Honoring Parents Category
Mom Monday Inspiration
Kolcraft has had a busy weekend with kid’s parties, family dinners and our children’s sports teams. We met some inspiring fellow moms who sacrifice for their children and don’t think twice about it. We were talking around the coffee pot about the gift of motherhood and how it changes a person to see everything differently and to experience a depth of love beyond words. Someone shared this quote that we felt it was perfect for our Mom Monday.
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan
What is your favorite mom quote?
What To Expect When You Are Expecting – the Movie
We all read the book when we were pregnant to answer our questions – Is what I am going through this trimester normal? How big is my baby at 20 weeks? What do I do for round ligament pain? Can I breastfed? These and 101 other questions we had, we knew could be answered by What To Expect When You’re Expecting. And now this best-selling “pregnancy answer” book is being made into a movie.
We admit that we laughed during the movie trailer because there were aspects we could relate to. Tell us what you think. Would you go to see the movie?
A Mom with Creative Mayhem
Justin – Jackie's newest addition 
We first meet the mom behind Monkey Mayhem when her 3rd was a newborn. A couple of years and another sweet baby later, Jackie is channeling her mayhem into creativity!
Jackie lives in a quiet town in Shenandoah Valley, VA, but her life is anything but quiet! How could it be with 4 kids under 7 years old?! As if being a SAHM with four kids wasn’t keeping her plenty busy, Jackie has started to crochet and sell various items for kids – hats, blankets, gloves, scarves, dolls and the list goes on.
We love it when moms can use their creativity to help their families. We have already placed our orders with Jackie (well, round one of orders…:) ) and can’t wait to have out little cuties warmed by Jakie’s hats.
You can check out Jackie’s creations on her Facebook page at Mizz J’s Creative Mayhem.
Grateful for our 2011 Parenting Journey
We have so much to be grateful for here at Baby Matters blog as we look back at 2011. We have met so many wonderful moms during our Mom Mondays, we have shared and received great parenting tips on everything from how to keep fit with your kids to how to prevent colds and flu on Tip Tuesdays. On Wednesday Wonders we have had fun crafts, recipes and enjoyed a parenting take on pop culture. Remember our princess crib mattress giveaway to honor the Royal Wedding? On Kolcraft Thursdays we have taken a look behind the scenes of how we make products, we have introduced new products such as our Contours© Optima tandem stroller and our Wally Wonderbug activity center and have had fun contests. On Fun Fridays we have kept abreast of holidays and how to celebrate them with your children as well as posted ways to learn and have fun with your family in everyday circumstances.
We had fun getting to know all of you in 2011. We look forward to our 2012 parenting journey with you!
Thanks for being a Baby Matters Blog fan!
Win A Jeep Baby Stroller!
Win This Jeep Stroller
We interrupt our regular Mom Mondays to celebrate our Jeep Stroller becoming a star on Better TV. Today there will be a segment featuring Jeep related holiday gifts and our Jeep stroller is part of it. We are giddy with excitement!
Our Jeep® Liberty Limited Urban Terrain Stroller is the answer for those parents who go from nature walks, to sidewalks to malls! There is so much we love about this stroller, but our top favorite features are:
- iDrive entertainment toy provides hours of fun for your child with its horn, car sounds and music.
- Multi-position reclining seat keeps baby comfortable during trips.
- iBaby™ sound system connects to your iPod® or MP3 player for music on the go.
- Large storage basket and cargo bags provide plenty of storage for you and baby.
- Self-standing fold gives you a free hand to attend to baby.
You can win this stroller on Better TV’s website and you can win one with us! All you have to do is leave a comment on our blog as to why your baby is a star. Contest ends at midnight CST on December 8th. Winners will be announced on December 9th. Be creative with your post. Feel free to add a photo of your child on our Facebook wall to increase the “awww” factor.
End the Mom Guilt – Today is ‘No Judgment Day’
Think about it – when was the last time you judged another mom or judged your own parenting skills? Was it this morning at the school drop off? Really, how could that mom let her child out of the house looking like that? Maybe it was yesterday when the mail arrived? Seriously, she sent her holiday cards out already? She has way too much time on her hands! She doesn’t cloth diaper? The horror! Or perhaps like me you ran out of the house with your child in a pink onesie and a “My First Thanksgiving” bib on her, only to arrive at daycare to see the other baby in a cute red and green holiday outfit complete with a hand knit sweater. I started to seriously question my parenting skills because I can’t coordinate an outfit for my child at 5am. So, yes, I judged myself.
