Weekly Special: The Parking Pal & Penalty Pal!
By parkingpal | Category: Meet the mom inventor, Mom 4 Life News & Giveaways, New Products | Posted Thursday, January 10, 2013
Read below to find out how to get a free Penalty Pal in addition to 20% off the Parking Pal as well as the Penalty Pal!
Hi, my name is Denise and I’m a mom to 3 boys ages 11, 9, and 7. I stay busy homeschooling the boys and work part time as an RN in Maternity. I spent most of 2011 fighting breast cancer. I am now cancer free and feeling great. About 6 years ago I invented a product called the Parking Pal. After having my 3rd child, I found myself sounding like a broken record in parking lots. I was constantly telling the older boys to “stay by the car” while I was getting the baby in or out. I new there had to be a better way to keep kids from wandering away from the vehicle. The idea of the Parking Pal came to me…and after developing our first prototype, I couldn’t believe how well it worked!
There is no other product like the Parking Pal on the market. But what is really amazing, is how well it works. Even parents with difficult kids who didn’t think it would work, have been amazed with how well their kids use it. It definitely makes running errands with kids much less stressful!
Not too long ago Heather and I created a video about my product, I invite you to view the Parking Pal review video here.
We are happy to have recently released another product called the Penalty Pal. The Penalty Pal is a removable wall decal used for time-out spots. In the short time it has been on the market, we have gotten some wonderful reviews! We hope to release several new products within the next few years.
We have been so blessed through our business that we feel it is really important to give back. Since both my mom (business partner) and I have had breast cancer, we donate to a local breast cancer fund. It helps other women going through the same things we did. I hope and pray that someday soon there will be a cure for cancer!
Parking Pal Magnetic Hand Print for the Car
$9.50, for one week only $7.60 with free shipping as always!
$7.99, for one week only $6.39 with free shipping as always!
We have two Penalty Pals to giveaway! So the first two orders for a Parking Pal that mention this blog post, will receive a free Penalty Pal in their order! Hurry!
Meet the Mother-Daughter Inventor Team Behind Sprout Shell!
By sproutshell | Category: Meet the mom inventor, Surprize Me! | Posted Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Hi! I’m Kirsten, one of the moms behind Sprout Shell. I’m married and have two little ones and another on the way. We live in the San Francisco Bay area and enjoy the great weather and beautiful landscapes. I’m often asked how Sprout Shell got started. It’s a bit of a long story, but a good one I think.
When my mom, Sheri, gave birth to my little sister in the fall of 1998, she realized the weather would soon be turning cold and she would be forced yet again to cover the infant carrier with a blanket whenever she stepped outside. Like every mom on-the-go, she was quickly reminded of how difficult it is to keep a blanket draped over the carrier handle while trying to prevent it from flying away and exposing her baby to the elements. She was also reluctant to suffocate her daughter under multiple blankets. After searching every baby store for a solution, but finding nothing that worked like she wanted, she made a cover of her own – one that fit all the way around the infant seat with elastic in the bottom to hold it in place, plus a hole in the top for the handle to fit through so her hand wouldn’t slip, and and opening so she could see her baby inside its tent-like enclosure.
Years passed, and she was continually amazed that no one had the same idea she did. Then it all really began in 2008, when I was about to have my first baby. I asked her to make me one of her covers. We’d still never seen anything like it, and we got frustrated every time we saw someone using a blanket to cover their infant carrier. We were convinced the world was in serious need of a truly functional infant carrier cover, and Sprout Shell was born.
It is designed with both baby and mom in mind. The difference between the Sprout Shell and anything else on the market is the over-the-handle design that creates an enclosure for the baby, protecting its entire body from the elements. It also allows access to the carrier handle so there is no slipping, and the elastic makes attaching or removing the cover quick and easy! The stylish and diverse fabric choices make using Sprout Shell fun and fashionable for both mom and dad. Plus, moms can use it for a nursing cover, shopping cart cover and high chair cover, so they save a lot of money over buying each product individually.
It has definitely been an adventure so far! We knew nothing about running a business when we started and have learned everything as we went along. Sometimes it’s a little crazy being moms, plus wearing all the hats of a business owner too. But we have a lot of fun, and we love interacting with our customers.
We love getting input from moms on what would make it better, so over the years we’ve made it bigger and added a pocket for on-the-go essentials. We also enjoy getting in touch with hospitals and the parents of babies that need extra protection. It’s rewarding being able to give them something that helps keep their vulnerable babies safe from the elements and germs outside the hospital.
