The Winner of the Mommy Makeover!

With the generosity of many local businesses including: Trinity Rep (Providence), Gossip
(Wickford), W Salon (Providence), Light Spa of RI, Panera Bread (Warwick), Flowerpot (Warwick), Rocco (Smithfield), Clayground (E. Greenwich) we were able to host an amazing
contest for a Mommy Makeover.

Potentials had to send in a short essay on why they needed this special pick-me-up. After
reviewing many wonderful entries along with Mom Generations the tough decision was made! Andrea Robinson from Newport
was chosen.

In her own words:
A little background: I?ve been married to a wonderful man for almost 5 years and we have
an adorable 16 month old little boy named Sean. Mark is a Lieutenant Commander in the
Navy stationed on the USS New Hampshire out of Groton, CT. Between July 2008 and now
he?s only been home approx 2 ½ months total. Now home doesn?t mean on vacation. He?s
just in port, still working 9 to 5 on weekdays with a 24hr shifts every fourth day and on
call every weekend. Last December we found out that I was pregnant with our second
child. Due August 22nd. Quite the surprise given that he had only been home for four
days around Thanksgiving.
Mark is currently deployed again and is supposed to be home at the end of July. We’re
keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well and I don?t have the baby early and he
isn’t extended.

Congratulations Andrea! You truly deserve it!

Our New Blog is coming soon!

We just had our photo shoot, our blog is getting “re-done” and stories are being written. Stay tuned for what we have in store. A whole new look, new women and new perspectives. Learn what makes us (mom-entrepreneurs) tick and what keeps us going. You might even learn our dirty little secrets…

What to expect on the first day of class…

So we (the parent/caregiver) are very excited. We looked into classes in our area – perhaps heard a recommendation, searched the webiste, contemplated what day and time would be best for your child’s mood and your schedule and signed up! YIPEE!

On our calendar the day has been marked. The first class has arrived. You may walk in with a bit of nervous energy. Did I bring everything I need? Is my child well rested? Where do I put my things? What if my child cries? If you have been here long enough you know that none of that really matters! We have everything you need here even for a cranky baby or toddler!

Each class is different and for different ages but here is an idea of what you may feel proud of after your first day:
For your baby: If they glanced at another baby or smiled up at you, if you learned a new song to sing to them or learned another way to calm them. If you met a new Mom that is just as tired as you – you had a great first day!
For your toddler – if they “explored” the Little Explorers room from your lap where it is the safest place on earth, if they got their hands flapping with excitement when they saw some art materials or instruments. If they tried something new or actively observed – you had a great first day!
For our tykes – if they tried even one new yoga pose, if they watched you try a yoga pose. If they hugged you and watched others in the class do yoga – you had a great first day at yoga! If they pushed a crayon or paint on paper or danced in your arms they had a great first day.

Try to remember the first day because at the end of the session you will not believe how far they have come!

Can’t wait!
Namaste,
Lisa

Sooo Cool

It is March 10th…and regardless of the fact that we may still see piles of snow in parking lots (I’m looking at one right now across the Bellani parking lot) Spring is right around the corner! One of the things I love most about Spring and Summer is some of the awesome sweet treats that are around this time of the year! Despite being an adult I still got excited about seeing “Drip Stiks” arrive at Bellani today….they are so cool. It is a 2-ended gadget…one for ice cream cones and one for a Popsicle stick. Around the opening for the stick or cone there is a bowl shaped area to catch all of the drips as your treat melts. Also, we all know that kids love to ask you to hold their food for them while they run around and play, the Drip Stik is made so it can easily be set down on a table while keeping the food item clean. Such a good idea! Of course they are geared toward kids but they look so fun I might just have to get one for myself! Oh, and rest assured moms and dads…like every other feeding accessory and bottle we have here at Bellani, Drip Stiks are BPA and PVC free.<

We all go down…

A fat lip, a bruised head, even stitches (no these have not happened at Bellani!) but they all have been parts of the stories I have heard this week (actually today) at Bellani.

Nothing really surprises me anymore. After all, my largest “cliental” happen to be toddlers. The definition of a toddler if you look it up in the dictionary is “a young child who has just learned to walk.” When you learn something new and mix it with a brain that hasn’t learned cause and effect and is intensely curious – you are going to have bumps and bruises.

