January 23rd, 2011
Blissdom ’11 is upon us! We are looking forward to kicking off the conference with a twitter party that begins Monday night 1/24/11, lead by our friend Abbey Fatica at Living My MoMent.
Too soon to start thinking about ’12? Nah! Happy Mama Gifts is excited to kick-start a contest that gives you a chance to WIN A TICKET TO BLISSDOM 2012! Entry is fun, quick and easy. Here are the details:
Answer this question on your blog:
What did you (or your fans, or your sister, etc) do with your newborn’s clothes after he/she outgrew them? Did you make a quilt? Are they in the back of your nursery closet? Happy Mama Gifts wants to know!
Link to our new product:
http://bit.ly/ghqh9P – anchor text Baby Shower Gifts
Tell us about your post:
Use the Mr. Linky below to point us to your post. We can’t wait to see your answers!
Additional Entries:
Let your friends know you just entered via Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to @ mention us so we know about the post. These entries are ONLY VALID if you have also posted your response to your blog.
Win!
1 winner will be selected on November 15, 2011. You can view status updates at www.happymamagifts.com/blissdom Good Luck!
Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter for more contests and special offers.
Tags: blissdom ticket, blogger contest, Giveaway
Posted in Contests/Special Offers, Tips & Tricks | 58 Comments »
March 9th, 2011
It is arguably the stage of pregnancy that the majority of moms-to-be dislike the most: you’re 9 weeks pregnant, and nothing fits. While it would make sense to stock up on maternity clothes, building up your new wardrobe can get pretty expensive and not to mention wasteful—unless you plan on getting preggers once more, you’ll never wear those clothes again. But you need to get by somehow. The trick is to simply invest in some key, essential clothing items. Continue reading to find out what they are.
Maternity Jeans. If you were a jean lover before, chances are you’ll go stir crazy once your favorite pair refuses to zip up. Fortunately, there are tons of stylish and modern maternity jeans available. However, to get a better bang for your buck, it’s best to get a pair of maternity jeans that are designed to fit you throughout all different stages of your pregnancy. These “transition” jeans allow you to adjust the waistband as needed. Also, try to get a pair in dark denim since they’re exceptionally versatile. Perfect for any occasion, you can dress them up or dress them down.
Dress. If on the other hand you are not the type that wants to be constrained in a pair of jeans, then you need to invest in a dress. The type of dress you purchase will vary upon season, but your best bet would be to invest in a breezy, flowy ‘maxi’ dress—something made from jersey or soft cotton for the most comfort. This style of dress is generally sold all year long. Try to get one in a solid color as opposed to a floral print so that you can use it at an array of different occasions and seasons—add some fancy jewelry to dress it up, or pair with a cardigan and some flat boots in the cooler weathers.
Nursing Bra. When your belly grows, so will your breast. But instead of buying a bunch of costly bras to support your new large chest, go ahead and buy a nursing bra—it’ll give your more mileage. Even if you are not planning on nursing, these bras will provide the most comfort before and after your child is born. This is because nursing bras (as opposed to regular bras) are made with more padding, gentle wires, and constructed with a special stretching material that does not constrain the breast tissue. It’s best to find one that promises to adjust to a number of different cup sizes since you don’t know how big your breast will get in the end. Also, get one that is the most versatile—flesh tone or a nude color.
Mama Spanx. Creators of Spanx—the popular slimming body shaper—has recently released a hosiery for expecting mothers and trust when it’s said that it does wonders. This body shaper simultaneously has a special soft yarn to support your growing belly and back, while it shapes and lifts your butt and thighs. You can wear it underneath your jeans or dresses to give you more of a defined shape, or as underwear to remove unwanted panty lines. Mama Spanx is offered in only two colors: nude and black.
Kitty Holman, regularly writes on the topics of nursing colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.
