email, you will have to click here to view the video).  If you were not our lucky winner, visit our site this week to get the  Dunstan Baby Language DVD set at 10% off until next week Friday!  Please note: in the video I called the Smart Mom Bangle Teething Bracelet a "nursing" bracelet and that is incorrect, it is a bracelet for moms to wear that can also be used for teething, sorry about that confusion!

This week TWO lucky winners will come away with a Potty Watch (yes two of you will win)!  This item is a new tool in our house in an effort to FINISH once and for all, the potty training of our FOUR year old son (yikes, ok I feel better now that it is out:)!  If you will be coming up on potty training, are in the midst of it now or know someone who is, this is a great product for you to check out.  The Potty Watch helps children remember to try to go potty by playing music and lighting up at 30, 60, or 90 minute intervals, as set by their parent. Children just starting their potty training will usually start at 30 minute intervals, and increase as they get better at knowing when they need to go.

How to enter to win: Share your honest feedback.  I want to hear your opinion.  Post your comment below by clicking on the comments link and answering these three questions for me (you can just number your comments to correspond to the questions below):

1. What do you like best about Mom 4 Life?
2. What could we do to improve or to better meet your needs (on our website or blog)?
3. I am considering a regular blog video post that would be a Q&A style where you get to ask me questions and I answer them (all topics considered).  What do you honestly think about this idea and do you have a question for me to consider should I choose to do this?

To be entered, please post your comments by Wednesday the 5th at 3:30 PM PST.

Sweeping the floor by Rob Michaelis

Siena asked me today if she could sweep the floor.  I asked if she’d like to mow the lawn instead.

 

It was a funny exchange, but it got me thinking…..It’s amazing how fast she’s growing, and growing up.  I find myself thinking about her as a teenager all the time, and it scares the heck out of me.  Life isn’t always like “High School Musical,” although I’d want it to be for Siena.  I suppose there’s only so much protection we can give her, and after a while, we have to hope our guidance and parenting have stuck.  There are definitely signs that it’s working.  She repeats many of the things Beth and I tell her: “Sit at the table while you eat, so you don’t get an upset stomach.”  “Don’t jump down the stairs, you could fall and get hurt.”  “Ask permission from the owner if you can pet their dog.” 

She doesn’t always follow these rules and many others, but she understands them, which is way more than half the battle.  In the end, Siena ended up sweeping the floor, and I mowed the lawn.  We make a great team, and I love my teammate!

Rob Michaelis

Proud Parent & Founder,

Guys’ Infant Gear

Tell me a story by Heather Ledeboer

My son really loves stories.  As a former elementary school teacher, I love children's literature and have thus acquired quite a collection of children's books from my childhood, yard sales and my previous teaching days.  As such, reading to Hunter has been part of our daily routine since he was just a baby.  However, verbal stories are fairly new to us.  The first time I remember "telling" Hunter a story was during a flight that we (the kids and I) took from California to Idaho last year.  We had exhausted our book choices and so we turned to telling stories to pass the time.  I randomly chose some characters for our story (Hunter, a dog and a dragon named Lollipop) and made up adventures for them for the remainder of our flight. 

When we returned to California several days later, Hunter asked my husband to tell him a story with a dog, a dragon named Lollipop and himself as the characters.  My husband proceeded to tell him a story and along the way named the "dog" Browning (my husband loves to hunt and thinks this would be a great name for a hunting dog).  Fast forward a year later and perhaps you can venture to guess who the main characters are for almost EVERY story requested by our son (Hunter, Browning and Lollipop). 

There are a few things to note here.  The first is that if you have not already told your "first" story, I highly suggest you give some thought to the names (I mean come on, Lollipop??  I could have done better than that) and characters you chose as they may QUICKLY become lifelong friends.  Second, and more important, is how deep of an impact stories can have on our children (and all forms of entertainment really, but we will leave that for another post).  Just recently I have discovered that if I tell my son a story about "another child" who made poor choices to illustrate a point about why I don't want him to do something, Hunter will ask me to repeat the story at least 3-5 times.  He seems fascinated to hear the plight of another child and how their poor choices led them to a less than desirable result. 

So what is my point in all of this?  Really it is just to challenge you to consider the use of story telling as a means of further developing your bond with your child and also as perhaps a creative new tool for illustrating a point or lesson you want them to learn when perhaps old fashioned "explaining" does not seem to be doing the trick.  Let me know what you think . . . I would love to hear how you use story telling in your home so that I can get some new ideas and learn from your experiences as well. 

(P.S. The photo shown above is of my son and I three years ago on his first birthday reading one of his new birthday presents together--Thanks Sarah P., he still enjoys that book!)

Should Kids Watch What they Eat?

