Coast to Coast with Lyn & Leigh

I caught myself giggling today. I was reading the piece about New For Baby on Business Week.com’s ‘Fresh Entrepreneurs’ series. So surreal. To be honest, Lyn and I were just honored to be contacted about the article, let alone interviewed and then featured. I mean, we are two Moms here. We had an idea, and we started a business. No business degrees and no real experience running an apparel company. And yet somehow there we are on Business Week.com! It just goes to show that the same thing that prompted us to start a business is the same thing that keeps it moving forward. It’s real. It’s something we needed, wanted, couldn’t find, and created. So as long as we stick to that, and the love behind it, I guess we can’t goof up too badly.

And doesn’t Grant look adorable? I am aching to hold him. Those of you living far away from your best friend can attest to how hard it is to be far from their children as well. Because our business calls become our girlfriend calls, and our kids are usually in the background, or we are chatting from one of their activities…these little ones are as much New For Baby as Lyn and I are. Our inspiration, our fit models, Alyssa helping count boxes, trying like crazy to get Haylie to hush while we are in Target and an editor is on the phone, Malia’s favorite leggings and Grant’s photo shoots…

We are excited. We are proud. We are kind of embarrassed. And we are PUMPED about the future.

The holidays are over, and we’ve begun organizing the girls’ gifts. I was watching Good Morning America, and they had a segment on how to manage electronics. I thought it would work with lots of kid items, especially things like V Smile, Leap Frog, computer games, and more.

First up? Batteries. Make a list of which items take what kind of batteries, and post it in the closet/drawer/whatever where you store your batteries. It’s easier to make a list for the store by looking there, rather than tracking down all the items and looking on the battery compartments to see what they need.

Next - Directions/warranties/pamphlets/cords/extra parts. Take a gallon Ziploc, write the item name with a sharpie, and store everything inside. Keep in previously mentioned closet/drawer/whatever!

Finally - Cords/chargers. Take a label maker and create a label for the item it belongs to. Then tape that around the cord. This also works well for television/dvd’s/etc. in your entertainment units.

Once you get organized, break out the thank you notes. This is an important lesson for your child. We try to take a picture of them with the gift, and include that in the note (which they dictate to me, and then sign their names). Let them put on the stamps and carry to the mailbox. This is an etiquette lesson that will stay with them always, especially if they see you writing thank you notes and saying how important it is to give our thanks.

So it is now Day 7 of the Pacific Northwest’s ‘Arctic Blast ‘08′ (that’s what the constant news coverage is calling it). No school for the past week, and we are pretty much trapped inside. On the positive, it’s forced me to rest and recover from Strep (my beloved classes at 24 Hr. Fitness have been canceled), and the girls have certainly had lazy down time. In between snow dumps, we managed to get to Target to stock up on art supplies. While I was there, I made sure to clear out their supply of kids Huggable Hangers, as I do each time. I’m gradually converting the girls’ closets to be like my own - only Huggable Hangers!

Let me tell you, these things are little hanging miracles. They have a velvety texture that keeps ANY garment hanging without slipping off, and they are so slim that you can practically double your hanging capacity. Not only that, but they come in cool colors (we, as a house of girls, are pink of course). Now I need to start collecting the clippy-thingies so that I can use them for pants and skirts, too. This is a process, since I hang almost everything (I do not enjoy folding, and I am a visual kind of gal, so I like to SEE all the pretty clothes). 

Here is a shot of Haylie’s closet, which is almost converted to all Huggables. Note the Space Bags (I just saw a commercial for Space Bag ‘Cubes’ - I am all over that!). I hang the girls’ clothing by collection/colorway, which makes it easy to dress them. Lyn, creative girl that she is, arranges her kids’ clothing by type, and then mixes and matches in a way I would never even think of (and looks oh so cool!).

Happy closet organizing!

Sometimes when Little G is crying so hard and his arms and legs are flailing, I don’t know what to do! This was happening yesterday afternoon. He has his bottom two teeth trying to poke through and he was fussy & overly tired and OVER being awake. BUT, he would not let himself relax and fall asleep. SO… I put Little in his crib and held him down and shushed him, popped the bink and then flipped on his ceiling fan and I told him to look at it. I pointed up to it and he became mesmerized with it’s rotation. He focused on it until it got up to speed and then turned his head and was out. I say… WHATEVER works!

Well, an ‘Arctic Blast’ (as the news channels are calling it) has rolled into the Pacific Northwest. We’ve had so much fun in the snow (except Haylie), and school has been cancelled all week. Which means 3 weeks of vacation! I just stocked up on art supplies from good old Target.

