Mom On The Move- Mandy

Wow! This week’s Mom on the Move is one busy lady!!! Mandy Richardson is owner of M is for Monster and also When & Where Invitations but that isn’t it, she is also a mom to four kiddos, ages 13,4,2 and 5 months!  What she does is completely and totally awesome!!! She creates weekly learning activities, gathers everything needed to complete them and sends that great box of awesomeness straight to your door! She provides you the extra time and resources to spend some one on one time with your little one doing educational, fun learning activites.

How did she come up with this insanely genius idea?

I started M is for Monster one day while sitting on my couch. I was googling and pinteresting it up, trying to find fun and educational activities for my kids. Two hours later, I finally had the list of what we were going to be accomplishing that week. Then, like every week before, I had to go shopping for the supplies. I heaved a heavy sigh, and stood up to make my list. “I can not believe no one has come up with a better idea than this!” I thought to myself. So I searched around to see if I could just order the learning activities and supplies instead of having to spend so much of my time planning and prepping. I found nothing. It then occurred to me that if I dreaded doing this every week, other parents out there probably do as well. So it was then and there that I decided to cross one more thing off of parents list and create boxed learning activities delivered right to your door. No more searching and planning and shopping for everything you want to do! Just order an M is for Monster box and you’ll be ready to have fun with your little one while teaching them in the process!

She really has her hands full with her family life and two businesses so I had to know what she likes to do in her down time!?! She says

Down time? What’s that?!

What makes this Momma even more awesome is that she is giving a one month subscription to one lucky reader!!!! In order to win you must

*Be a follower of the blog
*Be a fan of M is for Monster
*Follow M is for Monster via Twitter
*Be a fan of my Facebook page
*Follow me on Twitter

then comment below what items you completed and the age and grade(if any) your little one is in. Each completed task is worth an entry, winner will be announced on Friday.

In the mean time, stop by Mandy’s Facebook, website and/or Twitter and tell her thank you for the awesome opportunity!

Moms On The Move- Amanda and Caitlin

This weeks Mom On The Move post is actually a duo. Their names are Amanda Kludt and Caitlin Zapf and they are the owners of BumBums & Baubles. These two ladies have been best friends since high school and business partners since 2010. Amanda went to college in Sacramento, where they grew up and afterwards had a successful career in Sales and Marketing.  Caitlin describes her as the kind of person who could sell ice to eskimos. Caitlin moved to San Diego to attend college then moved on to law school later becoming a successful litigator but soon realized that her true passion was to become an entrepreneur.
Although the two had been physically separated by career choices they remained close. Caitlin says that four years ago Amanda came to her with an idea to make kids’ shoes with interchangeable accessories. She says that initially she just helped her set up a corporation, but soon became as obsessed as she was with the idea and they partnered up. They spent a lot of time experimenting extensively to design an accessory that was easy to attach, yet would remain secure once on, and that didn’t have exposed snaps or Velcro when the shoe was worn plain. This versatility was a huge challenge, but also what sets them apart from other brands in the market.

So what exactly is it that BumBums & Baubles creates? They make adorable girls shoes that are fun and have interchangeable accessories. They carry toddler sizes 8-13 and girl sizes 1-3.

When asked how they got their start, they responded with the following

 

This is a loaded question! We started with merely an idea and a desire to make it happen. We had a lot of obstacles – no background in footwear or design, and very demanding full-time jobs. We spent our evenings and weekends experimenting, making connections and learning about the industry. There was a lot of trial and even more error, but we were determined, so we kept going! Luckily, both of our husbands were (and are) supportive and ended up spending much of their free time working on our dream company as well! We found a factory that could produce high-quality shoes to our specifications and “baubles” (our interchangeable shoe accessories). With a lot of blood, sweat, tears (and money) invested, we finally launched our brand at the end of 2012! We both quit our “day jobs” and work full-time (plus nights and weekends) for Bumbums & Baubles. Since launching, we’ve made a lot of changes – we moved our production from China to Mexico so we could have more control over development and production, improved the attachment mechanism and developed new baubles that girls love even more. We are extremely excited for our back-to-school line coming out in less than two weeks! We’ve got six new Mary Jane options, two new boots and tons of new bauble designs for girls to choose from. We sell our shoes online at http://www.mybumbums.com and are being carried in about 20 retail locations throughout the country so far…

