Mom4Life

Simply Silhouettes - Weekly Giveaway

Happy Friday!  I hope your week was a good one.  We have have had SO MUCH SNOW here in the last week, it is really amazing.  My dear, sweet husband worked from 5:45AM yesterday morning until 10:00AM trying to clear our driveway of snow.  There was so much wind that the banks of snow on the sides of our driveway piled too high for our 4 wheeler (with a snow blade) to plow.  You can see him in the photo--click on it to view it at a larger scale- (he is about 5' 11" tall and you can see that the snow banks are above his waist).  He was forced to start shoveling by hand.  Then thankfully in what we think was purely God's grace someone (who we don't know) came along with a "blade" as my husband tells me they are called, and cleared our driveway in a matter of 10 minutes.  I was then able to call up our Mom 4 Life team mebers and let them know they could finally all come to work (because they now could get onto the driveway:)!  Oh what an adventure life is sometimes!

Our winner of the  Handy Burpee burp cloth is Emily C.  Congratulations!  For the rest of you, get yours for 10% off for the next week:).

I am REALLY excited to offer you this next giveaway item and I know you will be too.  Simply Silhouettes is a brand new product on Mom 4 Life.  This would make a great Valentine's Day gift!  You send in a photo of your child and choose your style, color, and font (if text is desired).  What you will get is a totally personal, unique and memorable way to cherish your child with a high quality custom canvas.  The winner this week will get a 8"x12" gallery wrapped canvas (to see what this means read the description here) along with their choice of color, style and font/text (if desired). Retail value is $100.00!

So how do you enter to win?  You really seem to enjoy casting your vote so we are going to do it again this week, this time in the form of a survey:).  I have a few products that I have been asked to consider adding to Mom 4 Life.  I would like to get your feedback on them.  I also have a few additional questions about Mom 4 Life I would like to get your thoughts on.  There are 10 questions total.  The survey is open to the first 100 people who enter and will close Tuesday the 5th at midnight. 

Update: we have now had 100 people fill out the survey so that option is closed.  If you would still like to enter, simply email 5 friends to let them know about this great giveaway with a link in your email and cc me in on the email heather (at) mom4life (dot) com as well and you will be entered, good luck!

A wise little boy

A friend of mine forwarded this to me today.  It’s a 12 year old boy calling into a Christian radio program: He wanted to share something God put on his heart after he had to put down a calf that had broken its back.  It’s just over 2 min long and has been viewed over 6 million times!  If you get this via email you can click here to view/listen, otherwise you can simply click on the image below.

DIY - How to make a baby pod

Ok this is something fun for moms that sew from www.thethreadbanger.com.  I would like to share this quick tutorial on how to make a baby pod (aka a cute all encompassing baby sweater) to keep your baby warm for the winter months. It's super easy and very cute and stylish, enjoy!   (If you get this via email you will have to visit our blog first to see the video.)

Is Chocolate Good For You? By Jenny Lee (Bee-z Snack Shop)

As Valentine's Day approuches, we all have heard conflicting reports on whether chocolate is good or bad for you.  Since chocolate seems to be one of kids favorite treats I decided to touch on the subject.  I know we all can agree that chocolates are delicious but are they good for you? 

Most people are told that chocolates increase blood pressure and are fattening.  This is true but not for the reasons you may think of.  Cocoa butter and chocolate do not raise blood cholesterol or fat. However, when consuming milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate where a part of the total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat, the cholesterol level might be adversely affected. Same when it comes to sugars. The cacao bean contains quite a lot of carbohydrates, but most of it is starch, soluble dietary fibers and insoluble dietary fibers. A very small proportion is simple sugars. Sugar is added during the manufacture of chocolate.

Even though chocolate bars, not the actual chocolates, contain high amounts of sugars and fats that are not healthy for your body, they also contain other things that actually are.  For example, chocolate contain antioxidants specifically polyphenols (similar to those found in wine) with antioxidant properties which are health beneficial. The antioxidant flavinoids are found in the nonfat portions of the cocoa bean. The flavinoids also reduce the blood's ability to clot and thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks.  Chocolate also contain Theobromine is a very mild stimulant with a mild diuretic action (increases the production of urine). Please note that theobromine can be toxic to animals like dogs, cats, parrots and horses. 

