Mom4Life

Sun Hats by Jamie Rae - Weekly Mom 4 Life Giveaway

Hello!  Friday is the last day of February, isn't that amazing?  I am getting very excited for spring to come and Hunter (our oldest) keeps asking when winter will be done so I think he is also ready!  There is a theme park near us called Silverwood and they have a water park there.  Hunter is very excited to try it out and I believe this is his main motivation for the snow to melt:).  I hope your week has gone well.  Once again, thank you for your feedback regarding the survey last week.  It was fun to see your responses.  It was no surprise that almost everyone LOVES the BabyLegs.  A small few of you mentioned that you just weren't sure if you would like them or you didn't like the price point.  As I mentioned in an email to a few of you I try to think of them less as socks or pant alternatives because those get outgrown so quickly.  Because infants - toddlers can wear the same pair of BabyLegs I feel they hold higher value because they have such a long life and you can even have more than one child enjoying them at a time (well not at exactly the same time but you know what I mean:).  Also, don't forget that we have many styles on sale for just $10 and we offer free shipping so that helps bring the regular retail down a bit.  A few of you mentioned that you had found them cheaper elsewhere.  Let me also remind you that we offer price matching and are happy to match any on-line regular retail price (and we can even match most sale prices) factoring in the retail plus shipping cost of the price you want us to match.  To do this just send us an email with a link to the product you want to purchase from us and their total cost (retail plus shipping) and we will be happy to reply with what we can do.

The Hooter Hiders were also a big hit and many of you talked about how much you liked this product for yourself or as a gift.  A few of you mentioned that you wish the fabric was not one that would wrinkle when washed.  I contacted the owner of Bebe au Lait that makes the Hooter Hider about this and she said she understood this but really didn't want to use polyester in her fabrics so that is why she has keep with 100% cotton blends (although there are now some pretty silk options available as well).

The WubbaNubs: it was great to read your feedback on these as well.  I found out that you would like to have photos of the product in use to see how it looked in the baby's mouth.  So we made some changes to our listing to provide images for you to show the WubbaNub in use.  Some of you were concerned that this product would be to heavy and fall out of the baby's mouth.  What is nice about the design of this product actually is that the plush toy is quite light (the entire product only weighs about 3 ounces) and so it rests quite easily on a laying down or sitting up baby while its size makes it easy for hands to grasp even when the fine motor skills are not fully developed and allow the baby to more easily keep the product in their mouth on their own.  Also, for children that get attached to their WubbaNub it can be detached later with scissors allowing them to still enjoy their plush toy beyond their pacifier years.

The Hand Stamped Charm Necklaces got good feedback as well but some suggestions to improve the images so the mom that makes these has moved this to her list of updates to make, thanks for your helpful comments!

As a result of your votes we have recently added the Dose Keeper to Mom 4 Life. Reasonably priced at just $5.99 this solution to help you prevent drug overdose for your children is a great investment.  Many of you liked this product and a few of you had questions as to how much room for record keeping there was.  We have made sure to include the answers to your questions in the product listing found on our site to make it easy to decide if this is a product you could use. 

Our winner of the Wet Happened? Custom Zippered Wet Bags (that many of you also commented that you really liked) is Elena T.  Congratulations.  Elena will get her choice of fabric for her large bag.  For the rest of you, grab yours this next week while it is 10% off and you will be set for summer as well as the diaper mishaps that happen year round!

This week you can win a super cute Jamie Rae Sun Hat!  Just in time for our thoughts of Spring and Easter coming up, these hats come in 8 fun styles and two sizes (3-12 months or 12 months - 2T).  Each hat has a nice wide brim to protect your little ones face from the sun and is adorned with a cute flower.

To win: Simply click here to chime in on your thoughts on a few new products I am considering.  You have until March 4th at midnight PST to place your vote, good luck!

March is Poison Prevention Month by Jenny Lee

March is Poison Prevention Month! It should be a time to evaluate your home and how safe it is for your child, especially when it comes to medication.  This blog is a pesonal one for me.  As you may or may not know I have two beautiful children, George-6 and Gracie-3. Last year, my daugher Grace ran a high fever of 103.9 degrees.  Staying up all night with her made me second guess myself the next day as to when I had given her the last dose of Children's Motrin.  So I gave her some the next morning.  As soon as I finished giving it to her panick immediately struck me as I had feared I had ovedosed her.  I quickly called the nurses line who put me in touch right away with Poison control.  Poison control asked me to look for certain symptoms which she had none and then determined I was just second guessing myslef from lack of sleep and in fact had not  given her back to back Motrin. 

