Don’t we all wish we could be spoiled mamas?

Yesterday I actually hung out with the real thing! The one and only Spoiled Mama, that is… The owner of the organic and natural products for moms-to-be and babies (www.thespoiledmama.com). Why she didn’t enter my life 4 years ago (pre-stretch marks), I’ll never know, but I’m ecstatic to know her now.

We had a fabulous and chaotic time (I had the kids with me) at a nearby coffee shop and I’m happy to say we will be collaborating efforts for the PERFECT eco-chic gift set for spoiled mamas and their spoiled babies!

But enough about us, let’s talk about her, shall we?

The Spoiled Mama is all about skin care essentials for… you guessed it, mamas! Stretch marks and itchy belly are banished forever without the use of harmful additives and chemicals. In its place comes soft, smooth and hydrated skin. And best of all, it’s completely organic!

So stop what you’re doing and spoil yourself today!
www.thespoiledmama.com

On my way to work this morning, a listener called the radio station about a comment the host made on eating junk food while pregnant. To make a long story short, she went off on how pregnant women don’t eat junk food and should be more responsible for eating well during pregnancy for the health of the baby and blah, blah, blah. The host apologized for offending her and the show went on.

Okay ladies, in all honesty… how many of you really, truly ate completely healthy during pregnancy? I mean, of course you’re number one priority is to make sure your unborn child is nourished, so yes, I forced down those leafy greens and drank gallons of water a day, but all the while I envisioned a sundae and a pitcher full of strawberry lemonade. And in my defense, I took my prenatal vitamin EVERY SINGLE DAY!

So I read ALL the pregnancy books, soon-to-be mother blogs and the “how to eat lean and stay lean during pregnancy” articles, but none of them ever really did it for me like that tub of Ben & Jerry’s. You can’t help it… it HAS to be part of the hormone change. Either that or it’s the years of having the image of you pregnant, eating and not gaining weight embedded into your head. I mean, if Heidi Klum can do it, so can you!

So go ahead and have that bowl of cereal for dinner or eat ketchup with your ice cream (yes… guilty). You’re completely normal. For the women who can go the entire 10 months without indulging in a pregnancy craving, I commend you. For the 99.9% of the rest of us, don’t worry about it. You’re not alone. I’m sitting in the drive-thru line right behind you.

My son, Aiden is participating in the Ryan Phua Memorial Kids’ Ride in Burlingame, CA on Sunday, June 29. He’ll be riding on the same course as the pros on his little Thomas bike, along with hundreds of other kids under 12, to support Bay Area cancer survivorship programs through the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Aiden gets a goody bag, medal and most importantly, ice cream just for participating, but if you’d like to sponsor him for the event, you can make checks out to the “Lance Armstrong Foundation” and mail it to Rattle Me.

To learn more about the foundation or ride, visit www.ryansride.org. If you have kids or know anyone who would like to participate there’s still time to register. It’s a great event to support and a lot of fun for the kids!

About Ryan’s Fund
It was named in memory of Ryan Phua, a little boy from a set of twins born after his father’s successful cancer recovery. At the age of 2 1/2, Ryan passed away from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Ryan’s Fund was then established through the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fund cancer-related programs in the Bay Area. Their mission is to focus on Bay Area programs which address issues including, but not limited to community survivorship, palliative care and end of life care. Since it’s inception in 2003, they’ve raised $235,000. All donations are fully tax-deductible.

Please mail donations to:
Rattle Me
PO Box 5202
South San Francisco, CA 94083
Checks should be made out to: The Lance Armstrong Foundation

Ryan’s Ride is one of the local charities Rattle Me supports and we will match all donations and sponsorships received by Sunday, June 29.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Rattle Me just signed up for Bay Area Mamafest! Please join us!
Saturday, June 28
1-5PM
The San Jose Convention Center (Parkside Hall, next to Tech Museum)

This FREE event will feature seminars to help Mamas find a work/life balance including:

• Susan Farren, Author of The Fireman’s Wife
• Launy Senee of Ladies Who Launch
• Belinda Takahashi, Founder of Juno Baby
• Lauren Mayer, Comedienne, Songwriter & Humorist
• Sherry Berman, Consultant

Plus A Panel of Successful Bay Area Mamapreneurs:

• Sally Thornton, Founder of Flexperience Consulting
• Roberta Greenspan, CEO of Maddie’s Beverage Co.

More details to come!

According to my buddy, Wiki, Los Gatos is, “The town noted for its small but upscale downtown, with many chic shops and restaurants.” Modernmini is one of those chic shops and Rattle Me can now be found there!

We absolutely adore this store and our oldest son had no problem testing out all the cool products. He loved the Wheely Bug Ride on Toy and the Offi Rockabye Storage Rocker, but my personal favorite is the P’Kolino Klick (what a great concept!).

Visit Modernmini to find great designs, unique products and of course, Rattle Me apparel for your modern baby.

Tell them Rattle Me sent you!

Store Location:
216 1/2 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
408-399-6633

This post might sound a little self-indulgent, but stick with me… I really do have a point!

If you haven’t already guessed, yes, it’s my birthday… and we gonna party like it’s my birthday! Well, not really, but that’s my point. Birthday parties are getting a bit out of hand these days, don’t you agree? At my age, I get a few happy birthday greetings, several phone calls from family and friends, a handful of thoughtful gifts and MAYBE a special dinner with the family tonight, but that’s really it.

