RCSS and NACDB Offer A Full Schedule of Educational Opportunities at Babypalooza

Moms from RCSS in last years Babywearing Fashion Show

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Babypalooza is coming to Huntsville this Saturday from 9:30 to 2:30 at the VBC North Hall. Rocket City Sling Swap, The North Alabama Cloth Diaper Bank and A Nurturing Moment have teamed up to present a full schedule of cloth diapering and babywearing educational opportunities.

9:40-10:10 Babywearing 101 Class taught by Sarah Bailey

10:30-11:00 Babywearing Fashion Show Presented by Rocket City Sling Swap on the Main Stage

The NACDB provides cloth diapers to families in need; it
depends entirely on the generosity of our community.

11:15-12:00 Cloth Diapering Class taught by Margaret Harmon

12:00-1:00 Cloth Diapers and Babywearing Community Wide Swap organized by Sarah Hall of the North Alabama Cloth Diaper Bank

1:30-2:30 Babywearing Mamas Guide to Breastfeeding for New and Expectant Parents taught by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Babypalooza is free to attend, and they have a full day of events including Daddy Olympics. Baby Bingo, and a Belk Fashion Show scheduled for the Main Stage, so there will be something fun for everybody!

If you attended last year, leave a comment  letting us know what the best part of the day was for you!.

Plan Now for the Future

Photo Credit: Don Mason/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
Redbook Magazine

By Robert “Bobby” F. Stierwalt, Jr., Guest Blogger

Mothers, fathers, SOON-to-be parents…

Having a baby is a life changing event! Maybe you need a bigger home and possibly more sleep. Furthermore, the other added responsibilities that come with having a baby can be overwhelming.

Caring for your children’s present and future needs is likely foremost in your thoughts; this is where we can help.  We can enable you to achieve these goals.  First and foremost, life insurance is  important for families to help provide security and comfort.  It creates a sum of money which, in the event of your untimely death, may allow your family to maintain their standard of living and keep future goals within reach.

Even though your baby is years away from choosing a college, now is the time to start planning.  Do you have any idea what the cost of college will be and how will you be able to afford the college of your child’s choice?  Eighteen years may seem like a lifetime, but it will take that long to properly save for college expenses.  Consider that $8,665 is the average total tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities in 2012-2013, an increase of 13.9 percent from two years ago.  The total average tuition and fees at four-year private colleges and universities are $29,056, a 6.4 percent increase from a year ago. (“Trends in College Pricing.”  The College Board, 2012).

From College-connecting.com

New York Life and its agents can help you plan for your protection and college funding needs. Starting in June, we will be offering a monthly “Money Mommy Lunch,” as well as a monthly pizza dinner for both parents to share how we work with families – young and old – to plan for the future. Keep an eye out for the dates and times to be held at A Nurturing Moment soon!

Bobby is a Financial Services Professional with New York Life. You can reach him via email or by phone at 256-517-5909 (office) or 703-232-0268 (cell). His office is located at 200 Clinton Ave., Suite 600. Bobby and his wife are expecting their first child in August, so they are ANM parents, too!

Licensing 101 for Mompreneurs

by Daniel Lorick, guest blogger

It's the newest buzz word among mom circles and its gaining momentum in every small business arena in the country: Mompreneurs. The mom who has an idea and makes the world a better place through her innovations. But the question remains, how do these moms navigate their way through product development? Here's a look at how its done:

We patented the Snowing
Snowman who makes it 
snow wherever he is!

1. You have an idea, a kernel that you know can grow into something great.

2. Take that kernel and start developing it, make prototypes or working models

3. GET PROTECTION: One of the worst pitfalls inventors face is trying to skip this step, because getting your intellectual property (IP) protected in the form of a Trademark, Copyright or Patent is your defense against counterfeits and companies taking your ideas.

4. Now that you have your proof of concept and you have your IP protected you have a decision to make. Are you going to manufacture and sell your idea yourself or are you going to license it.

Licensing: This involves doing a market study, and locating the key players in that industry. You then approach them with your idea to enter into a licensing agreement with them. Your compensation is in the form of a royalty or licensing fee. If you want to let someone else take the brunt of the risk, and not have to worry about running an operation, licensing is the best path to take. You make less money, but you don't have the execution risk of producing, distributing, and selling your idea.

One of our licensed products

Manufacturing and Sales: This is starting your own complete operation. You must make sure to include sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing functions to ensure success. In this case your profits are your compensation. If you have the infrastructure to run a complete business operation and you have distribution channels in place you can make more money with doing it all yourself. However, you also take on all the risk doing it all yourself.

License My Product exists to help you walk through these steps and figure out what option is best for you. We specialize in trademarks, patenting and licensing. Because of our extensive experience in these areas, we are especially equipped to help the Mompreneur take her invention to the next level! If you have questions, feel free to give me a call at 256-229-5551 or email me.

Waiting on the Perfect Timing

Angela at 36 weeks. She is a tremendous inspiration!

