Your Life in a Box

Do you have a place that you keep all your little things? Stationary, pens, stamps, stickers, mementos, anything special? What kind of box is it? A shoebox? A little plastic box? A box from when you were a child? Or just a bag even that hold memories?



I had a wicker basket that had seen better days. It was broken, and had little pieces of well, wicker sticking out everywhere. My items meant for the box weren’t staying in there. It saddened me as I’d had that box for a bit. Not only that where was I going to put everything? I have space issues with clutter! (I’ll get to the items I promise)



Then, Heather Topich of Mommy Crafts http://www.freewebs.com/mommycrafts and I spoke. I have to say at first I was bewildered she had so many things to offer that I didn’t even know where to begin and the scrappin madness page (http://www.freewebs.com/mommycrafts/scrappinmadness.htm) I really had no idea what scrapbooking involved and how could I review it? How could it help me? What would I do? What would I think? Then again, this is what I started a blog so I could figure all this out.

Heather sent me a memory box, and I was so eager to try it out. The wooden box is covered in paper that is stamped in gold and also glued on with ribbon. There are little cardboard embellishments on the top that make it quite unique. The box is approximately 8x10 and it is the perfect size to hold my personalized note cards (soon to be reviewed), post its, business cards and anything else I may need to access, but I want to have organized neatly and need to move from place to place.



http://www.freewebs.com/mommycrafts has such a variety of items I was astonished. I thought all scrapbooking had to do with was a book and my kids pictures! She has flowerpots, photo mats, memory boxes, gift tags, journals, tin boxes, recipe boxes, and a child prayer book where Heather wrote the prayer. She has so much more that she personally created I feel that I can’t do it justice.

Please contact Heather Topich of Mommy Crafts at http://www.freewebs.com/mommycrafts or via email at hokieez@yahoo.com and enjoy!

Labels: embellished, memory box, mom, mom owned business, mommy crafts, review, scrapbooking

For those about to Rock - we will wear you

A green, ribbed tank top with a pink electric guitar can you say adorable on my littlest one? The stars and guitars shirt is on sale right now at www.slicksugar.com!

I have the epitome of girly girl - the hair and nails have to be done; everything must match. However, when I got said shirt in the mail from www.slicksugar.com, it was fair game in this house. My older one - she’s my little alternative girl – wanted it because this shirt is so her style. Nope, the little one took it. It’s one of the things a tester didn’t get as it was in one of their sizes. Score, as the older one said.



Aside from the unique style www.slicksugar.com provides, their quality is above standards. The stars and the guitar didn’t even look like they had been washed after several washings, no faded colors, no shrinking. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow the instructions on the site, I went and did it my own way and the garment still held up. I do wash it inside out now though.

With so many unique designs ranging in sizes from 3-6 month all the way up to 6 years, you are pretty well covered. On the site, there is a great sizing chart to help you along if you have any doubts about what you may need because we all know sizes vary!



A little about SlickSugar - the founders Michelle and Dana are both mothers and donate a portion of the proceeds to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation (http://www.mhopus.org/index.asp), which supports music education and its many benefits through the donation of new and refurbished musical instruments to under-served school and community music programs and individual students nationwide.



Just pop on over and take a peek, I have my holiday shopping narrowed down a bit. There isn’t a store here in Colorado that sells their wares but I can buy online at www.slicksugar.com. Don’t forget to tell them Mom in the Know sent you!

Labels: donate a portion of the proceeds, guitars, mom, mom owned business, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, music education, pink, review, SlickSugar, stars, t-shirt, women owned business

Tell it like it is

What a concept. A baby saying what we want to or for all we know what they want to. Finally, Jill Bensoy of www.honestbaby.com bucked tradition and said that should be me, I’ll be the one to say what we are all thinking.



I happened to be online one day and stumbled across a shirt that said, “I’ll walk when I’m good and ready.” If that shirt had existed a mere five years ago or I had known about it I would have ordered that in addition to all her other catchy ones.

• I’m not a performing monkey.
• 10th percentile and still growing.
• Not sleeping through the night.
• I survived nipple confusion.
• I heard Einstein was a late talker.
• Ferberizing Stinks!

It was like someone read my mind, especially the 10th percentile one for me, as my girls were/are both tiny. Then again I struggle to be 5’3 so wonder where they get that!



