I have been so madly at work for the last 2 months. Picture a store moving from a very small location to a new downtown location, having to secure the lease, paint and redecorate the new space, move the inventory and order more inventory to fill the new location, set up display shelves and an upgraded checkout system.
Well, that's what I've done, but only virtually. It's so easy to see your progress when you have an actual store with paint cans and ladders. It's a whole different animal when it's virtual, but, no less work.
I have implemented a zencart shopping cart and stepped up to play with the big girls. This is no joke! Everything you could possibly want or need is in there. But it was so much work to get it done, and, just like in the physical world, there were unexpected and time-consuming hurdles and glitches. Simply doing the initial installation was daunting to me. I fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to the online world. Seriously! Well, no, that's not quite true anymore, but let's just say I came into this not knowing HTML, Java, CSS, PHP, or any of that fancy stuff. And now? Nope. Still don't know any of that fancy stuff but I play one on TV.
I admit to an extensive software engineering career back in the day followed by a configuration management career and lots of consulting. I can debug anything. I just didn't think I'd be dusting off those skills. I also have a background in databases. I honestly thought that my skills were outdated and if push came to shove, I would not be worth hiring anymore. As Guy Kawasaki would say, Bull Shiitake! I always walked into my interviews and got hired. When they asked if I knew J-foo-foo, I honestly would say, "No, but I can learn it." And I would. Those that quizzed me on interviews and then didn't hire me because I wasn't quite sure of the bit order on DEC, IBM PC and SunOS were idiots. Why would one need to rattle that kind of stuff off when it is so easy to check? My head is filled with more important skills, not trivia. And it's filled with the gist, which is a critical skill, because it translates into new situations.
I did find myself in some hairy deep messes trying to get the system set up, in no small part because I had the misfortune to have downloaded a version of the software and then not installed it until it was seriously old. Once I was kindly informed that I was about to go live with a version of software that was full of security holes, of course I had to upgrade. Well, a sleepless week terminating in a very late night and a bottle of Jack Daniels for a goddess on the Zencart staff has brought me to where I am now, live and with a gorgeous new store!
I have lots to still do, tidying up in the back of the store, so don't mind me. And the inventory isn't all even out yet so watch out for good stuff coming all the time. Some of it isn't even really set up to buy yet, like the Dadgear and Daisygear Diaper Bags. Those will require some solid hours of effort.
But I'll get there!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
DadGear and DaisyGear Diaper Bags
I am in the process of getting some great new products online. I'll leave some surprises to come but I am currently working on adding these really gorgeous and reasonably priced diaper bags. Finally, a dad friendly diaper bag. Of course moms are gonna love it and they thought of that and created a slightly modified more feminine version dubbed Daisy Bags.
Here is the Daisy Sport Diaper Bag. It is so cute! This about makes me want to start carrying a diaper bag again! Well, almost! It's definitely nice to have those days over with but this bag is so cute, I want to find some excuse to have one. Anyone have any suggestions for me?
By the way, I have been meaning to get this info up on my website. All the diaper bags I carry are babywearing friendly. Babywearing is a critical tool in a parents toolbag and having a babywearing friendly diaper bag means hands-free diaper bag wearing and that the strap won't get in the way of the baby or the baby carrier. A messenger bag is ideal. A backpack style diaper bag will limit you to front carries. That's fine if you have a newborn but as time goes on, it's great to have more options than that. A messenger is ideal with a backpack style baby carrier
.
Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers
So, have you read your latest issue of Mothering Magazine? I have only gotten as far as the article about cloth diapers with the whole disposable diaper history lesson and already, I am stunned. Simply stunned.
There is a lot of data going the internet around that makes people feel okay about using disposable diapers. There are ridiculous biased studies that claim that if you factor in the amount of resources required to create cloth diapers and wash them, they are comparable in their environmental impact to disposables.
Come on!
Are you buying that?
