Mom 4 Life’s 7th Anniversary Celebration!
By mom4life | Category: Current Affairs, Super Sales | Posted Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Do you live in the Northern Idaho area?
If so, please come join us Sunday October 10, 2010 from 10:30-1:00 for a very special Open House Extravaganza!
-5 minute family photos (moms and kids–more info below)
-Fun giveaways
-Freebies
-Refreshments
-Fantastic sale prices on some great Mom 4 Life items!
When and where is the fun taking place?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10:30AM-1:00PM
Amy Waddington’s Photography Studio
602 East Garden, Suite #1
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho 83814
Click here to see this location on Google Maps
I see that this is happening at Amy Waddington’s photography studio, who is Amy Waddington?
There are a lot of great things that could be said about Amy. She is a fantastically gifted photographer with a beautiful studio and a great eye (just look at some of her photos below). But what I love most about Amy is not her great eye, but instead her big heart. On one of the hardest days of my life (the day I gave birth to our stillborn son Sawyer) it was Amy who came and captured those brief and fleeting moments for our family (free of charge!). Talented AND generous? What’s not to love?! I heart Amy and know you will be too, please come and see for yourself!
I saw you mentioned 5 minute family* photos, tell me more about that!
We (Mom 4 Life and Amy Waddington) are putting together a really speical slide show celebrating motherhood. As moms we all have a unique story, yet, we all share the lifelong journey of motherhood. What does being a Mom 4 Life mean to you? Answer that question in one sentence and display it proudly in a beautiful photo with your kids. Amy will edit the photos and I will put them together in a slide show with accompanying music for a beautiful tribute to your journey!
*For this specific shoot we will just feature mom and her kids.
What will the slide show be used for?
The slideshow with accompanying music will be created displaying all of the fun and creative ways that being a Mom 4 Life has meaning for you. This video may also include some short video segments from the photo shoot. It will be shared online by Mom 4 Life and Amy Waddington. A public link will be available so that you may also view and share the final video with family and friends. No personal or family names will be used in the video to protect your privacy.
I want to take advantage of the 5 minute photo shoot, how do I reserve a spot?
Great! Click here to RSVP and leave a comment letting us know your prefered time slots (please leave more than one if you can) or if you are not on facebook, leave a comment here of your top time preferences and we will email you back with your time slot. Please remember that spots are limited and are filled on a first come, first serve basis so act quick!
What should I (and my kids) wear for the photographs?
Your choice of clothing is very important for a photo shoot. Clothing can really make or break a successful session. It is important to remember to stay true to your style but also keep in mind what looks good on camera. We are creating art and clothing is a tool to make that art come to life. I recommend wearing clothing that is embellished (ruffles, buttons, worn out jeans, patches, fur and/or anything that has texture to it. These types of clothing photograph great and it also adds another element besides the subject. I also recommend color and lots of it! Go bold, layer bright colors and mix patterns. Please check out Amy’s galleries and blog to get ideas from others. She also has a “clothing” suggestion tab on her blog. Go check it out! =)
What time should I arrive?
Each photo session will be short and sweet. Our goal is to keep it to about 5 minutes. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled time slot. We will take a photo of you and your kids holding your answer to our question, “What does being a Mom 4 Life mean to you?” and (if desired) one without the sign (that you may choose to purchase). We will also have some fun goodies waiting for you (and your kids) inside the studio so plan to come early or stay a bit later to enjoy all that we have planned for you.
What if I would like to purchase the photo of myself and my kids?
Amy will take a photo of you and your kids both with and without your written response to our question. These images will be available to preview and purchase once they have been edited. Amy is generously donating her time to help us with this fun project. If you are pleased with the photo, we encourage you to consider purchasing it as a fun reminder of your day!
I am not interseted in the photo shoot but would like to come for the open house, tell me more!
Regardless of if you plan on getting your photo taken, we hope you will stop by for our Open House. We will have a wide assortment of Mom 4 Life products marked down as much as 50% to celebrate our 7th Anniversary. In addition, we will also have refreshments (for the moms and the kids) as well as some free gifts!
We hope to see you there!
A pee what?