What a relief! But what was interesting happened right after.  The Poison Control center informed me that I was one of the lucky ones.  They said over 57,000 accidental overdoses in children occur every year on OTC children's medications resulting in dangerous consequences.  According to the U.S. Poison Control Centers "A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds! And more than 50% of all poisonings occur  at home in children under 5 years of age."  They added that my story is a very common one and one that they hear everyday.  They added many parents second guess themsleves due to lack of sleep, active life or just forget to tell dad, babysitter etc. of when the last dose was given to the child resulting in double dosing!  I have to admit I questioned my parenting skills at first- How could I (a mom known to my family and friends as being extremely overprotective and cautious) find myself in such a situation in the first place?  I always had extra pads of paper next to the nightstand and was always good in remembering when the last dose was given to my child. Simple. Lack of sleep and the busy world we all live in can lead to absent mindedness and forgetfullness.  After all I am human however becasue of my own frightening experience and the valuable information I had gathered from Poison Control lead me to develop the Dose Keeper to help parents and caregivers keep better track of their child's last medication dose.  I also took an active role in eductaing parents through free workshops and health fairs about the proper use of OTC children's medications. So being Poison Prevention Month I have compiled Do's and Don'ts list on proper use of children's medicines to help prevent accidental overdosing.  Accidental overdosing can lead to liver and organ failure and not to mention it can be fatal.  In fact, the world known mayo Clinic stated "The thing that makes Acetaminophen (found in children's OTC medications) dangeorus, especially for children, is that the difference between a 'dose' and a fatal 'overdose' is small."

I would love to have my readers share their own experience or know of someone who has been in a similar situation.  If you ever second guessed yourself, even for 1 second, as to when you gave your child their medication raise your hand and know you are not alone.  As the Dose Keeper motto states 'To error is human but not at the expense of your child.' Till next time :) 
            Jenny Lee

Do’s and Don’ts of Giving Your Child Medication 

(Pay close attention to the highlighted ones)

Do…	Read the medicine label very carefully
Do…	keep a record of the last dose taken
Do…	ask your pharmacist for larger type if you can’t read the bottle
Do…	take exact dosage listed on medication bottle
Do…	When you are administering more than one over-the-counter medication, make sure that the products do not contain the same active ingredients.
Do…	use pediatric formulas
Do…	use the measuring device that comes with liquid medications
Do…	contact the emergency department, your child’s physician or a pharmacy if you have any questions about dosage or side affects of the medication.
Do…	Keep medicines out of reach of children at all times
Do…	Consult your doctor
Do…	check for your name on the bottle
Do…	If you are in the middle of taking medicine or using a cleaning product and you need to answer the door or phone, take it with you.
Do…	use the Dose Keeper to help keep track of your last dose
Do…	tell another caregiver of when you gave the last dosage

Don’t…	give your children over-the-counter medications longer than indicated on the label.
Don’t…	Never call medicine candy.
Don’t…	Do not take medicine in front of children; they love to do What adults do.
Don’t…	share your medication with someone else
Don’t…	use medication when it is past its expiration date
Don’t…	take someone else’s medication
Don’t…	store your medications in locations that are either too hot or too cold. For example, the bathroom cabinet may not be the best place for your medication.
Don’t…	double up on medication

         

Free to be Me by Heather Ledeboer

! Everyone is different right?  That goes for families too!  Each family is free to have its own version of "normal" including ours.  That is why I loved the Delicate Tomboy line by Emily Tanen.  They have a ton of super cute and original designs for onesies but they also have a lot of choices that can be customized to suit your own taste.  So what did we choose?  A stylish little number that says "My parents are computer nerds".  Hey, we might as well be honest!  I have to say, she looks pretty darn cute in it too!

Click here to check out a little number for your little one!

Win some LilyPadz!

LilyPadz are pretty darn cool (hey they are mom invented so what do we expect right?).  LilyPadz are the revolutionary alternative to traditional nursing pads combining such unique features as: flexibility, breathability, invisibility, and "sticks-to-you-ability".

