Mom4Life Blog

Weekly Giveaway - The Diaper Clutch

NOTE: The newsletter went out a day early this week. Oops!

Congratulations to Geri who won the Mocca Diaper Clutch this week. All clutches by The Diaper Clutch will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).

 

We are celebrating our 6th Anniversary by donating 100% of our October profits to moms in need! We have two more days to make it count!

Lil' Tag Alongs Handmade Toy Attachable Baby Blankets by Robitaille Designs

Retail Value: $29.95 - $48.00

One lucky winner will win a small Lil' Tag Alongs Handmade Toy Attachable Baby Blanket in Paris!

Lil' Tag Alongs are brand new at Mom 4 Life, and we're thrilled to announce them and give them away all in the same week! Lil Tag Alongs feature a cute fabric side, and a warm, plush side.

 

The blanket has sturdy gromments around it, ready for you to link your favorite toys on. You can also link it to your stroller. (Links and toys not included.) Choose from seven styles and two sizes.

How do you win?

Comment here and tell us all the things you think you could attach to a Lil' Tag Alongs Handmade Toy Attachable Baby Blanket!

THIS WEEK, you can earn a second entry by following us on Twitter. Post a second time to let us know if you do.

The winner will be randomly drawn. You have until Tuesday night, November 3, to enter.

Good luck!

Halloween Safety Tips from Parking Pal

 

The following safety information is provided by our friends at Parking Pal:

 

 

*Don't assume drivers are being extra careful because it's Halloween!

*Drivers are preoccupied with their cell phones even on Halloween!

*Never cross between cars parked on the street!

*Carefully watch cars parked in driveways. Assume someone is in them ready to back out!

*Watch for cars being driven without lights. Drivers do drive from house to house without their car lights on!

*Be aware when children are frightened they run. Direct them never to run into streets!

*Put reflective strips on sleeves, pants, hats or candy bags. Very inexpensive at the hardware! 

*If driving through neighborhoods make sure children buckle every time they re-enter the car!

*Don't let children exit the car until your out first!

*Have children exit to curb side when possible!

*Carefully watch so your children don't get into a strangers car!

 

WE Magazine features Heather!

Heather made the top 15 in the list of finalists of "Women on a Mission" for WE Magazine's fall cover story. You can read it right here!

Wardrobe Rescuers

Mom 4 Life has added three great new products to help you fight wardrobe malfunctions!

For Mom:

You already love the Bella Band. Now, we not only have it in original and lace, but in ORGANIC!

 

For Girls:

Francie Pants Shorts and Undergarments come to the playground rescue! Now your daughter can be a kid and still be modest.

 

SockOns 

 keep socks locked in place! No more little newborn socks that won't stay on and drop at random places throughout your house.

Greased Down

 "You pour oil on my head.
      My cup runs over.
 I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me
      all the days of my life."

Psalm 23:5b-6a

I don't understand some sports. Well, really. I don't understand most sports. It really isn't my strong suit.  I really don't understand what makes some sports appealing to watch. One of the ones I really don't get? Boxing. Two men get in a ring and fight on purpose. They punch each other and make each other bleed....and people cheer and scream and think it is exciting.

I don't get it.

I did learn something new tonight, however, as I was sitting here blogging while my husband watched the sport in question. I learned that boxers put Vaseline on their face before the fight. Why? Apparently to lessen the impact of the punch as the opponent's glove slides off their face.

Hmmm.....

It got me thinking. I LOVE the relationships shown throughout Scripture of the natural to the spiritual. One such illustration is that oil is used to represent the Holy Spirit. Oil was used to fill the lampstand in the tabernacle, that was to be forever kept burning and never put out. It represented our continual need for the Holy Spirit. People were anointed with oil to show that God had a special purpose for them, or when they were being prayed over for healing.

So if we think through this in the spiritual, what happens when we are "greased" down with the Holy Spirit and someone throws a punch at us? The enemy's glove slides off!