No more judging! Ok, baby steps. No more judging for today. Redbook magazine is declaring today “No Judgment Day” in an effort to end mom guilt because judgement and guilt go hand in hand. We applaud this effort and hope that every day can become “No Judgement Day”.
What do you wish moms wouldn’t judge you for? Let us know!
It Takes A Mom Community To Raise A Mom
With baby right after delivery
We have all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I believe it takes a mom community to raise a mom. This became VERY clear to me after the birth of my baby girl. I tend to be organized and prepared – a quality that has served me well in my job where I do a lot of multitasking with various teams of people. When it came to being a mom, however, there was no amount of organization or preparedness that could help me through some of the unforeseen events of my first steps in motherhood.
It started with my labor and delivery. I had my flexible birth plan all printed out so I was ready to go when I went into labor (I thought I was being prepared for anything by making it flexible – ha!). Nothing could have prepared me for the distress I experienced ten hours into my 21.5 hr labor and delivery. I had complications and what was supposed to be a joyous time of finally seeing and holding my baby, became a very scary time where we almost lost her. So much for my natural delivery and home bonding time! We ended up being in the hospital for a week which only gave us 1 day home with my husband before he had to return to work.
That was the start to a list of sickness and challenges for me and my baby. I never would have made it through those first few months without my family – my sister who became a second mom to my baby and became my extra set of hands, my mom who was encouraging me and cleaning my house, my mother in law who brought over meals, my friends (especially Sarah-my wisdom mom) who listened to me vent and my virtual mom community who became very real advocates for me.
My virtual mom community just came together without me organizing or preparing for it. Maybe that is what makes it so beautiful – it’s pure gift.
- Jennifer from Life After the Alter was one of the first to encourage me as my husband and I tried to get pregnant and it was not happening right away. She had been down that road and understood it well. She rejoiced with me as soon as she heard the news of my pregnancy and encouraged me along the way.
- I was able to laugh with Jennifer and Dee, two Kolcraft Moms, who I was lucky enough to share a few weeks of pregnancy with as they both prepare for baby #3.
- Jackie, another pregnant Kolcraft mom, gave me tips on helping baby sleep.
- Melissa, featured on a Mom Monday, was the first to help me take steps towards healing after birth trauma. She understood on a very personal level all that I went through and became an angel of hope for me.
- Ria and Suzanne from My Mommy Manual, gifted me with mom insight and friendship. (I’m so looking forward to taking their parenting course!)
- Christine from Girl on Fire reminds me to live my bliss and embrace it even when it’s difficult.
- Valerie from A Nation of Moms has taken me by the hand to help me past the mommy guilt of breastfeeding issues, having to put my baby in daycare while I work and a host of other “hot button mom guilt issues”.
These women and many more are my momtourage – women who inspire, encourage and love me on my mom journey. I’m new at this whole mommy journey, but I have a host of moms to walk with me and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Who has helped you on your mom journey?
Pregnant and Craving a Drink?
Bottoms Up While Sporting A Baby Bump
Pregnancy brings hope and joy over a new little life, but it also means giving up a few things along the way like drinking. Have no fear, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-be by Natalie Bovis Nelsen is here to help you through the holidays and beyond.
We love this book because it gives you options for liquorless drinks that include health benefits for the pregnant mom. The drinks are divided by trimester and includes one of our favorites – the Fruity Folate Shake! It also has ideas for Preggatini Parties- a modern spin on a baby shower and recipes for “de-virginized” drinks for dad.
Weigh in – were you pregnant over the holidays? What were your drink alternatives especially if you didn’t announce yet that you were pregnant?
Returning To Work After Maternity Leave
Michelle's little girl just 2 days old
It’s my first day back to work at Kolcraft which seems fitting since it’s Mom Monday. It feels like an eternity since I’ve last blogged (for those who are not long-time readers, I worked up until the day before I went into labor which was August 9, 2011). In so many ways before baby (now known as BB) seems like a whole other life. What have I been doing since August? I’ve been getting to know the little girl who has truly changed me.
