MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

Have you noticed that we have another new Mum?  Jaymi, better known as FlipFlopMamma, has joined the awesomeness that is MumsTheWurd!  She is the bomb.  Welcome her!  Jaymi is another babywearing mamma of 3 cool kids that you’ll see from time to time on Mums.  

While we’re on the topic of babywearing, I have to tell you about the pouch from Rockin’ Baby Sling!  Well, first of all, they’re gorgeous!  Secondly, all the pouches and slings are named after songs, and really good songs, at that!  Check their huge selection of slings and pouches.  You are bound to find one that suits your style!  My issue with the pouch has always been that it seems to snug.  Not the Rockin’ Baby Pouch-these slings are generously sized.  My Medium/Large “I’ll Stop the World and Melt With You” fits me on the smallest setting for carrying Lennon, and on the biggest size for carrying Noel (it’s happened a couple times).  Like a sling, this pouch allows you to hold your baby in a variety of ways.  Find a way that is comfortable for both you, and your child, and start babywearing!  Want another reason to buy from these two Rockin’ Mamas?  They give 3% of their profits to Heifer International.

Do you enjoy babywearing, but find that it takes time away from doing certain things, like exercising (as if hauling around your baby isn’t exercise enough…)?  Well, the gals at Chicks-n-Chickens found a way to make it easy for you to get a little workout in while cuddling on your little bundle.  The Chicks Lullaby Exercises is a great way to get a little exercise for yourself, keep your baby close, and get them ready to nod off to dreamland.  I’ve done Lullaby Exercises with Lennon a few times, and it was pretty great.  It was a fun workout, without being too over the top.  I really enjoyed the sleep set, which was very relaxing, and did indeed put Lennon right to sleep!  Want to try it?  

Win it!

Enter here and tell us how you enjoy getting exercise with your kids! Winner will be selected randomly, and contacted via email. Contest ends October 26rd at 10pm (CST).

We are sad to announce that Fooey USA will be closing it’s virtual doors.  However, they are having a closeout sale that you won’t want to miss!  It’s all rad stuff, and it’s super cheap!  My mom got these shorts for Noel & Lennon (they won’t fit Noel next summer) for $8.99!  They are SOOOOO CUTE.  Fooey’s also got the best collection of shirts for kids and infants.  Some are as low as $3.99, people, but they won’t last!  Get over there, and say goodbye to one of the best stores out there.  Fooey, we are sorry to see you go!

On a sunnier note, Ashlee has come up with a new name for her store!  Nonny & Boo, formerly Nest Baby Sling, now offers even more great items, like wraps (that are the coolest EVER), hoodies, and plushies!  As usual, Ashlee’s wares are quite simply the coolest!  Pictured here, are Steph and Ivy in nonny & boo’s bamboo sling.  We have this sling, and Elliott and I share it.  We love it.  The fabric is light, but very strong, and it works well going out in the Texas heat.  We just heart the lady over at nonny & boo, and you will too.

When Ami Roberts, owner of Plum Tot, became a mom, like many of us, she jumped head first into the world of “baby things”. When she saw what was out there, she realized this world wasn’t pretty. Channeling her creative side, she came up with some products of her own that were not only functional, but stylish. Her second baby, Plum Tot, was born!

Ami has a knack for choosing gorgeous fabrics for her bibs, hooded towels, and burp sets, but her real claim to fame is the unique GO Blankie. The Go Blankie serves seven different purposes, and has a water resistant nylon back side to go with it’s soft minky top. “GO Blankie’s innovative design allows it to function as an outdoor play mat, stroller blanket, diaper changer, infant seat cover, baby cozy, front pack blanket, and nursing cover.” With a GO Blankie, you don’t have to worry about hauling around blankets, changing pads, and nursing covers. You’ve got it all-in-one! Isn’t that nice?

For 15% off of your purchase for the rest of July, use the promo code JULYPROMO at checkout!

Lennon wants you to know that his favorite thing about the Go Blankie are it’s tasty ribbons! Lennon also pictured with an Octipi (coming soon!) and his Blueberry diaper, which I will be reviewing in an upcoming cloth diapering post.

I think my husband has heard me sing the praises of the Medela Freestyle probably more than any husband should have to, but seriously, this breast pump is pretty unbelievable. First of all, it literally fits in the palm of your hand. No more manual pump, which is almost TOO strong. Before the Freestyle, I would have to pump for 30 minutes, and I still wasn’t fully “drained”. Now it takes me 12 minutes. TWELVE! You know how I know? The digital display tells me!

How many great things can I say about this pump?!? It has nine different levels of suction, two phases of expression, which more closely mimics a baby’s latch than a traditional pump does, and it even a MEMORY! Here’s the best part though…it comes with hands free accessories! They hook right to almost any nursing bra. Ok, so you look a little ridiculous, but you’re pumping, so who cares? It’s not like you’re doing it in front of anybody (or at least anybody that hasn’t seen them before!). This is where the pump goes above and beyond. It’s completely possible now for you to multitask while pumping! Remember the days when you could maybe thumb through a magazine while pumping if you could maneuver your hands just right so that everything stayed in place? Well, those days are over. Now you can hold your baby, do dishes, blog…whatever!

The world is your oyster!

If you’re a nursing mum in need of a breast pump, this is it.  Promise.