Did you know that over 30% children of today are considered  to be overweight?  This can lead to an increase in diabetes and other serious health effects later in life.

So how can adults, who deal with their own weight issues help overweight kids lose weight?  Unlike adults, don’t focus on counting calories, carbohydrates and fat grams. Instead, provide healthy meals and snacks and encourage regular physical activity.  In other words, being a good role model is key to raising a healthy family.

Keep in mind that a pound is equal to about 3500 calories! So if your child is gaining an extra pound a week, he needs to cut his diet back by 3500 calories a week or 500 calories a day so that he doesn't gain any more weight.  So just figure out how much extra weight your child gained in the past year and adjust his diet to compensate for these extra calories. The change might be as simple as changing to non-fat milk, diet soda or a more healthy after school snack. 

Extra Weight Gained Last Year	Number of Calories to Eliminate Each Day
1 pound	10 calories/day
15 pounds	150 calories/day
30 pounds	300 calories/day

Jenny Lee
Mom, certified nutrition specialist and inventor of the Bee-Z Snack Shop
www.beezsnackshop.com

Slurp & Burp winner & new product giveaway--Dunstan Baby Language DVD's

Sarah is our Oh So Lucky winner for the new Slurp & Burp nursing cover!  We took you with us to the North Idaho Fair this week to find our winner.  6 of you were finalists, I hope you will take a moment to see how we chose our final winner!  (If you get email notification of our new blog entries via email by signing up and you are reading this as an email, you will have to visit our blog to view the video).  If you didn't win, please visit our site this week as we will offer the Slurp & Burp at 10% off until next week Friday (Don't forget that Mom4Life.com also offers FREE shipping on all US orders).

This week you can win the 2 disk Dunstan Baby Language DVD set.  If you are pregnant or have a newborn, you WANT this!  If you know some one who is pregnant or has a newborn you want to GIVE them this set! 

The Dunstan Baby Language DVD set (as seen on Oprah) teaches you to hear exactly what your baby is communicating. As a parent, you are able to interpret your infant’s sounds and cries – and respond to their needs.

Every newborn communicates from birth to 3 months using 5 distinct sounds, or “words” to express their physical needs. This is regardless of the language their parents speak and is part of nature’s plan – that your baby can tell you what they need from the very beginning.

For example, every baby will say the word “neh” when hungry. The sooner ‘hunger’ is identified the sooner a parent can respond by feeding.  Click here to see this language in action!

The system will teach you that your baby’s first communications occur before crying develops. The sooner you recognize the sounds and their meaning the quicker needs will be met. Your baby will become more relaxed, confident and happy – and so will you.

To win (there are two easy steps):
1) Please rate our video by double clicking on the YouTube video screen above (or by clicking here) and then clicking on the star number you want to rate our video (there is an option of up to five stars) in the lower left hand corner. 

2) Please post a comment on our blog by clicking on the "comments" link and suggesting a creative way to choose our winner now or in the future.  If you want to get an idea of what we have done in the past, click here.  I am worried I can't be creative forever and want your help!  (If we use your suggestion in the future we will try to credit you).  That is it, how easy is that?!  Please note: I use your comment as a way to track who enters our contest and a way to contact you as the winner so if you don't leave a comment, I don't have your info to enter you.  I would also LOVE for you to share this giveaway with your friends but that is just extra credit this week;).  Good luck!

This week's contest ends Thur the 30th at 10AM PST.

Anything for a Laugh

As I said before, I re-located to Los Angeles four weeks ago.  Since Siena was finishing up summer camp, she and Beth stayed behind for several weeks in New York.  They’re flying to LAX today for the final move and needless to say, I’m excited about meeting them at the airport!  Some background:  I used to the be the guy concerned with what other people thought - what I was wearing, what I said, who I was with, etc.  It was very “high school” of me, but it seems to be a common trait in many parts of this country. 

However, since Siena was born, that’s not the case anymore.  For instance, at the airport today, I’ll be wearing Mickey Mouse ears, carrying a Princess backpack, and a sign that reads, “Welcome to Los Angeles.”  As you can tell, I don’t care what others think, unless the other person is Siena.  As a matter of fact, I’d do almost anything to get a laugh out of Siena.  It’s become somewhat of a joke between me and Beth.  She often says, “If Siena asked you to jump off a bridge, would you?”  To which I reply, “How cold is the water?”

Rob Michaelis
Proud Parent & Founder,
Guys’ Infant Gear

The Mirror

(Note: I wrote this about 3 1/2 years ago but stumbled upon it again recently and feel it still applies as much today as it did then).