How do they work? LilyPadz's Unique Design works on the age-old principle that pressure on the nipple (like a finger) temporarily stops breast milk leakage, LilyPadz keep that pressure constant, even in the absence of a bra. So instead of absorbing your milk, LilyPadz prevents you from leaking altogether! LilyPadz are so thin you no longer have to worry about them showing through your shirt or bra. You can even wear them swimming! They can be used and re-used as much as you like.

Click here to read how you can win a pair courtesy of Mom 4 Life:)!

They work for twin photos too!

So it turns out that more of you have fun BabyLegs photos and stores to share with us.  Randa B. sent me this email:

"I need to share mine with you as well….You guys delivered so fast. It was awesome. EVERYONE who has seen these pics of my 3 month old twins wants a pair! My photographer had never seen them and flipped out over them. I actually ordered 2 pairs and my mom turned around and bought 4 more for them!   So, THANK YOU for carrying cute products and for getting them out quickly. I was so happy they made it in time for their pictures!"

I think she is right, they are pretty darn cute on her twins!

Your feedback please

Hello!  I would love your feedback please.  We are currently working on some major website revisions.  One of the things we will be fixing/improving is the way BabyLegs are ordered on our site.  I know our long drop down box is not ideal or the way you are taken to the shopping cart page each time you add to the cart.  So I would like to see which you like better.  The main difference in the three options shown below is that Option 1 has a "buy" button right next to each style and Option 2 has an open field next to each option for you to enter how many you want and then a "buy" button at the bottom of the page.  Option 3 is sort of a revised version of the second option by putting the "add to cart" button after groups of styles rather than only at the bottom of the page.  You can click on any of the images below to see a larger version. You will have to click to our blog directly to take the poll (it will not show up in an email if you get our blog posts emailed to you).  By the way, a side question that you could leave a comment on below, do you prefer for the button to say "buy" or "add to cart" or do you care?

Option 1:

 

Option 2:

Option 3 (keep in mind that the photo shown below is not the exact photo that would be in this spot, it is just to give you an idea).  This was one mock-up option designed for me for the new site and is not a live version): 

Pass the Chicken Soup Please by Christine S.

Heather had asked me to comment a bit on switching to whole foods / preservative free foods.  This was the plan for my next post.  Things were going really well with the new diet and I was feeling great!  However...  then I got pregnant! (with baby #4) Well... unfortunately, my whole foods diet kind of went out the window as I have resorted back to whatever sounds good that I can keep down.  Oh the joys of morning sickness!  (A.K.A. All Day Sickness)  However, I did want to pass along the name of the book I was reading that was helping me on my whole foods journey - It is called The Schwarzbein Principle.  I didn't get all the way through before I found out I was pregnant, so I can't give a complete review, but I will say it has some good info.  It also has some info. I kind of took with a grain of salt, but it is definitely a great starting point!  I hope to return to the diet once I can get past the morning sickness issues, but for now I am on a bit of a hiatus.  If anyone has whole foods experience please do jump in on the comments section and help us out! 

In the meantime, between morning sickness, colds and last night we added a stomach bug with one of our little ones...  We have been on a bit of a Chicken Soup trend.  I have just been taking chicken bouillon, water, boneless skinless chicken breast pieces, noodles, carrots and celery and boiling it up for a quick and easy meal.  Seems to do the trick!

I must say since we were not planning on having another baby and we gave away all of our baby stuff... It has been so much fun to browse on Mom 4 Life for all the great new baby products!  My wish list is growing!  I am especially excited about getting a sling this time around since I have only ever used a Baby Bjorn with my others.  If you have a favorite please let me know!  I should have bought one with our last little guy as he always wanted to be with mommy, but I didn't...  I'm not going to make that mistake this time! 

Have a great week!

Christine
"The Menu Mom"   

Wet Happened? Custom Zippered Wet Bags by MiniMe BabyGear - Weekly Giveaway

Happy Friday!  I hope your week was wonderful.  Once again, thanks for your wonderful feedback last week for our survey.  I am still deciding on a few of the products you voted on. 

Our winner for The Zaky by Zakeez is Liz.  Liz gets her choice of color and if she wants a right or left hand, congratulations Liz!  Several of you left comments about ways you think this product would be useful for you (putting on your child's back as they fall asleep was a good one)!  I like the idea of buying two and using them on either side of your baby in their car seat as shown in the photo.  If you were not lucky enough to win a Zaky you can still get yours for 10% off for the next week on Mom 4 Life!

