Glow Mama Blog

As seen on The View From the Bay!

Glow Mama — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:29:26 +0000

What a day! Not only did Janelle finish her oh-so-yummy drink after the cameras had stopped rolling but Spencer insists that the Glow mommy mocktails will definitely catch on… they’ll be big!

Click here to see the video of Glow Mama’s founder Lucy Leahy mixing up a mommy mocktail storm on The View From the Bay. She makes a refreshing and healthy Mom-ito and a delicious and powerful Strawberry Diaperi while still somehow managing to have a conversation and squeeze in a few pregnancy nutrition facts. You go Glow Mama!

Mom-ocktail Kit Giveaway

Glow Mama — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:23:50 +0000

Lauren the supermom behind Supermom Central is currently running a Glow Mama Giveaway as part of her Baby’s Best Week Giveaways. We are honored she has chosed Glow Mama for her Pregnancy Monday Picks and we can’t get enough of her hilarious blog on the pukes, pains and panic attacks of pregnancy… well worth the read. Click here to enter her competition… although be warned… you’ll need to pick your favorite Glow mom-ocktail recipe!

Glow Mama loves Disco

lucy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:59:33 +0000

Just in case you can’t picture 200+ mommies, dads and kids boogying to ’80s disco music in a nightclub on a Saturday afternoon, dancing amongst hundreds of bubbles, sipping on their Glow Mamas and generally having a blast… here’s a couple of photos. Thanks to our gorgeous Glow Mamas everyone tried and loved the kiwi vitamin water. (We even got one Dad’s thumbs up after he took it to the bar and had it mixed in with a little somethin-somethin). Thanks Baby Loves Disco!

Look out for Glow Mama

Glow Mama — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:14:15 +0000

The Glow Mamas are hitting the town this next week and will be at the following events. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone, sharing a drink and seeing your bumps and babies.

July 16th, Baby Bliss Consulting’s Push Party at Judith Ripka Jewelery Store in Union Square, 6-8pm

July 18-19th, Blogher Conference, Westin St Francis Hotel, Union Square

July 19th, Baby Loves Disco, shboom Nightclub, San Ramon, 2-5pm

July 20th, Appel and Frank, JCC of San Francisco, Laurel Heights, 10-2pm

Don’t all mama’s deserve to be spoiled?

lucy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:27:20 +0000

Every so often we are lucky enough to come across other mommy products that are not only gorgeous but made with natural and organic ingredients. The Spoiled Mama is a skincare line developed by a Bay Area new mom, with an amazing tummy butter, bump gloss and body wash just to name a few of their great products. Of course our favorite here at Glow Mama is the Mojito Mama Sugar Scrub - the perfect compliment to a Mom-ito if ever there was one. So whether you are treating yourself or a mommy you know, make sure you check out the beautiful gift sets at The Spoiled Mama - and yes, the gift wrap option is definitely worth it… mama will be smiling all day.

Tamara over at The Spoiled Mama is super generous and has offered us a fabulous gift set to give away in July as our Goodies and Giveaways treat… so don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter for your chance to win.

Rockin’ Mom Essentials

art mama — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:20:44 +0000

From my art mama point of view, I am not a cookie-cutter mom. I never had a planned timeline of when - or even if - I was going to have a child or how it was going to happen. I didn’t pick out baby names when I was 14 (okay, maybe I did pick one boy name and one girl name, but they didn’t stick!), and I can’t honestly say that I always knew I wanted to be a mom.

For the last part of my 30th decade, I was more concerned with exploring places, music and food with my husband, and gathering my ‘after hours poetry’ friends together to read poetry at various ‘establishments’ and acquire more inspiration for our writing.

I never listened to Top 40 music. I have no earthly clue about the difference between Fergie or the Pussycat Dolls. I love a summer evening listening to John Coltrane or a Saturday morning dancing to old Peter Gabriel. I was definitely there in the 80’s for the whole New Wave movement, and right in the front row of Grunge in the 90’s.

I saw a saying somewhere that I can easily adopt: Rocker Mom, not Soccer Mom. So for all you rockin’ moms, or even rockin’ soccer moms — I have pulled together some fun essentials for your new mom status. For your first essential, pour yourself an ice cold Glow Mama Mom-ito and enjoy!

Fun and Fashionable Maternity Apparel
Rock Star Moms - their motto is maternity wear for the rest of us.

Cry Baby Maternity - Because attitude is everything - Cute maternity swimwear! I like this guitar tee pictured here.

Motherhood Maternity - Affordable and fashionable. I was so excited when I ran across this store at the mall. You don’t have to change your style just because you’re pregnant.

Apparel for Baby
Jaminga - funky baby clothes

Urban Baby Runway - funny onesies and tees, cute dresses, shoes and boys and girls clothes.

The Retro Baby - rock band onesies and Dr. Suess baby clothes. My favorite: ‘My dad is rad’ onesie.

Unique Baby Gifts and Diaper Bags:
Pokkadots - Modern gifts, books and diaper bags. My favorite: Fleurville Diaper Bag (pictured here).

Baby Bella - My favorite: Trumpette Baby Ballerina Socks. How cute are these?

Must-Have Baby Rock
Rockabye Baby music - A necessity for all future rockers! Award-winning series transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. My favorites so far are Radiohead and U2. A few noteworthy others include The Cure, Coldplay and The Smashing Pumpkins!