In chocolate or the cocoa bean we find Phenylethylamine which is a slight antidepressant and stimulant similar to the body's own dopamine and adrenaline. 

Cocoa and chocolate can increase the level of serotonine in the brain. Serotonine levels are often decreased in people with depression and in those experiencing PMS symptoms.  Cocoa beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese and surprinsingly to many, chocolates contain Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid.

All in all, chocolate does give us some essential nutrients and natural mood enhancers but sadly the nutrients it does give us is not enough to outweigh all the sugars and fat that it puts in into our bodies.  Like our moms use to say “don’t eat too much candy.”  J

Spare Time Workout by Mel Gregory

“Spare Time Workout”

In just a few minutes a day you can get your abdominal strength and tone back.
Be persistent and patient!

Warm up
Do arm circles 10 each direction
Butt kicks standing kick your bottom about 10-15 times each leg
Neck rolls gently roll from side to side.

“ taught tummy”
These strengthening exercises were created by Dr. Sahrmann and are very effective for post-partum core recovery.

Lay on back

“Heel slides” warm up
Start pos: knees bent
Movement: slide heel so leg is straight
20 on each leg

“parallel”
Start pos: Knees in the air,
Movement: extend one leg at a time hold 6 inches off the ground fro 3 sec then switch 
Start with 5-10 reps 2 –3 times increase reps when you are stronger

“Straight Forwards”
Start pos: Legs together extended straight up in the air
Movement: use your abs to lower to floor.  (as soon as your lower back starts to arch bring them back to start) start with 5-10 reps 2 to 3 times note* you may only bring them a few inches down at first.

100’s
Start position: knees bent, arms straight off the floor, and chest off the floor
Movement: pulse, contracting your muscles moving your hands forward
Goal: to get to 100 with out stopping. Start with 20 reps.

“Belly button squeeze”

Start pos: Sit in chair, take a deep breath in through your nose Draw in your belly button hold and relax breathing out through you mouth 20 reps 2 sets

When the baby’s neck is strong enough to support its head incorporate your little one into the workout.

Standing Baby press
Calf raises w/baby
Start pos: hold the baby in front of you
Movement: use you calves to press up and raise the baby up above your head.  10 reps 2 times (if he gets fussy switch out to hand weights and press up)

Mommy+me Pushups
Lay your baby on its back and get into a pushup position over the baby  Start pos: Do pushups from your knees (once you get stronger you can do regular ones, note*always keep you abs tight, don’t let your hips drop)
Movement: Lower your chest over baby and then press up. This is very amusing to them. 10 reps 2-3 times

Sit-up peek-a-boo

Start pos: Lying on your back with your baby propped against your bent knees.
Movement: Holding them in place, use your abs to come up off the ground… all the way up… and slowly lower yourself flat. peek-a-boo! 15-20 reps 2 times

Keep up those New Years resolutions! Stay happy,healthy and strong!

For additional questions contact mel@tightbodwithapod.com

www.tightbodwithapod.com

Handy Burpee burp cloth - Weekly Giveaway Item

Happy Friday to all of you!  I don't know about you but I thought it was pretty fun to read about all the goals that were set last week Friday on our blog.  You guys all sound just like me with lots of things to do:)!  I am happy to announce that our shop is fully organized (that was my goal last week) and it looks sooooo nice having everything in its place.  The next step is to do a full inventory check but for now I am enjoying the progress thus far.  Jenny was our winner last week winning the Tomat Onesie (you can see it If you click here and scroll down).  If you didn't win, no problem.  Simply enter"tomat 10% off" your order between now and next week Thursday the 31st in the customer comments and we will refund you 10% off your Tomat item(s) when we process your order.

This week we have a Handy Burpee burp cloth to give away (you choose the fabric style).  These unique burp cloths are unlike any other baby burp cloth you have seen before. Almost everyone who has ever fed a baby has experienced the infamous spit-up. And what do we do when we sense a stream is coming? We try to catch it in our hands in order to protect our clothes, baby's clothes, the floor and/or the furniture!