This week we are giving away a large Wet Happened? Custom Zippered Wet Bags by MiniMe BabyGear in your choice of fabric!  Wet bags are perfect for all those times you need a waterproof bag.

Made with a whimsical and thick cotton outer print, then lined with a Polyurethane Laminate, called Baby Dry. The inner material is completely waterproof, and great for storing used diapers, wet clothing, or bathing suits. Constructed with the two layers sewn separately, the zippered top secures contents to keep smells where they belong.  Best of all, these wetbags are washable, reusable, and a fashionable way to store wet items while keeping your diaper bag dry.

To enter to win the Wet Bag: The last few weeks you guys have provided some great feedback on products.  I am interested to get more of a baseline measurement to compare with.  I have a survey this week of some products that we currently carry on Mom 4 Life.  I know how these products sell.  I would like to get your thoughts on them and then I can more accurately compare these numbers with the numbers you provide when you vote for new products.  Click here to take this week's survey.  You have until midnight Tuesday the 26th to enter, good luck!

Show it off! by Mel Gregory

Being pregnant is sexy! The fashion world has made the "bump" an attractive accessory. From well fitting jeans, flattering shirts, and stylish dresses, all designed to comfortably show off your newly attained assets. Embrace your pregnant body! No more hiding in muumuus day in and day out, baggy sweats are ok once and a while but be proud of your curves. Your body is beautiful and healthy so don't hide behind oversized clothes. Since your belly is not a permanent addition shop smart. Get versatile pieces that can be used with each other to create multiple outfits. 6 to 7 pieces are plenty to make casual outfits turn into a night out on the town.

Make sure you get some color in your pregnancy wardrobe; you are glowing so why not let your clothes pop. A necessity is J-crew "favorite tank" tops at only $16.50, www.jcrew.com. They are a great length and come in fresh colors, just go up a size or two. Layering is nice statement, even wearing one under a sweater or t -shirt is nice, and it hugs the belly offering more support. Since you have been working on those arms, a tank top for spring and summer is a must, show off those toned biceps.

Tip: keep dumbbells 5- 12 lbs by the couch when your favorite show is on a commercial 20 bicep curls and over the head presses. Start: Elbows off to the side of shoulder, weights up towards your head arms are in " L" shape, action press up 10- 15 reps

Post mama's here is a great cardio burst, with arm work out.
Do 20 jumping jacks, drop down and do 20 push-ups. You can do them from your knees, but get as deep as you can aim for chest to hit the floor. If you are just getting back into working out start with 10 repetitions, then progress. Do this 4-6 times; you will be sweating in a matter of minutes. It's also a great warm up to a power walk or jog.

Stay healthy and strong! www.tightbodwithapod.com
Mel Gregory Founder of Tight Bod with a Pod

Why to Hide the Dry-Erase Markers (and some alternatives for doing so) by Kristina B.

Take a look at this picture.  Recently, this is what my every-so-darling eldest son did.  That would be dry-erase marker all over the wall.  At first, I thought no big deal.  Dry-erase marker just wipes off, right?  Well, apparently not, because it is still there.  That is why you should hide your markers.

Anyway, I asked other moms what to do about it, plus did my own research.  In case this happens to you, let me save you some time by telling you what I found:

What didn't work for me:
Vinegar
Dish soap
Diluted nail polish remover
Windex (although this apparently does work for some people)
Redrawing the marks, then wiping

What worked, but also took the paint off the wall:
Nail polish remover
Rubbing alcohol

I've also heard of using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and once I saw a suggestion for white board cleaner, but honestly I didn't try either.  In the end, my husband and I shrugged it off and reminded each other that we intended on painting the living room, anyway.  Still, that does not address the issue of our little artist.  Remember when I posted a few weeks ago about removing crayon?  It seems that blank surfaces just call to him, and we are having trouble getting him to stop.

Well, dear friends, all this leads up to my current tip.  You've heard the phrase, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," right?  Since the artist in him doesn't want to get subdued, and I don't want my walls to get decorated by said artist, the only logical solution is to let him design his adorable large murals in an acceptable manner.  So, I gave him back the marker, and told him that he may color on the sliding glass door at the back of the house.  This lets him color as large as he likes with that precious dry-erase marker, and some window cleaner will get it off of this particular surface.