I did a bit of quick math in my head and was able to get numbers even worse than what these articles say. For example, I have read that it costs $3000 to use disposable diapers over the span of diapering. I did some quick math and realized that this was based on the child being in diapers for 2-3 years and only on about 7 diaper changes per day. The prior is unrealistic and the latter is disgusting. Most children who wear diapers pee way more often than that and if they are peeing significantly less, especially in the first year, you need to be worried about dehydration. It turns out that potty training has been delayed more and more since the popular use of disposable diapers because children are disassociating with their own elimination. So figure on 4-5 years of disposables for many children, with some in pull-ups at night for 6 years and beyond. If you don't believe me, go see what the stores are stocking.
I am here to say that anyone who says the decision to choose cloth diapers or disposable diapers is a toss-up or a personal decision is wishy-washy, misinformed, or intentionally misleading you. Disposable diapers are a huge problem for our babies, our environment and our wallets. Period.
My friend Kathy (owner of BabysAbode.com) and I do a monthly talk at the Hollywood Birth Center for families who are expecting a baby and one of the topics is cloth diapers. I was stunned to have a fellow in there one time who was openly hostile about what we were saying. He simply refused to believe that the effect of feces in the ever growing landfills and diapers that don't decompose for 500 years was anything to worry about. And he came from Denmark, a country he readily admitted was quite advanced in its opinions on environmental issues.
Why do people stick their heads in the sand when it comes to our own short-term convenience? Why do we think it is acceptable to dump fecal matter in the regular trash when there are all sorts of complicated processes that go on for sewage to save us all getting contaminated? Remember all the plagues that stopped with the advent of indoor plumbing?
Cloth diapers are not all that complicated to care for and they are super inexpensive compared to disposable diapers. Let me back up a bit and say I was terrified to use cloth with my older daughter. I used the Tushies brand from Whole Foods because I figured they would be more natural for my baby's tender nether regions. Plus they decompose in a mere 50 years so we can go visit her poop pretty much for the rest of my lifetime.
I found the very thought of cloth diapers repulsive. Seriously, I did. If you have ever met me, you might be startled by that. I share that to show how far I've come and that I have faith that you, too, can come a long way in your thinking. You're reading this so you are open minded! So I continued using paper diapers on my sweet little baby's bottom.
But after 8 months of a continual disgusting diaper rash, I was motivated to look into other options. After a brief and confusing stint with a diaper service, I finally made the plunge and bought a starter pack of contoured cloth diapers and wraps. I had no one to guide me so I found it confusing at first but there are so many online forums with information handy that I was able to get it figured out pretty quickly.
I had a front loading washing machine so I could not soak my diapers. It turned out that there was no need. I only had enough diapers to last 2 days so I did laundry either daily or every 2 days. I did a cold rinse and then a hot wash with a minimal amount of gentle detergent. At that time, I machine dried my diapers but later, I realized that I could just tumble them for a few minutes and then hang them dry and save on resources. I no longer use a dryer at all for any laundry.
My daughter's rash cleared up within a few days. For good. After a few months, I got bold and stopped using the wrap when I was around the house. A friend who had lived in Africa for a few years educated me on how often to change diapers. I had been under some notion that the goal was to soak up as much pee as the thing could hold before changing it. Looking back, I wanna smack my former self sharply around the face for this but it is what I had soaked up from all the commercials which show a diaper about to explode and the parents still blissfully able to ignore the child. With cloth diapers not costing anything to change, there is no need to try to get the most out of each diaper.
So I started using the diapers alone and constantly checking for wetness, changing immediately. Long story short, she was totally out of diapers on her second birthday. With my second baby, I started doing elimination communication from birth and she was out of diapers for the most part by around 18 months. We also used cotton training pants fairly often because they hold a bit of pee and are less bulky to launder, and you can buy a whole lot of them for less money. I see no reason to keep children in big fat bulky diapers if you are going to change them after each pee. And my sqeamishness about getting pee or poop on me has, at least as far as my own babies is concerned, nearly completely gone away. For now, anyway.
One last thing I'd like to say is this: These ain't your mama's cloth diapers! In fact, cloth diapering has changed so much in the past few years, I dare you to go look and not come away hooked. Last month at our talk, we passed around a signup sheet at the beginning for a cloth diaper class. That clipboard flew so fast, a few people got injuries in their haste to get it back to us blank. Then later, while Kathy was passing around some cute cloth diaper options, I slyly started the clipboard on it's second journey. It's no surprise it came back with about half the people signed up!