You know what is funny about that? (If there is a funny) It happens when you are inches away. You get to watch the whole thing unfold and you can’t do a thing to stop it. I was about 2″ literally from my son’s hand when he tumbled down the stairs. I watched him hit each step. I felt my body age in those moments.

I am writing this because if a bump has happened to your toddler in the recent hours – you are not alone. I had a lot of “guilty” confessions that “I was right there and couldn’t grab her” this week.

We tend to beat ourselves up even more. Take heed – being a parent is tough but being a parent to a toddler requires Inspector Gadget’s super powers. What I wouldn’t do for arms that extend 20 feet!

These toddlers are so lucky to have you. The kids look tough (and even cute) with their little bumps. You look tougher too because you are travelling through a rite of passage showing that you know how to react and comfort your toddler.

Enjoy the ride. It is an exciting one.
Namaste,
Lisa

Recaro Car Seat Recall

Sorry about the Capital letters, this is how they come through to us:

FEB 01, 2008 – SEP 30, 2008

Manufacturer: RECARO NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Mfr’s Report Date: FEB 27, 2009

Component: CHILD SEAT: HARNESS

Potential Number of Units Affected: 5444

Summary:
RECARO NORTH AMERICA, INC. IS RECALLING 5,444 SIGNO CHILD RESTRAINT ASSEMBLIES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUAY TO SEPTEMBER 2008. THE CENTRAL FRONT ADJUSTER STRAP ON SOME SEATS MAY SLIP WITHIN THE METAL ADJUSTER (A LOCK) THAT CONTROLS TIGHTNESS OF THE HARNESS AND MAY PREVENT THE HARNESS FROM BEING PROPERLY TIGHTENED.

Consequence:
IF THIS CONDITION EXISTED AND A VEHICLE CRASH OCCURRED, THE CHILD WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY SECURED IN THEIR CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM AND MAY SUSTAIN INJURY.

Remedy:
RECARO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE ANY DEFECTIVE CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2009. OWNERS CAN CONTACT RECARO CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLL-FREE AT 1-888-473-2290.

Notes:
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

SOSS (Save our Stars Sanity!!)

Parenting even makes the stars crazy
I saw two unrelated story that made me feel better about my middle class,
working mom of two life. Yes, Virginia, parenting even makes famous people
nutty. From names like Apple and Mowglii to $500 jean and suing stroller
companies, no flock of private planes, all organic diets or Grammy awards
can apparently SOSS (Save our Stars Sanity!!).

Story #1
Kevin Federline refuses to pay $500 for toddler jeans. Well, this story was definitely a shocker to me. First
of all let’s be real, it’s not even his money he would be spending. So does
Kevin really care if he’s spending $500 of Brit’s money. The answer? No. He
is trying to launch his own children’s clothing line, which I find a whole
different sort of frightening and can only hope Bellani does not carry the
togs.

Story #2
J.Lo and Marc Anthony sue Silver Cross strollers. Silver Cross makes nice
strollers, not my favorite on the market but definitely a competitive
brand.So how did the stroller company cross the power-due and their twins?
The -gasp- used a picture of the twins in a Silver Cross stroller in an
advertisement.

This according to J. Lo and her attorney’s is worth $5 MILLION dollars.
Wow. They can use Zoe’s picture and all’s I would want is a free stroller.
Maybe if you have nanny’s and assistants, and don’t have to go to the
grocery store or pick up your own dry cleaning you have time to sue a tiny
stroller company for big bucks.

So tell me what YOUR favorite celeb-parent gone mad story in the comments
section below, and maybe I will drop off the latest issue of People and Us
Weekly at Bellani for you.

PS – Nichol Richie is pregnant again…

Starting Sunday, R.I. will allow breastfeeding in public

From Today’s Providence Journal
Starting Sunday, R.I. will allow breastfeeding in public
7:11 AM Fri, Feb 27, 2009

A new state law that takes effect Sunday allows women to breastfeed or bottle-feed their babies in public places.

An earlier law exempted breastfeeding mothers from indecent-exposure laws. The new law goes a step further and explicitly allows breastfeeding in public. Forty-one other states have similar laws.

