Need some bling? For your kids I mean!

My blog seems to be turning into a bit of a review site, but I have to share when I see such cute and adorable stuff! I came across this site, http://www.bling-baby.com/ and wow does Jennifer, the owner and creator, make great things! She basically adds bling to just about anything for your kids. She does onesies, t-shirts, shoes, wipes cases, pacifier, barrettes...EVERYTHING! Here's what Jennifer has to say,

"Let's face it...all girls are born LOVING bling.The minute I found out that my friend Carolyn delivered a baby girl I could not wait to deck her out in something pink that sparkled! I was surprised how hard it was to find the perfect, personalized baby gift. (Even in a big city like Chicago). I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I guess I'm more of a "chip off the old block" than I ever thought. My mother has always encouraged me to satisfy my artsy side through various craft projects. Since I couldn't find the perfect gift, I decided to make my own design for Taylor and that is where BLiNG-BABY was born.I love the idea of creating personal designs for children that are affordable and adorable. Whether it be their name, nickname, initials or just something endearing to Mom & Dad, make it sparkle and say it in BLiNG!
As the developer of BLiNG-BABY, I want to thank you for visiting my website. What started out as a fun hobby is turning into the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Make sure to check back from time to time as new items will be added to the collection."

If you're looking for a unique gift, visit http://www.bling-baby.com/ today!

50 orders packaged and still going!

Ok, so every once in a while I have good days with OnTray orders. Then Friday came and a review of OnTray posted to www.celebrity-babies.com/reviews! OH MY GOSH!!! I had no idea that from that review I would get over 1000 hits to my web site in 2 days and 50 + orders (mostly 2 & 4 OnTray's per order). I also had quite a few inquiries from retailers wanting to carry OnTray, and I wanted to scream "YOU COULD HAVE THESE FLYING OFF YOUR SHELVES!" In fact, one retailer e-mailed me and said, "Laura did you advertise somewhere? I sold 6 OnTray's in one day!" I was so excited to hear that. If you're reading this and want to talk about becoming a retailer, visit my site, http://www.ontray2go.com/ and e-mail me from there. OnTray & I will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Parents Magazine, so I would LOVE to have some more retailers to be able to send customers to. Let's talk today!

No such thing as FREE press!

Today Ellie Merritt, with our local NBC affiliate here in Columbus, came to the house to interview me about OnTray and being a WAHM. Well, first of all, I woke up with a horrible headache and that threw me into major panic mode about how I was going to come across on film. Second of all, she gets here and is even more beautiful in person, about 10 feet tall & weighs no more than a minute. Great, now I have a headache and a self complex issue! Anyway, she was FANTASTIC! So personable, sophisticated and easy to talk with. I didn't feel intimidated (well maybe a little) and I'm hoping that the editing room at NBC4 is ready to make me look like I didn't have a headache and maybe 15 pounds lighter :). Ellie wanted the boys to be here so she could see how it is to work from home and balance playing with the kids. I was worried that the boys wouldn't be on their best behavior, so last night at bath time I bribed them. Yes, not my proudest moment, but what's a mom to do? Well as soon as they left (and I mean AS SOON as they left) we were off to Target. $60.00 later the boys were happy, and I realized that there really is no such thing as free press!

Ellie Merritt has a great blog about the struggles of juggling all there is in life when you become a parent and a working one at that! She invites her readers to share their thoughts, chat and even laugh about things happening around the! Check it out at :http://www.wcmhblogs.com/ellie

OnTray & YouTube

I came across this great site, www.joeprah.com from following Joe, the Joe in Joeprah, on Twitter. His site is fantastic. He is a stay-at-home dad to three girls (is everyone going ahhh?) and runs this site about all things parent related. He talks about the women in the neighborhood not allowing him to joining the Wine Club, or how his daughter draws on the wall and even how he's been voted a Hot Male Blogger! Anyway, I sent him an OnTray to try out and review. He did! Not only did he review it, he videotaped using OnTray. Check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf8ubvkZ_EE

4200 feet up in Canaan Valley, West Virginia

My parents have a place in beautiful Canaan Valley, West Virginia. We took the boys there over the 4th and Chad had an idea to take all of them up Timberline's (a ski resort) ski lift that's open during the summer for scenic trips. Anyway, I agreed (even though I was scared to death the boys were going to slip through the rail), and we took the plung, or should I say we headed up the mountain. Here's a picture of Jack, Luke & Ty once we got to the top. They LOVED it! When we got up there, Luke said, "Mama, isn't this beautiful?" Luke also told us he wants to learn how to snowboard this ski season. He's 4! The kid just cracks me up. We hiked around a little bit while we were up there. I think our oldest, Jack, was hoping he'd see a bear. There were signs all over the place, "Don't Feed the Bears", or "Bear Country" so Jack thought for sure he'd see one. I kept asking him what he would do if he actually saw him. He didn't answer me, his eyes just got as big as silver dollars!