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
Yesterday morning I listened to a conference call with one of the most inspirational people I know, Angela Loehr Chrysler. She is 38 weeks pregnant, and very ready to have her baby! Yet the focus of her comments was the importance of waiting on the right timing. She summed it up this way: "I believe in God's perfect timing, greatness is in store for you! Remember waiting on His timing is not always easy...but always worth it. Pray through your impatient moments & trust in the journey."

Perfect Timing in Childbirth

When you are at the end of your pregnancy, you are so ready for baby to be born. When a well-meaning doctor offers to schedule an induction, be sure to carefully evaluate the risks. If your body isn't ready to go into labor, then you may end up on the downhill road to major surgery instead of a much safer vaginal delivery. Your baby is also placed at increased risk for temperature instability, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, apnea and bradycardia, and clinical jaundice.

Every mother who has ever gone into labor naturally at 39, 40, 41 or even 42 weeks knows how challenging it is to wait for your body to be ready. But if you can, as Angela says, pray through your impatient moments and trust in the journey, it will definitely be worth it because your baby will be born when he or she is ready. The likelihood of complications is reduced, and the probability that your baby will be able to breastfeed well is increased.

From The Litter Box

Perfect Timing in Parenting

Often as parents we are eager for our children (especially the first one) to hit the next milestone, whether it is rolling over, crawling, taking a sippy cup, walking or starting to read. But it is so rewarding to just relax and enjoy the ride. You are on an amazing journey with your child; the scenery changes as you move forward, so be sure to drink in every moment. Don't be so focused on the next big step that you miss today's smile or new word. You are the only real expert on your baby, on your toddler, on your child, on your teen, so don't let somebody else's expectations force you and your child into a pace that isn't right for you.

One of the most rewarding things for a parent is seeing your child accomplish great things. A baby gaining weight on his mama's milk is doing something amazing! A toddler learning to put away his toys is accomplishing something really important. A young child sounding out his first words is on the verge of the amazing accomplishment of learning to read. Celebrate the moments of greatness in your child's life. It's a really big deal, so make sure that they know you are proud of them!

Tomorrow is my 9th grade son's awards assembly at school. I don't know what he will receive, but I've been invited, so he's getting something. You better believe I am taking off the afternoon because I want to celebrate his success! Look for ways to celebrate any victory your children have, however big or small it might be.

Perfect Timing in Life

Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a mom employed outside the home, or a mompreneur, recognizing that the combination of a positive, optimistic attitude and a willingness to wait on the right timing is a critical key to genuine fulfillment. Every person has the potential for greatness. One of my deepest joys at A Nurturing Moment has been to see our moms taking leadership and creating opportunities for other mothers to get help, support and encouragement. These moms are doing great things at the right time in the right place. 

Wherever you are in life, you can do amazing things. Braiding your little girl's hair, nursing your chubby-cheeked little boy, reading "one more" bedtime story to your tired toddler, helping your frustrated fifth grader with her homework, taking cupcakes to lunch at your child's school - all of these are great things! Take just a minute today to enjoy and appreciate all that you are and have. Then smile at the future because you have even greater things to do tomorrow!

The Gift of Motherhood

Sons are a special gift from God!

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
Motherhood is a gift. It takes just a brief moment of intimacy to create a child, then about nine months for that child to develop each finger and toe, eyes, ears and nose, internal organs and hair. From the moment she realizes that her body is cradling a new being, a woman is forever changed. She is no longer just a girl or somebody's wife or daughter. She is a MOTHER with all the hopes and dreams and longings of the universe centered on the tiny baby growing in her womb.

My youngest 2 children, Anna and John Carl fill me with joy.

The one day the miracle that is childbirth brings her face-to-face with the little person she has dreamed of day and night for months. Her newborn knows her voice and gazes at her entranced. As she relishes the feel of satin baby skin she experiences a love unlike anything she has ever known. Knowing that her body is capable of providing baby's sole sustenance for at least 6 months is both empowering and overwhelming. 

It is a gift filled with unexpected surprises like exhaustion, mood swings and aching breasts. There are moments, perhaps, when a new mother might wish for a brief second that maybe she hadn't been given this gift! But those moments are overshadowed by the joy of baby's smile, the contentment of snuggling a baby who has nursed to sleep, and the satisfaction of knowing that she is the only REAL expert on her baby. She is the one who understands his expressions and intuitively knows what he needs before he even has a chance to ask.

My oldest daughter, now a mom herself, is a delight.

It is a gift that keeps on giving. Sometimes it gives frustration when a toddler won't listen. Sometimes it gives hurt when an older child is hateful. Sometimes it gives heartbreak when an adult child makes a bad decision. But it also gives wonderful memories made in the most mundane moments, memories of words adorably mispronounced, of spontaneous expressions of love, and of sweet hugs and kisses. It gives a deep sense of satisfaction as children learn and grow and become amazing people.

Yes, Motherhood IS a gift. For those women whose arms ache to hold a baby and whose eyes are heavy with unshed tears, it is a gift that seems elusive. So if YOU have the amazing privilege of being a mother, enjoy this Mother's Day knowing that the very best gift you could ever receive is the unconditional love of the miracles you brought into this world!