I had a strange thing happen to me the other day.  I was in my bathroom, getting ready to go to town.  I took one last look in the mirror before walking out.  As I walked into the hallway, I noticed my slippers had been left in my husband’s bathroom from the evening before.  As I went in to pick them up, I glanced in the mirror.  Funny thing was, as I looked into his mirror my reflection seemed to look better than it had in my mirror.  Thinking that strange I went back into my bathroom to see—and yes I definitely looked worse in my mirror!  It made me start to think about different department stores that I have been in from time to time.  I have had the same experience there—certain mirrors seemed to reflect a better looking me than others.  Perhaps it is the lighting or the actual mirror itself because I refuse to believe that it is just in my head.  But in actuality, regardless of the reason, my reflection stays largely similar—it’s always me! 

I get a different perspective when I look at my son, Hunter.  In him I see slight variations of my husband--his mouth, his hairline, his charming personality.  I can even start to see a glimpse or two of me.  I take a lot of pride in my son.  Even though he is not able to do that much, he causes an awful lot of love to pour out of my heart.  I love that he is a reflection of Trent and I.

Which brings me back to the mirror.  What I see when I look in the mirror is probably quite different from what God sees when he looks at me.  And although Hunter is a reflection of his father and I, we are all reflections of our father—our Heavenly father.  What I need to ask myself is, how accurate of a reflection am I?  Do people look at me and say “Oh, God looked a little better in her yesterday?” or do they say; “Now that is what Jesus must look like.”

This is the challenge we all face as parents; to mirror God to our children so that they will look more like him every day.  We were after all created in His image—shouldn't’t we reflect that?

Toddler Bistro Box winner & new product giveaway--Slurp & Burp Nursing Cover

Ok so FIRST off, please forgive my spelling error in the video!  Ugggh I misspelled the Bistro Box and didn't catch it until the entire process was totally done.  I just couldn't bring myself to starting over and figured you could overlook it:).  AMY is our winner of the Toddler Bistro Box for ages 1-3! Congratulations Amy! This week, with the help of my husband, we dangled our son upside-down by his ankles to choose our winner!  Watch the video to see.  (If you get email notification of our new blog entries via email by signing up and you are reading this as an email, you will have to visit our blog to view the video).  You will also get to see a sneak peak at the new shop we are building for Mom 4 Life on our property and this weeks product giveaway in action (sort of)!  For those of you who didn't win the Toddler Bistro Box , you can get it for 10% off (and don't forget that Mom 4 Life has free shipping on ALL US orders) until Friday the 24th.

This week you can win a Slurp & Burp nursing cover!  Many of you commented last week that this was one of your favorite new items on our site.  This new cover up is provides a built in burp rag and discreet, convenient nursing.  This is perfect for kids that don't like to be covered up while nursing and for warm weather and with the built in burp cloth it becomes quite multifunctional! 

To win this Slurp & Burp: 1) Simply find some way on line to share this product giveaway, blog or website (or even better all of the above:)!  You could post about it on your blog (if you have one), mention it on a message board, email some friends. . . 2) Post a comment by clicking on the "comments" link below letting me know how you spread the word, including the URL link if applicable.  In the comments box it will ask for your URL, if you don't have a website or blog, just leave this blank:). 3) Sit back, relax and hope you win!  This week's contest ends Wed the 22nd at 9PM PST.

P.S. For "extra points toward winning" (not really but it would be great if you wanted to;), please rate our video by putting your cursor in the lower right hand corner of the YouTube video screen after the video plays and click on the star number you want to rate our video (there is an option of up to five stars).

Ballet Class

If I’m being completely honest, I wanted a boy.  I grew up with brothers, am a sports nut, and was never exposed to dolls.  However, once Siena was born, that thought never crossed my mind again.  As a matter of fact, after today, I may only want girls.

Ballet Class. 
Are you kidding me?  How cute/funny is that?  First of all, the kids look great.  Sure it took a solid 25 minutes to get the tutu (never wrote that before) and ballet shoes on Siena, but it was well worth the effort.  Second, no ballet really occurs during Ballet Class.  Granted I’m no expert, but from what I imagine, walking in a circle and crawling doesn’t constitute ballet.  Nevertheless, I loved watching my little girl.  She’s so innocent and happy and fun.  The littlest things make her smile, and the feeling I got watching her was both energizing and scary.  It was energizing because I’m so proud of her, and so proud of me and my wife that we could create something so amazing.  It was scary because I realize how I’ll never want anything to hurt my little girl, and how that’s not at all possible.  From what I understand, those two, conflicting feelings will never go away.

Rob Michaelis

Proud Parent & Founder,

Guys’ Infant Gear

I Won't Let Go First

A few years ago I heard a something that changed the future of my hugging habits. She said, "I have decided that anytime I give someone a hug, I will not be the first to let go.  This simple act has caused me to give hugs that have been so much longer and more meaningful to my friends and family." 