Ok, seriously, how sweet is this?

I saw this little Mom-invented product and I instantly feel in love with it. It is a giant, soft, sweet, cozy band-aid for those boo-boos that don't bleed. Stomach aches, bruises, hurt feelings...anything really. Just something for them to love on while they're hurt. Here's what the mom behind this great product says about creating it:

"I was introduced to the magic of adhesive bandages when my son was younger. He wanted a bandage for every minor bump. My strict rule of 'no blood no bandage' just made the tears and drama increase. I finally realized that this little piece of plastic provided some real benefit for my son that allowed him to recover faster and so I stopped resisting. About that time, my son started to complain about aches at bedtime. With the same intensity that he had asked for a bandage for his booboos, he was demanding medicine for his aches. Medicine, however, can do more harm than good and I did not want to give him medicine unless he really needed it. At the time I worked for the company who manufactures Polartec® fabric and had plenty of soft fleece fabric. I made him a wrap that looked like a giant bandage and wrapped it around the part that ached. It worked! He will tell you "it makes me feel better".The (oopdoo)™hug was born!"

I just thought it was fantastic, so I wanted to share! Visit www.oopdoohug.com for more information.

BPA Free, OnTray

I know everyone is paranoid lately about plastics and which are BPA free. No, I don't have any plans to make a stainless steel OnTray (that would cost all of us more) but more than that, OnTray is already made from safe plastic. OnTray is made from #5 Polypropylene and is BPA free! To be honest, I didn't even know to ask about that when I created it 2 years ago. I knew it needed to be made from FDA approved plastic, but that was it. I was excited and relieved quite frankly to discover that #5 PP is a GOOD PLASTIC. I'm providing a link, http://www.bisphenolafree.org/ , so that you can all do your homework and figure out which plastic you should avoid and which you don't. I wish the media would have touched on that a little more rather than scaring us all into stainless bowls, cups and plates and leaving us all broke from it :) !

Another cool site!

Save 10%
on all orders until 6/30/2008.
Use coupon code: grandopen

I think you will find what you are looking for, and more on this new site. There are fabulous products starting with the baby shower, and continuing on into the days of toddler hood. You will find all of your baby shower needs here, including shower invitations, shower games, and shower favors. They carry great gifts for mom and baby, including classy diaper cakes, personalized items, and beautiful baby gift baskets. www.littleonesbabygifts.com also includes a wide variety of baby gear, apparel for mom and baby, and accessories. Some of our featured brands, include BabyLegs, Cozy Cocoon, Luna Lullaby, Jamie Rae Hats, Baby Planet, Trendy Tadpole, Jellybean Apparel, Itzy Ritzy, Zoe & Sprout, Taia Hair Clips, and more. Enjoy!

Mom4Life.com

I may be a little bit biased (the site carries OnTray), but this site www.mom4life.com has it going on! mom4life carries mainly mom created or mom inspired products and offers FREE shipping on everything; no minimums! I just ordered this t-shirt for Chad for Father's Day http://www.mom4life.com/catalog.php?item=1305. I think because they carry OnTray I never really looked at all the fantastic items Heather(the great owner) searches high and low for. If you're looking for some terrific, tried and true and well priced items, head over to the site today!

OnTray, a review and Wal Mart!

I just like showing you where OnTray has been. Oh yeah, and another review :) !

http://www.mommygoggles.com/2008/06/grocery-store-grins.html

A review of OnTray...

I thought I would share this new review. Mainly because the reviewer tested OnTray at Meijer's which recently placed a test order for their stores in three states! I am excited and hopeful that the sales go well and they'll need to re-order soon. I'll keep you posted!

http://www.momstakeonthings.com/

Can I ask for your vote?

Can I ask for your vote? Buy the way...there's money in it for you! Read below...

"Respond now for a chance to win $50 cash prize*

American Baby Magazine is hosting a contest for the best baby products.
It says, Vote for the best baby products. Which baby products get your seal of approval? Cast your votes for three must-have, can't live without items that make caring for your baby easier -- and your life a whole lot simpler. Winning products receive an AMBY award in our October issue. Include Brand names so we know which companies to recognize for a job well done.

*Ten entries will be selected at random to receive a cash prize. The deadline is June 6, 2008. (Neither voting nor purchase is necessary to be eligible for a prize.)"

####

If any of you have a minute, could you vote for OnTray today? Hey, while you're at it, vote for those other great baby products you can't live without!

E-mail your submission to: amby@americanbaby.com

Thank you all so much!!!

I want to wear my Power Ranger pj's and rain boots!