There is a lot of data going the internet around that makes people feel okay about using disposable diapers. There are ridiculous biased studies that claim that if you factor in the amount of resources required to create cloth diapers and wash them, they are comparable in their environmental impact to disposables.Come on!
Are you buying that?
I did a bit of quick math in my head and was able to get numbers even worse than what these articles say. For example, I have read that it costs $3000 to use disposable diapers over the span of diapering. I did some quick math and realized that this was based on the child being in diapers for 2-3 years and only on about 7 diaper changes per day. The prior is unrealistic and the latter is disgusting. Most children who wear diapers pee way more often than that and if they are peeing significantly less, especially in the first year, you need to be worried about dehydration. It turns out that potty training has been delayed more and more since the popular use of disposable diapers because children are disassociating with their own elimination. So figure on 4-5 years of disposables for many children, with some in pull-ups at night for 6 years and beyond. If you don't believe me, go see what the stores are stocking.
I am here to say that anyone who says the decision to choose cloth diapers or disposable diapers is a toss-up or a personal decision is wishy-washy, misinformed, or intentionally misleading you. Disposable diapers are a huge problem for our babies, our environment and our wallets. Period.
My friend Kathy (owner of BabysAbode.com) and I do a monthly talk at the Hollywood Birth Center for families who are expecting a baby and one of the topics is cloth diapers. I was stunned to have a fellow in there one time who was openly hostile about what we were saying. He simply refused to believe that the effect of feces in the ever growing landfills and diapers that don't decompose for 500 years was anything to worry about. And he came from Denmark, a country he readily admitted was quite advanced in its opinions on environmental issues.Why do people stick their heads in the sand when it comes to our own short-term convenience? Why do we think it is acceptable to dump fecal matter in the regular trash when there are all sorts of complicated processes that go on for sewage to save us all getting contaminated? Remember all the plagues that stopped with the advent of indoor plumbing?
Cloth diapers are not all that complicated to care for and they are super inexpensive compared to disposable diapers. Let me back up a bit and say I was terrified to use cloth with my older daughter. I used the Tushies brand from Whole Foods because I figured they would be more natural for my baby's tender nether regions. Plus they decompose in a mere 50 years so we can go visit her poop pretty much for the rest of my lifetime.I found the very thought of cloth diapers repulsive. Seriously, I did. If you have ever met me, you might be startled by that. I share that to show how far I've come and that I have faith that you, too, can come a long way in your thinking. You're reading this so you are open minded! So I continued using paper diapers on my sweet little baby's bottom.
But after 8 months of a continual disgusting diaper rash, I was motivated to look into other options. After a brief and confusing stint with a diaper service, I finally made the plunge and bought a starter pack of contoured cloth diapers and wraps. I had no one to guide me so I found it confusing at first but there are so many online forums with information handy that I was able to get it figured out pretty quickly.
I had a front loading washing machine so I could not soak my diapers. It turned out that there was no need. I only had enough diapers to last 2 days so I did laundry either daily or every 2 days. I did a cold rinse and then a hot wash with a minimal amount of gentle detergent. At that time, I machine dried my diapers but later, I realized that I could just tumble them for a few minutes and then hang them dry and save on resources. I no longer use a dryer at all for any laundry.My daughter's rash cleared up within a few days. For good. After a few months, I got bold and stopped using the wrap when I was around the house. A friend who had lived in Africa for a few years educated me on how often to change diapers. I had been under some notion that the goal was to soak up as much pee as the thing could hold before changing it. Looking back, I wanna smack my former self sharply around the face for this but it is what I had soaked up from all the commercials which show a diaper about to explode and the parents still blissfully able to ignore the child. With cloth diapers not costing anything to change, there is no need to try to get the most out of each diaper.
So I started using the diapers alone and constantly checking for wetness, changing immediately. Long story short, she was totally out of diapers on her second birthday. With my second baby, I started doing elimination communication from birth and she was out of diapers for the most part by around 18 months. We also used cotton training pants fairly often because they hold a bit of pee and are less bulky to launder, and you can buy a whole lot of them for less money. I see no reason to keep children in big fat bulky diapers if you are going to change them after each pee. And my sqeamishness about getting pee or poop on me has, at least as far as my own babies is concerned, nearly completely gone away. For now, anyway.
