Mama Speaks

Project Angel Food

The Cause: Project Angel Food

The Purpose: To nourish the body and spirit of men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses in the Los Angeles area. Project Angel Food's staff and volunteers cook and deliver free and nutritious meals and nutritional counseling to those in need.

Be Informed: Since its inception in 1989, the Project Angel Food Program has prepared and delivered more than 3.4 million meals. Last year, the Project Angel Food Program prepared and delivered 412,446 meals to 1,600 individuals.

Get Involved: If you're in the LA area you can always dive right in and help. Of course, financial donations are always welcome and much needed. 

Giving DIY a Try

the site: YouCanMakeThis.com

the details: A haven for the dead set DIY and crafty set while an equally unintimidating intro for those who just want to give creating a try. You Can Make This features more than 700 projects from crocheting skull caps to photography projects, baby clothes to cool handbags. Instructions are simple, easy to read and delivered as a snazzy little e-book. Almost all of the projects are under $10 and when you consider the fact you don't have to drive anywhere or pay for shipping that's definitely a steal.

giving back: There is a category full of patterns and projects that benefit or raise awareness for causes we can all stand behind. My favorite? A pattern for these way too cute preemie fruit orchard hats, provided in hope that some kind soul will create them and donate to a local NICU. And thankfully, people do. My son happens to have one in his box of NICU treasures.

Win it!
We're giving away one project of the winners choice! To enter, email giveaways[at]mamaspeaks.com with DIY as your subject. Let us know which project you'd like to try.

Only Child by Siegel and Uviller

It's Not Only You

Whether you are an only child yourself or you chose to stop at only one offspring, Deborah Siegel and Daphne Uviller's, "Only Child" is a great book that will help make a little more sense of this crazy thing we call life. This collection of memoirs is written by twenty-one "only's". Some arrived at only child status through divorce, others the death of a sibling, some just always were. Their points of view range from loving it to loathing.

Being a middle child, who grew-up-solo after divorce and currently raising my very own only, I was able to relate to a much found within the pages of this book, but I think anyone in any position could find it intriguing.  The breakdown of separate stories make it simple to read, even within the distractions of every day mama-hood.

Chopstick Art

Reclaimed Genius

Every time we decide to order-in, we can't wait to devour the meal with the chopsticks provided by the restaurant of the night.  It's fun and entertaining, and who doesn't love a little impromptu drum session? 

However, often times we're given way too many sets of chopsticks.  Each of these sets is one time use anyway, simply discarded by most people whether they're used or not.  But what if there was another use?  Chopstick Art works to make up for the waste of the one time use chopsticks (over 25 million trees and bamboo plants annually!) by creating recycled home accessories that pairs "eastern aesthetics with western conservationism".  They call it Kwytza (pronounced k-why-tsa) Kraft, and after reclaiming and extensively sanitizing, they create lamps, baskets and more.  Our favorite is the large folding basket [$24], that holds fruit or bread and folds up into a fan shape that makes for easy breezy travel.

It's always nice when we're making purchases to find things that create less waste and are also beautiful to look at, so check out Chopstick Art to see all the other funky designs available.

-Arianne

Babywearing Conference

In Chicago? Into that whole babywearing thing? Or maybe just curious what we're always raving about?

Today kicks off the 2nd International Babywearing Conference at Chicago's DuPaul University. Online registration is now closed but you can register at the event for a slew of awesome sessions covering topics from how to wear your baby safely to traditional babywearing with some fun Mom and tot yoga and music classes thrown in.  If you're not interested in the classes I'd highly recommend checking out  Friday night's fashion show and Saturday's sessions and events are free and open to the public all day. Plus, there will be an exhibit hall full of babywearing and other vendors and you might even run into a few us Mama Speaks gals, so be sure to say hello.

Of course, we'll share our pictures and new finds when we return.

Begin Smart Books

So you can feel smart too.

As a new parent it’s hard to know what is right for your child at each developmental stage; you don’t want to overwhelm, over-stimulate, or bore your baby. So for those of us who don’t have degrees in early childhood education, a little direction is helpful when it comes to reading with our new alien creatures, ensuring that we don’t end up overwhelmed either.

Harriet Ziefert, the creator of the Begin Smart book series [$6-13], has taken the guesswork out of this aspect of parenting, freeing up us lay-mamas to be more confident about the way we spend time with our little babes. Begin Smart has collections of books for various age levels between newborn and twenty-four months that are developmentally appropriate, both intellectually and emotionally. From the introduction of object permanence in “Hello Baby,” to facing bath time fears in “Splish-Splash,” these books address new concepts for babies of all ages, in a format that is perfect for their spongy brains. Most importantly, reading should be a pleasure for babies and parents, and with bright patterns, unique illustrations, foam filled pages, rhymes, repetition, and familiar themes for the very young, these books are fun and engaging for your naturally budding genius.