That is how we can tolerate the hatred of the world, friends! That is how we can keep our confidence in the Lord while being bombarded with insults. Because we let the Holy Spirit grease us down. He makes us slick, so the attacks slide off.  

With your kids...

Consider doing something with your kids that will illustrate these concepts to them.

1. You could polish or waterproof a pair of shoes then drop water on them and watch it bead up.
2. Wax the car together and the spray it down and watch the water bead up.
3. Pour oil in a measuring cup, then dump it out. Then fill the same cup with something sticky like honey or molasses. Then dump out the sticky stuff and watch it slide right out.
4. Play catch, but butter your hands up first.

Talk about how when we belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit seals us up like a waterproof coating. Others can say mean things to us or hurt our feelings, but Jesus will help it slide right off if we let Him. We can keep forgiving and loving people because Jesus is the one that loves us. It is okay if others don't always show us love. We can give them some of our extra, because Jesus gives us more than we need.

by Angela Gifford

www.thosewithyoungblog.com

Going Green On a Budget: Reuse

Reuse

I am a huge fan of Reusable products and would love to share some of my favorites! Reusable products tend to be cuter, safer, and overall better! 

Reusable bags.

For those of your who have started on a go green kick and have recently been saving money either by saving resources or recycling here is where I recommend you invest some of it.There is something about walking into a store with your reusable bags that makes you feel great! Truth Be Told you really should! I have about 3 different styles I use. Cotton netted stretchy bags, canvas bags, and those huge Whole Foods Bags. My favorite bag so far seems to be the netted bag.

They are about three dollars at your local Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I love these because they stretch to fit around all the items in the bags. They can hold up to the weight or a gallon of milk and 2 dozen eggs plus some smaller items. I push these bags to the limit sometimes and they still work great!  The giant whole foods bags are great as well because they are extremely sturdy and can hold a lot of items, big or small. Plus they only cost about 1-2 dollars a bag. I haven't worked with any produce bags or insulated but people swear by them. I'll update when I try them out!

Reusable Bottles.

Water bottles are one of the leading pieces of waste around and most of these have not even been tested for chemicals. You can only use them once otherwise they leech BPA and other chemicals into your used-to-be "Mountain Spring Water". The best way to reduce this waste is to by some reusable water bottles. My personal favorite for us adults are the Klean Kanteens. They use pure food grade aluminum, very little paint on the outside (which is why they don't do large graphics), and have never been known to have BPA or other harsh chemicals. I also love that once they start getting a little old (as if) they are 100% recyclable! Yay! Also Klean Kanteed always donates tons of their profits to organizations such as 1% for the planet, Breast Cancer Fund, and Healthy Child.  They can cost you as low as 15.50 when you buy two 18 oz bottles.

For your child I recommend you get a good stainless steel sippy cup. We all know baby's and children love to chew on straws and sippy cups. With my daughter teething right now she is chewing on hers like no body's business. This is why I recommend the Safe Sippy. This brand offers only stainless steel products with BPA free plastic spouts. I love the features of the 2 in 1 Safe sippy, it is rounded to fit little hands, and easily goes from a safe sippy to a safe "I'm to old for sippys, I want to use straws" straw bottle.

This option is available in different colors at the Mom 4 Life store. 

Reusable Lunch Products

Considering I'm breastfeeding constantly and my daughter is sensitive to many foods, I am constantly carrying snacks. I would not be eco chic if I carried my products in plastic baggies or even paper bags so I love reusable lunch items. I am a big fan of sandwich bags that are reusable and these are the bee's knee's. They are recycled sandwich bags that fold out to eat on. The are made of BPA, Phthalate, free recycled and recyclable plastic! They are a great buy at about $25 for five and super cute. They can be used with anything that a plastic baggie would normally be used for!