I decided to put her idea into practice and when I hug my children I patiently wait until they are ready to let go before I do.  Days that are rushed make it more difficult to apply this rule.  Although the difference between a short and long hug can be a matter of seconds or minutes the overall effect, I believe, is compounded to a much greater degree.  Try it!

For an added incentive, I invite you to visit this YouTube video that honestly brought tears to my eyes when I saw it.  It reminded me that it comes down to it, don't we all have the same desire for love regardless of who we are, where we live or what we have been through?

Hmmmm, just thinking about this makes me want to go hug someone. . .

Back to School Lunch

5 TIPS IN PACKING A SCHOOL LUNCH YOUR CHILD WILL WANT TO EAT

In the USA, more than 30% of children ages 6-17 are overweight or obese, which is a result of a decline in eating healthier food choices With school just around the corner, we as parents have to start thinking again about packing our children’s school lunches.

“It takes a child 8 to 10 exposures of a food for an increase in preference for the food,” says Monika Ressel, a pediatric nutritionist at CHOC Hospital. “It starts with what is offered at home and getting kids involved to help.” Another reason why the Bee-Z Snack Shop helps encourage kids to eat healthier food choices. It makes healthy snacks continually visible to the child as well as making the child feel in control and involved of what they are choosing to eat.

5 TIPS IN PACKING A SCHOOL LUNCH YOUR CHILD WILL WANT TO EAT:

1. Child Participation- If you ask your child or get him involved in choosing between healthy foods when packing his lunch, he will feel more control of what he will be eating and therefore be more likely to eat his healthy lunch at school.

2. Protein. Make sure you pack a lunch that is higher in protein than carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and food in high fat, such as pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs and chips, will drain his energy quicker than foods loaded in protein such as tuna, meat, chicken, egg or chopped veggie salads. Instead of putting his deli meats or chicken salad in buns or breads, for example, wrap them in wheat tortillas, pita bread or accompany them with wheat crackers.

3. Cut & Dip their Fruit and Veggies. Try cutting fruit and vegetables into finger-accessible sizes. Kids tend to eat fruit and veggies that have been precut rather than eat a whole piece of fruit. It is also less messy to eat! Offer veggie sticks such as carrots with a side of dip such as low fat ranch or celery with peanut butter. Accompany fruit slices with yogurt as a yummy dip!

4. 100% Juice vs. Milk vs. Water It’s recommended to drink 1% or non-fat milk, or water to avoid dehydration and no more than 4-6 ounces of juice per day. However, either option is acceptable for a well balanced school lunch drink. Always include an ice pack or use the plastic containers with ice-pack lids just to make sure the drinks and foods are kept cold.

5. Make it fun and with love. Cut their sandwiches into fun shapes with cookie cutters for example. Place colorful spoons and napkins into their lunch bags. Decorate the outside of their bags or have them draw pictures the weekend before on the front of their sack lunches! Write little love notes and/ or jokes and place in the bag for your child to find!

All in all, incorporate your child when it comes to packing their school lunches- after all he is the one that will be having to take it to school but most importantly they will be the ones eating it!

Jenny Lee

Proud mom, certified nutrition specialist and inventor of Bee-Z Snack Shop

4titude Award winner Tammie Aaron-Barada

Q: Please share the trial, set back or loss you have experienced:
A: We were potty training our two toddlers while I was working on my patent and writing the business plan for PottieStickers. We had just lost our 3rd child so I was very focused. The day after the World Trade Center tragedy on September 12, 2001 was when my world crashed, we found out my husband had cancer. The daily trips for radiation, doctor’s appointments and chemotherapy treatments resulted in placing our two toddlers in day care and in the hands of neighbors since family was over 800 miles away.  A few weeks later my husband lost his battle with cancer. God knew I could only handle two children alone I guess.  Now widowed with a handful of PottieStickers and two toddlers to raise,  I was devastated and faced with financial challenges as my husband did not have life insurance. Determined to make it, I pursued my goals in honor of my husband and for our children.  Aaron Barrada, Inc. was the first company to provide a toilet training reward system designed specifically for traveling children of today. I recognized and filled the void of today's family-on-the-go-lifestyle toilet training. We have created a variety of products for kids: PottieStickers, PottieCD, PottiePal toilet paper holder, PottieKits, PottieCombo, PottieSong, PottieRules, PottieTime and RewardEmStickers. Additional information can be found at www.PottieStickers.com.

Q: Despite the pain you have endured, what beauty have you seen come out of this?
A: We donate a percentage of every sale from our whole product line to cancer research.  We have educated many people about on potty training issues. We have won numerous awards and last week (July ‘07) was awarded top 100 people of PA with the Entrepreneur of the Year award. Praise GOD!