I’ve been frequenting their website and plan on purchasing some shoes for my daughter. Please take some time to visit their website and their Facebook page, check out their (really super cute) shoes and tell them hi!!!

-Lauren

Lactation Nation-An Interview with an IBCLC

A mother breast feeding—a process that facilitates mother–infant bonding. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I am going to do with myself when all of my babies are in school and Lactation Care keeps popping into my head. So I thought to myself what better way to learn about the field than to interview a Lactation Consultant. I searched for one in my area that I could possibly speak to face to face but to my surprise the closest to me is in Kansas so I picked up the phone and gave her a ring. So Melody Ward IBCLC, RLC and I had a very loud and chaotic (thanks to my littles) phone interview. She owns a private practice breastfeeding consultation service called Angel Baby Breastfeeding Solutions. She was so unbelievably patient as throughout my first formal interview attempt our conversation was interrupted with snack dilemmas, playful screaming and my own nurslings need for Momma.

I asked her many questions that were met with an incredible wealth of personal and professional knowledge.

She found her love for breastfeeding way before she had children of her own. She is one of six children all of which her mother breastfed, something very uncommon in the fifties and sixties. Her two youngest siblings were born premature and spent the first month of their lives in the hospital. She observed her mother pumping and storing milk at home therefore exposing her to various breast pumps and really normalizing that this is how mothers feed their babies. She remembers her mother saying that nursing for the two youngest was especially important because they were born so early. When the babies came home she would her mother nurse by bringing her one baby and when that baby was latched bringing her the next.

Cover via Amazon

Her next encounter with breastfeeding was later in life when her sister lent her the book “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding“. At the time she was not yet a Mom but that book plus having observed many women in her family breastfeeding set in motion a love for nursing and she said it was then she made the decision that she would breastfeed her own children. When she did have her first child, she unfortunately did not have much support. She lived far from any family and her child’s father was not completely on board with breastfeeding.
So she seeked out her local La Leche Group and there she found what support she needed. She says that she feels she never would have gotten as far as she did if it were not for the support she found within that group. Ultimately it was her La Leche leader who approached her about becoming a leader herself. After she completed that she moved on to receive her certification as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and has kept her certification since.

She has worked in various positions dealing with breastfeeding mothers and at each she has interacted with them differently. In her current practice she says she finds that she deals with moms on more of an electronic level but would like to emphasize that it really is beneficial to meet face to face so that she can observe a feeding making it easier to really pinpoint any issues Mom and Baby might be having.

I also asked her what is the most common hurdle new nursing mothers have to overcome and she said that two that she comes in contact with the most are sore nipples and the concern that perhaps they are not making enough milk to satisfy their baby. She stated that a lack of support also ranks pretty high up there as well. That is where she comes in, she offers support to nursing moms, truly making herself available whenever needed. Her clients can contact her by phone, text, email and also on her Facebook page. She also offers educational resources via pre-natal classes and back to work classes.

Lastly I asked her what her favorite part of her job is. Holding babies ranks pretty high up there as does seeing a mom reach her breastfeeding goals. It was truly a pleasure talking to Melody and I really learned quite a bit about the professional avenue that I am considering in life.