Recently I went to a pool party with my Attachment Parenting mommy group. This mommy had the best containers ever. She informed me they are made with stainless steel and the lids from recycled plastic. The go green shopping addict in me went "Ding, Ding, DIng". These stainless steel containers come in a trio of three for $25 dollars in a small, medium, and large size. They work great and keep your food fresh because the lids are air tight.

This last item is a reusable snack bag. It has a waterproof lining made PVC free with a lead free zipper. This bag is FDA approved and is actually machine washable. Amazing! Plus the outside is a cute cotton print of you choice and for $9.95 only, you will never need to buy those leeching plastic snack baggies again. When buying reusable lunch product look for things that say PVC, BPA, and Phthalate free. This optimized the chances that you are buying only the safest products!

I suggest that you always check out this site first as Mom 4 Life supports only mom made products of the highest quality!
 

These are the basics for reusable products and I hope to be posting some more tips soon. You can visit Truth Be Told for my previous Go Green On a Budget Tips, as well as tips on Cloth Diapering.

Weekly Giveaway - The Diaper Clutch

Congratulations to "sciencegirl" who won the Blue Central Park Booyah Baby Stroller Liner this week. All Booyah Baby Stroller Liners will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).

We are celebrating our 6th Anniversary by donating 100% of our October profits to moms in need!

The Diaper Clutch Diaper and Wipes Container in One

Retail Value: $22.99

One lucky winner will receive The Diaper Clutch in Mocca!

Mocca Print

Throw a couple of diapers and a disposable wipes package into The Diaper Clutch and you are ready to go! The stylish Diaper Clutch is available in almost twenty fabric choices, that will make any mom feel a little more "put together".

How do you win?

We have a short opportunity to get our hands on some BabyLegs that are typically ONLY offered in Japan! Take a look at our BabyLegs listing, scroll almost to the bottom, and take a look at the Japanese styles. Comment here on your favorite pair.

Don't forget to place a pre-order, if you'd like us to get some for you! You can pre-order anytime before Monday, October 25th.

The winner will be randomly drawn. You have until Tuesday night, October 27th to enter.

Good luck!

Clippie Holders by Ribbies

We've made another permanent price adjustment!

The Clippie Holders by Ribbies have been reduced from $36.00 to $29.25!

These cute holders each come with six clips inside, and we have five collections available. With choices from pinks to purples to earthy and rainbow, there is sure to be a collection that goes with your little girl's wardrobe.

SIDS Awareness Month

October is

SIDS, Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month.

We want to make you AWARE of some unique items we carry at Mom 4 Life, with SIDS prevention in mind.

The Baby Sleeps Safe Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouch allows you to choose a position on the mattress that you want your baby to sleep and wrap the panel around the mattress. The sleep sack then velcros the baby's back to the panel, so they cannot turn to their tummy. It also helps with keeping the baby in position if you need to elevate their mattress on one end for other health/sleep issues.

 

The Guardian Sleeper Sleep Positioneris similar in concept to the item above, but a much different design.  The Guardian fits over the end of the mattress and then secures the baby in place, in whatever clothes they are wearing.

   

CozyWedge, a Safer, Simpler Crib Bumper offers stylish protection for little ones tempted to get their little body parts stuck between the mattress and the crib. However, this bumper is firm and stays molded to the corner. Baby's face can't get smothered in a soft, squishy bumper pad.

Wonder Bumpersare another unique design that keeps the air circulating well in the crib. Each rail is bumpered individually. Again, they cannot squish down and smother a baby.

Some research indicates that pacifiers aid in reducing the risk of SIDS. We have quite a selection of unique ones at Mom 4 Life.

All Natursutten Pacifiers by Zoe b Organic

WubbaNub Plush Toy Pacifiers

Research also indicates that swaddling is a great way to prevent SIDS. From lightweight blankets, to warm swaddlers, we have lots to choose from!

Loving Baby™ Swaddle Blanket

Snug & Tug Swaddling Blanket by Go Mama Go Designs

  

Scores of choices for the Cozy Cocoon Bunting Sets and Body Socks

 

The Minkee Lined Babybonkie

Australian Muslin Baby Wraps by aden + anais

SwaddleDesigns come in regular, lightweight, and certified organic!