If your baby is even a little bit prone to spit-ups, you want to have a several Handy Burpees on hand. This baby burp cloth has a mom-invented, handmade protective covering for your hand. Handy Burpee is big enough to fit either a man or woman and can be used by both right and left-handed people.  There are over 85 fabric styles to choose from!  If you would like to read more about it or see the video of how it works, click here.

Here is how you can enter to win your own Hande Burpee:
I have been throwing around the idea of changing our Mom 4 Life website slogan for a while but finding the right one to replace our current slogan ("Products for the journey ahead") has not been easy.  I have had a few suggestions lately that I would like to get your opinion on.  Please vote using the voting box below (if you are reading this post via email you will need to click here to go to our blog and then place your vote).  You can only vote for your one favorite (or you can enter your own suggestion).  After you vote, leave a comment in the comments area at the bottom of this post letting me know you voted.  If you forget to leave your comment I will have no way to contact you if you are the winner.  Please vote by next week Tuesday the 29th at midnight PST.

Storytime just got a little bit better! by Heather Ledeboer

Talent abounds among mothers in many different ways.  I was recently contacted by the mother of one of our Mom 4 Life team-members.  She let me know about her two blogs that focus on her passions for helping children and their parents enjoy literature and God's word.  I wanted to share them with you as I feel they are great resources to bookmark.  Dee Ann describes her two blogs in this way:

"It is my hope that Wondersome Storytime will be a resource of good children's literature to moms who are looking for quality books for their kids. I also would like it to be a treasury of activities and ideas that will reinforce learning and relationship. Some of the best bonding times that I have had with my children have been through sharing books together.

The Most Wondersome Storytime springs from a desire to share God's wonderful stories with young children in a meaningful way. Though the activities are structured for a classroom environment they can easily be used in your own home devotional time."

I encourage you to visit Dee Ann's blogs and see if they might be a useful tool for your home!

Cleaning the Shower Curtain with No Scrubbing by Kristina B.

If you have one of those vinyl shower curtains, you may have noticed soap scum and mildew on it at some point.  And really, do you want to bother scrubbing it off?

I'm going to give you a tip I came across some time ago that works for me every time.  Now, variations on this abound, but this is the specific one that I use:

1. Remove shower curtains from rings and place in the washer with an old towel or two.  Add about 1/2 cup baking soda and some laundry detergent.  Run washer.

2. When the washer gets to the rinse cycle, add about 1 cup vinegar.

3. To finish, many suggest taking the shower curtain out before the last spin cycle.  I'm not sure why this is and I personally let the washer run its course.

Replace the curtain on the rod and allow to drip dry.  You should now have a nice clean curtain with minimal work and some saved time.  Now who wouldn't love that?

Stress Eating - Are You A Member Of The Club? by Christine Steendahl

When you get stressed out, do you eat?  Some of us do.... others of us don't.  I happen to fall into the category of those of us who do.  There have been times when after 5 bites I all of the sudden realize I am munching on something, and I think - why am I eating this?  I'm not even hungry!  And of course when I eat due to stress it is generally unhealthy food.

This week I had a fairly stressful week.  However, I made a conscious effort to not "stress eat".  I take that back.. I did munch periodically, but on much healthier choices!  I am in the process of trying to cut out most processed foods from my diet, (which is a whole other topic in itself) but making this conscious effort has been a big plus!  Here are a few items I grabbed to munch on during the week:
Raw Almonds (the crunch satisfies)
Brown Rice Crackers (again, crunch and a bit of salt)
String Cheese
Apples (sweet & crunchy)
Mini Carrots (sweet & crunchy as well)
And because I tend to lean towards ice-cream.... Rice Dream (an all natural frozen treat with no refined sugars or dairy.  YUMMY!)

So much better choices than chips, candy & ice-cream!  So how about you?  Are you a stress eater?  What types of foods do you lean towards, and/or what are your favorite healthy munchies?

BabyLegs Retired Designs Sale!

19 styles of BabyLegs are on sale at Mom 4 Life for just $10--you save$2.00 each (with free shipping), 12 organic styles are on sale for just $12.00, 4 super soft styles are on sale for just $18.00 and 2 gift sets are on sale for just $30.00!  These sale styles have been retired and when they are gone, they are gone so get yours today!