Sprout Shell 3 in 1 Chic Infant Carrier Covers
$45.00 + free shipping (as always)!
Meet Elisa, Undercover Mama Inventor!
By undercovermama | Category: Meet the mom inventor | Posted Tuesday, December 11, 2012
My Name is Elisa and I am the founder of Undercover Mama. I have five beautiful daughters ages 8 months to 12 years and one wonderful son age 5. We live in a fairly small town in Utah at the base of a mountain. I homeschool my children and love the flexibility and time together that it affords us.
I came up with the idea for the Undercover Mama shortly after the birth of my fourth baby. I breastfed all my babies and felt I should have been a pro by then, but still found myself struggling awkwardly in public, with a squirming, loud, impatient newborn. I couldn’t afford a whole wardrobe of nursing shirts and just wanted to return to my regular wardrobe. What made me uncomfortable was the thought of my sides and belly showing when I lifted my shirt to nurse. I tried various undershirts with slits and holes, but they all made it very awkward to get my bra open and closed.
Then the idea just came to me. I wanted an undershirt that attached directly to my nursing bra and required no extra layers to dig through in order to breastfeed. I sewed prototypes myself and did a lot of research and testing. After very positive responses, I decided to go for it and made it a goal to launch before my baby’s first birthday. I just reached that goal, launching the business the day before he turned one.
Undercover Mama just had its fourth birthday and it has been an exciting adventure. It took a lot of sacrifice without anything in return before I could see the payoff of all that hard work. I was very strapped for cash at the time and was able to launch with less than $1,000. This meant that I learned how to do everything or found help through the skills of family and friends.
I found out I was expecting another baby just weeks after launching and it was a very difficult pregnancy from start to finish. This made it hard to do anything but the basics, but the word about Undercover Mama continued to spread on its own. I knew I was onto a great thing. However, I also knew that my family would always come first and if I really wanted to see my business grow, I needed to find the right partner to assist me. It was hard to accept that I just couldn’t do it all! I am so grateful for finding my business partner Elena! Together we have made Undercover Mama so much more than I could have alone without sacrificing the things that are the most important to me.
We feel we have been so blessed and love giving back, especially to charities that benefit women and children. Last year we donated to micro-funds that help women entrepreneurs in third world countries to start and grow their business. This year we chose a wonderful children’s hospital to give to, so all who have the need may receive the care they need.
I am so grateful for all the mamas out there who continue to spread the word about Undercover Mama and feel very honored to know I have been a part of making so many mom’s breastfeeding experience better!
Undercover Mama, Make ANY Shirt a Nursing Shirt
$24.99 for one/ $19.99 each for two or more!
Pregnancy Piercings Flexible Belly Button Rings For Pregnant Women
By pregnancypiercings | Category: Meet the mom inventor | Posted Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Moms are sooooo creative. I’m continually amazed by the unique and useful products that they invent. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing a handful of creative mothers to you so they can tell you about what they have created. Feel free to post questions that you might have for these mothers or simply stand in amazement along side me:)! The first mom inventor that I wish to introduce you to is Denée and her product is quite simply like no other. I discovered it when I was pregnant for the first time and after using it myself wanted to offer it to other moms. If you are curious to see exactly how it works, I invite you to watch the Pregnancy Piercing YouTube demonstration that I created.
Hi I’m Denée and I invented Pregnancy Piercings to help pregnant women who have made the decision to keep their navel piercing throughout pregnancy. At 20 weeks pregnant it became evident to me that I could no longer keep my stainless steel navel jewelry. I would have to find a product that was long enough and flexible enough to hold my piercing throughout each stage of my expanding belly.
Finally, after much time and research, I came across a material that would meet my needs. With much encouragement and support from friends and family, I began my journey in making this product readily available to all. I now have a two beautiful children – wonderful success story!
I feel my product is the best thing on the web or anywhere for women who would rather keep their piercing than get re-pierced or live with a piercing scar.
Denée Forbes / Owner & Mom
Pregnancy Piercings
Order Pregnancy Piercings here!
MadeOn Skin Care Products: a giveaway and a special offer
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Healthy Living, Meet the mom inventor, Mom 4 Life News & Giveaways | Posted Monday, April 9, 2012
As I mentioned previously, I would not typically disclose products that we decide not to offer on Mom 4 Life. However, I have decided to break the silence and make an exception for a few special companies. The first was Savvy Naturals which I spoke of here. The second was Milliwik games.
