Determining to Make a Difference

Every day I tell myself that I need to get on here and keep up this blog, and every day I fail to meet my goal. I'm always busy it seems-- chasing the kids, making a meal, packing a lunch, changing yet another diaper, making a sling or Mei Tai to fill an order, searching on line to figure out how to better market our beautiful products, teaching a babywearing class or answering emails about babywearing, shopping for fabrics, providing breastfeeding support-- the list never seems to end. And every day I find time to do all those things. I've also been failing in another major area.

The one thing I have been failing in lately is in-- giving. I grew up in a family of givers. My parents gave what little cold, hard cash they had to suppport so many great organizations, and they planted that seed in me. When I was in high school, I remember I began giving a portion of the money I earned-- a tithe--through various jobs to support a child through World Vision. It was exciting for me to know that I was helping a child somewhere around the world to live a slightly better life-- providing them with food, clothes, an education, medical care. And then my income increased a bit. So I began to sponsor another child, then another, and another. I think at one point I was sponsoring close to 10 children in various countries and then I began to find other awesome organizations to support as well. It was liberating for me. I loved it.

And when Adam and I got married in 2000, I realized I had married another "giver." We streamlined our giving, and soon were giving over 20% of our gross income to support several amazing organizations-- World Vision, Jews for Jesus, Arab World Ministries, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Mercy Ships, Samaritan's Purse-- just to name a few. And then Adam lost his job . . . a month after I had given birth to our oldest child. We tightened our belts and had to very reluctantly cut back on our giving. We thought that Adam would fairly quickly find another job and this "hiccup" in our lives would soon be in the past. Two years later, he was still without a job. We had used up all our savings, our retirements, we had stopped giving all together, and things never seemed to "go back to normal" for us.

Fastforward a few years. Adam never has found another job in his field. He finally took a job in a totally unrelated field and has been underemployed for over 5 years now. In those 5 years, we've added 3 more kids to our brood. We've never been able to loosen our belts, it seems. And we've never really gotten back on the "giving bandwagon", if you will.

Every month I tell myself that I am going to give, to tithe, out of my business earnings. I'm thrilled that Baby So Smart has grown so much over the last 5 years and is really doing well. Are we rolling in money? No. But there's no reason why I can't give. And so I've determined to make Baby So Smart make a difference in other people's lives.

Baby So Smart is now proud to announce that we are supporting another great program through World Vision, I've picked a program that provides women, mothers, with sewing machines so that they can then help support their families as seamstresses. Clearly close to my heart. Statistics show that if you help a woman by providing her with education and loans for microenterprise, that this actually significantly improves the entire community, not just the woman and her own family. Hence why I've chosen to support this awesome program by World Vision.

So 10% of every dollar that you spend at Baby So Smart will now go to supporting women around the world in a microenterprise. I encourage you to read more about this program, or other great programs that World Vision operates, and to give as you are able as well. Just click on the title of this blog post to be taken to the World Vision website.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Fall 2009 EveryDay Silk Sling Collection

We're adding a few new slings to our EveryDay Silk and EveryDay Silk Demi Sling line of carriers, and they're to-die-for! Lots of beautiful new silk colors paired with some gorgeous new cotton prints are sure to have you hankering for a new sling! Check out these fun "Mini-Me" versions of some of our new slings (and there are more to come, just be patient!). Full-size versions of all these slings will be available for sale on our site beginning in September. "Mini-Me" versions of all our EveryDay Silk and EveryDay Silk Demi Sling are always available for $35.



This first red plum & gorgeous lawn floral is called "Francesca." For those of you who lusted after our "Sofia" EveryDay Silk sling, you will love "Francesca" just as much. Soft, feminine, and elegant, "Francesca" will turn heads everywhere you go.





Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do-- we guarantee you'll say yes to this beautiful "Daisy" EveryDay Silk Demi Sling from our Fall 2009 Collection! Jet-black dupioni silk is partially lined and then trimmed with a fun hot pink and wine print just loaded with spirit.







"Stella", beautiful Stella of dusky plum dupioni silk and lined and edged with a just amazing large-scale plum & tan botanical print. We are in love with this new EveryDay Silk Demi sling, and guarantee you will be, too!



And then there's "Wynsome," or "Wynnie," as we affectionately refer to this beautiful new EveryDay Silk Demi Sling. Cocoa dupioni silk is partially lined and then trimmed in a funky but feminine print done in shades of cocoa, tangerine, pale blue, and hibiscus pink.

And isn't our beautiful little model just great? We certainly think so! For more views of these beautiful new EveryDay Silk Slings by Baby So Smart, join us on Facebook!

And check back frequently, as we have a few more slings to add to our Fall 2009 Collection!

Baby So Smart Product Review

We're excited to share a recent review of one of our beautiful, practical Baby So Smart Mei Tais! Check out what Susan, of www.upscalebaby.com/blog has to say!

The Baby So Smart "Inspiration Sling" Contest Winners!

"Inspiration Sling" Winners!