Q: To what or to whom do you credit this beauty?
A: “GFW” (God, Family & Work) is printed on Tammie’s products to keep her focused on life’s priorities.  GOD is the only person to credit. Without HIM I could not have accomplished anything. HE gave me the strength and courage to continue after my husband’s death. I honestly do not remember the first 2 years. I simply threw myself into my work. Focusing on marketing, advertising and all the public relations I could get. 

Q: What advice or wisdom do you wish to share with others having been though this experience?
A: Assemble a board of advisors to keep you focused and on track. They will let you know when you are going sideways or going in to many directions at once.

Q: If someone else reading this is going though something similar, do you have any resources to recommend they look into further for help or support?
A: Just do it. Never wonder “what if” about anything for the rest of your life. Know that you did it. There is no such thing as failure… simple God telling you that you are going in the wrong direction because he has something greater for you in store. You just need to find it.

Tammie Aaron-Barrada  106 Valley Hi Lane, Ruffs Dale, PA 15679 USA AaronBarradaInc@aol.com  724-696-9558.

Hot Toddies Car Seat Cover winner & new product giveaway--Toddler Bistro Box

Sara is our winner of the 3 pair of the Hot Toddies Car Seat Cover! Congratulations Sara:)! This week with the help of my two kids, we baked a cake with the names of our entries folded inside to help us find our winner.  Watch the video to see.  (If you get email notification of our new blog entries via email by signing up and you are reading this as an eamil, you will have to visit our blog to view the video).  You will notice that I am wearing a Pampered Chef apron in the video.  This is because I used to be a Pampered Chef director (before I had kids during my off summers while teaching).  All that featured air time of their company name is not paid, I just don't have more than three aprons and the kids needed some too:).  For those of you who didn't win the Hot Toddies Car Seat Cover, you can get this car seat cover for 10% off (and don't forget that Mom 4 Life has free shipping on ALL US orders) until Friday 17th.

This week our winner will win one Toddler Bistro Box for ages 1-3 The Toddler Bistro Box was conceived in response to moms who were finding it difficult to come up with ideas of how and what to feed their toddlers! The Toddler Bistro Box covers from 1-3 years, and includes the latest on food and environmental safety, easy recipes, shopping tips, nutrient and supplement needs, toddler personality tendencies, and creative activities.  Retail value $27.95! (As any FYI, Mom 4 Life also has the Baby Bistro Box for ages 0-12 months).

To win: 1) Visit our "New Items" page and look over the fun new products we have recently added.  2) Post a comment here letting me know what your favorite new product is and why.  All posts must be sent by Thursday, August 16th at 2:00 PM PST. The winner will be chosen at random (in some crazy way) and announced the following Friday, good luck!

Also, Rosemary from Love Me Baby Me (and our blog author for the "More than skin deep" category is giving away a Gift Set Collection of her entire product line from our blog(A $104.95 value)! Click here to read her post and the EASY (and informative) way you can enter to win!  As a side note: our video above only shows four of the five products you can win.  I use this product line for my kids (as does the entire Mom 4 Life staff) and really like it and forgot the lotion when I was gathering them up to show on the video.

Baby Shampoo & Baby Wash--Not as gentle as you think! (AND a $104.95 product giveaway)!!!

BABY SHAMPOO & BABY WASH...HAVE TO BE GENTLE...BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE FOR BABIES...RIGHT??

WRONG !! Think again ..There is cause for GREAT concern...due to a cancer causing chemical : 1,4-dioxane that has been found in many of today's Children's Bath Products. Keep in mind, that a baby's skin (the largest organ on their body) is five times thinner than that of an adult. With that being said, we are all familiar with "The Patch" - that is placed on our skin for either hormone therapy or to assist you in quitting smoking. The reason why "The Patch" works so well is due to  the level of absorption of the hormone/drug through the skin into the bloodstream. Remember, whatever you put on your skin...absorbs directly into your skin and then into your bloodstream. This same rule applies for babies and children, but, "STOP" and think for a moment, if their skin is five times thinner...the damage that is being done to our children is five times worse !!

A public health advocacy organization called EWG (Environmental Working Group) recently published a report on kid's shampoos and body washes. Their report was a real eye opener. This Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that several of these washes and shampoos that we assumed to be safe for our children contain 1,4-dioxane which they refer to as a "probable human carcinogen." Dr.Philip Landrigan, professor of pediatrics and founder of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, stated that "Infants and children, whose brains are still developing, are more vulnerable to chemicals than adults are - so why take the risk?"  My feeling is why should ANYONE in our family be exposed to this risk?? It is up to us, as informed parents, to avoid chemicals like 1,4-dioxane because the FDA doesn't regulate  chemicals in bath products.

