The Itsabelly Blog

Exciting News - Itsabelly's Rebirth!

We're proud to announce that on June 27, 2008 Itsabelly gave birth to a rebranded website!  The company is the first "green" international business to provide baby planners and baby concierge services to pregnant and parenting families everywhere.  Itsabelly is growing and great opportunities are abound - we now have a location in Toronto, Canada headed up by Rishma Lalani.  We're are thrilled to have Rishma join the Itsabelly family.  Additionally, Jennifer Lo Prete will continue to be our savvy Marketing Mama keeping the great buzz going about Itsabelly.  Last but not least, Kelly Oswald, our New Parent Educator Mama will focus on providing excellent parenting resources. 

With a streamlined focus on 3 new categories of service "Itsabelly, Itsababy and Itsaparent" will help new parents in all of their pre, post and beyond newborn needs.  From registry completion, green baby 101, baby proofing, new parent education  to nanny/childcare sourcing Itsabelly is your one stop resource for baby.  Itsabelly even offers an on-line store filled with non-toxic, organic baby and mama products free of phthalates, parabens and 1, 4 Dioxane so shopping is right at your finger tips!  And we can't forget to mention that we offer delicious and all natural Bellybars - chocolate craving anyone?

Itsabelly is also focused on helping baby planners everywhere with their entrepreneurial endeavors.  If you want to be a baby planner or have started your own baby planning business Itsabelly is THE go to resource for growing your business.  The National Baby Planner Association headed up by Itsabelly's founder can also provide a strong network and support from professional baby planners wanting to offer the best customer service abiding by the highest of standards.

So, check our new site out and let us know what you think.  More exciting news to follow on Itsabelly's growth in Canada, the summer release of our new book and our renewed focus in helping provide services that put the right tools in your parenting tool box helping ease the transition into parenthood - making life just a little bit sweeter with baby!

Thanks to all of our wonderful Itsabelly supporters who continue to help our company grow, you rock!

Home Office Distractions: 4 Tips to Overcome Them

I shared with my friend Brandie that its been a definite challenge to work from home because my office sits right infront of my master bedroom and 30 feet away from the FRIDGE!  So, I thought for those of you who are home based entreprenuers you're probably going through the same challenges - distractions!  I wanted to share some great tips written by my friend Brandie Kajino over at the The Home Office Organizer.  She's a wealth of knowledge and can help you get your home office in top notch shape so check her out.  Thanks for the tips Brandie!

Written By Brandie Kajino

I was having a conversation with a teacher the other day, and she asked me about what I do. When we got to the part where I told her I worked from home, she mentioned that she was not the type who could work from home. She then explained how the laundry, cleaning and other errands and tasks would call her name from other rooms while she tried to work.

I must admit I don’t have this problem (several years of practice and lack of a housekeeper), but I do get this question a lot. So, how can you stay focused in your home office and get stuff done? Here’s a few tips:

1. Use your distractions as breaks: If you were in a cubicle or office outside your home, no doubt you would take a trip to the water cooler or a break outside. So, do the same in your home office. Put in a load of laundry, change the sheets, talk to a neighbor (maybe they work from home too), check the mail or go pull some weeds. You might think of your multi-million dollar idea while washing your socks!
2. Set a time limit: If you choose to do something around the house, be sure you are accountable. Setting a timer or scheduling a conference call will keep you accountable and less likely to get completely off track.
3. Hire help: If you simply don’t have the time (or patience) to do your household chores, consider hiring someone to come in a vacuum or do the laundry for you. If it nags on your brain, you will know it’s getting done and you concentrate on other things.
4. Talk a walk: Talk a walk and clear your head. Did you know that Ralph Waldo Emerson and some other great authors and thinkers were walkers? So, strap on your running/walking shoes and get some fresh air. I’ll bet that little “fold the laundry” voice will be harder to hear two blocks away.

Do you have a way you stay focused and get things done in your office? Do share!