Tomat Onesie - Weekly Giveaway

Welcome to Friday!  I hope your week went well.  Mine has been busy.  We are training in some new team members for Mom 4 Life (we hope to have their photos up soon on our about us page) and we have been working on reorganizing and recounting the Mom 4 Life inventory in our shop.  This is a big job, but as it gets closer to being done it feels so good to have everything in its proper place.  I am an organizer by nature so tasks like this are pretty fun for me to do.  Because of the size of this organizing task, it has been broken up into chunks of time to work on it.  So far myself and Lisa (a new team member) have put in over ten hours and today we will do four more and it still will only be about half way done.  I actually have a hard time stopping mid task, are any of you like that?  If you are and you live in Idaho come on over, we can put you to work LOL.

Congratulations to Sarah B. from VA.  She won our giveaway last week for the Downtime Sleepy hat.  For the rest of you that didn't win, we are offering the Downtime Sleepy hat for 10% off for one week so gets yours today!

This week I want to introduce you to a new Mom 4 Life line of children's clothing called Tomat.  If you click here and scroll down, you can see their fun designs that effectively combine cute graphic and sayings such as the following:
 

 

I love the vintage look of this line (what I am showing here are just some of their many styles).  We have infant-toddler sizes including some organic versions.  I have one yellow 12 month "Scream for Ice Cream" style onesie to give away.  Retail value is $23.00.  It could make a cute baby shower gift if it isn't the right size for your child.  You can see the style we are giving away here. 

To be entered to win this week: I challenge you to do something that you have been putting off.  Examples might be:
-organize your garage
-go through your closet and give away what you don't need
-print the digital photos saved on your camera
-clean your fridge
-write some thank you letters
-make a list of the contents of your wallet (including credit card numbers) and store it somewhere safe in your home (such as a safe) so that if your purse gets lost or stolen you will know what needs to be canceled or what accounts need to be frozen
-get your will written

You have two chances to enter.  The first is to leave a comment below letting us know what task you are going to set out to do this week that you have been putting of.  The second is to come back and leave a comment letting us know when you finish it.  So if you make your goal and then reach it, you get to enter twice:)!  Ok I can't wait to hear what your goals are this week (mine is to finish organizing the shop)!  You have until midnight on the 22nd PST to enter, Good luck!

Bath with Baby in a Solarveil Sling by Kristina B.

The other day, our 5-month-old Lukas needed a bath, like, NOW.  Our baby tub, I must admit, is a big pain, and though I've tried bathing him in the big tub, that's just as bad, as he slides around and can't sit up yet.  Surely, there had to be an easier way.

I own a Zolowear Solarveil sling, and remembered that way back when I was doing research on what I wanted, I read that the sling can be used to bath the baby.  If you look here, you can see why that is.  Put it on, put the baby in, and you and your baby get clean at the same time.  Mine was perfectly content to be in the sling and get washed.

As usual, I do have a word of caution.  Always make sure your baby is secure in the sling, and if you do use your Solarveil sling in this way, be very careful in the shower.  If you fall, your baby falls, too.

karen cole paper simple, cute and mom made note cards

As most of you know, I am a big fan of mom made items.  100% of the products you will find on Mom 4 Life are mom invented.  Just yesterday I got some fun greeting cards in the mail and I think they are extra special because--you guessed it--a mom made them.  Karen Bullard is the owner and designer of karen cole paper.  She says, "while saying at home with my children, I really needed to be able to express my artistic side so karen cole paper was born in 2004 with just 20 hand-drawn designs.  now our products are in stores nationwide."  Her images are all hand-drawn, original colored pencil illustrations are are all professional printed onto the highest quality paper.  They retail for $12.00 for a box of 10 notcards and $13.00 for a box of 10 imprintables.    She has cards for weddings, parties, holidays, children and babies and everyday note card needs.  I invite you to stop over to  karen cole paper and see her cute designs for yourself!

To sweeten the deal, Karen is offering Mom 4 Life readers FREE SHIPPING for the next 60 days.  Simply enter the code "M4L", enjoy!

Baby Signing 1,2,3 book

I love sign language.  It is something that I have been interested in for many years, way before I had kids in fact.  If I was ever at an event that had a sign language interpreter or at a church service that had someone doing the songs in sign language I was always so intrigued to watch them and wished I knew the language as fluently as they did. 