Now if it was one of our kid’s birthdays, we almost have to take out a loan just to host the party! You have to rent the jumpy houses, hire a balloon twister, order the double-tiered cakes, make the huge favor bags, etc. Don’t get me wrong… I’m not going to stop throwing my kids these extravagant affairs that take about 6 months to plan, BTW, but you have to admit… things are getting slightly out of hand. When my husband and I were kids, we rarely celebrated birthdays so I think we’re making up for lost time. But with the economy the way it is, I think most people are watching how they spend every penny. Or if you’re in my shoes, you realize you have more than one kid to throw a party for and can’t afford the cost of two mini-weddings a year. So I’ve come up with a few tips on how to save money and still have a great time!

• Invitations – Save time and money on invitations and postage by sending out Evites! Plus you’re reducing time, energy and emissions by USPS.
• Cake – Make it yourself or go smaller. You can get a cake for $20 at your grocer’s bakery. Check out cakes.com for cute designs. Not that I would, but you CAN. Opt for the smaller cake and cut the slices smaller. I promise… no one will notice!
• Favors – Go practical. Buy socks with a Superman, Thomas the Train, Mickey Mouse, etc. design. Kids will love it and the parents will thank you!
• Venue – Head outside! Renting a small area in the park only costs about $50 for the day or be the first one there and claim your spot for free! It’s cheap and it’s great exercise for the kids.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Appel & Frank Chic Summer Soiree Show last Thursday. Especially to our family and friends… I can’t tell you how much your support means to us!

We had a great time and it was a pretty good turnout. To be honest, it wasn’t as many people as I had hoped, but considering that, we did pretty well. Lots of people buying for their babies, for baby shower gifts and even a woman buying gifts for twins (they just had to match)!

Besides getting to sell Rattle Me apparel, one of the best things about these shows is getting to know fellow local designers. Here’s a few of the many amazing designers at the show:

• Mison Lee – Can you say FAB-U-LOUS? I snuck away from our booth for a few minutes to try on some dresses and tops. Her designs are so my flava that I could have easily bought one of each piece!
• chicks & frogs – Adorable baby onesies and beanies! Obama lovers check out their newest design!
• Sugar Pie Bebe – Baby accessories including blankets, travel diaper totes, bibs and baby bandanas (so cute). Love the fabric styles!
• Well Space Gallery – The owner was so friendly and sweet! Her store, located in Oakland (please visit!) is meant to connect designers and artists to Oakland and create a stronger artistic cultural community. Love her passion!
• Skylla – My sister and I were both drooling over how cute the wallets and clutches were (gingko design was our FAVE)! I was hoping she would pick one up so I could borrow it… what are big sisters for, right?

San Carlos (according to my friend wiki) is “The City of Good Living”. We can now add “The City of Good Shopping” to it’s reputation because Rattle Me is now sold at Shelby’s Garden!

Shelby’s Garden doesn’t have a website yet, but they have great reviews on Yelp! To sum it all up, it’s a great place to buy gifts, unique finds, seasonal items, and of course, Rattle Me apparel!

Please visit and let them know Rattle Me sent you. I’m sure you’ll leave with a handful of great finds.

629 Laurel St
San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 594-0302

Haven’t you heard? Anyone who’s anyone is in Oakland and we’ve gone out to prove it!

Rattle Me is now sold at Crackerjacks in Oakland! Not only does Crackerjacks sell hip and trendy baby clothes (Rattle Me!), but they also carry children’s shoes, organic body products, maternity clothing, toys & basic mothering essentials so you can come by and shop for all your needs!

Thank you, Crackerjacks… We’re thrilled to be a part of this store!

14 Glen Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 654-8844
www.crackerjackskids.com

Store Hours:
Monday thru Saturday 10:00am – 5:30pm
Sunday 12:00pm – 4:00pm

There are some things in life that can be annoying and you can easily brush off. You know the little things I’m talking about.

When the person with 12 items stands in the 10 items or less line or the person in front of you opens the door for themselves, but doesn’t attempt to hold the door open for you. It’s not a big deal.

Then there are those annoyances where you just stand there and say, “WTF?”. A pet peeve, according to my good friend, wiki, is, “a minor annoyance that can instill great frustration in an individual.” No disrespect, but this is defined slightly different in my book. My definition of a pet peeve is (drum roll, please)… Any annoyance that forces me to say, “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” out loud.

I’d like to share my pet peeves with you.

1. Cars “racing” on the freeway at 60 mph. I don’t know if you want to call it racing, cruising or just going completely slow, but I’m talking about those cars that slow everyone else down and eventually cause traffic ‘cuz they don’t bother switching lanes. If you’re doing 60 and you’re keeping pace with the car next to you, here’s a piece of advice… move over! Move ALL THE WAY over… to the slow lane, ‘cuz that’s where you belong!
2. Tight aisles in children’s stores. I’m no rocket scientist, but it would make sense for store layouts to accommodate strollers AND double strollers. Considering, of course, I’m your target audience! I walked into a Gymboree the other day to look for some chinos for my son. I barely made it past the first rack before I had to turn around and leave the store. How do you expect me to shop if I can’t even see what you’re selling!
3. People in front of me at a red light (usually at a turn lane) that don’t move when the light turns green. They then realize the light has changed (after me yelling and blaring my horn), start moving when the light turns yellow and leave me stuck at yet another red light. Seriously!

Thankfully that’s all I can think of for right now. Let’s just hope I don’t get reminded of another one any time soon.

Happy Tuesday!