Posted in Guest Blog, Tips & Tricks | 1 Comment »
December 6th, 2010
 You are going to be a new parent! Congratulations! Now let’s find a great way for you to surprise your family and friends with the news over the holidays. We have compiled a list of fun and exciting ways to share the news and have bolded our personal favorites:
1. If your family makes Christmas lists, submit a list with only baby items.
2. Send out a Christmas card that reads “We know exactly what to get you for Christmas this year” and place an ultrasound photo inside the card.
3. Gift a doll (probably to mom), with a tag that reads “redeemable in X time for 1 grandchild”.
4. Use baby-themed wrapping paper for all of your gifts.
5. Replace all of the traditional stockings with decorative baby stockings.
6. If you have a train that runs around the tree, use each car to hold a letter and let your guests be surprised when they read B – A – B – Y running in front of the tree.
7. Give “Merry Christmas” T-Shirts, and describe each person’s role on the back. Daddy, Grandma, etc.
8. Decorate the tree with “Baby’s 1st Christmas” ornaments. Alternatively, in all blue or pink.
9. Prepare a plate of cookies for Santa and decorate them with baby items.
10. Wrap a gift for baby and place it in the back. Inscribe the card with “For our baby, due” X date.
11. RSVP for Christmas parties as 2 ½.
12. Replace all the silverware on the table with baby spoons.
13. Invite guests to play a game of Pictionary. Ignore what the card says and only use baby terms.
14. Include a Birthday invitation in every stocking. Where: X Hospital, Date: Due Date, etc.
15. Give your family’s new “big brother” or “big sister” a t-shirt that says so and have them wear it to dinner.
16. Gift a baby prints frame or piece of art that requires in impression of new baby’s hands and feet. Under the wrapping, place a card that reads “Your (grandbaby’s, or other) little fingers and toes will be available for impression on X date.”
17. Give pregnancy gifts and new-dad gifts to each other. Open them at the same time and watch the excitement!
Conratulations and Happy Holidays from Happy Mama Gifts! If you have come across any other great ideas and would like to share them, please comment below.
Posted in Adventures in Motherhood | 1 Comment »
November 16th, 2010
The holidays are always a fun and exciting time to break the news that you are expecting a baby. It is especially convenient because so many of your family members are around to share in the joy, face-to-face. We have compiled our favorites to help you get your creative juices flowing:
Place a bowl at the door and offer note cards for your guests to include a note about what they are thankful for. Enter your own note about the baby, like “I am thankful for our new baby, joining our family on X date”. Have guests randomly draw a card at the dinner table and read it aloud. The excitement will stir as everyone takes a minute to figure out who is pregnant! OR Give everyone a place card at the table. Fill each one with a quote to be read aloud. Use one of the cards to quote yourself expressing the fabulous news!
 Give a Save-the-Date party favor. Use metal napkin holders and place save-the-date magnets on them. It ensures everyone is sitting together when the news is broken and even Martha Stuart would be proud of this creative and appealing table setting!
Going to another home for Thanksgiving? Bring your hostess a gift and include a card that requests “an extra seat at the table in 2011”. The news, believe us, will spread like wild-fire.
Decorate the pumpkin pie (or even the turkey) with booties, pacifiers and rattles.
OR Create an inventive centerpiece. Fill a cornucopia with the traditional items, and carefully place rattles, small bottles and small gift boxes wrapped in baby themed paper.
Leak the news slowly. Place your ultrasound picture on the refrigerator and see who notices first. Convince them to keep it hush-hush for a while as other guests start noticing too!
Congratulations on your upcoming baby, Happy Holidays and if you aren’t ready to share the news just yet, look out for our upcoming Creative Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy at Christmas!
Posted in Gift Ideas, Tips & Tricks | 3 Comments »
July 16th, 2010
Pretty Pushers and our disposable delivery gowns are my dream; 4 years in the making. I gave birth to both of my children in these gowns and want all of our customers’ experiences to be as great as mine and so many like  me. This is personal! I wore the Sushi Gown for the birth itself (it got SO messy and was glad to throw it away!) and then put on the coffee gown afterward and all of the staff loved it!
