Win Big at Rosie's Plaza Spring Festival

We are giving away this Sona glider.

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

This Saturday is full of terrific events! In the morning we have Babypalooza at the VBC from 10-2. After shopping til you drop, head on over to the Rosie's Plaza at the corner of Byrd Spring and Memorial Parkway SW to relax and celebrate from 3-6 pm. It is going to be a full afternoon of family fun and delicious food samples! The Kozmic Mama Band will provide entertainment, and the kiddos can get their faces painted.

Yummy Food Samples

We've got some terrific food available in our shopping center! (That's actually my chief complaint about working here...it's tempting to eat too much, and it always smells SOOOO good!) Rosie's will provide chips, salsa and queso. The Blue Plate Cafe will have Iced Tea and Lemonade as well as food samples. Finally, Nick's Ristorante will bring some delicious appetizers and Italian dip sandwich wedges. 

Ruth's Nutrition is giving away this
aromatherapy diffuser

Great Door Prizes

You won't believe the amazing door prizes that will be given away on Saturday! You can go into each individual business to register for a chance to win.

Selman Dental is offering a ZOOM Teeth Whitening valued at $375 and a Sonicare Toothbursh valued at $150.

Sullins Eye Care is giving away a pair of Maui Jim Polarized sunglasses valued at over $150.

Ruth's Nutrition is offering an Aromatherapy Diffuser with essential oil valued at $68 and a basket of health products worth more than $100.

The Blue Plate Café will have 6 Meal for Two gift certificates to give away.

Huntsville Fitness is giving away a 3 month gym membership valued at $160 as well as an $85 Rhino Roller.

Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness will be giving 2 memberships for 1 month each. ($100 value)

Win this watch from B & B Jewelers.

Mint Julep Market Place will have a gift basket worth $200

The Winning Edge has a $250 Rawlings Heart of the Hide Baseball Glove that they are giving away.

Rosie's Restaurants will be giving $25 gift cards.

Synergy Salon is offering 2 gift certificates worth $50 each and one Aveda head to Toe Basket valued at $150.

B & B Jewelers is giving away a $150 value Bering Watch.

State Farm is offering a $50 gift certificate to Rosie's

Angel's Island Coffee will give away 2 gourmet coffee gift baskets each worth about $20.

Nick's Ristorante will offer a gift certificate for a dinner for two

Finally we will be giving away a Sona Glider by Best Chairs valued at $485, a Breastfeeding Calendar and certificate for a lactation consultation valued at over $100, and a Gender Reveal from the 4D Ultrasound Lady valued at $50.

Don't Miss Babypalooza!!

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
A week from this Saturday the VBC will be filled with expectant parents, new mommies and adorable babies and toddlers when Babypalooza comes to Huntsville! If you are looking for everything baby, then don't miss this fun event from 10:00 - 2:00 in the North Hall. The Babypalooza tour, sponsored by Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Alabama visits 5 different cities across Alabama as well as sites in Mississippi and Tennessee. Huntsville sponsors include Crestwood Hospital, Lexus of Huntsville, Alfa Insurance, WOW and Rocket City Mom as well as three local radio stations, Sunny 98.1, Star 99, and Rocket 95.1.

Natural Parenting Area

A Nurturing Moment is proud to sponsor the Natural Parenting Area. We will have a "Meet the Doula" option where local doulas will be available to answer questions and interact with moms. We will have both labor and postpartum doulas available. We will also have mini seminars on breastfeeding, cloth diapering and baby wearing throughout the day. In our nursing area, we will have a lactation consultant available as well as a baby scale that can actually measure how much your baby takes in a feed. 