Win it!
We're giving away a set of Begin Smart books to one wordy reader. To enter, email giveaways[at]mamaspeaks.com with Smart as your subject. Giveaway ends 06.24.08

- Beth

First Star

The Cause: First Star - Putting Children First

The Purpose: To strengthen the rights and improve the lives of America's abused and neglected children through education, public policy, legislative reform and litigation.

Be Informed: In 2005, an estimated 6 million children were involved in child maltreatment reports across the United States. Approximately 3.6 million children were actually investigated by child protective services agencies, and of those, 899,000 children were determined to be victims of child abuse or neglect. Tragically, an estimated 1,460 children died, many of whom were younger than 4 years old. The federal government has set standards to protect children and find them safe, permanent homes. Yet not one state has fully complied with these standards.

Get Involved: There are several ways you can get personally involved in the lives of these children in need and you can make a donation or purchase to benefit First Star and their amazing efforts today.

The Madeline Backpack by Bumble Bags

A Diaper Bag For Your Back

We here at Mama Speaks know bags. Diaper bags, shopping bags, totes and more. We are connoisseurs. But I have a little secret for you all- I, myself, have never really used a diaper bag. I never thought I had much to carry- and if I did, it made more sense to stuff all of my little one's stuff into my bag. Ok, so maybe that was just a big mess, but it worked for me. Sort of. Maybe it's that we always traveled by sling and actually carrying a bag was a challenge? But oh my, how times have changed.

I now have a busy toddler who is, more often than not, on his feet or sitting in the stroller. And with 2 year old snack attacks and our full reliance on undies over diapers, I definitely need to be sure I have a full arsenal of supplies ready at a moments notice. Supplies that I couldn't consolidate to my bag if I wanted to. I've found that the Madeline Backpack from Bumble Bags [$116] is just what I've never known I needed. The butter soft, perfectly sized bag is great for a day on the go, with pockets and compartments that are just right for stashing snacks, drinks or an extra set of clothes. One of my favorite features is that in true backpack style the whole bag zips closed meaning when it inevitably takes a spill down your enormous flight of stairs (not that this happened to me, or anything) the contents may get all shook up, but at least they'll stay contained.

The Madeline Backpack also touts some sweet stroller straps so that when you're ready to take it off your back you can easily attach it in a still functional place (not that you'll want to take it off, because you'll barely know it's there). With six prints to choose from I'm sure you'll find the style that's right for you and don't worry about messing up the pretty paisley with baby goo, you can toss the whole bag in the washing machine and pull it out good as new.

Win it!
We're giving away 10 (yes, ten!) Bib and Cloth sets from Bumble Bags [$28 each]! To enter, email giveaways[at]mamaspeaks.com with Bumble as you subject. Let us know what you favoite Madeline Backpack print is and if you'd like a set in Pink, Lime or Blue if you win. Good luck!

Want it?
Enter code "affiliate" for 10% Bumble Bags at Baby Browns.

Nannies4Hire

the site: Nannies4Hire.com

the details: A search hub for US and Canadian families looking for a nanny, babysitter or mothers helper.

membership: While you can do a preliminary search for free if you are serious about finding the perfect fit for your family we recommend becoming a member. With packages available from $129-$299 you'll find access to the complete Nannies4Hire database, plus additional resources such as criminal history and background checks.

additional resources: Finding someone to entrust with the care of your little ones is daunting and difficult. Nannies4hire makes the entire process a breeze. From the nanny search and back end that allows you to rate and save notes about each nanny to sample interview questions and reference checking. On the business side of things the site also have many invaluable tools to help with the pay structure that comes with having a family employee.

Bonus!
Each person who registers through Mama Speaks will also receive a free copy of the Nannies4hire book "100 Tips for Nannies and Families"

Me Go Green

Support Our Allies

As we go along on our journey to going a little bit greener with each step of our lives, one big way we can make a difference is by supporting green companies.  The only problem is that often there isn't one resource for finding these companies that are committed to low impact business.  Enter the MeGoGreen guide. If you live in the Chicago-land or Madison, WI areas (with more areas planned in the future) and are looking for companies to support that have gone green themselves, than this guide [$15] is your heaven.  Now only does it offer pages and pages of environmentally  friendly and healthy products and services, but it's also a nifty coupon guide offering thousands in discounts at the participating companies.

The MeGoGreen website also offers great resources for finding the green companies as well as an events calendar to keep the social schedule abuzz with all the latest shindig's going on locally in the green community.  You can pick up a guide from their website, or drop them a line if you want a MeGoGreen guide for your city.

Win it!
We're giving away 5 copies of the MeGoGreen guide Chicago to our readers! To enter email giveaways[at]mamaspeaks.com with I Go Green as your subject and let us know what one thing you're working on to live a little greener. Giveaway ends 06.23.08

-Arianne