The main point of the Pretty Pushers gown…it’s supposed to do its job…look fashionable, function during labor (hence the monitor opening and low cut back for the epidural), and then be thrown away.
I am very involved in every step of the manufacturing of our products and want to take this opportunity to detail the many facets of the gown I love so much:
Style: Just because the gown is disposable, doesn’t mean it has to be lacking in style. This gown truly is adorable; A great way to make those delivery photos stand out amongst the crowd and make mom feel like the star she really is!
Function: All the knots can be untied and adjusted if need be. And if the slit in the front of the gown for the monitor seems too large (this makes sense when you’re on the labor bed with 2 monitors strapped around your belly!), all you have to do is pull the ties in the front passed the actual tie (so that you’re sort of pulling the dress in with the tie itself), and then you can walk around without feeling ‘exposed’!
There are of course lots of companies that have manufactured ‘delivery gowns’ with lots of buttons or satin trims that cost upwards of $80…but really, what is the point of bringing such a gown to wear during such a messy experience when the hospital won’t wash it for you, and otherwise it would sit soiled in a bag for 36+ hours until you get home?
Environmentally Conscious: It is very important to us that if we are going to offer a disposable product, it really has to be ‘disposable’…and able to break down easily in landfills. So…that is why there are only a couple of seams and no hems, pure 100% cotton knit, and dyed with water-based materials. Yes, we could have made a gown with buttons and spandex and overlocked seams…but that would take 10 years to break down – not 5 months.
Made In USA: We get pressured all the time to take production to China or India, (like many big-box chains), but frankly I’d rather struggle for a few years than to think that I’d fed into this horrible recession, as I think that’s the core of how this whole financial mess got started….greedy American companies shipping our jobs away.
The point is this: If you decide to purchase a gown from Happy Mama Gifts, I am certain that you will love the product and can feel secure in knowing that, although this is a gorgeous delivery gown that you will appreciate in memory for years to come, you are also making a social and economically sound decision. I appreciate your business. Enjoy!
Posted in Gift Ideas, Guest Blog | No Comments »
June 23rd, 2010
We have compiled a list of items YOU NEED to pack for D-Day. The hospital, as much as many try, is not a spa and doesn’t always provide top-notch “amenities”.
 Feminine Pads: No tampons allowed after birth! Although they provide pads at the hospital for post-birth bleeding, they are bulky and lack the absorbant power many of us are used to. We recommend Always Infinity Pads.
Breast Pads: These will come in handy whether you have decided to breastfeed or not (Your body won’t know that yet!).
“Throw-Away” Panties: Don’t even consider heading to the hospital without these! Hospital issue undergarments are made of a mesh material and only vaguely resemble underwear. Anything you take will take a beating, so a large pack of cheap panties that you can toss after use will do the trick.
Heat Wraps: If you didn’t already get the Earth Mama Angel Baby labor sock, Thermacare Heatwraps will tuck, and stick, nicely to your undergarments and allow you to rest without waking up in pan because that warming comfort has fallen somewhere on the floor!
Extra T-Shirts: This will be for yourself, your coach or other participants that didn’t expect a long haul!
Nausea Aides: Preggie Pops or Psi Bands will help you battle in-labor tummy troubles. Take it from us, nothing is worse than being expected to push while your coach holds a pan for you to throw up in!
Power Bars: Your doctor may not allow you to take part in these life-savers (ask ahead of time) but your support team will likely need nourishment and may not have time to head to the cafeteria.
Toiletries: Included in the Happy Mama Birth Bag
Disposable Camera: Running out of batteries in your digital would be a disaster, so have a back-up. Also included in the Happy Mama Birth Bag.