Just what is 1,4-dioxane ? It is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered to be a "human carcinogen" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The National Toxicology Program clearly states that it is an animal carcinogen and you will LOVE this one...1,4-dioxane is on California's Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to cause cancer or birth defects!

What is even worse and is cause for total outrage is the fact that these companies, who I so lovingly refer as "The Big Guys", will spend significant amounts of money on "entertainment" licensing agreements that entice parents and hook children into buying these bath products, yet won't spend a single penny to REMOVE these contaminants like 1,4-dioxane !!

Did you know that the FDA has been measuring 1,4-dioxane levels since 1979 and it hasn't been until the year 2000 that they recommended that cosmetic products should not contain  concentrations of this chemical that are greater than 10ppm (parts per million). An independent testing laboratory that specializes in trace chemical analysis called West Coat Analytical Service produced this enlightening report. Please notice the levels of concentration of 1,4-dioxane:

Disney Clean as Can Bee Hair & Body Wash (Water Jel Technologies) 8.8ppm
Disney Pixar Cars Piston Cup Bubble Bath ( MZB Personal Care) 2.2ppm
Gerber Grins & Giggles Gentle & Mild Aloe Vera Baby Shampoo 8.4ppm
Hello Kitty Bubble Bath (Kid Care) 12ppm
Huggies Baby Wash Shea Butter 4.0ppm
Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash Extra Gentle and Tear Free 4.2ppm
Johnson's Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson) 5.3ppm to 6.1 ppm
Johnson's Kids Tigger Bath Bubbles (Johnson & Johnson) 5.6 ppm to 7.9ppm
Johnson's Kids Shampoo Watermelon Explosion (Johnson & Johnson) 10ppm
Lil' Bratz Mild Bubble Bath ( Kid Care) 3.7ppm
L'Oreal Kids Orange Mango Smoothie Shampoo 2.0ppm
Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath Gentle Formula with Aloe 1.5ppm
Rite-Aid Tearless Baby Shampoo 4.3ppm
Scooby-Doo Mild Bubble Bath (kid Care) 3.0ppm
Sesame Street Wet Wild Watermelon Bubble Bath ( The Village Company) 7.4ppm

And let's not forget us Moms...!!!...Take a look at these few Adult Bath Products that were tested:

Clairol Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers Shampoo 23ppm !!
Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins (normal skin) 23ppm !!
Suave Naturals Passion Flower 2.0ppm

I truly believe that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and that AWARE PARENTS make all the difference when it comes to making healthy skincare choices for our families.For more information on pure,safe and effective skincare for your family, feel free to visit: www.lovemebabyme.com or find the 100% SAFE Love Me Baby Me product line on Mom 4 Life.

I want to propose a CHALLENGE to each and every reader of this blog:
go to your bathrooms...make that decision....check and see what is in the products that you are currently using. EMPOWER yourselves by choosing products that are free of chemicals like: parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil, sodium laurel sulphate and 1,4-dioxane...I want to hear from you...and for each and every person that responds to my Blog and shares what they found when they examined the products in their BATHROOM CHALLENGE with me they will be automatically entered into my Love Me Baby Me ''giveaway".  I will take all entries until September 14th at midnight PST.  On the 15th of September I will randomly pull a name and the the winner will receive my Gift Set Collection of my entire product line (A $104.95 value)!  Go ahead... I CHALLENGE you...and I look forward to hearing from you all !!!

Until next time..."Happy Parenting!!"
Rosemary Anthony

Take the Initiative

Have you ever wondered how some moms get their kids to play by themselves in another room or part of the house?  Mom4life, Kelsey Lick, is one of those moms and she explained that in order to teach your children to stay in one area until you are ready for them to do something else, you have to take the initiative.  When she was training her children, Elizabeth and Nathaniel, she would put them by themselves in another part of the house to play and then, instead of waiting for them to come to her, she went to them every five minutes, seven minutes, and ten minutes and she would sit in the floor and play with them briefly.  Afterward, she would return to what she was doing and leave them to play alone again.  This taught them that mom would decide when playtime started and ended, and eventually, her children learned to play by themselves for as long as thirty minutes when they were toddlers.  Now that they are older, they play for long stretches of time without her having to entertain them.  It takes work and she admits she didn't get much done in those training days because she kept having to interrupt herself to go to her children for the sake of teaching them this amazing skill.  In the end though, it was worth it and now she has some time freedom when she is home with them and they have learned to be content playing on their own.  Sound too good to be true?  It worked for this mom; it might just work for you too!    

Siena's Love of Lip Gloss

Siena loves lip gloss.  Well, she calls it lip gloss, but it’s really just Chap Stick, aka lip balm.  How much does she love lip gloss?  Over 50 lip glosses in various flavors and colors can be found in hiding places around our home.