One last thing I'd like to say is this: These ain't your mama's cloth diapers! In fact, cloth diapering has changed so much in the past few years, I dare you to go look and not come away hooked. Last month at our talk, we passed around a signup sheet at the beginning for a cloth diaper class. That clipboard flew so fast, a few people got injuries in their haste to get it back to us blank. Then later, while Kathy was passing around some cute cloth diaper options, I slyly started the clipboard on it's second journey. It's no surprise it came back with about half the people signed up!Monday, August 28, 2006
Tropical Storm Ernesto
The hurricane is expected this evening. If we are hit hard in South Florida, no orders for SoBeBabies or TheErgoLady will be shipped out until the Post Office reopens. Please bear with us during this delay!
The latest news on the storm indicates that it is not expected to linger or be even a Category 1. That is good news! Today's orders already went out around 1pm. I will continue to pack up orders to ship out but won't actually take them to the post office until I am certain it has reopened.
Also please understand that we may not be able to respond to phone calls or emails during this time.
If you are seeing this message and have just placed an order but now realize you don't want to risk a delay, simply send me an email and I will refund your payment when I am back online.
But hey, I'm running some pretty nice sales!
Last update: Tuesday August 29, 2006 5:10pm
The latest news on the storm indicates that it is not expected to linger or be even a Category 1. That is good news! Today's orders already went out around 1pm. I will continue to pack up orders to ship out but won't actually take them to the post office until I am certain it has reopened.
Also please understand that we may not be able to respond to phone calls or emails during this time.
If you are seeing this message and have just placed an order but now realize you don't want to risk a delay, simply send me an email and I will refund your payment when I am back online.
But hey, I'm running some pretty nice sales!
Last update: Tuesday August 29, 2006 5:10pm
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Monthly NINO Babywearing Meeting
This week was my groups monthly NINO babywearing meeting. The focus this month was slings and pouches.
Read more here.
I find these meetings rewarding, but really draining! It takes a fair bit to put them together. I did remember to send out reminders, but unfortunately, since my meeting is the 2nd Monday of the month and this month started on a Tuesday, I got confused and announced the meeting a week early. I wasn't the only one who got confused; I ran into someone who had shown up on the week I thought the meeting was. She had misread the calendar the same way I did.
Before the meeting, I find I have to eat like I'm preparing for a marathon, or I start to get shaky while I'm in there. I seem to burn an awful lot of calories. It didn't help that this time, I had to drop my mom off at the airport on the way to the meeting and it was tight!
After the meeting, I am useless. Thank goodness my husband came home and ordered pizza. I couldn't have managed putting together dinner, I don't think. I was just sort of wiped out on the couch. I may be extroverted, but trying to run a meeting in a loud room with children racing around in circles is absolutely exhausting!
Read more here.
I find these meetings rewarding, but really draining! It takes a fair bit to put them together. I did remember to send out reminders, but unfortunately, since my meeting is the 2nd Monday of the month and this month started on a Tuesday, I got confused and announced the meeting a week early. I wasn't the only one who got confused; I ran into someone who had shown up on the week I thought the meeting was. She had misread the calendar the same way I did.
Before the meeting, I find I have to eat like I'm preparing for a marathon, or I start to get shaky while I'm in there. I seem to burn an awful lot of calories. It didn't help that this time, I had to drop my mom off at the airport on the way to the meeting and it was tight!
After the meeting, I am useless. Thank goodness my husband came home and ordered pizza. I couldn't have managed putting together dinner, I don't think. I was just sort of wiped out on the couch. I may be extroverted, but trying to run a meeting in a loud room with children racing around in circles is absolutely exhausting!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Tummy 2 Tummy Babywearing Instruction DVD
I finally got the Tummy 2 Tummy DVD listed on my website too! I am on a roll! I love this DVD. It's amazing to have these wonderful women come right into your home to teach you about babywearing. The DVD covers everything a babywearer could need.- Beginning to advanced positions for newborns thru toddlers
- Wraps (simple pieces of cloth)
- Mei Tais (Asian baby carriers)
- Slings
- Pouches
- Safety Instructions
- Troubleshooting
Why is this photo so faded?