I find this to be a great solution.  Maybe you are having the same problem, but don't like this idea.  Never fear, I have a few others.  One would be to let your kids use sidewalk chalk, which wipes off walls.  Also, Crayola makes a great washable crayon that I find comes off pretty easily (test this one on your walls first, before you let your kids go at it!).  But perhaps you don't want to encourage coloring on walls.  In that case, I also find that a cardboard box, opened up so that it is one flat piece, can be very encouraging to children wanting to make their life-size masterpieces.

Here's to hoping this information saves your decor and your sanity.

Rob is a father again!

Remember Rob?  He used to post for us here.  He just emailed me with some exciting news that he wanted me to share with you:

"Hi Heather, A happy update to report......Tessa Hudson Michaelis was born on Monday, February 11th at 12:21pm, almost one month early, but healthy nonetheless.  She weighed in at 5lbs., 5oz. and was 20" tall.  Mommy and baby are doing great!  Needless to say, there's not much sleep going on, but the adrenaline is working, at least for now.

Hope you and your readers are well.  Best regards, Rob"

A product that helps husbands change diapers? Do tell!

Just wanted to share this cute photo and fun feedback with you all from Mom 4 Life named Justine who emailed me last week:

"Heather, I just wanted to thank you so much for the baby legs! They arrived very quickly, and I couldn't wait to put them on my son! When we went to his pediatrician appointment everyone complimented him. I tell all my friends about your site!Thank you again,

Justine

PS I was finally able to convince my husband to change diapers because now it is so quick and easy! "

Previously viewed Signing Time DVD's at a big discount!

I love the Signing Time DVD's!  They are so well put together.  There is lots of repetition, fun songs, lots of kids showing the signs.  It is a great way to introduce, learn and reinforce sign language for you and your children.  My family has enjoyed them for the last 3 years.  We have some DVDs that we are now willing to part with as we move on to the next DVD's in the series.  I thought perhaps you guys might like to know that I just listed them on Mom 4 Life.  You can see them here!  You can save about $15.00 off the retail price.  Enjoy!

Zakeez - Weekly Giveaway Item

Happy Friday.  Man you guys are awesome!  thank you so much for the wonderful feedback last week for our survey.  The only product that had a strong favorable response overall was the Dose Keeper.  I have ordered some and they will be added to Mom 4 Life soon!  I will mention that a few of the products you voted on (and likely will vote on in the future) I didn't think/don't think I would/will add to Mom 4 Life, but I wanted/want to throw them out there anyway because I love being able to see what you guys like and don't like.  It helps confirm that my instincts are right and leave room for a surprise favorite to creep in!  It also makes it a lot easier to tell the mom behind these items why I am going to pass on their product or why I want to add it when I have your comments and feedback to help me.  Your comments, even when they are not positive, are very helpful for these moms in evaluating and improving their product lines.  I don't share any names, but I do share some of your comments with the moms behind these products and they were very grateful so continue to be honest and straightforward when asked for your opinion! 

The winner this week was Stephanie T.  She won a beautiful red lace Sara Nursing bra with matching Panties.  If you want to grab yourself a fun new red nursing bra, this is the week to do it!  You will get 10% off for the next week on Mom 4 Life.

This week we are giving away The Zaky by Zakeez.  Every baby likes to be touched, to be held, and to feel the soothing protection of their mother, and the Zaky helps by providing boundaries and a sense of being touched. It is like having an extra hand!

The Zaky is the only product specifically developed to have the scent of mom, so it help babies bond with their mothers even when they are away from each other. It is the only product designed to stay with the baby to give him/her comfort and a sense of protection when he/she changes environments (hospital, car, home, sitter, child-care, etc). It is fully washable (comes with its own washing bag) and it is made with extremely high quality workmanship.

The mom that invented The Zaky has an amazing story.  If you would like to see a feature done on it on FOX, click here (it made me cry).

This product is so unique, I think it would be a fabulous gift for someone even if you don't have a baby or child young enough to use it personally. 

So how do you win your free Zaky? (you choose the color and if you want a right or a left hand):  Simply fill out this survey to be entered to win!  You must fill out the survey by Monday the 18th at midnight PST to be entered.  PLEASE NOTE: the website that I use for surveys was previously giving an error message to some people at the end of the survey.  It seems to now be resolved.  However, if you get an error message, leave me a comment below asking me to email you when the error message is cleared up to save you time, I am so sorry!