When my first son was an infant someone loaned me the book and DVD "SIGN with your BABY" by Joseph Garcia.  I was so excited to see that I could finally have a "reason" to learn this language and that it would be not only beneficial to my baby but would actually be a second language for us to develop together.  When my son was about a year old I came across the Signing Time DVD's and not to much after that the Sign Babies flash cards.  I was overjoyed to be finding such wonderful resources to help aid my son and I in our quest to learn more sign language.  We both sucked up this new language like sponges and by the time my son was 16 months old I had lost count of the number of words he both understood and could sign back to me.  When our daughter was born, it was fun for my son to be able to communicate with his sister using sign and have a chance to practice signs he hasn't used in a while to keep them fresh in his mind.

Just recently, Nancy Cadjan, the creator of the best selling Sign Babies ASL Flash Cards has written a book titled Baby Signing 1,2,3 that teaches you her unique and easy way of learning baby signing though rich illustrations and provides specific signs and techniques for different age ranges.  This informs the reader how to work best with their baby at each stage of development.  I love that her book provides clear pictures and a large directory that includes more than 270 ASL baby signs.  It is both easy to read and highly informative. 

The price is super affordable as well.  You can purchase it for only $14.95 but if you go now to Nancy's website you will find that she has a special price of just $11.95 AND your book will be autographed, isn't that fun?

How about you guys, do you use Sign Language? 

Allow me to introduce myself... by Mel Gregory

Hello to all the Moms for Life! I would like to introduce myself and let you know I am at your service. My name is Mel Gregory and I am the founder of Tight Bod with a Pod, Fitness for Mind Body & Baby. My goal is to provide moms with the tools the need to stay active and healthy throughout their pregnancy and after. I will be brining you health and fitness tips as well as responding to your questions.
Let’s get started by simplifying working out.

#1 Create realistic goals. When we achieve a goal it is the best motivator. Just start with getting workouts into your schedule one to two times a week.

#2 The buddy system. Get your spouse or friend on your program to hold you accountable.

#3 Have fun! Make sure you are doing activities that you enjoy or give yourself incentives Perhaps reward yourself with a new sports bra or a new i-tunes play list.

Once your doctor has given you the thumbs up for prenatal or postnatal workouts please remember to always listen to your body. Make sure you can always have a conversation while working out. So chit chat it up or sing along to your favorite song. This is will keep you where you need to be on the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale. It is a scale from 1 to 10 being the max. You want to be between 4-6 on your intensity level.

More prenatal and postnatal info coming your way soon!

www.tightbodwithapod.com

Ode to BabyLegs by Heather Ledeboer

I love hearing from other Mama's about what they think (good or bad) of things they have found on Mom 4 Life.  I take all of these comments into consideration and they help me keep my selections as fantastic as possible.  Amanda wrote me this morning and shared the cutest photo and testimonial, I just had to share it with you.  She wrote:

"I got my BabyLegs this week! I've been wanting these for my daughter since she was born and finally had a great reason to buy them---we're potty training. I opted for the half-naked method and felt so bad to see my little girl run around with just a tshirt and panties during chilly January!

Well, she loves to wear them and says, "I like them!" or "They pretty!" It's so cute! And it's been such a big help!

Here's a picture of her wearing her new Baby Legs":

Downtime Sleepy Hat - Weekly giveaway

Hello everyone!  I hope your week went well.  It was really fun to see the results of your votes last week!  Man there were a lot of entries, over 135 of you in fact.  Our lucky winner was Heather F. from Warminster, PA:)! 

Did you guys just have fun voting and that is why there were more entries or just that you all loved the Secure2me baby blanket and wanted to win one for yourself?  Here were the results of your votes last week:

If you are reading this directly on our blog, you can click on the image to expand it into a larger image.  I sent in the top three and then the fifth top voted products to Pregnancy Magazine for consideration.  I decided not to send in the BoobyDooby "I Love My Kid(s)" Vintage Tee because it is not a maternity shirt and the readers of Pregnancy Magazine are going to largely be pregnant so I didn't think the editors would find it to be the best fit.