We had so many great entries to this contest, it was extremely difficult to narrow the entries down. While my intent was to narrow the choices down to just 5 winning entries, because there were so many inspiring entries, I decided to add-on some "Honorable Mention" entries. The individuals who have received Honorable Mention will receive a $50 gift certificate, good towards any Baby So Smart product.

And now the 5 grand prize winners of the Baby So Smart "Inspiration Sling" contest--

1. Jessica Hartenstine (TBW: LunamothMama), with the "Azor Forrest" sling, color combo of chocolate brown, leaf green, and turquoise.
2. Michelle Tonkinson, with the "Kyla Ilene" sling, color combo of pink and cream.
3. Carmela Smythe (TBW: carmelasmythe), with the "Hannah Lashley" sling, color combo of chocolate brown and pink.
4. Elizabeth Easter (TBW:EllieBellie), with the "Tiffany Sabrina" sling, color combo of "Tiffany blue" and lime green.
5. Dana Carries (TBW:Pyrodjm), with the "Natalie Monet" sing, color combo of deep orange and chocolate brown.

And now the Honorable Mentions--
1. Andee Roll, with the "Harper Delaney" sling
2. Jennifer Lytle (TBW:mamarocks), with the "Claire Margarite" sling
3. Heather Russel (TBW:bgexotics), with the "Aidan Carter" sling
4. Shanna Bartram (TBW:anneannahs), with the "River Anna" sling
5. Dawn Partlow, with the "Nova Marie" sling

Congratulations to all of our Grand Prize Winners, and to all of our Honorable Mention winners!

Stay tuned for photos coming soon!

Join Baby So Smart on Facebook!

Want to learn more about babywearing, love your Baby So Smart sling or Mei Tai, or just want to hang out with other babywearers? Then join us on Facebook! Simply click on the title of this blog to be taken to our Facebook page, and then add yourself as a "Fan" of Baby So Smart.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The End of All Small Businesses That Produce Childrens Items??

Some of you may not be aware of all that is taking place currently within our governmental system in regards to legislation in process that may very likely shut down those of us who own small businesses that sell or manufacture items used by children ages 12 and under.

In a nutshell: most of you remember the concerns that were raised when in 2007, many children's toys and other products were recalled due to high levels of lead, said items having been manufactured in mass quantities in China, and sold to us by large companies here in the US who had outsourced their production of these childrens items. Rightly so, Americans were outraged, and the US Congress stepped in to protect us.

This from www.change.org, "they [the US Congress] passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number." (Italics mine).

While this appears to be a great step taken to protect American children from tainted products, there are myriad problems with the legislation and the way it currently is written.

Again, from www.change.org: "All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational companies to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each item have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their systems to include batch labels. Small businesses however, will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.

There is a clear disconnect between the sweeping nature of this law, and the narrow range of products that were problematic in 2007. The CPSIA applies standards that were put in place in reaction to the sale of toys contaminated with lead paint and toxic plastics. Rather than focus on these materials, this law places a guilty until proven innocent mentality on all children's product producers by imposing mandatory testing and certification, and in the process will kill an entire industry."

This law, if enacted as currently written, will close down thousands of small businesses, including mine. In these economically difficult times, this will only serve to increase the hardships families are suffering from and increase the jobless rate. I encourage you to contact your senators and congress-people to implore them to provide exemptions for those of us whose products in no way violate these laws or impose and danger to our children.

FYI-- the fabrics that I currently use to craft the beautiful baby carriers available on my website, www.babysosmart.com, are already safe-- the levels of possible contaminants are well-under what the government is deeming acceptable and safe with these laws. However, if I continued to function and manufacture and sell baby carriers after February 10th, the government would state that I am violating the law by producing and selling "hazardous materials", which is NOT true, and I could potentially be fined up to $5 million and face jail time.

Please, please take the time to read the full explanation of all that will happen to America on February 10, 2009 by going to www.change.org, and then also contact those indivual senators and congress people who can grant us exemptions.

Thank you so much for reading this.

Happy After-the-Holidays Greetings!

Just wanted to wish all of you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2009!

You Inspire Us

Most of my fabric choices and combinations that I use to create all of our beautiful Baby So Smart slings and Mei Tais are inspired by something in my life-- my children, a favorite book, a beautiful natural phenomenon, friends-- and my customers.

In honor of all the inspiration in my life, I have decided to introduce the Baby So Smart "Inspiration" Slings. These slings will be inspired by YOU and will be available in several gorgeous combinations and price ranges, providing something beautiful for everyone.

These slings will be available as single layer slings in two separate but coordinating color combinations, or as one gorgeous reversible sling.

Here's a look at the "Avelyn Eithne" reversible silk sling, inspired by my oldest daughter-- Elegant and beautiful, but subtle. Two gorgeous layers of silk, one a silvery green, the other sugared plum, accented by an elegant coordinating cotton print. Two zippered pockets, to make the sling practical regardless of which way you choose to wear it. Available for $249.