The other day, Luke and Ty did not want to get out of their Power Ranger pj's and they wanted to go outside. They decided to put on their rain boots. There are my two youngest outside in public (ok so we live on a court with not a lot of traffic...the public is few and far between), but I was a little irritated. I tried and tried to get them to put on clothes, but they refused. Finally I just gave up. I mean really, what's the big deal? I realized something, I want to wear my Power Ranger pj's and rain boots. I want to go out in public and not care what I look like. I want to say "screw you" to all the women that look at me and judge me by the outfit I have on. It blows me away how my children teach me so much. Aren't I suppose to do that for them? Amazing!

I so needed a laugh...

Ok, this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen! There are a couple of these clips where I laughed so hard I was crying. The music cracks me up too. Enjoy! (PS I'm sure they wouldn't have put this together if anyone was harmed)

OnTray & Madness of Motherhood

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Suzette of the Mothers of Madness Internet show based out of Orlando, FL. Sadly I didn't get to travel there for the interview...I sat on a stool in my closet with the door shut so no one could here my energetic boys playing in the other room! Anyway, I had so much fun talking with her. We chatted for about 30 minutes before she finally had enough of me! She and her partner in crime Michelle have a great thing going. They interview mainly moms, working outside of the home or not and offer all kinds of advice and information to help make the madness of motherhood go a little bit smoother! The interview is now on the site, http://www.madnessofmotherhoodshow.com/ .

Me and the other Mompreneurs!

Over the past weekend, I had the privilege of getting together with some women I have been conversing with on a terrific online forum, http://www.mompreneursonline.com/. I joined about 8 months or so ago, and instantly felt connections with these women. Pat Cobe and Ellen Parlapiano are the founders and the women that actually trademarked the word Mompreneurs 10 years ago (they were ahead of their time). We all met in Chicago and had a weekend full of networking, fun, food and some vino (some had more than others!). Anyway, it was amazing that most of us had never met face to face, but we all felt like we had. Women are so relationship oriented, so needing that connection that now I feel like I can promote all of them so much better. I learned some great marketing techniques, organizational skills and networking know how. The weekend was priceless. I encourage any fellow Mompreneur reading this post to check out the forum that I consider an absolute must on a journey that takes you for one heck of a roller coaster ride. It's good to have women around you to hold your hand. Especially on a bumpy ride!

What's a Nuddle?

I first saw Jenn Feldman on Oprah. She has a gorgeous home in CA that was featured on an episode where Nate Berkus visited viewer's homes that had even him impressed. She had some fantastic ideas, one being that monogramming just looks rich. I went out the next day and had a pillow monogrammed. Turns out Jenn is the sister of one of Chad's good friends and co-worker at Casto with him! How weird is that? Well we were out to dinner with Adam (Jenn's brother) a couple of weeks ago and he told us of Jenn's new product, The Nuddle Blanket. The name is a combination of nap & cuddle. Too cute, huh? What makes this blanket so unique is that it is extra long to cover even your tootsies with a foot pocket. It's also made out of ultra-plush material and has handy slats for your arms to slide through (you know so you can still hold the remote or the latest novel you're reading). I'm needing a nap just talking about this thing! Anyway, check it out at www.nuddleblanket.com I think the pictures might have been taken at Jenn's house. You can see all of her gorgeous decor! Best wishes Jenn!

Real Moms Rock!

I found this site and thought, with a name like Real Moms Rock, how can it not be something all moms need to check out? This site was created by 2 stay-at-home-moms who believe that a mom's greatest resource is other moms. They have a section called 'real mom of the month' contest and also have a really cool forum - the mommy lounge - where moms can chat with other moms. Head over there today to check it out!

What a bummer!

I just received some bad news. They didn't go into the details, but Michelle (a producer with the show) said they needed to cancel the segment. She said there was a lot going on over there and if there was a chance for me to be on a future show, they'd keep me posted. I'm completely bummed, and disappointed. It's amazing how excited you can be one day, and down the next. I'm learning from this though. Yesterday I was completely frazzled about how I was going to get everything done in time to leave my boys and fly out on Wednesday. It seriously left me anxious and nervous...all day! Nothing, no TV segment, no interview or any pr is worth me not paying as much attention to my family and business happenings as I do every other day of the week. From here on out, I will prioritize what is important and if great pr comes and bites me in the you know what I'll see if I have enough time to make it happen! (ok so I'm a little bitter!)

UPDATE:

I spoke with a producer at the show, and she assured me that it wasn't me or my product, but they just needed to go a different route . I am at the top of her list when they start to do segments with children products again. I will be ready ,willing and able when they call!

One Minute to Millions and Laura Hamrick

Well, I'm still waiting on a call from another producer, but as it stands right now I am headed to NJ to do a taping for One Minute to Millions on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch! I got the call today around noon from one producer and they are flying me out Wednesday for the taping on Thursday morning! I am excited, nervous, anxious, nervous, scared, thrilled and did I mention nervous?!?!? Please pray that I breathe and do a good job. I don't know what I'm more excited for though, promoting OnTray or sitting next to Donny. He's so darn handsome! I'll keep you all posted.