You can view all of our Sleepwear and Swaddling options right here.

 

Eco chic beauty tips

I am excited to introduce Valorie Ruiz.  Valorie has written a guest post for us with some great tips on how to create some homemade beauty products.  I hope you will enjoy her post as much as I did.  Valorie will likely post more from time to time here so you can look forward to her tips on saving money and living green.

On Val's blog she describes herself this way: My name is Valorie, I'm a single mom to a beautiful little love bug named Kiora! I'm an attachment parenting, christian practicin', cloth diaperin', go eco chic kinda mom! Truth be told I love every minute of it. I go to school full time and love to sew!

When most people meet me they don’t get the impression that I’m eco friendly, or green as many say. I have always been one to wear a lot of makeup, use a lot of face or hair products and when I went down a natural road much of my look didn’t change. I still wear foundation, I still paint my nails, and I still wear a lot of shimmery colors. I can tell you that what is now going into my skin is better, truth be told I can’t even say it’s a billion times better because that doesn’t begin to cover it. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics my old face wash was rating a 10 out of 10 for toxicity.

So for those of you who want to still look chic in mommy hood why not go for more of an Eco Chic? I am going to show you some of the easiest ways to get gorgeous hair, nails, and skin right from the comfort of your own home. You will use only fresh ingredients, ones you can actually pronounce!
Every woman wisher for gorgeous shiny healthy hair, I know I do. To get this gorgeous hair, the kind from the Herbal Essence commercials… Take one medium sized avocado, peel it and mash it up! Mix 2 Tablespoons of Honey with it in a bowl. Massage it into your hair and leave it on for about 20-30 minutes. Then wash your hair like normal. This will give you a super sexy shine and a semi sweet scent! Try saying that ten times! I know I did.

On the day I found out I was pregnant I swear my feet swelled and stayed that way. Swelling can do so much harm on those poor little toesies, and with all the running around after baby has been born all of us wish for a nice pedicure. Then you find out everything they use is beyond toxic. So take a few of my next tips for a day at the spa, in your home. For a nice foot soak mix 7 cups of warm water, 2 cups warm milk, and 1/2 cup of honey. Make sure to rinse well and pat dry. If you’re like me and prefer a scrub then here is what I recommend. Take a warm Epsom salt bath, when you are done have your hubby bring you some Epsom salt mixed with a bit of baby oil (to make it pasty). Rub this all over those deserving feet especially around the cuticle area! Rinse off and pat dry! This is just as good as the spa experience, no need to fret about a baby sitter! Top off with some cute Piggy Paint and your good to go!

A cleansing and healing face mask involves 2 ingredients just about every mommy has, Oatmeal and Onions. I know sounds odd, but it’s actually really good for your skin. The onion has healing properties to help heal old acne scars and the oatmeal clears clogged pores! For this you want to boil an ounce of mineral water and pour over 3 tablespoons of oatmeal add a pureed onion (substitute a banana if onion is too weird) while the oatmeal is still warm apply to your face. If the face mask is not thick enough add some honey!

Going green doesn’t have to be the way it was long ago, where everyone thought eco friendly meant NON beauty friendly. We are still allowed to have beauty products! Hooray! Just think of it as Eco Chic!

Here are the recipes again for easy access:

Hair Mask
1- medium avocado peeled and mashed
1- Tablespoon of Honey added to the avocado
Place in hair, keep in for 20-30min, rinse and wash.
 
Foot Soak
7 cups warm water
2 cups warm milk
½ cup of honey
 
Foot scrub
Epsom salt and baby oil until the consistency is pasty.
 
Face Mask
1 oz Boiled mineral water over
3 Tablespoons of oatmeal mixed with
1 onion pureed or 1 banana mashed
Add honey if mask is too thin.
Makes 8 masks.
 