Good news for those of you who voted for the Downtime Sleepy hat however as this is our giveaway item for this week!  In a unique baby sleep solution, the Downtime Sleepy hat, with its patented, fold-down sleep mask, creates a dark, sleep-inducing environment for your baby. It blocks out light and visual stimulation to help your baby fall asleep and/or have uninterrupted, restful naps when it otherwise would be difficult to do so. This cute hat comes in three colors (natural, blue and magenta) and two sizes (small for 3-9 months or medium for 9-18 months).  Visit our site to read more about this product and if you don't see the size or color you are looking for just let us know and we will get a special order in for you.   The winner this week can choose from the sizes/colors available in stock on our website at the time they are contacted for their address when they win.

To enter to win: Visit our new items page and leave a comment letting us know what two products are your favorites and why.  I know I ask you to do this at least every month or every few months but it is only because we add new stuff so often I want to give you a fun reason to go check out what is recently added.  You have until next week Tuesday (the 15th) at midnight PST to leave your comment to be entered to win, good luck! 

Oh and don't forget we still have our BabyLegs special running where we are giving away 100 free pair of BabyLegs.  Check out the details here while you still can!

Oh!  Also, we have a 10% off sale (until next week Thursday) on our Secure2me baby blanket.

How do you get your kids to pick up their toys? by Heather Ledeboer

A while ago i was asked by a writer for the iParenting website if I had any tips to share on getting my kids to pick up their toys.  I shared my tip and today the article was published online with my quote and some fun and helpful tips from other parents.  Click here to check it out.

If any of you have good tips to share on this topic, please do!

New Year's Resolutions Anyone? By Heather Ledeboer

I am not typically much for New Year's Resolutions because I figure if I have a change in my life that needs to be made I should just do it and those changes do not usually coincide with the exact date of Jan 1.  But Farah Silver from MomFinds emailed me recently and asked me if I had any resolutions to share with her readers and any products to help with that so I dug deep and found some!  You can see my post here to find out what I told her.

Your turn, do you do New Year's Resolutions?  If so, what where they this year and if not, why?

Cleaning up after Picasso: How to remove crayon by Kristina B.

The other morning, as I went to get three-year-old darling Owen from his bedroom, I was shocked that he had taken out his artistic aggression on the bedroom walls with crayons.  Thankfully, some of it was washable, so it wiped off, but much of it was not.

I asked a few moms what to do, and the general answer was Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but I didn't have one of those, and didn't see myself going out to get one.  So, I did what many of us do and told my problem to Google.  The response was anything from straight bleach (which I was not about to try) to Magic Eraser.  But then I found that this problem is one more way that baking soda can be used.  I tried it, and it worked wonders.

So here's how to do it:
1. Put some baking soda in a bowl.  Add a little water to make a paste.
2. Gently rub this mixture on to the crayon-decorated wall with a paper towel or rag.  Only use enough pressure to take the crayon off so you don't remove any paint. 
3. Wipe off remaining baking soda from the wall.  You'll be able to tell if there is any left on the wall by feeling if the spot is gritty or seeing spots where the paint looks like a lighter color.

Ta-da!  Crayon gone.  Now, what about you?  Have you had your artist go to town on walls or clothes?  What did you do?

Story of Stuff by Heather Ledeboer

A friend of mine sent me a link to the website Story Of Stuff.  It has a really interesting video about the cycle of "stuff" in our society, I think you will find it worth your time.  After watching it, I find I look at things a little differently.

Bananas: The Perfect Food? by Jenny Lee

Bananas, like the commercial says, could very well be the world's perfect food!  Bananas are loaded with 422 mg of potassium which is crucial because potassium is an essential dietary mineral and elctrolyte. Low levels of potassium is referred to as hypokalemia. 

Hypokalemia can be caused by vomiting, metabolic disturbances and kidney disease. The symptoms of Hypokalemia or low potassium are fatigue, muscle cramps or weakness, bloating, constipation, and abdominal pain. Severe hypokalemia may result inmuscular paralysis or abnormal hear rhythms that can be fatal. Please see your doctor if you suspect hypokalemia.

