Blissdom '11 and Kleenex...making dreams come true!

I had come to terms with it.  I am not going to Blissdom.  Another year that I really want to go and it just isn't going to happen.  Last year I told myself that I was going to go this year.  I would make it work.  Jeremy would have just gotten his end of year bonus and I would be going.

Well, plans change as we all know.  Lost job, pregnancy, moving, Blissdom being right after we move...I just didn't see how it was going to happen.

I had come to terms with it.  Realized that it just wasn't in the cards and planned to stay home, school my kids, and read everyone elses posts about this amazing conference.

Then...the Conference Fairy showed up in my inbox.

Two Mondays ago, I got an email from Kleenex telling me about their new program, Softness Worth Sharing.  They wanted to send me to Blissdom as one of their Brand Ambassadors.

To say I was shocked is an understatement.  I was floored.  Jeremy and I were able to make it work

Today, I am headed to Nashville for 4 days.  You hear that???  FOUR DAYS with NO CHILDREN!!!!  I am going to Blissdom.  I am going to see so many of my amazing friends, and am going to learn so much.

I am going to get to talk to other Mamas about this thing we call Motherhood and plan on picking their brains about how to be softer in my dealings with my kidlets...especially when homeschooling.

I can't wait and am so grateful to Kleenex for this amazing opportunity!!!

Now, a little nitty gritty about this great new program from Kleenex.  You can go to the Kleenex website and send a box of tissue with a sweet little note to one of your besties. I sent one, but I won't say to who because it is someone I love that reads my blog and I want her to be surprised!!!  It's super easy and fun!

AND, if you're at Blissdom, be sure to stop by the Kleenex booth and send a Share Package to someone you love.


*Thank you so much to Kleenex for sending me to Blissdom and trusting me to represent them well.  While they are sending me, the words and sentiments are all mine!

PrairieMama Sponsor :: Cranky Pants

When I started cloth diapering 8 years ago, I quickly fell in love with wool and it's beneficial qualities.  I loved the way it absorbed and kept Emma cool and dry.

Emma in our favorite wool cover at the time, made by Stacinator.

There were options, but not very many fun ones.  I could get snap, velcro or pull on wool covers in a variety of colors, but they were all solid colors.  There was nothing that I could find that was fun or funky, or even that looked hand knit.

Shortly after Emma died, I started to knit.  The first thing I learned to knit, besides hats, were wool covers.  I spent many a day and evenings filling my empty hands knitting for the baby growing in my womb.  I knit solid and stripes, but nothing really interesting because my knitting skills were just so limited.

Amelia in one of the MANY diaper covers I knit.

I remember searching online for diaper covers and came across Crankypants in 2005.  This was when Seth was starting to walk, and I thought these would be SO cute on my little monster's bum.  However, our grad school income wouldn't allow me to pay someone what they deserved for well knit longies.  So, I admired them from afar.

Photo from Cranky Pants

Crankypants started in 2004 when being a broke stay at home mama collided with the realization that there were very few options for people who loved the idea of longies but wanted something a bit funkier than what was being offered at the time. With lots of hard work and the amazing power of mama word of mouth, Crankypants has grown and expanded to carry an assortment of gear for kids of all ages.  In 2008 we forged a Fair Trade Federation certified partnership with a knitting cooperative in Peru to keep Crankypants hand made and help foster economic development in that region.

My inspiration is, first and foremost, my own little beastie Henry, who is now 7.  He has a pretty wicked case of colic when he was a baby so I needed every opportunity for a giggle I could get.  When I'm designing a new product I like to think about what makes me crack a smile.  I firmly believe that keeping your sense of humor intact is sometimes the only thing that can save you as a parent and I hope that the goofy things I make can bring a tiny giggle to an otherwise challenging day.

My favorite things to create are one of a kind items that I know are going to be loved half to death by a kiddo or their parent.  I get emails from people who say something I made was "perfect" for a unique individual in their life and that is pretty much my favorite thing ever! 

 
 This fall when I went to the Type A Mom Conference, there was a Mom Market on the last morning.  I am always so excited to support Mama run businesses, because I know what it's like to run a business.  When I saw Crankypants I about peed my pants with excitement!!!!  For the last 5 years I had drooled over and coveted these longies, and there they were right in front of me!!!!

I still didn't have the money to spend on them, but I was thrilled to see that Amy had added lots of other homemade items to her shop!

From homemade undies for the littles, to juggling bags, and even ice packs for those poor men who get Vasectomies - everything Amy makes is just brilliant!

 

But our favorite item from Crankypants is Skinny.  Skinny is a little monster that I bought for my little Monster, Seth.

He is made from a sock and has tatted yarn for his eyes, mouth and on his ears.  Seth doesn't go to sleep without him, and has had to take him to school a few times to hang out in his backpack.