To hear more of my Green, family, beauty friendly tips head over to Truth Be Told, my regular blog!

Don't be a victim of identity theft-educate yourself!

It’s scary but true that last year alone, nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft, making this the fastest growing crime in America! Everyday we may be putting ourselves and our families at risk by simply writing a check, using a credit card or even our ATM cards. The best protection against such identity theft is education.

I was recently made away of the website www.ProtectYourIDNow.org.  I logged on and took their quiz to assess your risk of ID theft and learn helpful tips to keep you and your family safe.  Thankfully, I got a good score on my quiz but I did get two questions wrong, so there were some things I learned.

Since this crime is not going anywhere, it is time for us to fight back!  National Protect Your Identity Week, a program brought to you by NFCC and Council of Better Business Bureaus, is October 17-24. I invite you to visit visit www.ProtectYourIDNow.org where they can get involved in National Protect Your Identity Week events and learn important tips.

Take the quiz and let me know how you scored (can you beat mine;)?

Weekly Giveaway - Booyah Baby

Congratulations to Mrs. H, who won the yellow Baby Sleeps Safe this week. All Baby Sleeps Safe Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouches will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).

We are celebrating our 6th Anniversary by donating 100% of our October profits to moms in need!

Booyah Baby Stroller Liners

Retail Value: $79.00

One lucky winner will receive a Booyah Baby Stroller Liner in Blue Central Park (shown below)!

Wanting a couture way to set apart your stroller from all the others? Booyah Baby may be your answer. We offer twelve trendy styles of Booyah Baby Stroller Liners to customize the pickiest stroller. Besides letting your baby ride in style, the Booyah Baby Stroller Liner is soft and comfy and easily removed for washing when accidents happen.

   

How do you win?

We have created a gift registry for Open Arms PCC and Real Choices Clinic. These are basic items that moms in need could use. If you would like to purchase anything from the registry, we will donate it to Open Arms, and they will get the profits from the sale! Take a look at the registry, and tell us which two items you think moms need the most.

The winner will be randomly drawn. You have until Tuesday night, October 20th to enter.

Good luck!

Remembering Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

October has been designated as "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month", with October 15 as "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day".

I got an email today from a mom named Emily from Stepping Stones Blog that also knows this lost first hand.  She put to words so well my own thoughts.  She said:

How many people go about with no awareness of this topic at all?
 
I know that until it happened to me I had no idea that babies sometimes died. With modern medicine and all the prenatal testing available how on earth can something like this occur? Sure, it happened back in the pioneer days and maybe still in third world countries. But here in the US? In 2009? How can it be that nobody talks about this?
 
And I ask you. How many newspaper articles have you seen this month? How many news features? Magazine articles? Billboards? Emails? Facebook updates? Ah. Well, there you go. Little by little, one by one, we add our voice to those that talk about it.
 
Those who have never had to deal with this sad topic prefer to go about naively. And I don't blame them. I wish I could. It is a sad subject. But once it happens to you, once you have lost a child, you know there is something sadder still. That your baby will be forgotten. Ignored. That people will pretend that they never existed. And that, for me, is what awareness is about.
 
Spreading awareness to me is sharing my child. Saying his name. Educating folks that instead of being silent, all they need to say is "I'm so sorry". Awareness month to me is knowing that I am not alone in remembering my boy. Through memory walks, balloon releases, kindness projects and lighting candles others remember him with me.
 
I invite you to participate tomorrow in a 'Wave of Light'. At 7pm your local time light a candle and place it outside for an hour. And know that you are not alone in remembering your child.
 
I also invite you to stop by Stepping Stones Blog tomorrow and add your baby's name to our list of children we are missing. Together we can help each other not to feel so alone. 

I also invite you to leave a note here with your baby's name and anything else you might like to share to help us remember them with you.

Sending out ((hugs)) to those of you who are missing the hug of a very important child--yours.

The FreeHand Baby Carrier is a back saver!

