It's a Small World

Today was an exciting day over here at Glow Baby. Our Baby's First Journal was featured on The Marilyn Denis show in Maureen Denis' Baby Must-Haves segment. It is always very exciting when our journals are in the spotlight!

On a side note, Marilyn had some guests talking about whether cheating was good for a relationship. While I was not too impressed with this topic (is it ever good to advocate cheating? I think not), one of panel members was an old friend from high school! What are the odds that she would be on the same show as my journals?

To be honest, I don't usually watch TV during the day so watching this episode was an anomoly and only because of our feature. So I never would have seen her if not for our appearance :).

My new love

I hate cleaning. Cleaning is at the bottom of my to do list. I find it incredibly boring and will procrastinate in any way to avoid it. I don't mind folding laundry or doing dishes but getting a mop and pail out or a vacuum causes me physical pain.

I have however, recently found something that actually makes me want to clean. I found the Shark Steam Pocket Mop through the PTPA. Actually, the mop and "Baby's First Journal" have been on TV together. It was through our first television appearance on Canada AM that I was introduced to this product. I thought it looked neat and the premise was interesting. I forgot about it (as cleaning is not something I usually wax poetic about or start googling).

But, as Baby's First Journal got more press, with the Shark steam Pocket Mop, this neat gadget started to stick. That added to the increasing mess created by daughters during meal time and my increased irritation with constantly sticky floors, I mentioned it to my husband.

He scoffed at me and said I should use the good old mop and bucket. I explained to him the logistics of filling a bucket full of water and soap and lugging it and the mop upstairs with a 3 year old demanding to help me and a 17 month old wanting to play in the dirty mop water. I described scenarios including one with Juliet tipping over the bucket and thus flooding our kitchen. Mop and bucket, not such a good idea.

Finally, for Mother's Day, I got my Shark Steam Pocket Mop. Most people would probably think I might have been upset by this gift. That to give a mom something to clean, bake or complete chores with just doesn't cut it. I have to admit though, I had a smile on my face and a sigh of relief for my husband when I saw my gift. And let me tell you it did not disappoint.

I wasn't sure initially if this product would be fiddly or annoying or if it would work at all. I wondered if the marketing had gotten to me but I just had to try it. I LOVE it. It is quick, easy, no fuss, no muss and is compact. It tucks away and most importantly it cleans my floors. My girls are seriously messy eaters and Juliet usually has to change clothing 3 times a day due to eating disasters. So finding something that makes cleaning easy and even fun is fantastic!!!

I actually like to clean the floor now. It's kind of fun. It's also nice to have clean floors all-the-time!!! Thank you to my husband who listened to me and took a chance and bought me this mop for Mother's Day.

Life has gotten way too busy

So, I'm sure you've noticed that I have not posted in awhile. Every day I say today is the day I will post on my blog but then life gets in the way and it's pushed down the priority list. The girls are super busy these days and with the beautiful weather we are outside a lot and there is no way I am skilled enough to write a blog post on my iphone.



Business has also been super busy. We have gotten some great press coverage lately, and there is a bunch more scheduled for later this month. I will definitley post these as they come in.



Our latest coverage was done by the Family Magazine Group out in California.

"Baby's First Journal" wins PTPA Award

**See below for today's Press Release from PTPA Media***

PTPA Winter Media Awards
We are pleased to share a press release sent to us today …

Innovative products lead the way in Parent Tested Parent Approved Awards!

Consumer Product Winners include Shark Steams Pocket System, Disney’s Toontown, VTech Bugsby System, Corel Digital Studio and Painter Essentials and Crayola Digital Camcorder

Toronto, Canada, January 13th, 2010 - A video camera for children, a teddy bear that teaches CPR, a book that reads aloud to your child and a Cruizer that helps lug heavy car seats around are among the innovative new products that have just won the PTPA seal of approval from North America’s parents.

Consumers looking for practical, high-quality products and services can rest easy knowing that products bearing the PTPA Media “Winner” Seal are all “Parent Tested, Parent Approved.”

Because independent parents evaluate these products in their own homes, PTPA winners are chosen based on merit and consumer experience – not on commercial considerations. As a result, the PTPA Seal has quickly gained recognition as an international leader in certifying consumer products for quality, effectiveness and value.

“As a working single mother, I go to PTPA for unbiased and ’safe’ advice… from parents, not marketers pushing a particular product,” says actress and author Josie Bissett, former star of Melrose Place and now a mother of two school-age children. “PTPA makes it much easier to find products that enrich my children’s lives. Who better to trust than other parents who have done their homework?”

Companies ranging from Johnson and Johnson and McCain Foods to Wells Fargo and Cisco all submit their products for testing by PTPA’s network of over 20,000 volunteer product testers. Only those that receive high marks from PTPA’s unbiased, knowledgeable testers are awarded the PTPA Seal of Approval.

Here are just a few of the innovative new products to receive the PTPA Winner Seal of Approval:

* Glow Baby’s First Journal: a baby care log book where parents can track the feeding, sleeping, diapering, and special moments from their baby’s day. A great keepsake for the child.

* Safestarts Safetygate: Prevents unwanted restarts of appliance after power outages for safety and allows local power companies to use less energy when bringing power back on.