Potassium is so crucial to our bodies that not enough can increase your chances of stroke, Osteoporosis and kidney stones.  On the positive side, potassium is used to treat high blood pressure.  So all in all, potassium whether its found it bananas, potatos, orange juice, lima beans, artichokes, prune juice, spinach or almonds is not only good for you but it is essential to your body.

Adequate Intake (AI) for Potassium
Life Stage	Age	Males (mg/day)	Females (mg/day)
Infants	0-6 months	400	400
Infants	7-12 months	700	700
Children	1-3 years	3,000	3,000
Children	4-8 years	3,800	3,800
Children	9-13 years	4,500	4,500
Adolescents	14-18 years	4,700	4,700
Adults	19 years and older	4,700	4,700

Jenny Lee

Inventor of the Bee-Z Snack Shop and mom of two

Secure2me stroller cover - Weekly Giveaway

Happy Friday!  It has been an eventful week at our house.  We have had family visiting, we have repainted Hunter's bedroom and our bedroom, we had an ultrasound and found out the sex of our baby!!  Yes, I had said we were not going to find out the sex but alas, my willpower is weak in this area:).  We are having a . . . boy!  I am very excited and so loving our boy name (sorry--that bit of info you will have to wait for).   I will attach a photo of our little bundle here.

I will also attach a photo of our bedroom makeover just for fun.  We painted our room a beautiful chocolate brown and one wall has gold color washing on it to pull out the gold in our bedding.  I am working on painting the canvas above our bed (it is sort of hard to see in this photo) with gold leaves to match one of the throw pillows and can tell this may take me a while:).  The first photo is before and second photo is after.

Ok so on to the giveaway:).  Our lucky winner last week for the Angel Guard Car Seatbelt Release Cover is Angela W, congratulations!  For those of you who did not win, you can get one now for 10% off the retail price on our website using the link above.

This week we are giving away a pink Secure2me baby blanket.  This multifunctional, luxury blanket that attaches to all your baby gear. It is oh so soft and so functional. The features are listed below.   

• Won't fall off! - Built in baby-safe clips keep baby covered
• Unique baby blanket shape - perfect fit with all baby gear
• Luxurious - unique styles in cuddle-soft fabrics your baby loves
• Fabric weights for every season
• Made in the USA

Secure2Me Baby Blanket Fits Your ...
• Baby stroller, jogger & travel system
• Baby car seat
• Baby carrier (Baby Bjorn or sling)
• Baby swing
• Clothing as a nursing coverup

To enter: I have been asked to submit 4 products for consideration in an upcoming Beauty and Style issue for Pregnancy Magazine.  I need to submit products that are fairly new to the market.  This issue is all about style and beauty for expecting moms.  I have some suggested items listed below.  Please take a moment to click on the options and then vote on your top four choices.  Then after you vote, email me (heather@mom4life.com) your address in case you are the winner (please make the subject of your email "address for weekly giveaway".  Please vote and email me both to be entered:)!  The voting polls will close on the evening of Jan 8th.

Here are the choices:
-Cambodian Jingle Bells Anklet by Baby Emi Jewlery
-Downtime Sleepy hat
-LilyBugs, Bottle Fun and Learning Tool
-Sterling Silver Personalized Cuff Bracelet
-LilyPod Car Seat Handle Cover
-CozyWedge Crib Bumper
-BoobyDooby "I Love My Kid(s)" Vintage Tee

The Fairytale Cake - My Boys In The Kitchen by Christine Steendahl

I had someone ask me the other day if I really let me boys help in the kitchen.  The answer is YES!  (Granted not every time I cook as sometimes I am in a hurry... but sometimes)  My 7 year old just learned how to fry hamburger the other day and he LOVES to do it!  He is always asking me if I have hamburger to fry.  If it was up to him we would have something with hamburger every night for dinner.  LOL Now if that will only last until he is 18... (wishful thinking I'm sure).

Anyway, I got a new Flip Video Camera for Christmas (which I love - it's not the highest quality, but is so quick and easy to use) and I had the two youngest boys home with me this morning, so we made a cake with the new Fairytale cake pan we received for Christmas, and I decided to record the action.  Wait until you see the final product.  LOL  No, I don't normally let them eat that much candy, but it came with the pan as a gift and it's New Year's Eve when we made this...  So I thought I would share, that yes - even a 3 & 5 year old can help in the kitchen.  Enjoy the show!