So I'm still working on my Posh by Tori diaper bag page and trying to get a photo in there with some kids (mine). None of their gorgeous photos had any babies or kids.I am still trying to figure out why this photo doesn't display very well on a web browser. It looks great on my local applications. Much sharper and bolder.
Oh well, I will get this figured out! Anyway, isn't the candy stripes gorgeous?
Ha ha - in doing this blog entry, I realized I don't even have the candy stripes listed on the top of my webpage! If you like the water bottle (I love it and own three) it's a Klean Kanteen and I bought it here.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Posh by Tori Diaper Bags
They're here! I got them right up! My Posh by Tori diaper bags arrived today and I couldn't wait to get my paws on them and get them up on my website! I can't believe I waited this long. These are beyond gorgeous.I was a little concerned about doing a bulk order of a product I'd never even seen in real life but these are beyond my wildest expectations. The quality is top notch. The bag is so roomy and useful. I will of course be sporting one myself!
What a treat to finally have something as gorgeous as this!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Diaper Bags
I'm so scared! But excited too! I have finally made the plunge and invested in some inventory other than baby carriers. I have some gorgeous diaper bags coming this week that I have to get listed. And I will be redoing my website with the help of a friend. So big doings in the next few weeks/months! I am very excited!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Everything goes around
I feel much more worthy and deserving than I used to. I didn't know this about myself but I just found out the other day. My car window wouldn't go up and I didn't want to leave it like that. My husband wasn't reachable. So I asked some men for help. I have never done anything like that before because you just don't expect total strangers to help you out.
But I didn't think too much about it. I just asked them to help, tried to keep the girls happy, and let them try to get my window closed so the rain wouldn't soak in and so I could get home. And so I could go get us something to drink and not worry about all the stuff in the car getting stolen.
They worked at it quite a while and I let them do whatever they wanted. I didn't offer to pay. I made it clear that I had been putting off a tune-up so they'd understand I wasn't in a position to offer anything. They remained determined to help out as much as they could. Then it hit me. I have been doing so much volunteer work, I felt deserving of this. I left it up to them when they would quit. They wound up taping cardboard on the window which looked pretty awful but at least it met my needs of keeping my belongings a bit safer and the rain out.
Today at the babywearing meeting, there was a mom with a six week old baby. She was overwhelmed in all the choices of baby carriers and I was able to give her an overview and let her try the ones that most appealed. I showed no bias towards products I sell. I believe people should choose for themselves and I have no problem letting them try products that I don't sell and just letting them know where to get the product. I would never do a hard sell because there is no sense forcing someone into a baby carrier that won't work for them. She took a few side glances at the Ergo but she wasn't feeling it! Clearly not a buckle girl! That's cool! And I was able to help another mom who loves her Ergo to do a few new tricks with it including side sitting and even facing out. I call it cheating with the Ergo! Off she went with her 11 month old chewing her toes and happy as can be!
But I didn't think too much about it. I just asked them to help, tried to keep the girls happy, and let them try to get my window closed so the rain wouldn't soak in and so I could get home. And so I could go get us something to drink and not worry about all the stuff in the car getting stolen.
They worked at it quite a while and I let them do whatever they wanted. I didn't offer to pay. I made it clear that I had been putting off a tune-up so they'd understand I wasn't in a position to offer anything. They remained determined to help out as much as they could. Then it hit me. I have been doing so much volunteer work, I felt deserving of this. I left it up to them when they would quit. They wound up taping cardboard on the window which looked pretty awful but at least it met my needs of keeping my belongings a bit safer and the rain out.
Today at the babywearing meeting, there was a mom with a six week old baby. She was overwhelmed in all the choices of baby carriers and I was able to give her an overview and let her try the ones that most appealed. I showed no bias towards products I sell. I believe people should choose for themselves and I have no problem letting them try products that I don't sell and just letting them know where to get the product. I would never do a hard sell because there is no sense forcing someone into a baby carrier that won't work for them. She took a few side glances at the Ergo but she wasn't feeling it! Clearly not a buckle girl! That's cool! And I was able to help another mom who loves her Ergo to do a few new tricks with it including side sitting and even facing out. I call it cheating with the Ergo! Off she went with her 11 month old chewing her toes and happy as can be!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness
I am so proud of myself. Sometimes I get these articles kicking around in my head and I don't write them and then they're gone forever. This concept has been resurfacing from time to time so I finally got it down. Read my thoughts about disaster preparedness as it pertains to babies and small children.
