August 24th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

When I was asked to review the ISafeBag (www.isafebags.com); I could hardly wait to receive it.  It was invented by an entrepreneur in the Chicago area after he heard a news story about a woman walking on the street at night who was raped by four guys.  He was so upset by this story that he decided to do something to help protect women and kids from abductors, muggers and rapists…and even your run-of-the-mill school yard bullies!  I love that he was inspired to take ACTION!!!

Essentially, the ISafeBag looks like a regular backpack but underneath a flap on the right strap is a rip cord that, when pulled, activates a LOUD alarm (equivalent to a car alarm) and a strobe light.  It will sound for two hours so it’s also wonderful for campers or hikers who are lost.  It works on two nine volt batteries and the weight and price of this back pack is similar to any other back pack BUT this offers PEACE OF MIND!!

Ironically, on the day it arrived, I had received an email alert that an alleged kidnapper was on the loose in our tiny community. I am not kidding! The alert contained a picture of a man who looked very familiar as someone we had all recognized as seeing before in our small town.  I work from home so I turned on our home security alarm.  When it was time to walk down to the mailbox, our lovely babysitter and neighbor (who we all love like a family member) Amanda (Photo by Heidi Kannenberg) wore the ISafeBag Sling Bag and pulled the ripcord.  

It’s LOUD and will definitely scare away a predator and get attention!  My girls reminded me that it will also scare away the coyotes who have been getting braver and braver, and the recent black bears that have been seen in our neighborhood too!   I just reminded the girls that it was not a toy, but a tool. 

So the ISafeBag isn’t just for back to school for kids and college students; it’s perfect for traveling, hiking, camping, biking and other outdoor adventures, the zoo, the park, shopping and any place you need a little extra PEACE OF MIND! 

We all love the ISafeBag!  Please share it with your loved ones too!

Smiles – Stacey

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary ISafe Bag for this review. No other compensation was provided.

August 9th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

This video is from CBS and HerInsight’s Own Jill Starishevsky.  A New York City District Attorney who is on a mission to give us tools to help our kids stay safe.  Please share this video with every parent!! Jill also is the author of another must have, My Body Belongs To Me, a book to fight kids stay safe from child abuse.  (www.mybodybelongstome.com)

Watch the Video Here

August 6th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Recently, Barb was a guest on my radio show and we were discussing how her Baby Dipper would be perfect for special needs families.  Well, check out this review, by a mom of a special needs 5-year-old child: http://www.able2able.com/2010/06/review-giveaway-ends-78-increase.html

July 28th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

“Ready To Learn Mom” with Stacey Kannenberg Radio Show at 10 CST/11 EST every Wednesday!  Join us on 07/28/10 with the WINNER of the Business Baby Shower, Robyn Pellei of ViveVita.com.  Robyn talks about winning and how she manages her 9 kids, ages 1 to 10, while running her business!!!   Oh my, 9 kids under 10!!!

About Robyn Pellei:

Currently, I am a very busy lady with a great life!  And, I have sneaked out on to my screen porch to steal a moment to write.

My days are filled with smiles, laundry, school work, emails, business calls, diapers, snacks, hugs,  coffee and prayers (lots!).

“What am I doing?” and “How do I do it?” are questions that I ask myself and often hear from others.

I have 9 adorable children that range in age from 3 months to 9 years!  Please, pick up your jaw and stifle your laughter.  I am not a comedian, though that may be my next venture!  I started making products when the needs got so great in my home that I had to do something to make things easier.  Necessity truly is the mother of invention.   Oh, I also homeschool our kids…they are all in 4th grade this year!  And, I am the wife and life-partner to a wonderful husband.  I have friends that are amazing and a squad of cheering family members.

So, you know all about who I am now – a wife, a mom, a teacher, a CEO, and a friend.  Today’s popular term for all of that is Momprenuer.

In my prior life – the BK (before kids) one – I was a nurse, an emergency room nurse to be specific.  I also worked really, really hard and got my masters degree as a family nurse practitioner…funny, I never practiced in that role.  OK, not so funny, but I just couldn’t do it.  I had my first child just two weeks after I graduated and I was sooo tired of school and honestly…I wanted to stay home with my little guy.  So, I’ve got that in my back pocket and of course, I use what I learned everyday.  A very expensive education to be a mom!

And before all of that…

• grew up in a small town in Virginia, that qualifies me as a Southern country girl – sort-of.
• lived a “normal” faith-filled life with a fun family and many years of school and good friends.
• spent half a year in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa with a missions organization (YWAM) running a small clinic.  I lived in a real hut for 2 weeks – so cool!
• met the man of my dreams in the ER and married him a year later.  He’s the one that I look at and get pregnant!