Birth and Intuition in America- By Julie Johnson

I am still recovering from all the goodies in the house since the middle of December and my head a little fuzzy from all the clean up.  New Year's Resolutions are a big part of January.  Already I am back in the gym, cleaned the house...laundry and taking down all the Christmas decorations are still on the to do list.  Another thing on my to do list is watch on January 9th, Ricki Lake's new documentary called "Business of Being Born" playing at select theaters around the country (and also available on Netfix.com). Her website...www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com and I have no affiliation but I anticipate it's arrival like Dick Clark's New Year's Eve ball dropping. I have known for many years Ricki Lake's passion for natural childbirth and I think this movie is going to rock some solid beliefs. It is nice to know that I don't have to preach about what kind of birth people should have, which I don't but I educate regarding the different options. Ricki Lake will be showing instead of lecturing what I have been trying to convey in my childbirth classes in a powerful, thought provoking way.    

Why care about something like this when we all strive for more important things like world peace or ending poverty? What goes on in a hospital maternity unit and the need of educating the public regarding the usual policy and procedure can be beneficial to all those who need those services. People need to be aware of options and know they have rights in a hospital that are usually down played.   I have had overall good experiences in the hospital as the patient or the advocate, however, I knew who to talk to and what questions to ask to get the care that I or my client needed. (Most do not have this advantage.)  The most important thing you can do in any situation is ask many questions and follow your intuition.  If it means changing doctors, nurses, hospitals, the "usual" procedure at the last second, follow your gut.
       
I hope everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Anyone want to share any experiences where they did or did not follow their intuition during a hospital/doctor visit or during any other life situation as a mother?

CAPPA's Certified Lactation Educator and Trainer, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant,  Lamaze childbirth educator, doula, momowner of Birth and Breastfeeding Solutions

How Fast They Grow - A great website with a great offer to Mom 4 Life readers!

I Cathy, How Fast They Grow's founder, is the mom of two young children, ages two and three, and started her own online digital scrapbook company to give parents an elegant, easy alternative for their own memories.  They have 190 digital scrapbook templates to choose from, and the online system is so easy that people can create pages themselves in about 7 minutes. You can share the pages online, for free, then have them printed by them for $7.50 each to fit into standard scrapbook albums.  The pages are very high-quality color cardstock and your pictures come out photo-quality.  They even filed for a U.S. patent on their unique technology in July.

The website as awesome and just won two prestigious International W3 awards in October and was called "Genius!" by Pregnancy Magazine in their November 2007 issue.  How Fast They Grow's members simply say they're "addictive."

I am very excited to try out How Fast They Grow for my own photos and would love for you to also give them a try!  Cathy is offering a 15% discount to Mom4Life Members with the code "M4L".  This code is good until the end of January--Enjoy!

(My daughter (Ashlyn) and I are shown below on Christmas day.  Ashlyn is wearing a Zooni hat found here on Mom 4 Life and the photo template is courtesy of HowFastTheyGrow.com)

100 Free BabyLegs!! by Heather Ledeboer

Starting today, the first 100 customers to spend $50 or more on Mom 4 Life will receive one free pair of BabyLegs (valued at $12) with their order!

Now most of you already know about (and love) BabyLegs but for those of you who may not be aware, they are simply the cutest little leg/arm warmers available.  We happen to carry the largest selection of any online retailer with somewhere around 100 styles in stock!  BabyLegs make diaper changes a breeze, can fit newborns - size 10 (I have even worn them on my arms before:), help keep socks on, protect little knees when crawling and so much more!  We only have 100 free pair of BabyLegs to giveaway so act fast.  To try to get your pair, simply enter "Free BabyLegs please" in the customer comments during checkout with your order of $50 or more (your order can consist of any Mom 4 Life item(s) valuing $50 or more).  If you are one of the first 100 orders to do this, your BabyLegs will be included with your order.  We are sorry but you are not able to choose your free style, they will be a holiday style.  Click here to review the details of this offer on our website.  We will also have a link on our homepage to this page until we offically have processed our 100th order (keep in mind that we typically process orders 24 hours after they are placed on weekdays).