The Itsabelly Blog

The Winners!

First of all, if you're reading this today Happy 4th!  I wanted to send out a note announcing Itsabelly's winners of the iPod Shuffle and Earth Mama Angel Baby "I Love My Mama" gift set contests.  I know, I know... I'm totally tardy and I apologize but with a new book soon to be released, a new website and company growth with Rishma as our new baby planner in Toronto, Canada  - I've been just a little bit busy these past few months :)  I'm happy to announce that our winners reach over into international territory, yahoo!

So, without further a due our lucky winners were:

Sonia Sousa of Barrigas & Bebes in Portugal won the yummy Earth Mama Angel Baby gift set.

Sonia is a Doula and Childbirth Educator. Barrigas & Bebés translates into Tummys & Babies in English, cute!  She's also an Infant Massage Instructor and loves to work with pregnant couples and parenting families.

Ellen Davis in Florida won the cool iPod Shuffle.

CONGRATS ladies and thank you for supporting Itsabelly Baby Concierge!

Our Special Announcement to Honor Earth Day!

             

Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green with Baby is the first book to provide a simple resource for evaluating eco-friendly baby gear and to learn more about organic and natural family living. We offer mom-tested product reviews and tips to raising a healthy baby and creating a happy planet. The founders of Under the Nile, gDiapers, TheSoftLanding.com and Earth Mama Angel Baby provide insight on why choosing organic and natural baby products is important to creating a healthier lifestyle. Going Green with Baby features personal product recommendations from eco-minded moms Jennifer Lo Prete and Melissa Moog. Jennifer is a writer and mother of two that has long practiced green living. Melissa is mom to a toddler, writer and the founder of Itsabelly Baby Concierge, a premier baby planning agency that specializes in going green with baby.

Going Green with Baby will be released in the Summer of 2008. To pre-order your copy, please send us an email to info@itsa-belly.com or call us at (503)799-5719 with your name and contact information. We will contact you when the book is available for purchase. Wholesale inquiries are also welcome.

A Peek Inside...

• Plan your baby registry with the best mom-tested reviews of over 300 eco-friendly baby products. We cover all your baby’s needs from slings to strollers, non-toxic bottles to safe skin care products, organic baby clothes to eco-friendly diapers and sustainable nursery furniture.
           
• Learn why going green with baby is important for a healthy baby and happy planet. Our panel of eco experts weighs in on the importance of organic apparel, sustainable wood, non-toxic feeding products and natural skin care products.
           
• Discover our simple eco-mom tips to raising a healthy baby and protecting our planet.
           
• Decipher the meaning and standards behind eco-labels. What does organic mean anyway? We make your trip to the store easier with a useful guide to common eco-labels and organic certification standards.
           
• Gain valuable tips on going green on a budget. From our own experience, it may not be financially feasible to turn your household completely organic. We give you tips on how you can make green choices that are right for your family.

      

The Ultimate Blog Party is Here! Join us For Some Fun!

Welcome to Itsabelly's Blog Party as hosted by 5minutesformom.com! 

So, I thought my family and I would share the inside scoop on the people behind Itsabelly Baby Concierge during our blog party.  But let me explain what we do first...we're a premier service that assists new and expectant parents on how to navigate the world of all things maternity and newborn with a green focus.  If you want more info on our business click on our website here or click on our link located on the sidebar to the left.  I'm also the Pregnancy Planning Expert for The Bump and will be the Green Parenting Blogger for emomsathome.com soon.  BTW, if you leave a comment on my blog, sign up for my newsletter or blog feed via Feed Blitz before April 1st you will be entered into our cool iPod Shuffle giveaway contest, see details here.

So, above in our first picture we have Randy (husband, daddy,VP of Finance & Operations), Isabella (our 19 mo old, inspiration and Chief Tester of all Baby Products), and myself, Melissa (Head Mama, Queen Multi-tasker, x-HR high tech junkie).  This picture was taken in Cabo San Lucas just a few weeks ago.  As you can see we had a beautiful time!

Here we have Cindy (my sis-in-law and inspiration). Cindy actually flew up from Cali to help me register at BabiesRus almost 2 years ago.  Without her personal assistance I would have pleaded insanity and died of overwhelming stress from not having a clue about what to put on my baby registry (this is where I gave birth to Itsabelly).  Cindy was important in helping me come up with my business concept.  Thanks Cin!

Here is my mom with Isabella at 2 months.  Mom makes it possible to get Itsabelly work done and as Isabella's favorite playmate loves every minute.

Pictured below is Czari (pronounced Zar-ree), my sister.  She is with Isabella at 9 months during our picnic in Napa at Via Sattui Winery along with our little friend Malia.  Czar is a fabulous Auntie and always so supportive of Itsabelly, willing to help me with Sales and Marketing anytime!