Champagne: Need we say more? Your hospital or birth center likely has a refrigerator handy and would love to help you and your family have a post-”war” celebration.
Tags: labor, morning sickness relief, what to pack for the hospital
Posted in Tips & Tricks | No Comments »
June 18th, 2010
Making a miracle can often come with a lot of stress about what you can do and what you can’t do so Emma Willmott of Mama Mio has kept it simple for us: “During pregnancy it is really about avoiding certain ingredients – There are tree main offenders that should be avoided: Parabens, Petrochemicals and Sodium Laureth Sulphates. There are also a few essential oils that you should not use, so it is adviseable to use products specifically formulated for pregnancy and without Parabens, Petrochemicals or SLS.”
Where can these ingredients be found? You may be surprised at the answer:
Parabens can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives in some products.
Petrochemicals can also be found in food products, cosmetic and personal care products and many household cleaning ingredients.
Sodium Laureth Sulphates are commonly used in soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to “foam up”.
 Don’t let this list of products scare you. Know the list (personal care products seem to be the giant-sized offenders) and take a quick look at the list of ingredients before you purchase. Although these ingredients are cheap and therefore highly prevalent, there are also a widening range of companies out there sticking to their guns and keeping the bad stuff out! Mama Mio is our favorite group of pregnancy products doing just that.
Tags: Mama Mio, Pregnancy Products
Posted in Adventures in Motherhood | 1 Comment »
June 8th, 2010
We asked and you answered! We were looking for the very best in baby shower gift ideas, baby shower games, themes or decorating advice. In exchange for your great ideas, we gave away pregnancy gifts, new-mom gifts and newborns gifts; totaling $625! Enjoy The Results:
Tags: Baby Shower Ideas
Posted in Contests/Special Offers | 42 Comments »
June 8th, 2010
Newborns are amazing for many different reasons. Here are a few:
1. Their sweet, delicate smell.
2. How tiny their feet are!
3. Their nice-smelling breath (that’s because they don’t have teeth yet so no bacteria).
4. They know how to nurse, right after being born, with their eyes still closed – they just know to instinctively look for the nipple, find it and start nursing.
5. They recognize your voice almost right away and turn at your direction when they hear you.
6. How intensely they examine your face when you lean close to them.
7. The way they allow their little body to relax in your arms as they drift into sleep.
8. Their first smile or grin, directed at you.
9. How very tiny they are, so tiny that it’s easy to support their weight with just one arm.
10. How much they love to hear you talk or sing, and how intently they listen when you do so.
11. How they hate having a bath, until suddenly, one day, usually around the age of two months, you put them in the baby tub and they start splashing and loving every minute of it!
12. How small and helpless they are and so completely dependent on you for everything – much more so than any other mammal.
I’m sure there are many more… can you think of any?
Image Credit: Nezemnaya
Tags: babies, newborn, newborns
Posted in Adventures in Motherhood | 1 Comment »
June 7th, 2010
 I knew what love was before I became a mom. I loved my parents, my siblings, and my friends. When I met my husband, I fell deeply in love with him. I knew love, and I loved deeply and fully before becoming a mom, but nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of a mother’s love.
Now that I’m a mom, I know love that is deeper and stronger than any love I’d experienced before. It’s the kind of love that takes your breath away when you look at your children, that fills your heart with joy and your eyes with tears. It’s the kind of love that makes you realize that the health, happiness and survival of these little people are your number one priority. The kind of love that will make you sacrifice your life if it meant saving theirs.
No one is truly prepared for the intense emotions that come with being a mother. The frustration and angst is deep and overwhelming, and the love is all consuming. When I try to describe motherhood, I often find that I describe it not in terms of the tasks it involves, but in terms of the emotion it evokes.
Of course, now that I know motherly love, I am more grateful than ever for my own mom and her love to me.
Image credit: D.A.K Photography
Tags: motherhood
Posted in Adventures in Motherhood | No Comments »
|
|