And then the single layered versions:

The "Avelyn" sling (my daughter's first name) . . . a single layer of silvery green silk, accented with sugared plum silk and the coordinating cotton print . . . and the "Eithne" sling (my daughter's middle name) . . . a single layer of sugared plum silk, accented with silvery green silk and the coordinating cotton print.

Each of the single layer slings has one zippered pocket and is not reversible, and will be available for $125.

Here's where you, our customers, come in. I want your input to help inspire me with this astounding line of silk slings.

I invite you to send me your baby's name, along with your favorite color combination, a photo of you with your baby, and tell me a little bit about yourself and what inspires you. If I choose your color combination, that sling will be named after your baby, and you will receive a free reversible, double layer silk sling named for your baby in the color combination that you have suggested.

All entries must be received by midnight, Jan. 15, 2009. Winners will be notified by Jan. 31, 2009, and will receive their sling within 4 weeks. All entries must be submitted to tiffany@babysosmart.com. You may only enter once. Entrants may choose to honor one or more children by combining their children's names in an attractive manner. No more than two names and two color choices submitted per entry. Winning combinations will be chosen based upon: my appreciation of your child's name and my appreciation of the color combination you have chosen. Five winning combinations will be chosen from among entrant's suggestions, hence forming the base for 15 new slings.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing from you-- start submitting!

What's New at Baby So Smart!

Gosh, I've taken so much time off from keeping up this blog, that I'm afraid I have quite a bit to catch up on, at least in regards to what has been going on at Baby So Smart.

Let's see, I guess we'll start with January: We've turned over the last of the "old stock" of the EveryDay Silk slings, so now all the new slings have zippered pockets. We've been pleased to have much positive feedback regarding this change. And our new tags are a big hit, not just with us, but with everyone who sees them! Thanks to my sweet husband, Adam, for designing our gorgeous peacock!

February: Two birthdays this month, our youngest son, Malachai, turned two, and he's experiencing the "terrible two's" to the fullest! I think my older two skipped this stage! And our "Boggle" (beagle/Boston terrier mix), Ruby, turned one this month!



March: Now it's Adam's turn for a birthday, he wasn't too thrilled to keep creeping past the "Big 3-0". Seems we always want to be younger, or at least not get any older! We're getting ready around here to take part in our first fashion show, to be held in Fort Madison, IA, and we're pretty excited about that. And we're gearing up to our first big Baby Expo to be held in early April. Much work to be done around here!

April: Yet another birthday! Avelyn turns 4 this month, and she has agreed to wean. My baby
girl is growing up! And check out what she chose as her "weaning present"! I must say I'm proud! The fashion show went well, I think we'll do it again some time. And the Baby Expo was a great experience--more displays to make, new signage, revamped business cards, several new sling designs, and lots and lots of people! We also finally had our sling and Mei Tai wearing instruction photo shoot this month. Can't wait to finally get everything edited, prettied up, and onto the website! Oh, and let's not forget, the end of tax season! Whew, what a busy month!

May: New Mei Tai fabrics! Lots of them! Our Spring and Summer line of Mei Tai fabrics is up on the site and very beautiful, I might add. Supplies are limited, so order early if you like these prints. Each new print is clearly marked on the site. Here are just a few "fabric photo swatches" for you to enjoy. And two new sling styles-- "The Skinny Sling", a more narrow, single layer silk sling in great summery colors for warmer weather babywearing; and "The Geisha Sling", a unique line of high-end slings designed using vintage obis. We also had a photo shoot, some of our new photos are up on the site, some are still yet to be loaded, and we still have the second half of the photo shoot to complete--this next one will include photos of our Geisha Sling line!

June: We have an article about the "Benefits of Babywearing" coming out this month in the Kansas City Baby magazine, as well as a column highlighting the products we produce here at Baby So Smart! Very excited, I'll post the article and column as soon as it's on the stands! So much to look forward to this summer! And a couple of photos from our photo shoot--

Where Have We Been???

It seems the Chief Blogger at Baby So Smart has been shirking her duties for quite some time; alright, that would be me. I'm here to explain briefly where I've been for the last several months.

My husband and I found out we were expecting another baby back in November, we were both very excited, as this little one was actually planned, unlike several of our others. Not that we weren't excited about them, too, it's just different when you are surprised (to say the least) by three kids in three years. This new little one was due to be born in July, but it wasn't to be. I had a miscarriage just a few weeks later, and honestly, it knocked me off my feet emotionally. I never thought I would be the one having a miscarriage, losing a longed-for baby, and I very unwillingly joined the ranks of those women who've gone before me in experiencing the death of a baby or child. And to make it even more difficult, only a few weeks after losing that little baby, I found out I was pregnant again, and nearly lost this one as well.

It's taken me the last 25 weeks to finally relax and be able to enjoy this new baby, a girl, due now in early September. I'm finally done worrying, I think, that something will go wrong with her as well. And I think I'm finally ready to start blogging again. And to all of you other women who have lost a child at any stage of their development, I'm so sorry for your loss.