Fun for Everyone

Babypalooza is a celebration of life. It is FREE to attend, and it is really like a big baby shower with raffles, complimentary samples, coupons, and interactive baby shower game stations. Giveaways will include car seats, diaper bags, strollers and more. Exhibitors include Babies R Us, 4D Mommies Ultrasound, Covenant Classical School, Nothing Bundt Cake Bakery. Rocket City Chiropractic, and a wonderful variety of other businesses offering amazing things for moms and babies in the Tennessee Valley. Attendees will also receive a goodie bag with lots of terrific samples. So mark your calendar for NEXT Saturday, and register here so the organizers will know you are coming! 

100,000 Blog Views Giveaway!

Marley's post about Monaco has thousands of page views.

We are less than 900 page views away from having our blog posts viewed 100,000 times. That's pretty exciting. Since we started Nurturing Moments with our very first post on Oct. 6, 2011, we've had some posts that have really been fan favorites. Our readers really like current-issue based posts like this one that dealt with American Airlines and this one that dealt with Target stores a couple of years ago. Recently we had a very popular guest blog about this year's legislative session and the bill to decriminalize home birth.

One of our most viewed posts was written by Marley Phillips when she was interning with us last summer. Marley was studying the relationship between childbirth culture and infant mortality in countries with very low infant mortality rates. Her post about Monaco still gets hundreds of views each week!

Another one of our top five most frequently viewed posts is one I wrote about insurance and breast pumps. The information is still relevant! Of course no review of our blog would be complete without making mention of our most DELiCiOus post ever: the recipe for Mommy Milk Cookies!

One of my personal favorites will always be the post I wrote when my precious grandson was born prematurely two years ago! (He turns 2 next month and you'd never know he started out so tiny!)

In honor of this approaching milestone, and because it is almost Easter, we are having a special contest. Two winners will receive a special Easter Basket gift of their choosing. We just ask that you tell us in the comments below what YOUR favorite post ever in Nurturing Moments is and why. The contest will end the day that we hit 100,000 page views....it may one day, it might be two, but I'm pretty sure it won't be more than three! So enter now!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

December Give-Aways

We've got a couple of pretty cool give-aways going on right now.

The first is tickets for your family to the Veggie Tales Little Drummer Boy next Tuesday, December 13 at 6:00 pm at the Monaco. To enter come into A Nurturing Moment and give us your name and phone number or leave a comment on this blog with your name. Tell us the number of tickets you need for your family. On Saturday after our New and Expectant Parents' Meet-up, we'll announce the winners.

The second is our 3000 Facebook Follower Give-away. It's so easy to enter, but we haven't had a lot of entries yet. I don't really understand why! The more friends you send to our Facebook page, the more chances you have to win. Just ask your friends to post a message saying you sent them. For every friend you send, you get one entry!

3000 Follower Give-Away

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Every once in a while you approach a milestone that you want to celebrate with your friends. That's where we are with our Facebook page! It's especially fun when your friends help you celebrate. Our friend Ruth Dennison with Shopping Tips and Tricks is donating Ruby, the ladybug red Trunki to help us make this milestone as much fun as possible for you. If you like to save money, Ruth's site is a terrific resource. You can also follow her on Facebook for the most updated announcements of her deals.

Another terrific prize is a beautiful hand-painted Christmas Light of Mine Ornament. These beautiful ornaments are individually hand-painted in a small studio in Lynchburg, VA. Artist Amy Calandra Davis has designed a wide range of  lovely ornaments - some whimsical, some more traditional - that will become a treasured part of your family's Christmas tradition. The winner will be able to choose from our ample selection of boxed or hanging ornaments.

The final prize is a snuggly snowman Angel Dear lovie. The soft texture will make this one of your baby's very favorite cuddle toys.

So are you excited about being part of this terrific contest yet? It's really easy! All you have to do is like our Facebook page and send your friends to like it, too! You can enter the contest below one time when you like our page and one time for sending a friend to like our page. Every friend you send to our page needs to leave a post saying you sent them. You will get one entry for every friend who says you sent them (we'll go in and add your name as many times as we need to! It's gonna be fun!!) We will announce our winners the day after we reach 3000 followers.

Are you ready? Let's Go!!!