We are excited to tell you a little more about the beautiful Ashlee Allen.  Since she was unable to podcast with us a few weeks ago, we sent her a couple of questions.  Here’s a little info about the Nest mama:

MTW: What inspired you to start nest?

Ashlee: I had always planned to wear my baby but when Xavier was born unexpectedly at 28 weeks I knew babywearing and kangaroo care would be critical. Through our journey I discovered that while there were many carriers I adored, I couldn’t find *the one*, so I made it! Nest as a business evolved from there.

MTW: What did you do before you became a “mompreneur”? How did you get started?

Ashlee: I’ve dabbled in many carrers other than mom - photography, psychology, advertising, yoga instructor, nanny and of course mama. After making slings for many friends and people I’d run into all over the place I realized my life would be easier if I had a place to send people. So after much research, I started designing and thanks to my sewing and my husband’s design skills nest was hatched.

MTW: Without giving away any of your “secrets”, where/how do you find the items for your store?

Ashlee: I lauch new collections in the spring and fall and am always on the look out new styles and fabric. One of my favorite things to do is scout out random fabric shops in person and online and I, of course, pay attention to the current fashion scene for inspiration.

MTW: What are some of your favorite items?

Ashlee: Our limited edition slings are always my favorite, the Heart Nouveau being my current favorite. The hatchlings are super cute and we actually have some items in production that I can’t wait to launch- I’m in love! ***I am too!  This is why we’re waiting to tell you about E$’s Sling!!!***

MTW: Tell us more about Project X.

Ashlee: Project X provides person to person support to NICU familes. As I mentioned before our son Xavier was born at 28 weeks and spent 6 weeks in NICU. It was a really terrifying time for us and the biggest help was talking to other people who had been there. We do a lot of one on one work, but our biggest event is Project Christmas, provinding a traditional Christmas dinner to all of the local NICU’s. We spent Xavier’s first Christmas in the hospital and having just a hint of normalcy would have made all the difference. Since our first year in 2006 we’ve had several sister programs launch in cities nationwide. 10% off all nest profits are donated directly to Project X.

MTW: Tell us a bit about you and your family!

Ashlee: I get to spend my days with my amazing 2 (going on 17) year old X and my super cool, artist husband David. When David’s not tattooing, I’m not sewing or blogging and X isn’t napping you’ll likely find us up to our eyebrows in paint or building some killer lego cities.

See what else Ashlee’s up to here, here, here, and here.

I have been anxiously awaiting this. I got it today, took it RIGHT out of the box, cleaned it, and used it. I know, I am nuts. I love it, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it!

Or maybe not…It could just be the greatest $50 I’ve spent in the past 5 years, but still, that’s a bold statement!

So yesterday our power was out (for 22 1/2 hrs!!!) due to some major storms in our area. We toughed it out because it was a beautiful day, and we were able to stay here and not completely fry.* There was one problem though. How was I going to pump? I’ve been doing this in the mornings, so we can give Lennon bottles before bed and at night, so we all can sleep more. I totally panicked and started calling around places to see if I could buy a battery pack. No dice. So, I bit the bullet, went to Target, and bought a hand pump, with the idea that I could return it if it was really horrible. Well, it is FAR from horrible. In fact, I’m irritated with myself that I never gave the hand pump a chance until now. I had no idea how great this device was! It’s so much better, easier and faster to me than the electric pump I’ve been using.

Here’s the little beauty-The Avent ISIS Handheld Breast Pump!
After I review the Aimee Nursing Gown (another fave), I am officially DONE talking any more about breasts!

*This weather will last about 2 weeks, then summer will hit.

These two have put a major roadblock in my already limited blogging life…and that’s ok, except for the fact that I haven’t found much time to tell you about more fab products or to give away cool stuff! Fortunately, you all know I have an awesome partner in review land that we can all depend on. So a big thanks to Amy, who has held this little blog together while I feed, diaper, wipe tears and peanut butter from faces, chase, shush, and just try to keep my hair washed every other day. I think I’ll probably have this all under control in about 5 years.

That being said, I have found some moments of solace in this hectic environment. Along with the chaos of having a newly-turned-two year old and a newborn comes some pain. I totally forgot how, well, awful the first weeks of breastfeeding are. Thankfully, other people know this, and do what they can to help us sore moms out. The Shower Hug is a soft, knit terry velour towel that you wrap around sore breasts to protect them from the harshness of the shower. It is a God send! I’m still “recovering” from the first few days of Lennon and his extremely aggressive nursing (the kid is hungry!), and the Shower Hug has been a welcome relief. I also wear it at night, instead of a nursing bra. It’s so soft and comfortable! You can see for yourself all of the great benefits of the Shower Hug here, and also learn how to wear it here. I can not tell you how grateful I am to have found this product. Before I got it, I was wincing at the thought of showering, but now, I welcome this part of the day. I am so glad I got the “hug” that I was in desperate need of! Thanks, Belmama & Cherub!

Ah…the joys of breastfeeding. Let’s not mince words-breastfeeding isn’t easy. It GETS easy after you’ve done it long enough, but those first few days and weeks can be a barrage of emotion. “Am I doing it right?” “Is my baby gaining weight?” “Will I ever sleep again?” My personal favorite, “WILL MY MILK EVER COME IN?”