-Lauren

Related articles

• A Burden Shared: How My IBCLC Lightened My Load (smscottblog.com)
• World Breastfeeding Week 2013 (mommasgotabrandnewbag.wordpress.com)
• Resources for Breastfeeding Mamas (chapmanhillbaby.com)
• World Breastfeeding Week – I’m here for you (healthyfamilyfun.wordpress.com)
• World Breastfeeding Week (workingmadre.wordpress.com)

World Breastfeeding Week 2013

Today marks the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week. The focus of this years campaign is peer counseling and supporting Breastfeeding women.

A lot of times instead of being met with support and acceptance, BFing moms are discouraged about their choice.

The objectives for this year’s campaign are as follows:
1. To draw attention to the importance of Peer Support in helping mothers to establish and sustain breastfeeding.
2. To inform people of the highly effective benefits of Peer Counselling, and unite efforts to expand peer counselling programmes.
3. To encourage breastfeeding supporters, regardless of thei r educat ional background, to step forward and be trained to support mothers and babies.
4. To identify local community support contacts for breastfeeding mothers, that women can go to for help and support after giving birth.
5. To call on governments and maternity facilities globally to actively implement the Ten Steps, in particular Step 10, to improve duration and rates of exclusive breastfeeding.

This week I will have various Breastfeeding related posts as well as a few giveaways. We’ll cover why breastfeeding is so invaluable, Common Breastfeeding Complications, Proper Latching and Holds, The whole nursing in public debacle, We’ll have an interview with a Lactation Consultant and we’ll even have a Beautiful Breastfed Baby photo contest.

I am super excited about our sponsored giveaway from Unravel Me. She will give one lucky Momma a Booby Beanie!!! I will also have other items up for grabs as well.

This week will be slightly different as I won’t be doing all of my regular daily themes. So stay tuned, perhaps learn something new and participate in all the fun!

-Lauren

Related articles

• Latch onto World Breastfeeding Week (vibeghana.com)
• Events being held around the world to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (examiner.com)

Mom On The Move- Cherokee

This week’s Momma is Cherokee Arndt. First and foremost she is a Mom and Military Wife. In addition to those two very important roles she is a personal trainer, is certified in Basic Nutrition and is an Independent ‘It Works’ consultant. She says that she truly enjoys what she does because she is helping others change their lives, whether it is because they bought items from her or they joined her team and gained financial independence. She got her start when a complete stranger befriended her on Facebook her curiosity got the best of her and she asked for more information. Her, now, sponsor explained what “It Works!” was all about, sent her samples of the “Greens” and the rest is history.

As she explain it all to me, I couldn’t believe just how easy it was to progress in this company and make money.

As a personal trainer I was always looking for a product to enhance my clients results. Since than I have created a AMAZING team and fallen in love with every product!

As I stated earlier, Cherokee is a military wife. She has been married to her husband for five yearsvabd they have done quite a bit of traveling with the Air Force. Right now they are in the middle of a one year separation but have set a goal of buying a home at their next duty station.

It Works! is going to be the reason I get the house I want. I am so excited to see where it takes me.

I’m excited for her as well! Home ownership is a wonderful thing and finding a career that you not only love but also gives you the financial security to meet goals you’ve set is a great thing as well.

Are you looking to change your life? perhaps you’re just curious to find out more? Stop by her Facebook Page, say hi, ask questions and learn more! Also check out her website and see if what she has to offer is for you!

-Lauren

It Works! Product Review

Our newest Mom on the Move Cherokee sent me a body applicator and two samples of the Greens on the Go. I was really excited to try this product because even though I work hard to
lose weight and get back into shape, after four babies you can bet I have loose skin on my belly.

I started with the body applicator, making sure to follow the directions to a T.

When I opened the packaging for the applicator I could immediately smell the eucalyptus. It was not too strong or overwhelming but the smell kind of gave you that “I’m being pampered” feeling. I also noticed about 5 minutes in I noticed a cooling sensation and about 20 minutes in the sensation became almost uncomfortable but mind you, I have sensitive skin. The instructions stated to use form fitting clothing or plastic wrap to hold the applicator in place. I opted for plastic wrap.

