Just one more thing

So I thought I was done but then I tried my website in Opera and it would not give me the lock. Picky, picky. After some serious digging, I uncovered yet one last image that was not https and now Opera likes me! LA LA LA LA LA!

Online Security: SSL

I consistently work on ensuring a safe shopping experience. I've come a long way in this regard. As far as I know, my website is very secure, but I am always open to hearing about any issues.

Like yesterday, a customer called and said she was not comfortable ordering because there was no lock on the browser. I had noticed this before but hadn't addressed it because, well, an entrepreneur always has a million things on her plate. But if it's costing sales, it suddenly becomes Issue Number One.

So after frantically researching this, it turns out that the issue was due to some images from external websites that were not being addressed by the full secure pathnames. If a website is set up for SSL, you can get to the same place by using either the http:// pathname or the https:// pathname. Some external images were not being accessed by the secure pathname, even though the script was created by the vendor. Their bad!

I've kludged my way through and put in proper secure pathnames to all external images and now the lock shows up. But not on all browsers. So read the article for more ideas to ensure you are buying from a secure website before sharing your credit card information.

Please note that my site was secure all along. Now it's just able to show that it is secure.

Proud Sponsor of the Babywearing Conference 2008

I am proud to announce that SoBeBabies is a Proud Sponsor of the 2008 Babywearing Conference. I've also been asked to speak about Structured Baby Carriers!

Demo & Used Baby Carriers 50%-99% off Sale!

So what was I taking all those photos of? Go check out my online yardsale and see!

Behind the scenes

Sometimes people get the impression that SoBeBabies is a large corporation or at least a staffed small business. Nope. It's still a one-woman show.

Today, in trying to get at my actual inventory, not just the overflow, I decided to tackle a much-needed project and clear out some extra stuff. I'm in the process of listing amazing deals in my online yard sale. Here's a peek at some of what's involved in that.

See that strange contraption? It's a small light box I picked up on eBay. I am somewhat in love with it. It all comes in its own bag which folds up like a large briefcase with a handle. It comes with that small tripod - the camera isn't on it because I needed to take a photo of the whole setup - and it includes two super nifty lights that fold down into nothing and fit in outside pockets.

I have found that the lights don't throw anywhere near enough light so I just use it outside on my balcony and harness the power of the Florida sun. I still need to do a fair bit of work on the images after the fact. The background still must be extracted and the images properly cropped and sized. All in all, it takes a good 5-10 minutes of work per image to get it listed, sometimes more. And this is after getting the hang of this process; it used to take 30 minutes or more.

So that's a sneak peek behind the scenes!

P.S. Some of the photo editing was done with a toddler on my lap. Once she finally drifted off for her nap, I popped her into bed and carefully sneaked away. I had to hit the floor once because her eyes popped open. Then I tiptoed ever so quietly away and hopefully I can now finish up listing my yard sale!

ScootaBaby Hip Baby Carrier

We are fully stocked on the Scootababy Baby Carrier and it is being very well received.



So what's so wonderful about the Scootababy?

Easy of Use
The Scootababy is so simple to use. It comes with instructions but really, you just put it on and pop your baby in. It's totally intuitive. And you can wear your baby front or back safely on the very first try without someone to help you! It is also easy to switch sides; no need to rethread or struggle with buckles behind you.

Comfortable Hip Carrier
There are plenty of hip carriers out there but none of them accomplishes the two important things that the Scootababy does. First, the Scootababy supports the baby's weight mainly on your hips with the wide, padded strap. And second, the shoulder design on the Scootababy means that the strap spreads the weight out well and doesn't ride up your neck.

Baby Can See!
You baby can easily see to the front or the back since he or she is sitting on your hip. Baby is happy! You are happy!

Oilily shoes

I got hooked into Oilily when my first daughter was around two. A crazy friend of mine had been dragging me to their seasonal sales and I was overwhelmed and couldn't get into it at first. But over time, seeing her daughter appear in such cute outfits, I started to make the effort to overcome my fear of the price tags and dressed my daughter in The Most Fun Clothing Ever!

Over the years, I got more into boutique clothing and I am always just that much happier when my girls have on something super cute.

We got a huge shipment of Oilily Girl's Shoes in a few weeks ago. Nearly all the photos and descriptions are uploaded. My older daughter nabbed a pair of blue sneakers. They are very retro and she adores them. All the moms notice them when we're out and about. I know they probably think I'm nuts, dressing my girls in Oilily but I don't care. I can admit it. I am that shallow and I still love my girls naked but I happily admit I really love seeing Oilily on them. Truth be told, most of us are shallow in that way but it's somehow not okay to admit it. It gets whispered to me over the phone often enough that I am going to boldly declare it.

I care what my girls wear!

So come on over and check out some Oilily Shoes! And subscribe to the SoBeBabies Newsletter. Those on it just saw an Oilily coupon. Lots of holiday sales are being announced every day!

Just for fun

We went camping a few weeks ago in Key Largo. We went with four other families who also homeschool their kids. It was so relaxing. The kids played together all day and well into the evening and were thrilled to wake up and see each other first thing in the morning. What a treat!

I haven't paddled in years. I used to be an avid whitewater C1 paddler. A kayak on flatwater isn't the same but it sure was fun!

When it was time to pack up, my three year old was not happy to see the tent disappear. She wanted to always sleep in there!