Let Us Know What You Think

Our goal at A Nurturing Moment is to provide you with the support and encouragement you need as you go through your pregnancy and embark on your parenting journey. We do that by providing support groups like Mommy Milk Meet-up and New and Expectant Parents' Meet-up. We also offer a variety of classes including breastfeeding, prenatal yoga, infant massage, childbirth and Music Together.  Our two International Board Certified Lactation Consultants are available to help you any time you have a breastfeeding problem. We'll listen to your concerns and give you advice over the phone, or you can make an appointment to come into the store for a consultation. We'll even come to you, if that would be easier! One of us is available 24/7. If the store is closed, you can call Glenni's cell phone at 256-658-8210.

We also try to provide the products that will make breastfeeding - and parenting in general - easier. From the Woombie swaddler to the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper, our products are designed to help you provide the very best, safest environment for your little one. That's why we only carry GreenGuard Certified cribs and crib mattresses - we want you  to know that when you buy an ANM product, it is the best available for your family!

Your feedback helps us know what we're doing right and what we need to do better. That's why we're having a contest this week encouraging you to leave your feedback. Our listing at Google places has a special place for you to leave a review. Please take just a moment to let us know what you think, then check it off in the contest below. You'll be entered to win some fun prizes that you and baby are sure to enjoy!

Family Credits Britax With Saving Daughters' Lives

Jonathan Sherrill of Carmel, Indiana, is one very thankful daddy. On the morning of October 5, 2011 he had just dropped his son off at kindergarten and was headed to the preschool his two daughters attend when his minivan was struck head-on by a driver who had crossed the interstate median. Miraculously, he survived the crash with just a broken kneecap, some damage to his leg and some road rash. He heard his daughters screaming, and turned around, expecting the worst, only to find that they were absolutely unscathed still sitting securely in their car seats in the midst of the twisted wreckage that had been their minivan.

His story emphasizing the importance of properly installed car seats was featured on the news where he lives. In that story he credited the car seats with saving the girls' lives. But he didn't say what brand they were. However, he also wrote a letter to Britax in which he said, "While the local news story mainly highlighted my comments related to the importance of the child safety seats in general, clearly the quality and safety features of the Britax Marathon car seats are to be credited for saving the lives of my daughters." He added, "we are thankful that we chose to spend the additional money for the Britax car seats over the competitive brands – clearly we paid more for better quality. And we immediately replaced the Britax Marathon’s (sic) with (3) new Britax Frontier 85 Combination Harness-­‐2-­‐Booster® Seats – as seen on the news story in the rental van. My wife and I continue to insist that our children utilize the five-­‐point harness until their weight exceeds the maximum limit."

 At A Nurturing Moment we only carry one brand of car seats because we are convinced that Britax really are the best available seats for the money. Between now and November 15, we have a special offer when you buy a Britax Bouldevard 70. Just in time for those Thanksgiving and Christmas trips, you will get a free travel cart with your seat! So come on by and take a look at a Britax!

Win a Free "A Child Is Born" Session

It does seem early to start thinking about Christmas, but before you know it, you'll be sending out your Christmas cards. What a terrific time to send everybody updated pictures of your growing family. We appreciate Mary Ellen Pollard of Lighthouse Photography for helping us create a beautiful, traditional option for your Christmas picture this year. You may include your whole family or just feature your children. It's entirely up to you!

We are so excited about our unique Christmas pictures that we want to give one of our families the opportunity to win a $75 package! Or you can choose to apply your winnings to a more expensive package. All you have to do is call the store to book your photo session, then you have 3 other options for entering as well!. If you've already booked your session, then you can mark that as done and enter using the three other options.

Another thing that makes these sessions so special is that a portion of the proceeds go to benefit the MOM Foundation. This non-profit is dedicated to helping low-income and teen moms breastfeed successfully. They are partnering with the Village of Promise to bring breastfeeding support to Huntsville Public Housing areas.