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Family Focus, The Journey of Motherhood | Posted Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I have officially had it with wet nights. Every morning Quinten wakes up with a ripe poopy diaper (and usually clothes). Oh well, he’s only one, what can I expect? BUT his older siblings. . . well lets just say (hypothetically of course cause that wouldn’t be fair to have this on their public permanent record) that they are creating extra laundry for me each morning too.
I thought I had heard of every potty training aid out there but I couldn’t have been more wrong. No one had ever breathed a single word to be about the . . . “pee alarm.”
What?! You haven’t heard of it either? Well oh uninformed one, let me enlighten you!
The pee alarm (see photo above–oh and also note Ashlyn’s adorable collection of “retired” WubbaNubs which have had ’surgery’ to remove their Soothie pacifier) is a device that is affixed to your child’s clothing. The red squarish portion has a large diaper pin on the back which allows you to attach it to their shirt. The other end is a small clip that you clamp onto the front of their panties (or underwear). These two parts are connected by a cord that is long enough to allow the panties to be pulled down to go potty but still remain attached however, they can be detached in the case of an “accident” (which I will discuss below).
The point of the alarm is to wake up your child as soon as they begin to go the bathroom helping their brain to begin to retrain itself to recognize the feeling of needing to go the bathroom with the need to wake up. Once the alarm signals the child is then led (not carried) to the bathroom by the lucky parent who is “on shift” that night (we take turns in our home) and given the chance to finish what they started in the toilet. After this, the clip end of the alarm is rinsed out under water and fully dried.
Then comes the laundry–new panties, new pajamas and new bedding, re-affix the alarm and then back to bed! The tub has become our “pee” hamper holding all the night time soils and awaiting the morning trip to the washing machine.
After a few nights I got smart and realized that we should forgo the “modern bedding” and simply use towels for the time being. (By the way, do you like my $3 bed canopy yard sale find?)
Our pee alarm journey began just over a week ago. I am told that it can take several weeks to fully retrain the brain to wake up on its own when it is time to go potty. I am cautiously optimistic because the last two nights Ashlyn woke up dry, but we are holding out for a longer track record before she officially graduates from the alarm (it can’t be that easy, nothing ever is). The wonderful friends that are loaning us this pee alarm have boasted of its success for several families that have used it. We can’t wait to add our names to the list and begin the process again with child #2. I will be sure to share with you when we reach that milestone so that the celebration can be shared on a wider scale.
Oh, I almost forgot. In case some of you are crazy enough curious enough to want to consider this alarm for your child, you can find this bedwetting alarm here on Amazon. It isn’t cheep but neither are diapers and for moms who have HAD ENOUGH it just might be worth the try 
! I noticed the Amazon reviews are pretty glowing and if it was only mom invented I would likely carry it on Mom 4 Life 
!
Do tell: Have any of you used a bed-wetting alarm? Had you even heard of one (maybe you all have and I was just somehow in the dark)? Anyone else struggling with getting your older child(ren) to stay dry though the night?
Almost Apple Pie (shhhhhh it uses zucchini instead)!
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Recipes & Kitchen Tips | Posted Monday, September 27, 2010
We had a garden this year. It was kind of our first. I say kind-of because my husband has been faithfully trying to grow tomatoes since we got married (or so it seems). Each year something seems to go wrong (they are planted too late, the spring is too cold, the first frost comes too soon. . .). But what I really love is that he doesn’t give up. This year we diversified (when I say we, I mean he). Our garden had several goodies which included zucchini. It turns out that I really like zucchini! It is AMAZING how versatile this veggie is.
I have used it to make everything from cream of zucchini soup
to Chicken Vegetable Noodle soup
and (of course) zucchini bread and layered zucchini quiche
and now. . . a few friends told me about (ta-da) almost apple pie!
By now I have either bored you to tears about zucchini or you are just being kind enough to get to the end of this post. If you are still hanging in there I hope this ending will be well worth your time.
I have to say that zucchini pie almost apple pie is amazing. It is easy to make (no crust) and tastes almost exactly like apple pie. EVERYONE in our family loved it as did some other innocent bystanders who happened to be around when I was making it and fell prey to my taste test challenge (wahhhaaaaaaa).
Interested to know how to make this little wonder?
*To view this almost apple pie recipe in a more printable form, click here.
