Glow Mama - New Mother Drink - Healthy Alternative While You Are Expecting and Nursing

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.

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!

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. So much so that it draws strangers in grocery stores and sidewalks to hover right to your round belly as if rubbing it will grant a wish. I believe it should be worshipped in this manor and cherished, celebrated—perhaps even preserved into art.

Belly casts (or belly masks/belly sculptures) are a unique and expressive way to preserve this special moment in your life and celebrate your body, as well as create a treasured keepsake for your little one as he/she grows older.

Since I chose to memorialize my pregnancy by having a professional photographer take artistic photos of me and my belly, I had to do some research for this particular art form. It looks like belly casting has been around since the mid 1980’s and conceptualized by a former art student, Francine Krause, who eventually created easy at-home kits. No art background is required, though, for creating your own belly mask. It can be as simple as keeping it just the natural plaster color, or painting it and/or embellishing it your heart’s content.

My favorite part about my research for this was the wonderful online art galleries I perused! Since I am a huge moon and star fan, I liked this piece I found on Proudbody.com. They have such an extensive gallery that they divided the masks by “theme.” There are some stunning pieces! I also particularly loved this flowery one:

Some masks can be quite ornate, too, like those I found on RockABelly. I can see these hanging in high end galleries! My favorites were a hand-painted one to resemble an elaborate English pottery design, one with glass mosaic tiles, and one with an aged copper finish. Check it out! I also loved Belly Of Love where I found this fairy one. The possibilities are only limited by your own wishes and imagination!

So now that you’re hopefully inspired, there are many at-home kits you can purchase online that streamline the process and make it especially easy and safe. Prices range from $20-$75 for these kits, and the process only takes about an hour.

Budding artist or not, I think it’s a creative, wonderful way to treasure this glowing, unique-to-you time and celebrate your own belly of love!

Here is a new book to add to your collection of pregnancy books, right alongside The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy (Vicki Iovine, Pocket Books). The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy by Ericka Lenkert gives down-to-earth and practical advice with a twist of whimsy.

The author speaks from her own 9 month journey as well as takes snippets from a pool of 100 women whom she refers to as the “Mommy Menagerie.” The result is a complete guide that covers everything from the best places to buy maternity clothes, a section on nutrition and even “craving recipes” (I love this!), to particulars like what to bring in your hospital bag and what to skip, essential baby products, and even the author’s own birthing story (which I was touched by because it was very similar to mine).

If you’re like me, I soaked up every book on pregnancy I could get my hands on, and often re-read chapters as I was going through or about to go through that particular phase. This book is definitely one that you will constantly be referring to throughout your pregnancy, whether you need a pick-me-up when your pre-pregnancy jeans no longer fit even with them unbuttoned, or whether you want resources on breastfeeding or best baby gear to buy (often with brand names, which I appreciated).

The sprinkling of Mommy Menagerie top lists and topics, such as “The Mommy Menagerie Top 10 List of Creepiest Elements of Pregnancy,” and “The Mommy Menagerie on…Fashion Tips” are interesting tidbits of support when you need info from a pool of pregnant lovelies like yourself, or just knowledge that what you’re feeling is normal. But one of my favorite features are the various “Cheat Sheets” on topics like exercise, weight gain, sex and what to pack for the hospital.

From the perspective of a new mom who went through my own special 9 month pregnancy adventure, I have to commend the author for managing to incorporate *most of the pertinent information that us “real” gals want to know, without any fluff. (*There was no information or Mommy Menagerie weigh-ins on the actual giving birth part.) And it’s a fun read to boot (despite the book’s ridiculously small font size!) The resource guide in the back of the book is an added bonus.

Check out Erika Lenkert’s website at www.therealdealguide.com for more information about the book. Better yet, treat yourself to a copy!

The Itzbeen Baby Care Timer is a product you will continue to use long after your baby has become a former baby. I have been using the Itzbeen all weekend to keep track of how long it has been since I gave Connor his medicine. This timer is really full of uses!

The Itzbeen is cleverly designed to clip to your diaper bag or your lampshade (the one place I won’t lose it at), basically where ever you want to put it. It has a night light feature which comes in handy for night time feedings or medicating a sick kid. The Itzbeen has timers for tracking feedings, diaper change, naps and an extra timer for whatever you need. You can set each timer separately to alert you (like an alarm clock) if it has been more than ___ hours or mins since you last changed the baby or fed the baby, etc..

I was really impressed by how easy it was to use the Itzbeen. You really just push the button after you have completed a timer task and it was keep up with the time until you push it again. It has a clock on there so you can tell the actual time as well. My favorite feature is that at the bottom there is a switch that you can slide from left to right to keep up with which side you nursed on last. Then you can hit the feeding timer and you will also know how long it’s been since baby had a meal. With Connor I carried around a notebook and a stopwatch. I’m sure I looked a little strange when nursing in public. I am so relieved to have found a product that will keep me from toting those items with me anymore, plus it was a pain during night time feedings. Bottom Line - for the price, the Itzbeen is a must have product for new moms and the perfect baby shower gift!

Thanks for joining us as we launch our new product.  We are both proud and excited to be online and can't wait to hear your feedback on both Glow Mama and our new website.

Cheers from the moms at Glow Beverages.