* MimiTens: Mittens that stay on with no strings attached. Thanks to extra long cuffs, mittens don’t fall off and don’t get lost. Features Thinsulate and Bamboo fleece.

* Your Baby Can Read: This interactive multi sensory program teaches infants the written language as well as spoken language and was shown to be effective.

* Wonder Bumpers: The only vertical bumpers that help reduce the risk of SIDS, Increases crib airflow and has a reversible design to fit with any nursery décor.

* Book Sox stretchable fabric book covers: Stretches over hard cover books for protection. No cutting, folding or taping required. Recommended by schools to protect costly textbooks.

* Jumstart Escape from Adventure Island: A game that challenges kids to use their smarts to find a way off a mysterious island Parents will love that this game helps kids master math, reading and critical thinking skills through action-packed challenges

”At PTPA Media, we are proud to play a role in certifying innovative new products that parents can trust,” says Sharon Vinderine, president and founder of PTPA Media. “It’s win-win. By improving communication between manufacturers and consumers, we are helping companies serve their market better, and helping families identify products that have been tested and recommended by their peers.”

For a complete list of Winter 2010 award winners, check our Winners Announcement

About PTPA: PTPA Media provides an objective framework for appraising and promoting new products designed to enrich family living. The company’s mission is to marry innovative companies with discerning consumers, to improve families’ access to quality products and services.

Baby and Kids Magazine

I am very excited to announce that "Baby's First Journal" is included in this month's issue of Baby and Kids Magazine!! The article is about stylish mommy gear and there is a pic of the journals. Please check out page 19.

http://www.babyandkidsmagazine.com/digitals/2009/1109BABY/index.html

Thanks!

My First Press Release

I have been working on my first press release for the past couple of months. I can't believe it has taken me so long but I have never done this before so I wanted to do some research before attempting my own. There is so much information out there that it's tough to weed out what is useful information.

Thanks to all the mompreneurs who answered my questions and shared their own press releases with me. It is so helpful to hear from other women going through the same things as me. If only I had a huge PR budget and could hire an expert. For now though, I have to be a jack-of-all trades and rely on the goodwill of others.

I am proud of myself for this accomplishment. It feels huge as it has been looming on my to-do list for months but it is finally complete. Here is the link to the release.

http://www.prlog.org/10373197-glow-baby-introduces-babys-first-journal-musthave-for-expecting-parents.html

Please feel free to pass on to anyone you think would be interested to learn more about Glow Baby and Baby's First Journal.

"Baby's First Journal" is going to the Type A Mom Conference

"Baby's First Journal" is on its way to the Type A Mom Conference. I responded to a tweet by Amy from Mom Made That and she has been nice enough to include a few copies of the journal at the market place event happening at this conference. I am very excited to have this opportunity for exposure of my journals to other mom bloggers.

I wish I could travel down myself, but as I am still breastfeeding, this year is not an option. Maybe next year?

Check out the link for some great products that Amy is taking with her. http://whrrl.com/experience/story/18424741

For more information on the Type A Mom Conference please visit http://typeamomconference.com/.

For more information on Mom Made That please visit http://mommadethat.com/

Top 5 Must-Haves for Baby (and Top 5 Useless Products)

I decided to compose my top 5 Must-Haves for expectant parents. I bought a lot of stuff when I was expecting my eldest and while some were lifesavers, some things were hardly used.

Top 5 Must-Haves:

1. Sling/Baby Bjorn - The baby bjorn saved me with both girls (especially my eldest). Ainsley would only sleep during the day in the baby bjorn for the first few weeks and when I had Juliet, I needed my hands free. My advice would be to wait until your baby is born and then pick out which carrier your baby prefers. I bought a sling for Juliet and she hated it so I sold it.

2. Breastfeeding pillow - if you are going to breastfeed, a good pillow is essential for saving your back. I started with a jolly jumper pillow which was too soft. My Brest Friend was fantastic. It gave me great support and was very firm.

3. Baby's First Journal - now I know this is my product but a journal to log your newborn's feeds, sleeps and diapers is essential for the first few months. I would have been lost without this. It definitely, helped me get to know my daughters' needs quickly.

4. A good diaper cream - even for kids with the best skin, a diaper rash is sure to appear at some point. The best cream I found is A&D Cream which is not sold in Canada. I actually make the trip to the US periodically and buy tons as I have found nothing else that works quite as effectively.

5. Large Receiving blankets - Swaddling your child in small receiving blankets is impossible. I actually made my own 1 meter by 1meter and it was the perfect size. This didn't cost much. I just went to a fabric store. You can buy larger swaddling blankets in stores but you have to look out for them.

Now for the Top 5 Biggest Wastes of money (for me):

1. The Swing - borrow one if you want to try it, neither of my girls liked it

2. Bumbo Chair - neither daughter like it - another one to borrow

3. Cradle - We bought a pack n'play which is very useful so we could have just used this instead of the cradle

4. Burp clothes - my girls did not spit up - they threw up - A folded up receiving blanket will do just as well and even better for the big spit ups

5. Bottling supplies - we bought all the bottle paraphenalia and had at least a dozen bottles, but them my eldest didn't take the bottle - my advice is to buy a few bottles and then if you child will take the bottle then invest in more

Posh Little Baby Names - Trendy Baby Boutique Shops - Baby Gifts

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