Has Your Child Inspired You to Become an Entrepreneur? Check out Rain Frog Boutique.

Like I said before I love finding women who are inspired to create their own businesses and really follow through with it. Mainly because I know it's a tough job being a mom, wife and business owner all at the same time. I live this challenge every day and it's exhausting but worth it when you are doing something you truly enjoy.  You just have to remember to sleep in between!!

Karen Spaeder was inspired by her young son after he recited the Pledge of Allegiance. At the end, he innocently replaced the traditional words, saying instead, “with liberty and justice for frogs.” She didn’t correct him but instead decided to create a business selling a beautiful line of bamboo and organic cotton clothing (for women, men & babies) along with luxury organic spa items called Rain Frog Boutique.  She was able to do two good things in one; follow her ambition and help preserve our planet.  Props to Karen!

I had the privilege of being able to try out her comfortable tee made of bamboo and  organic cotton.  It felt oh-so soft on my skin and it was in one of my favorite colors cherry red!  The really cool thing was that the tee features natural UV protection, moisture wicking properations and thermal regulation.  It also included a cool stitched-on frog embroidery and came with a real bamboo hanger. It is made with 70 percent bamboo, 30 percent organic cotton.

You can see all of Karen's products at Rain Frog Boutique.  An extra treat you might want to check out is the store's current sale.  You can get a hip bamboo tee in cherry red to wear with your shorts this summer!  She's also added some really hip chocolate brown tees. I'm going to have to do some shopping! 

Baby Colors? Add Green to Classic Pink & Blue...Front Page Headlines for Itsabelly

Last week was a wonderful week for press related activity when Itsabelly landed on the front page of The Oregonian's "How We Live" section of the newspaper in the article "Baby Colors?  Add green to classic pink and blue" written by freelance writer Emily Puro.  Thanks Emily!!
 

We also aired on Fox12 BetterTV sharing tips on how to Create an Organic Nursery.  We're so excited to see our Itsabelly brand continue to grow and great interest in such an important topic of "going green with baby".  Itsabelly believes that there are two very important reasons to go green even in the smallest of ways and those are to protect our babies and our planet.  We are so happy our message is getting heard on front page headlines!

Itsabelly Making it into International Headlines, Hooray!

We're truly excited to share with you that Itsabelly has made it into international headlines!  Our latest piece of press was on April 21st in the world renowned Springwise newsletter.  Calling us the "Baby Concierge Service with an Eco Twist"...a total surprise to us and since then our web and blog statistics have gone through the roof!! 

So, if you're sending in an inquiry and we don't get back to you right away you'll know why :) but no worries you'll hear back from us,we promise.

One word describes how we feel about Springwise's feature, "hooray"!  Thank you to Nancy Grossman of Back Channel Press who submitted our story and to Springwise's editor.

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.

      

Do You Want to Glow?

I really enjoy finding other mom entrepreneurs who have used their skills and talents to create a business that they are truly passionate about.  Glow Mama is a perfect example of this!  I was introduced to Glow and discovered a refreshing way to hydrate rather than drinking my boring old water. 

Lucy Leahy has created a beverage made with natural ingredients that is flush with the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients for moms.  In addition, she has a company brand that I thought was hip, sophisticated and fun.  What I thought was especially important was that Lucy's company has chosen an eco-friendly path by using plastic bottles made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which are easy to recycle.  Glow Mama’s labels are printed with soy based inks and all of their marketing materials are printed on 100% post consumer waste materials with soy inks.  Go "green" Glow!!!!
 
What I loved most about Glow Mama was that it's main ingredient is Kiwi which was given the grand title of “the most nutrient dense fruit in the world” in a recent study by Dr Lachance of Rutgers University. One tiny kiwi packs twice the vitamin C of an orange, twice the vitamin E of an avocado and 20% more potassium than a banana.  It has more fiber than a serving of bran flakes and is a good source of calcium, iron and folic acid.
 