Anyway, with all this cold, I had to give myself a pat on the back for my smart purchase last year of winter/snow coats for the girls. Even though they were 5 and 3, I got sizes 6 and 4. They were a tad big last year, but I’ve been able to use them again this year. Sweet. Anytime you can save money on less-used items, it is quite satisfying. 

Here’s a picture of when the snow first started. Note the exuberance and joy on Alyssa’s face (I think she was shouting “SNOW!”), and then you can somewhat see in the background Haylie’s distraught face and askew hat. I think she was shouting “I wanna go inside!” Does this mean I have to wait another year before we can finally attempt skiing???

I loved Lyn’s recent post about newborn baby breath - so sweet! The addition of baby food not only changes the breath, but the diaper! Anyway, I was always a Gerber gal myself, but I would’ve been a do-it-yourselfer if this had been around. Beaba Babycook is a French baby food maker that’s getting rave reviews. It’s cute and compact for the countertop, and it steams, blends, warms, and defrosts food for baby. You steam veggies, meat or fish for 15 seconds, which preserves vitamins and nutrients, and then puree or blend to your desired consistency (perf for all stages!). You can also use it to defrost food you’ve pre-frozen, or warm pre-cooked baby food. How great to be able to blend jar food with fresh food, too! It comes with recipes as well, and you can find it here. Why are they coming out with all the cool stuff now that I’m ‘done?’

There are a lot of things that I forgot about newborn babies until I had one again. One of my favorite things, and this might sound a little odd, is the sweet smell of Little G’s breath. It is so sweet it almost makes me cry. I am sad because he is starting to eat jar food in combo with nursing and I think that will be then end of the scent of his pure baby breath. I found these really cool Earth’s Best Starter Kits.

Please let me know if you all know any other cool foods you love to feed your sweet new baby. Also, tell me if you love the smell of your baby’s breath!

Lyn and I were chatting on the phone this morning about some technical apparel stuff, and in the background I could hear Malia melting down. Lyn said, “I need a mantra, Rubio!” 

I had told her long ago that when the girls were small (2 and newborn), there would be many times when everyone (including myself) was in tears! That’s when I created my mantra, a little saying I would repeat over and over to myself. This would allow me to A. calm down B. think and get a strategy and C. bring the drama down instead of getting caught up in it and escalating the behavior.

Then I could regroup, direct my toddler to either another activity, or, if the situation merited it, a time out, or I could walk away until I could deal. I could also listen to my baby and figure out what she needed.

So what’s my mantra? Simple… “Breathe. You’re the grown-up. Breathe. You’re the grown-up.” Over and over. Cause if you let the meltdowns get to you, you’d be miserable!

What’s your mantra?

Picture it - a crying 2 year old and a wriggly newborn. Trying to put something on baby that actually FITS. Oh, and she’s clawing her face. Where’s that one gown with the foldover cuffs? Lovely. There are cutesy little bugs all over it. Oh well, it fits. So we’ll be going to the grocery store in a sleep gown. Now how am I going to get the car seat straps over this?

That’s basically how it all started. I just couldn’t find what I needed. What I wanted was super comfy, great fitting mix and match clothes with all the little details I had come to realize I needed and loved. Oh, and stylish would be great!

Lyn had the same thoughts. She wanted to be able to reach for what she knew worked. Every time. A staple item, in great colors and designs. And items that were available in all sizes, so you weren’t all bummed out when you had to put away your fave pants when baby outgrew them.

But how do two best friends and Mommies start and run an apparel company when they live on opposite sides of the country? It seemed impossible. But then, why not us? We had the vision. And we came to realize that what we wanted was what other Mommies wanted too. We found a community (across the country) of Mommies just like us. Who care like we care, think like we think, and work for things we care about too. So the joy of running an apparel company became so much more. Learning, sharing, and making sure that what we create builds on what we discover from our customers.

From Mommies, for Mommies.  Always.

The holidays are a fun time to start family traditions with your little ones - even if they’re only babies. Some traditions you might continue from your own childhood, and some you create as a new family. When we were visiting my brother and sister-in-law, we went downtown to watch Santa arrive by boat, and then watch the holiday parade.

At our house, it’s often the little things that mean the most to the girls. Like how we always get pizza the night we get our tree. Or how they love hanging ornaments on the advent calendar. Or how we always drive around and look at lights after Christmas Eve church, and then return home to a special casserole dinner (which is a variation on my childhood of driving around looking at luminarios, and then my Mom’s Johnny Marzetti). For my husband and I, a new tradition is watching A Christmas Story (looped over and over) while we assemble and organize presents!

Last night we attended our town’s tree lighting ceremony, where the girls got to meet Miss Teen Oregon. Whatever the traditions are, big or small, you and your children will remember them always. Instead of just stress and shopping, it helps create those magical little moments of the holidays.