On one level, Siena likes the lip gloss because it keeps her lips fresh and un-chapped.  But more importantly, the lip gloss has become her security blanket.  She’ll take the lip gloss in one hand, put it to her lips, take the thumb from the same hand, and put it in her mouth to suck.  It calms her down, and sometimes puts her to sleep. (As a side note, I believe there might be a business opportunity here.  Picture a small blanket with lip balms attached to each corner.  Come on, crazier business ideas have prospered!). Yesterday, I took a long drive with Siena for a play-date in Brooklyn.  I somehow forgot to pull a lip gloss from Siena’s in-house stash, and I found myself stuck in traffic sans gloss.  It had all the makings of an in-car meltdown wit no place to go, and no props for distraction.  Luckily, I too love lip gloss, although in my case it’s Vaseline Intensive Care for the lips. This is a different kind of gloss, more of a gel-like consistency than the solid stick with which Siena is familiar.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective), Siena quickly figured out how to use the new lip gloss (squeeze instead of turn); it calmed her down, and eventually put her to sleep.  Of course, the lip gloss was all over Siena’s mouth, face, hair and ears, and also all over my car.  Nothing a little clean up couldn’t cure.  And in the end, the ride – and my entire day – were much more pleasant because of it.

Rob Michaelis

Proud Parent & Founder,

Guys’ Infant Gear

A Very Merry Un-Birthday

We celebrated my son's fourth birthday yesterday.  Am I the only mom that has ever thought it might seem slightly more appropriate to celebrate the mom on her child's birthday, rather than the child:)?  HELLOOOOO who gave birth to this child on this day?  Who kept them alive and well for the last year?  Let's celebrate the accomplishment of that;)!  But alas, it is not a day for me but for my growing little boy.  Speaking of which. . . I must admit, it is fun to have an excuse to celebrate my son and make him feel special.  I really enjoyed hanging up his "Happy Birthday" banner in the house, singing to him, giving him gifts, inviting over family and letting him decorate his own bunny cake (didn't he do a fantastic job?).   It is fun to call attention to him in a very special way.  The last few days leading up to his birthday I had the song from Alice and Wonderland in my head, "A Very Merry Un-Birthday".  It made me think, "Wouldn't it be fun to declare every 5th day of the month my son's official "Un-Birthday" and dote on him that day?"  It is so easy to get caught up in "life" that we forget how much the little details matter to our kids.  Give it some thought and see if you might want to declare an "Un-Birthday" in your house this month!

Kids and Food

Of course the following applies to all of us but why do kids eat? Let’s start with the basics. The essential reason why kids eat is to provide their bodies with fuel, prevent diseases, and to sustain tissues in our bodies. Their bodies, as well as ours, are a complex yet perfect system that tells us when we are hungry and when we are full. This is due simply to our blood sugar levels. Low levels of sugar in our bodies indicate hunger while higher levels inform us that we are full.

However, somehow generations of kids have stopped listening to what their bodies are trying to tell them. In other words, they are allowing for outside influences to take over their biological system. Kids now eat due to media influences, social factors (family gatherings), and internal influences (boredom, stress, depression, school, peer pressure, anger). If they become aware of these outside influences then they are able to be more conscious eaters and therefore strive for a healthier lifestyle as an adult.

The important message here is that kids can eat most anything they want but in moderation. In fact, vitamin A, if not taken in moderation, can be toxic! It is also important to realize that cutting all fats from a diet is not healthy either. Their body needs the fat, which is a concentrated form of energy. Fats provide children and teens with healthier skin, hormonal balances and insulation. It is, therefore, not the fats from our diets that makes us gain weight but the types of fats one consumes that causes us to gain weight and develop heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as an adult.

Examples of both good and bad fats are listed below:

J GOOD FATS                       L  BAD FATS   

-Fresh                                       -Refined

-Not refined                             - Exposed to oxygen,

-Not exposed to                            light or heat

Oxygen, light                      

Virgin Olive Oil

All in all, be aware of why and what you child eats and encourage them to try different types of foods! Educating your child about better food choices and making them more aware of why they eat will help create healthier lifestyle as adults.

Jenny Lee
A Proud Mom, certified nutrition specialist and founder of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™

Gracie’s Apple Pie Sandwich

 2 slices of wheat toast

1 red apple, cut up in peeled slices

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Butter, low fat

Spread butter lightly on toasted slice of bread. Place apple slices on bread and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place other toast on top and cut in half. You may put a small dollup of whipped cream on top for looks.