Also, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am a guest today on the Babies and Moms Radio show talking about products that make traveling with kids easier.  Check it out!

P.S. By the way, thank you again for your feedback a few weeks ago regarding a new slogan for Mom 4 Life, I decided to update our slogan to the winner of the poll: Motherhood's a journey.  Gear up.

Upcoming guest on the Babies & Moms Radio Show

I invite you to listen in this week Friday (tomorrow) the 15th as I will be a guest on the Babies & Moms Birth and Beyond Radio Show talking about products that make traveling with kids easier.  For a sneak peek at the products I will be talking about click here.  If the show time (9:00 AM MT) does not work for you, each show is recorded so you can listen to it later!

No-Mess Onesie Removal By Kristina B.

This week's tip comes from a piece I read quite some time ago, though I can't remember where.  Still, I think it is worth passing on.

If you have children, they've probably had a onesie.  If they've had a onesie, at some point there probably has been a diaper leak or messy food spill on it.  The question is, how do you get that thing off without transferring the mess to the baby's head?  The answer is simpler than you think.  Pull down, not up.

If you look at a onesie, you may notice that the neck hole expands, allowing not only enough room for baby's head, but also his hips.  Just remove baby's arms from the sleeves and pull the onesie down the body and off the legs.  No mess in hair.  Easy clean-up.  Now wasn't that easy?

BellaBand clearance sale on Mom4Life.com

Mom 4 Life has several BellaBand colors that are now on clearance for just $19.99!  This is a considerable savings off of the normal retail price of $26.00.  Of course our free shipping applies as well making this an especially good deal.  Quantities are limited and when they are gone we will not be getting any more of these colors so don't delay!  If you are not pregnant, keep in mind that BellaBands make a great gift to someone who just found out they are pregnant and they can also be used simply to add the look of an extra layer and help hold up or cover the top of low rise jeans.  They can also be used to cover your torso while nursing!

For those of you who don't know what a BellaBand is:

The Bella Band is a seamless knit band you wear at your waistline, over your unbuttoned pre-pregnancy pants, over slightly big maternity pants, or around the waistband of any maternity style that falls down around your hips.

The Bella Band holds your pants up, disguising bulky unfastened closures or excessive fabric creating a smooth belly surface. Now, no one has to know your pants are undone or loose.

Wear the Bella Band concealed, or let it peek out from under your top for that hip, layered look. If your top rises, it looks like a t-shirt or camisole -- not a funky mechanism to expand your waistband or hold up your pants.

Wear your non-pregnant girl pants a little longer and those cute maternity fashions a little sooner. Have more clothes to choose from during your pregnancy, enjoy getting dressed every day, and feel confident with how you look. You're pregnant! Have fun! Now go out and play.

Red Sara Nursing Bra & Panties Set by Nummies - Weekly Giveaway

Happy Friday!  I really enjoyed reading all of the survey replies last week, thank you so much for taking the time to fill those out.  I thought you might enjoy knowing some of the responses that were gathered so I have included that info for you below.  Also, you guys clearly loved the my little seat, baby bonkies and bonkie bag items so I have some Bonkie Bags ordered for the website.  I was told that the Bonkie sleep sacks have some improvements that they will soon be doing to it so they suggested that I wait a bit to get those.  A sample Little Seat is on its way to me to check out in person before I decide for sure on them but if they look to be a good quality item, I will put them on the list to add as well.  I also wanted to thank you for the many, many kind comments you left regarding what you like about Mom 4 Life.  You were very helpful as well in some of the comments you left about what you didn't like (and thankfully there wasn't much that you reported).  Overall, several of you mentioned that our search box on the website and/or your ability to choose how many products are displayed per page could be better.  In addition, some of you mentioned that the "new items" link has too many pages.  I couldn't agree with you more.  All of these are things that unfortunately I can't fix in our current system BUT the good news is that we are currently working with a company that creates customized websites and these are all things that are on "the list" to be improved upon!  I will mention that the "new items" link does not display items alphabetically but lists them in the order they are added so for those of you that like to peek and see what is new, all the newest stuff will show up on the first page (in fact, there are several fun new items there now).  One or two of you mentioned that you didn't get a reply to your email or you were still waiting on an older order.  PLEASE, please, please know this is not ok with us or ideal.  If we have not replied to your email in 24-48 hours during the week, please call us or try again.  We do have spam filters that sometimes grab the wrong emails (although we try to check them regularly).  We are not trying to ignore you!  If you are worried about an order that hasn't arrived, please let us know.  We want to see that you get your items quickly just as much as you do.  A few of you mentioned that you were sad to see us clearing out our selection of some of our soft soled shoes.  The reason for this is that they just don't sell very quickly.  I am considering a new style that you will have a chance to comment on today if you take the survey below.  One last comment that came up a few times was that some of the items we carry are "so expensive".  As a thrifty shopper myself, I can totally understand this comment.  I find the the reason why these products are often priced the way they are very interesting and I think you might too so I wrote up a post about this yesterday, read this and let me know what you think! 