The shirts come in short and long sleeves, from 3-6 month – 6 years. They are made of durable cotton that holds up under many types of washing and in either blue or pink. Though the samples I received were in red and black. I must say the simplicity of the designs, yet so creative is what sold me! My tester on the, “I’ll walk when I’m good and ready” shirt said she was stopped every 5 feet by parents in the grocery store wanting to know where she got the shirt. Of course, she said www.honestbaby.com and told them about the concept behind it and the other shirts. The simple concept of there is no right or wrong for everyone it’s what’s right for you and makes you comfortable? Well, I guess you can say it’s right for me.

MITK gives www.honesstbaby.com if you have any moxie like I do, then go there and get them for you little ones! And ask to get one for yourself!

Labels: accessories, announcements, clothes, family owned business, mom, mom on the go, mom owned business, product testing, toddler, women owned business

Mom has an Agenda and it works for us!

Are you like me and try to schedule your life to the moment, but you have kids and know that it is a joke? Well, not anymore. The creator of mom Agenda, Nina Restieri, is guess what? A Mom so she knows what we need. It has awesome features like a week at a view that have rows for each child, mom, a place for dinner if you have that much forethought! The colors are stunning, and stylish you will want to carry it, not hide it in your bag anymore!



Opening the book, the pages are pink in this section; there is a tutorial for the new user, helping us along. It is impressive to have the favorite websites, online resources, toll-free numbers, international holidays, and holidays for us to reference. If I need to find an acronym online, I have it readily available now. It is a neat little perk that I have yet to find in any other planner, which makes it a cut above others that I have looked into.



The next section brings you to a sectioned out calendar in pages of blue. Pink satin ribbons help you mark the pages you want to find. One part is the monthly view, the other a weekly view with planning sections and quotations atop for inspiration as well as a pick-me-up. In addition, it includes a small calendar for the current and following month. It is set up for four children at this point. If you have more than that, there is room to write in those sections. There is also a calendar view for the upcoming year. You can make notations to carry over anything needed.



Coming upon the green section, you have space to write in your favorite books, music, movies, fashion, wines, and restaurants, while also making a heath and fitness plan. There are pages to record gifts, entertainment resources, parties, vacation ideas and planning plus to a whole lot more. It is a fantastic tool for mom and alike. It may even give you ideas you did not even know you had.

There is plenty of room at the end on purple pages to jot down some notes, maybe make a grocery list here and there. All the colors flow together well, it is colorful in tasteful, light colors that match the chocolate brown that now never leaves my side.



I do not want to forget to mention the detachable “momEssentials” that was part of the book too. It is what sounds like, an essential address book. I liked the detachable part, just for the flexibility of running in and out of a school function, an office, even the store to get information. If you are the mom on the go that most of us are and need to get all the kids friends loaded here and there, it is so easy now. I hate having 200+ names in my cell phone that I am lost on, who is “Glenda”?

Now in my momEssentials I can make those notes and who’s friend it is, their parent’s name (which is always good - don’t you get a bit tired of being called yourchildsname’s mom?) and any information that you think is important. I will probably insert allergies, where they live, annoying traits … just kidding. No, I really do enjoy the little address book that pulls out and I plan to use it for the school and class functions more than for personal use.



I personally love the momAgenda and highly recommend them. There are several versions so you have to go look and find which one screams you. The colors are fun and funky. The agendas are functional and easy to use, if you get confused just turn to the beginning and there is an illustration for you. It cannot be any easier to organize your life then if you actually had an assistant.

Labels: mom, mom on the go, momAgenda, review

Do you want to participate?

Hi!
I'm Mom in the Know. I run a blog and I'm always on the lookout for samples to be submitted that I can review for you to garner publicity via my site! What's better than that? Not much! My site is geared towards people that like to shop at their fingertips and want honest answers and reviews from a person like them. Someone who doesn't have a
paid advertiser 3 pages later in their magazine. If I find an issue, I'll alert you before I post it. I also prefer grass roots causes, if you don't have the funds for advertising this is the best way to do it. Trading links and helping each other out. Just email me via this site and I will contact you. I can't wait to see what we can do!

Labels: about, accessories, bag, family owned business, link request, mom, mom on the go, new business, parent, parents, product request, product testing, purses, review, women owned business

New developments

Here at Mom in the Know we have products coming in ready to review. One repeated request that I' ve had? That's the best diaper bag/purse/bag in general for a Mom on the go? So fellow parents and readers I'm looking for the answer to that question for us. That is my agenda today to find some to advertise here and for me to test out. If you know of a purse/bag designer of if you yourself are one let us know and we will contact you.
Thank you all who have supported thus far, keep reading and keep linking!

Labels: bag, bags, diaper bag, family owned business, link request, mom, mom on the go, mom owned business, new business, parent, parents, product request, purse, purses, restaurant, women owned business