At the 45 minute mark, I removed the wrap and rubbed in the excess lotion. At first I didn’t notice a big difference until I went in the restroom with better lighting. I noticed the strechmarks on my belly seemed less prominent and the skin was so incredibly moisturized. The next day and even after a shower the skin remained toned and soft. I would love to continue wrapping and what makes it worth while is their customer loyalty program they offer.

Next I tried the “Greens on the Go”. I was a little off put by the green color of the drink but once I took that first sip I loved it! It comes in a small packet that you put into 8 ounces of water. This small packet though contains 8+ serving of fruits and vegetables in every serving and contains over 38 super foods in each. As a plus the ingredients are all natural. I had the berry flavor and it was very tasty and sweet.

Interested? Visit her website at here, read her story, look around and see if this could be for you!

-Lauren

Mom on the Move- Tiffany

This weeks Mom on the Move is Tiffany Donley and she is the owner of Tiffany’s LaBella Baskets. What is that? What Tiffany does is provide unique gifts for customers who are looking to send gifts for birthdays, weddings, housewarmings, anniversaries, babyshowers, graduations, condolences, get well, Christmas, and more!

She has it all, from fresh flowers, cookie bouquets, candles, and gift baskets for him, her, teen, and kids! She’ll keep up with your dates and even remind you about those important dates so gifts will arrive on time. She actually becomes your Personal Gift Consultant when you don’t have time to make the purchases, but need something sent right away.

It’s quite the deal she has going on and is so customizable! You tell her what you need, what you are looking for, what kind of person you’re shopping for and she’ll put together a presentation and send it over to you for your approval. After you make your selection she’ll even go and make the purchase for you and have it shipped out!

Tiffany became a gift consultant for Labella Baskets in May 2013 when she came across a Craigslist Ad while searching for a work from home JOB.

You can tell she is so passionate about what she does just in the way she talks about it.

“I believed that it was still possible to be able to obtain and have the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. What are these TWO WORLDS, at least for ME?

Being able to PROVIDE for your FAMILY, while yet
Being able to BE THERE for your FAMILY at the same time! Some would call this WISHFUL thinking. Some would say wake up and STOP DREAMING. I would say then, MY WISH is MY EVERY COMMAND, AND if this is a DREAM, I will NOT STOP until MY DREAM BECOMES A REALITY!

Although, circumstances and trials will come to shake our FAITH, we must be even more DETERMINED not to be MOVED by what we see, what people are saying, or the overwhelming feelings of DOUBT & FEAR that will come to try and OVERTAKE US! PATIENCE is the key and indeed a virtue that we all should POSSESS & DESIRE! I had not worked outside of the home since 2007, and before then it was still OFF and ON as the kids kept coming! Did I want to work? Yes, and it sure would have been nice to have an extra income coming into the house besides my husband. Did we NEED the extra flow? Definitely, yes, but I was not willing to SACRIFICE my FAMILY in the process!

However, after realizing that the ideas, outsourcing, and creative works that I was doing from home was not going to cut it FINANCIALLY, I begin to search extensively for other options because I KNEW within myself that if there was A WILL, THERE HAD TO BE A ANOTHER WAY! They caused my “EYES TO OPEN” and to take a “SECOND LOOK”! They didn’t just want to OFFER me EMPLOYMENT, they said Tiffany, we want to offer you so MUCH MORE, your OWN BUSINESS…..And with that said, I HAPPILY ACCEPTED, as it was an OFFER THAT I COULD NOT REFUSE! LaBella Baskets AFFORDED ME THAT WAY!”

It is always so inspiring for me to find a WAHM who was able to not only find a satisfying career she can do from home but that she found one that allows her to succeed!

Have a gift-worthy event coming up or in becoming a gift consultant? Take a peek at her website and also stop by her Facebook page and be sure to give her a like and say hi! You can also call her at (904) 274-1837.

-Lauren