Today I want to introduce you to MadeOn Skin Care Products.
MadeOn is owned by Renee Harris a mom of–get this–EIGHT kids ages 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 10 (twins), 12 and 14 (isn’t that amazingly awesome)?!
Renee’s products were born in much the same way that many products invented by moms are–out of a need. Renee was in the kitchen a lot (surprise, surprise) and her hands were suffering. She says:
I had the worst pain from the tips of my fingers that were often covered in Band-aids from the cuts and splits from my daily activities and extremely dry skin. My hands were my most important tools, but they caused me intense suffering… until the lotion bar.
Renee discovered that three simple ingredients (coconut oil, beeswax and Shea butter) melted and mixed together to form “hard” lotion would change everything. She discovered that:
Not only did that first lotion bar heal up my skin within days, but we tried it with my son’s seasonal eczema, and I was ecstatic that his pain also ended with the lotion bar.
After this, her discovery took action.
Something that was so easy to make turned into a family business after my older boys and I took it to the farmer’s market for testing. I received great feedback from customers at the market, as well as several online groups who agreed to test it and fill out surveys.
Renee knows her stuff. Not only does she create some amazingly pure skin care products, but she goes above and beyond in extending a wealth of information on her website, blog, YouTube videos and newsletters. The products she makes are simple, so simple in fact that they can be done in your own kitchen and I love how she has taken the initiative to provide easy DIY kits for those who enjoy making things themselves. And for those of us who just want a quality product made from pure, safe ingredients, can simply order Renee’s finished products and enjoy the beautifully wrapped, finished product that comes right to your doorstep.
Around Christmas time a friend and I got together to mix up a large batch of homemade hard lotion bars for gifts using the three ingredients mentioned above. It was fun, but it certainly gave me a new sense of respect for what Renee does. There is a science to the measuring. At fist we used too much Shea butter and it was too sticky. Then it was re-melted and more coconut oil and beeswax was added and even though it wasn’t sticky, it was not as soft as I would like. Then I remembered I wanted to add some essential oil to the bars so I remelted it AGAIN and added some jasmine oil. In the end they turned out nice but I did include a little disclaimer on the gift tag mentioning how they were a little harder than they should be and might be best if used on feet:). In the end, I think it would have been much easier had we opted for the DIY kit that Renee offers. I LOVE her statement here:
I KNOW dry skin and the pain it brings. Because I’ve enjoyed the interaction that I get from my customers, I’ve created DIY videos for the lotion, as well as other products that we’ve developed based on customer request and our own family’s needs. Whether you purchase here, or create your own, give it a try and I believe you’ll be very happy with the results. Let me know how it works for you!
Isn’t that gracious and kind? It is true too, this stuff does work. As a delightful surprise, one friend who was gifted my homemade lotion bars reported back to me that her husband (whose hands suffer from Eczema) was loving my lotion bar and was seeing great results with it as compared to his steroid cream. Later her dog found it and apparently liked it too so let this be a warning to keep your lotion bars away from your pets 
!
I have tried a few of Renee’s products including her:
-Au Chocolat lotion bars These use cocoa butter instead of Shea butter and offer a lovely chocolate aroma that is simply delightful! I keep a small pocket size bar in my office and in my purse and a full size bar in my bathroom.
-Beesilk Junior lotion bars These are made for more delicate skin that doesn’t need the intensity of hardness and protection that the Beesilk hard lotion bar provides (perfect for babies, young children, or those dealing with extreme skin issues). Beesilk Jr feels more like a lanolin, but with easy application.) Click here to see Renee’s YouTube video of her Beesilk Junior lotion bar.
-Coffee soap which cleverly helps remove kitchen odor such as garlic or onions from your hands! It is made from Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Brewed Coffee, Coffee Grounds, Goat Milk, sodium hydroxide (lye). Click here to see Renee’s YouTube video of her coffee soap.
By now I have a feeling you are ready to get your hands on some of Renne’s products! Well I have good news for you, Renee has generously offered to give away TWO $20 gift certificates to her website AND is willing to offer all Mom 4 Life blog readers a special 10% discount (simply use the code “mom4life” on her website). The discount is good until April 30th.
To enter the giveaway: simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below (you need to be on the blog to see and use the form). There are several ways you can enter so have fun. We will choose our winner next Monday April 16th.
Heather Ledeboer
I am a Christian, wife, mom and the owner of Mom 4 Life. I have a passion for helping moms and encouraging them in their journey through motherhood. I invite you to journey along with me!
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