Organic Overkill?

mindfulmomma — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:28:28 +0000

I’m such a sucker! Under the allure of the organic label, I let Drew convince me to buy Organic Rainbow Rings at Whole Foods - Froot Loops in disguise!! Just this once I said, as a special treat…but somehow it seemed OK because they were organic after all.

After I came to my senses, I took to the internet to find out if organic froot loops are really any healthier than their mass-marketed counterparts. While munching away straight from the box, I found that my (I mean Drew’s) Rainbow Rings did indeed score better than Froot Loops on a number of measures. They had 40% less sugar, 1/2 gram less fat (and NO hydogenated oils), 1 gram more protein and 50% of the RDA for folic acid (vs. 25%). Whew!!!

But honestly, do we really need organic froot loops? Or pop tarts? Or oreos? It’s all junk food really. I have to admit I have a hard time passing up on all the temptations out there - especially at Whole Foods. You could eat a days worth of calories just snacking your way through the store.

What do you think? Is it organic overkill or a healthy alternative?

Creating a Creative Nursery That Reflects YOU!

art mama — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:47:04 +0000

I always knew that a pastel-colored nursery of standard zoo animals was not going to be for us. I believe in bright, bold colors and interesting prints — especially considering newborns are attracted to stand-out patterns and colors. My jumping off point was an ad I saw in a magazine for crib bedding in a modern nursery. I loved the unique furniture and graphics for the crib bedding and wall art (although I couldn’t afford it). So I had an idea of what I wanted and my imagination took over.

We knew we were having a girl but I wanted to use my favorite colors: turquoise and greens with chocolate brown accents. I saw on a design show a nursery makeover where they painted a band of polkadots across the middle of the wall. I loved it! So we went with that idea but adapted it to us. The top half of the wall in our daughter’s nursery is a neat 1950’s green, and the bottom half is a similar blue, separated by a chocolate brown band with pokkadots of various colors. It turned out better than I imagined!

Our chocolate brown accents are reflected in our furniture–a beautiful crib and changing table/dresser with glass doors–that I found and registered for at Babies ‘R Us. Instead of children’s lamps we chose brown modern lamps that flank each side of the dresser and window above it.

Crib bedding was more of a challenge because at big box stores (which are more affordable) you will find your standard muted pastel colors. But we chose bedding that had ‘bolder’ pastel colors and various textures, including a satin moon (I love moons!) and cute animals that I adore like giraffes and owls.

I am so in love with our baby girl’s nursery that often I will just sit on our VERY comfortable glider — which is an essential in any nursery, by the way! — and take it all in with joy. It is a room that will continue to bring happiness to me and baby for years to come!

It is true that you don’t need to be an interior designer to create your own nursery. Paint colors, crib bedding, beautiful and functional furniture and wall art are really all you need. Just go with what makes your heart happy! Here are a few ideas and tips to get you started:

http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/

Parents.com - a plethora of nursery articles and ideas

Unique baby room ideas by theme

Nursery Photos:

Parents.com - Actual nursery photos submitted by parents

Photo gallery of modern nurseries

Unique crib bedding and other dream nursery products:

Baby Supermall.com - drool city (plus gives coordinating wall paint colors)
Modern Nursery.com - where I originally drooled

Baby’s own personal play place!

shopamama — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:20:39 +0000

Baby’s Play Place from Bright Starts convinced me that my old playmat was just not good enough. There is so much more to this product than just a mat with some toys dangling. I loved how many options it gave you and the way it would grow with your baby. All four sides can be raised up or laid flat. The two toy bars can be positioned in so many different ways because they have 3 bar slots on two sides of the play space. I found the product to be very well padded and comfy. I really liked being able to put all four sides up and create an enclosed area for a baby. The Play Place comes with 7 fun toys including a mirror. All of the toys can be hung wherever you prefer. The mat also has crinkly flowers on it that stimulate a baby. I was so pleased with the fun bright colors and the outdoor design. The mat itself was pretty easy to fold up and it was machine washable. I don’t see myself toting this to a play date but I would take it on a trip with me. I think that for the most part though it would have a permanent home in a our family room. I put together a short video showing some of the ways you could use the Baby’s Play Space. I don’t have a baby yet so Connor had some fun trying to show you what you could do with the mat:

Stress during Pregnancy and Morning Sickness

Glow Mama — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:21:59 +0000

Stress during Pregnancy While a recent MSNBC article highlights a study done by Harvard Medical School linking maternal stress to babies who are predisposed to allergies and asthma… we’d love to know of any woman in the US today who doesn’t have some level of stress. Even not counting the new houses, cars and gear we have to research and buy before the baby, the work/maternity leave decision, and the new languages of childbirth, pregnancy and parenting to learn…. we’re still left with a lot to think about as we grow another human (or two).

Morning Sickness And while another recent MSNBC article adds a reassuring spin on our tortorous morning sickness - that it is a useful function to protect mothers and embryos from things that may be dangerous and may actually be a good sign of a healthy pregnancy… it doesn’t provide us with real answers, solutions or relief.

Our Conclusion? One is a sympathy causing symptom of a healthy pregnancy and the other can be a symptomless cause of an unhealthy pregnancy.

The Best Solution? Rehydrate after your trip to the bathroom with a cool Glow Mama while you sit on the couch with your feet up!