BB I never left the house without looking “put together”. Now if I am able to run a brush through my hair I consider that “put together”. I used to be able to knock out multiple errands in an hour. Now I consider it a victory if I can do one errand. I used to be able to leave the house with just a small pocketbook. Now I resemble a pack-mule lugging a diaper bag, daycare “stuff”, car seat – you name it. But the biggest change from BB is one you can’t really notice from the outside, because it’s one that has happened in my heart. I’ve felt concern on a level I’ve never had to endure before. I’ve learned to love in a whole new way. And I’ve experienced a deep, profound joy that I never knew existed.
Already causing trouble
Yes, these past three months were about diapers, spit up, sleepless nights, crying and unfortunately sickness. I’m not saying it was easy (I have a whole new respect for Stay At Home Moms), but it was a precious time I will always cherish. Now I’m moving to the next phase of learning the lesson of “letting go”. I dropped off my baby at daycare and it broke my heart to have to leave her. It’s not easy to be a mom who works outside the home, but it is what it is and I find myself having to trust in a whole new way. I have to trust that these people will care for my baby and look out for her best interests and do a good job at it. I can’t control this – I just have to let go. I’m lucky I am returning to a workplace with a compassionate boss, a president and CEO who stopped by to make sure I was “ok” and welcome me back and great co-workers. I also love what I do. I get to work with amazing moms and dads who help me to become a better parent.
Motherhood is a crazy ride I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams how exhausting it is, but more than that how each second bursts forth with love and possibility as I marvel at the gift of my little girl. So here I am – back to work and blessed beyond belief.
Peaceful sleep
Celebrating a Survivor Mom
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With 1 in every 8 women in this country being diagnosed with breast cancer, it is something that has affected many moms, daughters, grandmothers, wives, and friends. On this Mom Monday, we catch up with Debbie, a two year breast cancer survivor and mom to Kolcraft’s Marketing Assistant, Kim.
During your chemotherapy and radiation treatments, you always maintained such a positive attitude. How were you able to stay so positive?
I think that positive thinking is powerful. I knew that negativity wouldn’t be helpful, so I focused on the future. I thought about being able to be there when my daughters get married and having the chance to meet my grandchildren some day. Although I was tired, I stayed busy with reading, completing craft projects, and continuing my PhD studies.
You even held onto a few strands of hair, calling them your “survivors.”
Each person needs to fight their battle in their own way. Some women shave their heads to give themselves a feeling of control over the hair loss. It empowers them. I chose to let it happen naturally and the remaining strands were a symbol of my power and strength. I would survive, just as they did. What’s important is for friends and family to support the choices that the person makes in the fight.
Not only did you have support from your friends and family, but from your students as well.
Yes, one daughter bought me a chemo bear and the other did the Komen Walk right after my diagnosis. One day, I arrived in class to find all of my students dressed in pink. Several of them also participated in the Pink Glove Dance at my university.
In 2010, you walked in a breast cancer survivor’s fashion show for the Pink Ribbon Connection and Nordstrom. What was that experience like?
The timing was perfect since I had just finished my year-long treatment. I really wanted to rock it on the runway so I smiled and strutted my stuff. I was inspired by my fellow survivor models who were several years out from treatment and still doing well. It gave me hope.
And now for a glimpse into Debbie’s life:
What book is currently by your bedside?
Researching Lived Experience by Max van Manen. I am doing qualitative research of lived experiences for my dissertation.
What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas. It’s a joyful time of year. Thanksgiving is a close second because I am very thankful for all I have and I really like getting up early and shopping the next day.
If you had a free day with no commitments or obligations, what would you do with it?
Exercise with my golden retriever, go shopping, create some handmade cards, have dinner with my husband, and talk to my daughters.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate and People magazine.
What is an instant de-stressor for you?
Watching a funny movie or using the wii fit for exercise. I like seeing the mii characters of my family exercising with me – it’s funny to watch them. If I can’t do that, then I use visualization, deep breathing.
The best thing about being a Mom is…
the pride and joy I feel when I see the wonderful young women my daughters have grown to be. Every tiring moment of motherhood in those early days was totally worth it.
Being a Mom now is…
probably easier than it was for my mother. Technology allows me to stay very connected to my daughters through texting, e-mail, and phone chats no matter where I am or what I am doing. My Mom had to wait for me to be home to talk on a land line.