We love getting feedback. Rachel J. is a Mom 4 Life that purchased our FreeHand Baby Carrier and wrote us back to let us know what she thought of it, thanks Rachel!

Hi Heather,

I just want to let you know I, and Teddy, LOVE my FreeHand Baby Carrier. It has put less stress on my back then the baby bajorn carrier ever did :)We couldn't live with out it now. I have it with me ever where and he rather be in it then the stroller. I have added a picture of us on vacation with him in it with the other kids. ~Rachel J.

hair today, gone tomorrow

I am in the post-partum "hair falling out" stage.  Not my favorite stage.  In fact my favorite by FAR is has been the baby part.  Bummer that so much of the rest isn't as fun:).  I was getting my hair trimmed today and my lovely hair dresser confirmed what I already knew to be the case: "You aren't kidding, you are losing a lot of hair" and then she added what I knew was the worst of it, "your hair was already pretty thin."  *sigh* oh well. . .

Ah but there is a post-partum sage that I am enjoying, the trying out fun new baby products stage!  I am sampling a new product now that I can't wait to tell you about soon.  Which reminds me, if you haven't joined our facebook fan page you are missing out on the chance to chime with your feedback about products we are considering as well as fun random challenges (we just finished an organization challenge in honor of national organization week) and special discounts and sales.  In fact, we are doing a giveaway right now for a Peanut Shell Baby Carrier and all you have to do to enter is give us your feedback on some fabric swatches!  Come join the fun

Weekly Giveaway - Baby Sleeps Safe

Congratulations to Tashena, who won a Tummy Tub® in the color of her choice. Tummy Tubs® will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).

We are celebrating our 6th Anniversary by donating 100% of our October profits to moms in need!

Baby Sleeps Safe Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouch

Retail: $39.99 ON SALE $29.99

One lucky winner will receive a yellow Baby Sleeps Safe Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouch.

Baby Sleeps Safe solves two of parents' critical needs in keeping their babies safe in the crib. It keeps baby on his or her back and prevents the need for any loose blankets. Your baby is kept snug and warm inside the sleeping pouch, so no blanket is needed. The velcro patch on the back prevents baby from being able to roll onto their tummy.

How do you win?

Take a look at our newest products and tell us which one you are most likely to add to your wish list or buy next! You have until Tuesday, October 13th, to enter.

Good luck!

 

7 steps to organizing your child's art

So you have a little Picasso in your home, art work is created, amazing, priceless pieces of art, one after another. . . at some point you have to decide exactly WHAT you are going to do with it.  I am both a minimalist (I have no problem de-cluttering) but I am also sentimental.  Here is what I did to create harmony between those two seemingly incompatible personality traits:

1) We have a large, plastic bin labeled "Old Art" in our hall closet. 

2) Each time my kids create some art I put their name and date on the back and it goes in this bin.  If they come home with some art from school or Sunday School, it goes in the bin. 

3) At the end of the year I pull out the bin and sort through the art pulling out the ones that I think best show their abilities or those that were most sentimental or that they particularly liked. 

4) I scan them into my computer or take a photo of them.

5) I upload the images to MyPublisher and create a digital book with the photos I uploaded. 

6) I order a copy of the book and send the digital version of the book to grandparents for them to view for free.

7) We send the original artwork to friends and family when we send them letters or with Christmas cards.

Below is the front cover of the book we did of Hunter's art last year.  It was the first time I did this project.  I labeled it and added the date.

 

The inside pages are a mix of both art and photos from his school year.

There are several benefits of organizing my kids' art this way.  First, we are creating a book of THEIR work.  It is a special book that they enjoy looking at again and again and are proud to show friends and family.  Secondly, we are blessing others with their art by sending it on.  Third, we are keeping our home free of "extra" stuff while also placing value on their art.  Fourth, we have a back up should the book get damaged that we can easily order another.  I enjoy scrapbooking so this format also makes it easy to print of physical prints of their art for layouts or I can tuck their "art book" in a pocket page.