I would love feedback on this article or links that are relevant. I always wonder what people do if they don't nurse, practice babywearing, or if they run out of diapers and a disaster occurs.
I would love feedback on this article or links that are relevant. I always wonder what people do if they don't nurse, practice babywearing, or if they run out of diapers and a disaster occurs.
Monday, May 01, 2006
South Beach Earth Day
Yesterday, I did my first trade show or expo as a self-employed woman. I have womanned booths back in the day of being in the office world but it was always someone else's show.
This was a blast!
I feel like I got one more very inexpensive course towards my "MBA" and invaluable business experience.
Now I know I can do it! I am so proud of myself! Lots of people were interested in the Ergo Baby Carrier and also in the Mei Hip.
This was a blast!
I feel like I got one more very inexpensive course towards my "MBA" and invaluable business experience.
Now I know I can do it! I am so proud of myself! Lots of people were interested in the Ergo Baby Carrier and also in the Mei Hip.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Can I wear my baby facing out in the Ergo?
I get this question so often, I thought I'd get all my thoughts down on paper. Or wherever this is mysteriously stored!
The Ergo baby carrier is not designed to wear your baby facing out. Can you still do it? Well, that depends on what age your baby is. For a very small baby, yes, you probably can wear your baby facing out. In fact, if you think of the Ergo as a Mei Tai, you can do it just like you would for a Mei Tai.
But now I have a question for you. Why do you want to wear your baby facing out? I believe that the popularity of the Baby Bjorn has led everyone to think that this is a natural way to wear babies. It is my opinion that it is not.
Think for a second about how you pick your baby up. Do you walk around holding your baby in front of you, facing out? Not if you're like most people I know. You naturally put your baby on your hip or tummy to tummy. Other holding positions are on your shoulders or piggy back. Yes, I occasionally grab my baby like she's luggage, holding her under one of my arms, but that's another position that I wouldn't sustain for very long.
The point is that a baby is not meant to be facing out for long periods of time. First, the entire front of a baby is vulnerable. Babies are meant to feel safe against an adult facing in. And second, when a baby is facing out, she can never see your face. It's important for baby to check in with you and see how you're reacting to what's going on in the world.
Some people then argue with me that a baby on your back can't see your face. True. But generally when you put a tiny baby on your back, she'll fall asleep or fuss, and a bigger baby doesn't mind as much. And you should stand sideways when you're wearing a baby on your back and doing interesting things so she doesn't miss out. She'll let you know if she's bored back there!
The Ergo baby carrier is not designed to wear your baby facing out. Can you still do it? Well, that depends on what age your baby is. For a very small baby, yes, you probably can wear your baby facing out. In fact, if you think of the Ergo as a Mei Tai, you can do it just like you would for a Mei Tai.
But now I have a question for you. Why do you want to wear your baby facing out? I believe that the popularity of the Baby Bjorn has led everyone to think that this is a natural way to wear babies. It is my opinion that it is not.
Think for a second about how you pick your baby up. Do you walk around holding your baby in front of you, facing out? Not if you're like most people I know. You naturally put your baby on your hip or tummy to tummy. Other holding positions are on your shoulders or piggy back. Yes, I occasionally grab my baby like she's luggage, holding her under one of my arms, but that's another position that I wouldn't sustain for very long.
The point is that a baby is not meant to be facing out for long periods of time. First, the entire front of a baby is vulnerable. Babies are meant to feel safe against an adult facing in. And second, when a baby is facing out, she can never see your face. It's important for baby to check in with you and see how you're reacting to what's going on in the world.
Some people then argue with me that a baby on your back can't see your face. True. But generally when you put a tiny baby on your back, she'll fall asleep or fuss, and a bigger baby doesn't mind as much. And you should stand sideways when you're wearing a baby on your back and doing interesting things so she doesn't miss out. She'll let you know if she's bored back there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)