4titude Award Winner Wendy Williamson

Wendy Williamson

GotBreastPump.com
ZacharyWilliamsonMemorialFoundation.org

Q: Please share the trial, set back or loss you have experienced:
A: In November 2001, I became pregnant for my sweet angel, Zach.  While getting the ultrasound, we discovered that he had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (the left side of his heart and aorta was not developing).  Though three risky surgeries were involved, we traveled to Delaware where he could have the best surgeon.  After eight long days of struggling for his life, it was time for him to leave us. 

Q: Despite the pain you have endured, what beauty have you seen come out of this?
A: Definitely the most important thing that has come out of our experience is my faith.  I spent a good year in a deep depression, wondering what I did wrong to be punished in this way, why did this happen to us, asking God what he wanted from me.  I prayed everyday to just send me the answers.  Then one day, two of my close friends each gave me the same book (the very same day – if that’s not an answer then I don’t know what is).  I am sure many people are familiar with the book, The Purpose Driven Life.  It is definitely a book that everyone will benefit from, and it provides so many answers to questions that we ask God about everyday.  Also, through months of soul searching, I finally determined that I would begin a charity that could help mothers by donating breast pumps to mothers with financial needs.  The charity has helped many new moms, and also inspired me to begin a website to answer many questions that we have during those early months in regards to breast pumping and breastfeeding.  I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my passions with other moms on the website and am grateful to God everyday for the blessing of our Zach.

Q: To what or to whom do you credit this beauty?
A: There is no question that God gave us this incredible gift.  Some people may think that it is morbid that we think the death of our son is a gift, but we feel that it is a gift to have been able to spend eight days with this incredible little baby.  He touched, and changed, more lives in his eight little days here on earth than just about anyone that I know. 

Q: What advice or wisdom do you wish to share with others having been though this experience?
A: The most important thing that I want other parents, especially moms, to know is to not deny your feelings of pain.  Whether you lose a child at birth or at 10 years, there is still an extreme amount of pain that must be dealt with.  In addition, take this gift that God has provided for you and figure out how to take the pain, and wisdom, to help benefit others.  I have learned first hand that God will never give you anything that you cannot handle.  But you must realize that He is talking to you, and you need to listen and determine what great tasks He wants you to accomplish.  Just open your mind and your heart and listen.

Q: If someone else reading this is going though something similar, do you have any resources to recommend they look into further for help or support?
A: The first, and most important, thing is to get references from your doctor or nurse for a good counselor, support group or therapist to help you through the feelings of grief that you will, and must, go through.  Also, as a Catholic, I was very lucky to have the support of the Elizabeth Ministries.  This allowed me the support and understanding from someone who had experienced the same type of loss.  iVillage is a great place for message boards, and the “Loss of an Infant” message board is a very good place to talk to many other mothers who know what you are going through.

Monkey-Toes winner & new product giveaway--Hot Toddies Car Seat Cover

Christine is our winner of the 3 pair of Monkey-Toes socks! Congratulatons Christine:)! It was a lot of fun choosing our winner this week. Watch the video to see how my son and 23 rocks helped us choose our winner!

This week our winner will win one Hot Toddies Car Seat Cover for a toddler size car seat (blue avery dot).  Retail value is $88.99!

To win: 1) Simply email at least 5 friends (more is great too:) all in one email, letting them know about this giveaway and encourage them to sign up. 2) Be sure to include a live link in your email pointing them to this post so they can find it and CC (copy me in) on the email.  My email address is heather (at) mom 4 life (dot) com (without any spaces).  Your email sent to your friends (and me:) is your entry.  I will reply to you confirming that I got the email so if you don't hear back from me within 24 hours of sending the email, you might want to follow up with me.  All email entries must be sent by Thursday, August 9th at 11:30 AM PST. The winner will be chosen at random (in some crazy way) and announced the following Friday, good luck!

Tummy Tub Time!

Recently, Grandmother 4 Life, Christine Owen, witnessed something amazing while visiting her new grandson in London.  He was experiencing some colic but immediately became calm upon being placed into a bath.  This was no ordinary bath though.  You see, the mom 4 life of this sweet but colicky baby was using a product called the Tummy Tub , a womb-shaped bathtub used all over Europe.  It was phenomenal for Chris Owen to see her grandson get into the fetal position, which is what the Tummy Tub is designed to help babies do, and feel so safe and soothed almost instantaneously.  The shape of this amazing tub is also designed to sustain water temperature better so that babies do not get cold.  All around, this seems like the perfect tub for children from birth through 3 years.  Currently, this ingenious little tub is only sold in Europe, but plans are in the works to introduce it to the United States very soon, so be on the lookout for your own Tummy Tub.  It works for many moms 4 life across the pond; who knows, it might just work for us!

As a side note--Mom 4 Life is working to try to become a US retailer for this product.  If you would be interested in being notified should the Tummy Tub be added to the product line, let us know!