Skinny is the reason that our transition to Texas has been as smooth as it has.  He is something Seth can cling to, and I am so grateful for it.  He is another member of our family and we love him.

Thanks so much for amazing products Amy!  We love Crankypants and know you will too.  Click on the linky to the right, or on any of the links I have provided to purchase from Crankypants.  Not only will you be getting something one of a kind for your one of a kind kid, but you will be supporting another Mama and isn't that what we all love to do???

Sponsor :: Signing Time

I have my first Sponsor for Blogher!!! I have worked with Signing Time in the past and am thrilled to do so again!

When I started contemplating companies I wanted to work with and represent at Blogher, Signing Time was at the top of my list. I contacted them and was thrilled to have Rachel email me back stating that they would love to help me.

I have talked before about the benefits of signing with preverbal infants and children. I was an interpreter for the Deaf for 3 years before having Emma and am fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). So, when I first heard about Signing Time...well, honestly, I was a little skeptical. I know that there are many programs out there that say they are ASL, yet are mostly made up signs. When Jeremy's Aunt gave me the first 3 DVD's, I sat down to watch them, prepared to laugh at how terrible and wrong they were.

Boy was I surprised. Signing Time started as a labor of love by two sisters. Rachel Coleman and her sister, Emilie Brown, made a few videos to help teach ASL to family and friends. You see, Rachel, a musician, has a daughter who is Deaf. When she learned that her daughter was Deaf, she and her husband learned ASL as fast as they could and started teaching Leah.
Something remarkable happened: by the time Leah was 18 months old, her baby sign language vocabulary far surpassed the spoken vocabulary of hearing children her same age. While Leah's little friends could only point and whine for something they wanted, Leah found it much more effective to sign, "Juice, not milk" or, "Cheese and crackers, please". Other parents took notice, including Rachel's sister Emilie, who started teaching sign language to her infant son Alex, so that he would be able to communicate with Leah. Emilie was thrilled one morning when baby Alex, then only ten months old, found his own use for sign language: he stopped fussing, looked up at her, and signed "milk".

I was most impressed by the fact that Rachel and her husband wanted to learn to communicate with their daughter. I grew up around Deaf adults, and had Deaf roommates in college. I can't tell you how many of them had parents that could not communicate with them because they wouldn't learn ASL. When I learned this, I became very excited about this company and started telling everyone I know about them.

While living in Salt Lake City, I taught Sign with your Baby Classes and did various workshops about how to get started. I always recommended these videos to parents as a fabulous supplement to their learning. I even lent out my own copies of the programs to the parents.

During this time, I also had the opportunity to be a "proofer" for Signing Time. I would get a DVD and check for errors. Not errors in the Signing (they have Deaf adults on set for this purpose), but for technical errors with the videos. This company is just fantastic and always a joy to work with.

So, why Signing Time you ask? Go over to their website and look around. Not only are there 17 DVD's to choose from, there are also message boards where you can connect with other parents signing with their children, Rachel and Emilie's blog, and games for the kids to play -- there is also the Signing Time Foundation -- a foundation whose goal it is to enrich the lives of children of all abilities.

This is a company that truly gives back. Their primary goal is to assist families in communication. I am thrilled to represent them, and want you to go check them out today!

Exhale.Return to Center.

Have you all noticed that I have a sponsor?? Yeah, she pretty much rocks the party. Her name is Erin Goodman and she is someone you should know.

I met Erin 5 years ago in a due date forum on Mothering.com. We were both pregnant and due at the same time, I with Seth; she with Lily. She always struck me as someone that I would love to hang out with. Just so open, honest and real. She is still the same way. We'd lost contact for a while until recently when I found her blog again.

She is really a breath of fresh air. Her blog, Exhale Return to Center, helps you to do just that. She is very inspiring. She and her children have adventures, they clean together, play together, and let go of anger together. I have learned so much about being a better Mother from her.

Not only is she a fabulous Mother, but she is also a writer and a yoga instructor! I know it, she just gets better and better! This last weekend she hosted a retreat for some very lucky women.

For four-and-a-half years, I have been dreaming of creating a space for mothers to retreat and relax and go inside and return to center.

She has done it! She is now offering workshops that will do just what she has been dreaming of. Time for yoga, writing, chocolate and tea. If you live in the Rhode Island area, be sure to register for this. It promises to be amazing, it promises to give you a chance to exhale. return to center.

If you don't live in the Rhode Island area, never fear! This year she and her hubby have plans to take it and another fun event (beer tasting and partner yoga class) on the road!! So, if you have a great mama-friendly yoga studio in your area, contact Erin at erin AT eringoodman DOT com.

Thank you Erin.