Last but not least is Jennifer LoPrete and her 2 beautiful children (last picture).  Jennifer is a wonderful mama and Itsabelly's Marketing & PR Manager who has done a superb job.  Her excellent writing skills, marketing talent and dedication make her a rare gem.  We love her!!

I hope you enjoyed a view into the Itsabelly Family.  Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment to say hello!

And if you're a parent, pregnant or know someone who's expecting please send them Itsabelly's way to sign up for our free parenting tips and information on non-toxic baby products via this blog.  Don't forget to enter and win an iPod Shuffle too just for saying hi!  Cheers! 

Sending Some Link Love - Come on Join the Party!

I'm happy to announce that women bloggers everywhere will unite beginning this Friday!

From our Friends at 5minutesformom.com:

"During the week of March 7-14th, the blogosphere will be party hopping - jumping through our Mr. Linky list of participating bloggers, meeting new friends and partying blogger-style at the Ultimate Blog Party 2008, at 5 Minutes for Mom."

Are you going to be there?

Join Itsabelly and fellow mom bloggers for some link love and fabulous prizes.  Check out some of their prizes here. 

Last year's event brought almost 1,000 bloggers so you won't want to miss this one!!

Announcing Itsabelly's iPod Shuffle Giveaway - The Contest Has Started!!

CONTEST RULES

To enter our contest you must do one of the following and your name will be entered into our drawing.  You can receive an entry for each item that you do. You must have an email so we can contact you if you win.

1)  Sign up for the Itsabelly Newsletter (by entering your email address in the space provided at the bottom of our website's home page)

2)  Leave a comment here or on any Itsabelly post that interests you

3)  Add your favorite Itsabelly blog entry to your del.icio.us account

4)  Add your favorite Itsabelly blog entry to your digg.com account

5)  Purchase an Itsabelly product or service on-line through our boutique

Deadline: This contest will end April 30, 2008 at midnight, PST.  We will announce the winner on May 1, 2008 through our newsletter and blog. 

Good luck!

                                                           

 

Becoming Better at Blogging

I started blogging a few months ago and am now up to 20+ posts.  I have to admit it's been fun but also difficult to find the time to post especially when you're a new mom to a 13 month year old.  Keep in mind I started this when my baby wasn't even sleeping through the night yet.  However, I read some great advice tonight which gave me some inspiration. The seven tips below are helpful to those of us who are new at blogging.  Now, if only I could keep to my schedule of blogging every day!

Seven habits of highly successful bloggers:

    1     Write great content
    2     Read other blogs
    3     Link to other blogs
    4     Leave comments on other blogs
    5     Make contacts with other bloggers
    6     Joining with a community
    7     Investing in that community.

To read the full article click on:  Be a Blogger

Join the Fun & Win Prizes! The End of Summer Blog-Abration...

Tasra Dawson author of the book Real Women Scrap has come up with a great way to celebrate blogging.  Take a look at her blog for more detail by just clicking on the announcement button above.  You can win some fun prizes and meet new friends as well.  Check it out, it only takes a few minutes.

Babies, Business and Blogging - The 3 B's

Thanks for clicking your way to my blog and I hope you got a chance to see my new website, www.itsa-belly.com.

Well, it's official, the latest addition to our family has arrived, Itsabelly LLC. It has taken many late nights, tons of working hours while Isabella was sleeping and on-going dinner conversations with Randy, my husband to pull this business concept together. I have to tell you it feels great to see my hard work become a reality and now the most challenging part of building a business begins - sales and marketing.

As I start the next phase of building my business I wonder how I'm going to do it all. Being a stay-at-home mom is consuming enough but adding a new business and keeping a blog up to date will definitely require a good juggling act. To some of you working mom's this may sound familiar. So, I welcome your advice on the best way to juggle life as a new, working mom or if you just want to vent please feel free to post your comments. We can have our own little pow wow!

Now back to my soapbox, every free minute that comes up has become a precious commodity these days. When I'm not taking care of Isabella or on the treadmill I find myself reading email, doing research or figuring out ways to grow my business which leaves me little time to fit in a shower or empty the dishwasher. Not to mention our clean laundry is stacked 2 miles high calling out to me.

In the end, even though it's totally overwhelming especially when I think about the never ending list of tasks at home and work that I have to do I just remember what matters to me the most. That is my family, my health and doing what I'm most passionate about. So, if I can make sure my baby is being fed, that I spend quality time with my husband and I'm doing things that I'm passionate about then I think I'm living the dolce vita or in plain english I'm living a pretty good life!

So, I'll keep you posted on my new venture and let you know how handling the 3 B's goes. Please excuse me if in my next blog I throw up on you and vent about how I'm on the verge of pulling my hair out. The fun is just beginning!