1) First peal and slice up 6 cups of zucchini.
2) Then bring some water to a boil and simmer them for just a few minutes (until they start getting tender).
3) Drain them in a colander.
4) Mix together:
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
3 T flour
1 1/2 T lemon juice
Dash of salt
Dash of nutmeg
5) Add this to your zucchini in your pie pan. Your zucchini will look a little soupy, this is okay.
6) Mix together:
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 butter
7) Add your topping to your pie and bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes until the topping is brown and pie is bubbly.
Top with vanilla ice cream (optional but oh so good) and enjoy!
VERY Sadly I don’t have an “after” photo. The day that I made this recipe for the first time was the day Hunter broke is arm. Hunter and I spent the evening in the ER while our family enjoyed the pie (no I am not bitter, luckily they saved us some). But, I never got a chance to take that nice photo to show what it looks like finished. So this just means you will have to make it to find out how this story ends!
Do tell: are there any other great zucchini recipes I should try? I still have a few more waiting for me on the vine. . .
Black Bean Brownies
By mom4life | Category: Recipes & Kitchen Tips | Posted Sunday, September 26, 2010
Just in case someone else enjoys chocolate and on the off chance that brownies are on the list of foods you like. . .
Try this new version on for size.
Looking to cut the fat in your brownies? I tried this tip from the Consumer Reports Shopsmart magazine:
“Use beans instead. Honest, we tried it, and they were yummy! Just liquefy a 15.5 ounce can of black beans (juice and all) in a blender. Stir into a package of your fave brownie mix-no oil, eggs, or other ingredients needed (we added up to 4 tablespoons of water to get the mix to its usual consistency). Bake per package instructions.”
The result was amazingly good! Several different taste testers tried them out (8). 6 of the 8 found them to be very good and could not detect any bean flavor. 2 testers did not care for them. One found them to be “too chocolatey” (guess you can’t please everyone) and the other didn’t like the consistency (they turned out more fudgy than normal). I believe the person that found they had too much chocolate flavor also wouldn’t have cared for the regular version because the type of brownie mix used was a triple chocolate brownie mix (because I am a firm believer that there can NEVER be too much chocolate).
Overall I was very impressed with how they turned out and love that not only does it increase the protein but it cuts down on the fat. Give them a try and let me know what YOU think!
If you are feeling extra adventurous, try out these Amazing Black Bean Brownies that use no flour and no sugar! A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and they were really amazingly good especially considering the ingredients.
Do you have any substitutions you use in your recipes that could could share?
Weekly Giveaway – The Zaky
By mom4life | Category: 4 Free Friday Giveaway | Posted Friday, September 24, 2010
Congratulations to Tiffany, who won a Padalily Stylish Car Seat Handle Cover in the style of her choice! All Padalilys will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night)!
Here is what a few of our “hunters” have said so far:
PLUS, we are still running our Super Sale ! Over 50 items marked down to rock bottom prices!
Retail Value: $56.95
The Zaky by Zakeez is the award-winning bonding, therapeutic, and positioning pillow, ergonomically designed to help the baby feel protected and comfortable while assisting parents and their children feel closer to each other.
It is a soft but weighed pillow, partially filled that conforms to the baby’s body. It imitates the look, feel, weight, scent, and warmth of the parents’ hand and forearm. It assures proper positioning, helps with pain management and sleep, provides a sense of protection, and assists with the physical and psychological development of the child.
- Chemical free, breathable, antipilling, antiallergenic, extra soft micro fleece material with polyester lining
- Filling is antifungal, antimicrobial and does not get too hot or warm under a heating source
- Safe and durable
- Can be used with patients as little as 450g
- Designed for NICU’s
- Safe to apply directly to baby’s skin
- Breathable and comfortable (won’t cause baby to sweat)
- Contours to surface on which it is positioned
- Stimulates the hand and touch of parent
- Provides boundaries so baby feels protected
- Great for premature, full-term babies, and multiples
- Helps babies transition to new environments
- Can be used alone or in conjunction with other positioning items
- Can be warmed in a towel warmer or dryer
- Washer and dryer safe
How do you win?
“Share your thoughts” on The Zaky below and/or by congratulating Yamile!
You have until Tuesday, September 28th, to enter!