My next project is to get a magnetic strip put up in our home as a place to display their art before it goes in the bin:).

What do you do with your kid's art?  Any other ideas to share?  Have you used sites other than MyPublisher that you would recommend?

Aunt LaLas Log by Rosie Bear

When Hunter was born I tried to do everything by the book.  I took note of his schedule, I tracked his foods and started him on solids the day they said I should, I determined to avoid toys needing batteries, in short I was going to be the perfect parent and raise the perfect child.

When Ashlyn was born I scrapped the schedule, put off solid foods as long as possible for the ease of breastfeeding and determined that I was not the perfect parent but that my kids and I were perfect for each other.

Now that Quinten has entered the scene I am falling into our happy balance.  One product that has been especially useful for me is the Aunt LaLas Log by Rosie Bear.  This simple yet clever book offers an easy way to record the useful facts from Quinten's daily routine. 

• 90 pages of daily charts that include special columns for jotting down feedings (breastfeeding or bottle feeding), naps, dirty diapers (pee or poop) and a misc. column for noting any medicine or milestones.
• General Information Page for writing down emergency contact info
• Ouchies Pages for noting any medicine administered
• Growth Chart for noting how much a baby is growing
• Comes in Stardard or Twins versions
• Every Aunt LaLa’s Log is lovingly made by hand with 100% post-consumer recycled papers and non-toxic glues
• Made in the USA

I keep it right by his bed and make a note when he wakes up, when I put him to bed along with any other facts that I want to keep track of.  It helped me to see that he was in constant routine during the day of sleeping for an hour then being awake for an hour and feeding each time he awoke.  Knowing this has been helpful and when possible, allowed me to encourage longer sleep times.  I like that it spiral bound allowing it to easily lay open and flat.  I like that there are several things that I can keep track of and that I can do it quickly and easily.  I also like the cute and simple style (mine is the Birds of a Feather design).  I wouldn't say that I do things by the book anymore, but this is one book that I have found to be useful:)!

He Loves Us Intensely by Angela Gifford

  ⁴But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,

    ⁵Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (^[a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).

    ⁶And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us ^[b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

    ⁷He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

    ⁸For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (^[c]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

    ⁹Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

    ¹⁰For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), ^[d]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:4-10 Amplified Version

If you can, print this passage out and highlight every mention of God's love, mercy, kindness, grace, favor, and goodness.

It is His intense love for us that motivated Him to give His life for us. It is His intense love for us that motivates his desire for fellowship and union with us. It is His intense love for us that offers us salvation. It is His intense love for us that motivated Him to prearrange "the good life" for us.

That is beyond good news to this little, curly-headed workaholic. Let me tell you a little about me. I come from a long blood line of "what will people think?" philosophy. I have spent way too many years trying to keep all the rules...not just God's rules, but people's rules, and people's interpretation of God's rules. So many rules.

How many times I have kept the rules and completely missed the heart of God. How about you?

If you haven't heard my heart by now, please hear it today. God wants you! He loves you intensely. He isn't interested in what you think you can do or how well you think you can keep all the rules. He wants to be in fellowship with you.

Without being in relationship with Jesus, how can we:

• follow Him?
• be changed by Him?
• deny ourselves?
• do His will?
• remain in Him?

We can't! We can either spend our whole lives trying to decorate ourselves on the outside, so we look good; OR we can truly join with Jesus, have a relationship with Him, abide in Him and enjoy the life He planned for us - bear the fruit that He will produce in us.

If you haven't ever had that kind of relationship with Jesus, it can start today. I beg you to begin!

I'm praying for you today. I'd love to hear from you if Jesus wins your heart today.  You can comment here or e-mail me at angela@thosewithyoung.com.