“There is a long history of women being asked to leave public places to cover themselves up or to stop breastfeeding,” says Erin Dugan, breastfeeding coordinator at the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Breastfeeding protects mothers and babies from numerous health problems and can lower the baby’s risk of obesity later in life. But breastfeeding is a demanding endeavor. An infant needs to eat eight to 12 times every 24 hours, and the mother needs to feed her baby whenever the baby is hungry to maintain her milk supply.

That’s why public breastfeeding is necessary, Dugan says. “We want to normalize breastfeeding in Rhode Island,” she says.

Under the new law, if a person or business attempts or plans to bar breastfeeding, a woman can obtain a court order to prevent future violations and also can get compensation and attorney’s fees.

The Health Department has been notifying business organizations about the new law and has fact sheets to help guide employers.

________________

This makes me very happy. As a new mother, and a nursing mother, I would panic when I was out, and my daughter needed to nurse. I felt the need to hide myself. I nursed at the far end of parking lots, in dressing rooms at the mall. I remember the first time I needed to nurse in public. I was at dinner with several of my friends and their babies. There were two other moms nursing. I noticed one mom with the nursing cover, and the other I barely noticed even though she didn’t use a cover. So…I did it. I grabbed my fussing daughter, and latched her on without my cover, just making sure my sweater came down to her cheek. No one noticed! No one was staring at me. Then and there I started to get over my fear of public nursing. I know it’s not for everyone. I felt like I should be able to feed my daughter when and where she needed it. Milk or formula, breast or bottle. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re providing nourishment for our children.
Amanda

Life without technology

It has been a weird week. I feel like I have been getting signs to stop, think and slow down.

Since the beginning of the holiday season (yes- I am going back to November) – I have been on a treadmill at full speed getting through my day and the work that I do.

I am a Mom, a blogger, a teacher, an author and I was beginning to realize that the thing that got the most eye contact from me these days was my computer. I had to check facebook (needed to hear everyone’s status), check emails and generally keep the world running. Ha, ha!

Last week, when I tripped over my cord and my NEW laptop came crashing down on the ground – I almost wept! What was I going to do without it? I had a mental breakdown when my husband said it would take over a week to repair it and that my files may or may not exsist anymore. I looked at my week ahead and wondered what I would do with my time. How would I keep up with my writing, etc.?

I recommend everyone tripping over their cord. Go ahead and do it!! You will see that life will go on and even get better. I don’t know if I want it back – seriouslly. I have stopped, I have thought and I have slowed down – and the world is still running.

Go figure.
Lisa

25 reasons to take a class at Bellani next session…

1. The instructors are super cool.
2. You don’t have to be an artist, a singer or a yoga person – just a caregiver that wants to have fun with their baby!
3. You need bright colored rooms to block out the gray – dismal winter.
4. You enjoy watching your child try something new.
5. You like having other caregivers around you – to listen and to support you.
6.Having something to look forward to each week lightens the load of daily parenting duties – diapers, laundry, cooking, cleaning, diapers.
7. You like to laugh.
8. You like to tell others about all the little things your child is learning to do.
9. Exposing your child to other children is sweet, hillarious and so important.
10. Bellani has the feeling of home – filled with people that care and are so happy to see you.
11. You love how each classes’ hello song makes you feel.
12. kelly and Shannon can give advice and insight into any product in their store – a class and personal shopping assistants – yeah that works.
13. We truly want to know you and your baby.
14. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…and they are always glad you came.
15. Your child is a sponge and wants/needs to experience new rhythms, places to crawl, colors, shapes and more!
16. Winter is still here.
17.If you are a member you get 10% off.
18. “Music is a valuable activity that contributes immensely to the development of a child.”
19. Learning to be fit as a child = a fit adult later in life!
20. “Participating in art activities helps children to gain the tools necessary for understanding human experience, adapting to and respecting others’ ways of working and thinking, developing creative problem-solving skills, and communicating thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways.”
21. In Little Explorers they are moving their bodies, socializing and problem solving all in 45 minutes!
22. Being part of community builds self-confidence.
23. You and your child are not interrupted – truly a bonding time.
24. Your only job is getting here – not even on time just in time.
25. The instructors are super cool.

Namaste,
Lisa