Our winner of the super cool Simply Silhouettes prize last week is Bridgette, congratulations!  She has been contacted and will soon be enjoying her super cute custom creation!  I know from your comments that you guys love Simply Silhouettes.  So lucky you, they are on sale for $5 off for the next week only!  To find out what you can win this week, scroll down under the stats below, good luck!

Here are the results from some of the survey questions last week:

How often do/have you visited the Mom 4 Life website?
less than 2 times	3
3-5 times	17
5-10 times	13
more than 10 times	14
junkie	34
once a month	5
once a week	30
How often have you bought from the Mom 4 Life website?
never	22
once	34
2-3 times	30
4-6 times	10
7-10 times	3
more than 10 times	2
How did you hear about us?
blog	7
search engine	48
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This cute red Sara Bra nursing bra with red lace and matching panties is our giveaway item for this week (you choose the size).  Perfect for Valentine's Day, wouldn't you say?  Here are some of the great features of this bra:

Underwire and a molded cup give maximum support and a beautiful seamless fit to this nursing bra

Convertible straps allow fashionable moms the versatility they need

Perfect fit under tank tops and dresses

The deep cut gives a sexy shape and remains hidden under plunging necklines

Molded cups hide nursing pads

Red lace accents

The retail price on this bra and panty set is $62.00, here is how you can try to win one for free: Please click here to open up a new survey page that will ask your opinion on a few possible new products for Mom 4 Life.  You will be asked to include your first name and email address in the survey.  This will ONLY be used to contact you if you are the winner.  I will not use this information for anything else, promise.  You have until Tuesday the 12th at midnight to fill out the survey, good luck!  Feel free to leave comments here as well (I would love to hear if this survey was easy to use by the way.  I like last weeks' but you have to pay to use it and this one is free so I wanted to compare), but only the names entered via the survey will be entered to win.

Why do some mom made items cost so much? By Heather Ledeboer

If you are like me you are a bargain shopper. You love to find good deals and save money.  But if you are like me you also prefer to support the little guy (or in my case mom) rather than the big box stores whenever possible.  This concept can be great in theory, but at times it seems that the two don't always work well together.  Do you ever wonder why mom made items sometimes seem to cost so much?  Based on the survey that many of you filled out for the weekly giveaway just a little while ago, I know you do.  Here is my crash course on mommy business 101 that will attempt to answer this question.

Starting a business:
Ok so a mom has a great idea and decides to start doing something about it.  Depending on the idea she may need to start securing a patent which requires lawyer fees, research, patience and a lot of time.  Or perhaps the idea is something simpler such as cute onesies that don't need a patent, just materials and a design.  Either way, the cost of materials now comes into play.

Cost of material and time:
Most moms are not ready to take on huge amounts of inventory such as blank onesies or bolts and bolts of fabric in order to secure the lowest costs on these items, so they have to start with small amounts at first and this causes the price on these items to be much higher than if she could buy in bulk.  Of course there are typically varying levels of quality available in materials so the mom has to decide if she is going to go for the best and pay more or the lowest quality and save more or go somewhere in the middle.  She has to decide how important quality is and hope that if she chooses high quality over low her customers will not only be able to recognize the difference, but be willing to pay extra for it.  Most of the time this mom is making the products herself (at least in the beginning) so she has to start calculating out what the cost of her materials are plus the value of her time invested to make each item.  I don't know about you, but time away from your family as a mom is valuable.  Putting a price tag on this is hard though and most moms probably don't even allow themselves minimum wage at this stage of the game. 

Protecting the business