A year filled with a thankful heart

Today I turn 31.  I have been thinking a lot about the past year and am filled to overflowing with gratefulness at this last year.  What an amazing blessing it is to look back and have a year full of GOOD, HAPPY, JOY FILLED moments to remember!  It seems like it could be considered my first full year of joy since we mourned the loss of our sweet Sawyer.  God is so good and His faithfulness continues through all generations! (Psalm 119:90)

A few of my favorite highlights from the last year:

October 5th 2008: Celebrated my 30th birthday with friends at a spa (and also got my nose pierced)!

October 2008: Found out we were pregnant with Quinten!

March 2009: Enjoyed the spring after a LONG, cold winter

May 2009: Remembered Sawyer's birthday on the Washington coast on Mother's day

June 2009: Quinten was born!!!!!!!

July 2009: Trent's parents come to visit, meet Quinten and help us with some home projects

July 2009: Planted our yard

August 2009: Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary (note Hunter in his Spiderman costume;)

September 2009: Traveled to Vegas with friends for the ABC tradeshow to find new products for Mom 4 Life (note Quinten in his BabyLegs;)

I don't know what the future holds, but I DO know who holds the future and that will continue to give me joy.  Thank you God for this last year, I trust you with whatever time is left to come.

Weekly Giveaway - TummyTub® Womb Shaped Bath Tub

Congratulations to Nicole, who won the turquoise, minky Twinkle Baby Bonding Doll. All Bonding Dolls by Twinkle Baby will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).

We are celebrating our 6th Anniversary by donating 100% of our October profits to moms in need!

TummyTub® Womb Shaped Bath Tub

Retail Value: $49.95

One lucky winner will receive a TummyTub® in their color choice!

The TummyTub® is an amazing new concept in bathing babies, and it is now available in the USA!! The TummyTub® is the original womb-shaped bath tub, and no other brand matches up to its safety, comfort, or style.

 

• Benefits acknowledged throughout Europe
• Endorsed by doctors, midwives and health visitors
• Unique womb shape causes baby to calm and relax in the fetal position
• Rigorously tested for safety (ASTM [USA], TUV [Germany], BSI [England] and permitted to carry the seal GS [proven safety])
• Avaliable in three colors: Clear, Pink or Blue
• BPA and phthalate free

Tummy Tub® also offers the option of a free-standing stool to match your tub for total bathing portability.

 

How do you win?

 

Open Arms PCC and Real Choices Clinic is local to Mom 4 Life, and we are glad to have such a fantastic center to support. Do you know what options you have in your area for moms

who need support for an unplanned pregancy?

If so, tell us here. If not, visit optionline.org, click on the "Find a Center" link

and find the option in your area that you can tell us about. The winner will be randomly drawn. You have until Tuesday evening, October 6th, to enter. Good luck!

 

This month we are GIVING it ALL away (profits that is)!

This October is special because it marks Mom 4 Life's 6th anniversary!

It is exciting to look back and see how things have changed and also how things have stayed the same since 2003:

• We have grown from 1 product to over 900. 
• We have focused our niche on mom invented products. 
• We have adopted a free shipping model of business. 
• We have stayed customer focused and relationship driven. 
• We have had fun.  

Thank you for being a part of our growth and success!  Here is just one of many emails we have received from supportive Mom 4 Life customers like you:

"Hello again, I just wanted to also let you know that I tell every mom and expecting mom I encounter about your site. I even stop pregnant ladies at babies R us and Toys r us and tell them about all the great products on your site. You carry more unique and useful things than any one else. Thanks again! - Andrea"

To celebrate our 6 year milestone we are pleased to announce that for the month of October, ALL of our profits will be donated to Open Arms and Real Choices Clinic!

Open Arms is a local non-profit agency that offers compassionate support and assistance to anyone facing a unexpected pregnancy or is experiencing post abortion stress. We have been in partnership with them in donating 10% of our profits but this month we wanted to do something extra special.  So, if there is anything you have been drooling over, this month would be a really great time to make your purchase knowing that you are supporting a really wonderful cause!  We would also love for you to help us spread the word about this promotion to others.

To find out more or for a page where you can link your friends and family to, click here.