We do ask that you prepay when reserving your spot, but the winner will receive a refund on the day of the photo shoot. Call today to reserve your spot and enter to win the $75 package!

Win a Cloth Diaper

Lots of expectant parents come into the store, see our selection of cloth diapers, and begin to ask questions. Usually they assume that it's pretty time-consuming and maybe just a little bit disgusting. Sometimes they start out feeling that way, but end up deciding to give it a try.

So what is it about cloth diapering that changes their minds?

Maybe it's the fact that cloth diapers are a lot healthier for babies than chemical-laced disposables.
Or maybe it has to do with all the money they can save - researchers say that cloth diapering can save you $3500 a year.
Or maybe they want to do their part to help the environment by not throwing thousands of disposable diapers into landfills where they will never biodegrade.
But sometimes parents choose to try cloth diapering simply because it's so easy and the diapers are just so adorable!

Then we have the parents who come in when their baby is several months old. They are tired of leaky disposables. They are tired of diaper rashes that won't go away. And they are desperate for help. It makes us so happy to be able to guide them into the right diaper solutions for their infant. Our team of cloth diapering experts can help parents determine which diaper will work best for baby's size and body type. We can explain the pros and cons of various systems. And we can troubleshoot if you're having problems with your fluff (cloth diapering addicts refer to their stash of cloth diapers as fluff).

Want to learn more? We're having a cloth diapering class and diaper swap on Saturday, October 29. The class is at 10:30, and the swap begins at 11:00. Why not come learn a little more about cloth diapering and see what you think. Enter the contest below for a  chance to win some fluff!

Buy a Britax Stroller and Get a Free Britax Car Seat!

Usually when a deal sounds too good to be true, it is. But not this time! When you buy a Britax B-Ready Stroller, you can get a free car seat! You can choose from the B-Safe or the Chaperone.

The B-Ready is an amazing modular stroller that you can configure 14 different ways

to accomodate one or two children! If you already have your car seat, then you can get a second seat or a bassinet attachment for free.

Both the B-Safe and the Chaperone infant seats offer side impact protection. However, the Chaperone also has an anti-rebound bar built into the base for state-of-the-art protection.

So this too-good-to-be-true deal really IS true! You can save up to $229.99! But you have to act quickly, because the promotion ends on the 15th. You have to order from a participating dealer, and we have to place our order by Friday! So, if you want to take advantage of this amazing offer, stop by on Thursday or on Friday morning! We'll add your stroller and car seat to the big order we're placing on Friday!

Welcome to Nurturing Moments

What exactly is a nurturing moment? It's the feel of your newborn snuggled skin-to-skin. It's that precious look your baby gives you when she pulls off the breast with a full tummy. It's your toddler crawling up into your lap to give you a big hug. It's your pre-schooler bringing his favorite book so you can snuggle and read. It's a sleepy "I love you, Mommy," as you tuck your busy child in for the night. It's holding your daughter's hand when her first boyfriend breaks her heart. Life is full of nurturing moments when you're a mom, but sometimes we are too busy to notice them.

A Nurturing Moment (the store) understands just how important every moment with  your newborn, your baby, your toddler, your child is. Our mission is to provide information, education support and encouragement to hopeful, expectant and new parents. We want you to feel encouraged every time you walk through our doors! We love it when nurturing moments happen right here in our store. That's why we just built a new classroom/play area for your and your little ones. We also offer a comfy sitting area where you can nurse your baby or relax and read a bit.

We look for products that will help make those nurturing moments happen for you. From our Best Chairs to the Arm's Reach co-sleeper, we try to carry the things that you and your baby really need. We also want to help you create the best possible environment for baby, so we carry GreenGuard certified cribs and mattresses. That gives you added assurance that your baby is sleeping in the safest possible environment.

We're excited about this blog! We'll be doing give-aways, product reviews, and posts about the sweet day-to-day nurturing moments that happen in the lives of our moms and babies! Check out the first give-away below.