So, if you're eating and drinking for two these days (or running after your toddler like me) give Glow Mama a try because it will only do your body (& baby's) good!  Oh, and it's only 70 calories per bottle, yeah!

Ingredients:

Filtered water,kiwi juice concentrate, white grape juice concentrate, cane juice concentrate, dietary fiber, calcium lactate, natural flavor, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), niacinamide (Vitamin B3), ferrous fumarate (iron), pyridoxine hydrochoride (Vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), folic acid

Happy Mama and a Great Green Company!

In honor of celebrating Mother's Day Itsabelly is giving away Earth Mama Angel Baby's "I Love My Mama" gift set (to enter contest see below).  Earth Mama Angel Baby is a genuine "green" company which produces the only line of 100% natural skin and body care products to support the ENTIRE birth process: pregnancy, labor, postpartum and c-section recovery, breastfeeding, baby care and even the loss of a baby.

It's no secret that I love Earth Mama Angel Baby's products since I use them on my baby and myself!  So, I decided to get the inside scoop directly from the woman and pioneer who started it all.  I was able to visit with Melinda Olson (founder) and she gave me a tour of her wonderful company.  I was impressed by Melinda's deep passion to protect our babies and mamas with her creation of pure and safe products.  Melinda has been creating Earth Mama Angel Baby's products since 2002 where she started out of her home.  She is one of the FIRST companies to exclude the use of phthalates and parabens for several years now (way before the recent media hype on toxins).  Her company continues to create positive waves across the country as families come to Earth Mama Angel Baby for phthalate and paraben free products.  Not to mention all the employees I've met and talked on the phone with are every bit as warm and kind as Melinda herself!

Earth Mama Angel Baby uses the highest quality oils and QAI certified organic herbs. Their products are cruelty-free, certified vegan, kosher, and 100% toxin-free - that means NO phthalates, parabens, SLS, artificial preservatives, fragrances or dyes.  In fact, Melinda has created an invaluable resource with her "reading room" materials on various toxins like phthalates to help educate parents, see information here.  The company also honors the earth by using only eco-friendly recyclable or reused/resuseable packaging and packing materials.  Earth Mama Angel Baby is even the proud recipient of the BRAG (Business Recycling Award Group) for their green practices.

The "I Love My Mama" gift set was specially designed to pamper mamas, so it's perfect for that special person on your Mother's Day list, birthday or just because you love them.  The gift includes Happy Feet soothing organic foot soak, Mint Herbal Lip Balm, Happy Mama Spray to ease both morning yuckies when pregnant and the downs after baby is here, Earth Mama Body Butter for healthier happier skin and Natural Nipple Butter, all packaged in a reusable pink organza bag.  The set is an almost $50 value.

To win all you have to do is sign up for our blog through Feedblitz located in the top right-hand corner of our blog, sign up for our newsletter as seen on the bottom of our home page here or leave a comment on this entry.  So, you can enter your name up to 3 times maximum if you'd like to!  The contest starts today April 19th and ends May 7th just in time for Mother's Day. 

What are you waiting for?  Treat yourself or a mama you know.  Sign up to WIN!

We passed the test - the FIRST green baby planning business!

Just a quick announcement to let you know we're so excited to share with the world that Itsabelly was approved by Co-op America for their green seal of approval!  This means we're listed as a socially and environmentally responsible, green company.  Co-op America's list of businesses adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, their employees,communities, and the environment.  We are PROUD to be a member of this community!

We applied for Co-op America's seal in December 2007 and received the approval last month.  It was 3 months of a long wait! The application process was tedious and there were some really tough questions we had to answer.  Goes to show you that Co-op America is serious about who they give their seal to and they are a totally professional organization with the highest standards.

We are THE FIRST and only baby planning business to have this green seal of approval.  So, with that said we are tooting our own horn, hooray!!!!

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!