Now that we are all caught up, I will be sharing my everyday experiences and loads of tidbits that I have and am learning.  I will try to be mostly informational, as there are lots of TV shows you can watch if seeking drama.  You will hear about how I manage to do most of this stuff and keep myself and our family together.  We adopted two of our children internationally, so I will write about that sometimes too – though not very often because I don’t want it to seem like there is a difference in our family.  Nothing so different, just a wonderful way to come together.  My faith is very strong, honestly – it is only by staying close to my Creator that I am able to be or do anything that I am today.  So, you will catch that strength running through lots of what I write.  I have nursed all of my babies, even got the chance to nurse our adopted boys for two days – so special!  And of course, you will hear lots about daily life with the kids and managing a business.  I am not politically minded, so you won’t hear much about that from me and I refuse to write anything about my marriage (except the great stuff!).  My marriage is sacred and I wouldn’t want to cause any discord – I can manage that well enough on my own!

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and hearing about your experiences, questions and thoughts.  Please try our products and tell your friends about them!  For more information about Robyn’s products, please visit www.ViveVita.com

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

July 15th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Dear Parents,

Summer is here and many of you will be traveling with your babies and toddlers. Thought you would enjoy this article.

15 Tips for Traveling with Your Little Ones

If you are planning a summer trip with your baby or toddler, make sure to plan ahead. Here are fifteen sure-fire ways to make traveling easy and fun.

1. Before your trip, visit the dollar store and stock up on coloring books, paint with water books, and age appropriate toys for your toddler. And save them for a trip.  There is nothing better than something new!

2. If you have a small video player, stock up on age appropriate movies for your little one. Baby Einstein has some great videos for a younger baby.

3. If you can plan your plane schedule around your child’s nap-time, your trip will be a breeze.

4. When traveling on a plane, feed the baby while the plane is taking off and landing. This keeps the Eustachian tubes open so the baby’s ears won’t hurt.

5. When traveling on a plane with a toddler, it’s sometimes difficult to sit still during take-off and landing. Give him a sippy cup and some goldfish crackers and play a counting game with the crackers. It will be fifteen minutes of fun, instead of fifteen minutes of tantrums.

6. Always take a change of clothes, extra diapers, wipes and socks for your baby or toddler. Spills happen in the blink of an eye.

7. Remember to take a change of clothes for yourself on the plane. There is nothing worse than meeting the family smelling like formula.

8. Bring lots of healthy snacks for your toddler whether you are traveling by car or plane. Buying them at convenience stores can get very costly.

9. Bring extra formula for your baby when traveling. One spill could result in lots of tears.

10. When staying in a hotel, bring along the lullaby CD that you play at home. Most hotels have CD players or you can request one. There is nothing more comforting than the sounds of home.

11. And don’t forget to bring your toddler’s favorite lovey and bedtime book along.

12. Try and stick to your bedtime rituals while away the best you can. Consistency makes everything easier.

13. If your toddler has a difficult time falling asleep in a different crib or bed, let him listen to your Ipod. He will be snoring away before you can count to ten.

14. If you are staying in a hotel and are going to hire a sitter for the evening, ask that she come and meet your children a few hours before you leave. It is worth it not to have that dreaded phone call to come back.

15. Don’t forget to bring along extra batteries, photo card for your camera and protein bars for you.
 
Have Fun and Happy Traveling!!   

Blythe Lipman is the president of Baby Instructions. She is passionate about babies, toddlers and their parents. After working in the field for over twenty-five years, she wrote her third award-winning book, HELP! MY BABY CAME WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS which is available at  www.babyinstructions.com  and all major bookstores . You can hear Blythe’s weekly radio show on Mondays, 11am EST @ www.toginet.com  Blythe is available for in-home, video and telephone consultations. ©Blythe Lipman 2010

May 27th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

What a powerful video to remind you that seat belts save lives!

August 5th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Pool and water safety:

Everyone wants to have fun and frolic in a refreshing pool this summer, yet we all need to be very careful around pools as drownings can be prevented.

As a pediatric ICU nurse, Nurse Barbara Dehn has seen the tragic consequences.

If you have children who are not water safe, you need a locked fence that’s at least 4 ½ feet high. Keep chairs and other objects away from the fence so curious children don’t climb over. Be sure the latch is child proof.

Click Here to read more…