ebay

When I first started this business everyone had advise, they still do, and I appreciate it very much. One bit of advice I thought I'd stay clear of was ebay. I was told to try and sell on ebay and I was hesitant. Well, I tried it. I do have to say that I liked it. I sold two Simple & Sweet Nursing Curtains and am happy to say one went to Australia.

Pretty cool.

Don't ask me how much.

At least I'm spreading the word on my products :-)

~Evie

Detox

No, not the bad bad detox, the okay detox. I decided to detox my system of caffeine. I really don't consume too much of this very addictive drug. I usually just have it in my morning cup of coffee which hardly gets consumed because I have three kids that are either fighting, almost late to get to school or have hair to be brushed.

Now, there have been many times I've painfully put my cup of coffee down. I mean, I have to make a decision often do I make the kids their lunches for school or drink my coffee in peace, do I brush my child's hair or drink my cup of coffee and then there have been time that I've tried to do both and the end result is coffee everywhere including hair and none in my system. So I came to the conclusion I really don't need it and I'm going to try to go through the rough days of detox!

First day, forget it. Besides the fact that I stayed up until 1 am working on my business and started the detox program UI was a mess and mean. I was so confused all day long. I was a mad mess. Did I mention that I was a mess? It was good my family stayed away from me. I had to take a nap...if you know me I don't do naps. I even went to sleep that night at 8:30pm. I mean if I was going to have a headache, which I took 4 tylenol for all day long, I may as well have slept it off. The second day just a little cloudy. Today, the third day, I'm actually very clear headed and feel great. The only thing though, along with detoxing my body of caffeine I sware I'm detoxing it of food too! This program I'm on just makes me hungry!

Yes a program, it's the Jay Robb Fruit flush and detox program. I read the book and it was pretty healthy so I'm on it. Flushing my body. So far so good, just HUNGRY!

I don't know what's worse, me grumpy because I'm detoxing the caffeine out of my body or me grumpy because I'm hungry. My poor husband can probably answer that one. I

I'll keep you posted on how it works. I can say besides the detoxing I've lost 2 lbs. but come on when you're hardly eating that's sure to happen, right?

~Evie

UPDATE: Well I did last the 3 days on this little detox and I did feel mentally and physically better by the 3rd day. I also lost 8 pounds and got into my one size smaller clothes by the end of the program. I don't think I would recommend it for weight loss but I would for a caffein cleanse/body cleanse. It really helped me focus on eating better and focusing on my health.

My Space

I'm on myspace now! Click on the link to the side to check us out and add us as a friend!

Water Babies


This summer was filled with tons of fun in the sun. Swimming anywhere we could was the goal. There was a nice hot day that we we able to gather with friends at a community pool and my sister invited her friend and her little show off nephew :-)

Let me tell you a little about this boy. He's only 3 and swims like a fish. He could out swim any adult and pretty much made my three year old feel pretty competitive. Yes, there was a moment monkey boy took off his life vest and actually jumped into the pool. He was feeling pretty brave and had to show everyone he could swim too. Well, he sank. I made sure to be very close by and had his older cousin and Princess Monkey sister right there next to him to save him if he went under water for too long. I mean he had to find out that he was not a master at this skill yet.
After swallowing a small amount of water he realized he could not swim and did not fight with me further. Back in the life vest and into the water monkey man went. He was fine but now I'm a bit determined to have him ready for the next swimming season.
Come to find out this young swimming master (let's call him "show Off") started swimming classes at the very young age of 5 months. Now, that's pretty cool. Can't wait to get my little monkey man started so we can have a swim off :-)

Here's a link to such a great swimming technique for all babies and toddlers. I was sent it today and had to share.

Evie

Go To BED!!!!

Getting back into the school routine has been a challenge. I swore that I was going to get my monkeys practicing their normal 8PM bedtime a week before school started so that they would get used to it BUT that didn't happen. We pretty much waited until the night before school started to enforce bedtime at 8pm.

Three weeks into school and we're still fighting at night with all three of them. I found this really cute piece on you tube. Have fun watching, just don't watch while you're angry at them or waiting for them to fall asleep at night :-)

Public Breastfeeding

Okay, so I'm a bit late to discuss this issue but I really wanted to post and link you to it. A woman in a Applebee's restaurant was recently out to lunch with her children celebrating an anniversary and was approached by her waitress and asked to cover up while nursing if she wanted to remain in the restaurant. The woman did not have a blanket with her but the waitress repeated herself and then the woman had to go to her car to nurse her infant!!!!! I guess some people in this country have not been on top of what is happening when they mess with hungry nursing babies and their mama's. I hope this woman (Brooke Ryan) does some great legal stuff for at least her city and place Applebee's and other companies in their place!

Because I Said So!

This is something I do say very often to my children. I mean, if you're a mother, how could you not say it? With so many questions and little people around complaining, whining or hesitating to do as you ask, it's something you find yourself finally using after too much explanation.

Today I came across a very great blog I wanted to share with you, Because I said So. This very well written blogger, Dawn, mommy to six children all aging from 12 to 1 years, is hilarious. Dawn writes of everyday life with little ones and the funny, frustrating and just everyday battles a mommy to six goes through. Dawn is my newest hero.

Summer Vacation

Yes, I've been missing for the whole summer! My kids were around and drained every last drip of energy I had. I decided I would just take a little break and get into it once school started.

Well, it just started so I'm back. You were on my mind though, and I did miss you.

Good to be back and talk to you again.

Evie

Freebies!!!!!

I've been thinking lately about marketing ideas and getting my products out to the world at affordable rates. Being that my number one job is that I am a stay at home mom (SAHM) and secondly a work at home mom (WAHM) a marketing budget can sometimes be very far off when I want to promote my products. I came up with a little free idea and want to pass on the news about my few products baby step at a time. So I'm inviting my past customers and interested visitors to get involved. It can't hurt and I know it'll be fun. Everyone loves a freebie now and then. Right?
Besides my own products I have other companies and online boutiques in line. I'll start off with my own products and go from there. Just to get you a little excited, Babylegs are a cute and fun product I'm going to give away as well. Check them out and get excited!
Check in with us from time to time and have fun. Oh, one more thing, pass the word out to all mommies you know that this is going on here.
Thanks,
Evie

The Kids are out for the Summer!!!

My monkeys are out of school for the summer. This means I have 12 weeks with them here at home (2 down, 10 to go).

We started off summer with a weekend to Disneyland, birthday celebrations at school the last week for my monkey princess, 1 week bible camp and camping. All in two weeks! We've been busy but it has been wonderful so far being with them.

Mama Kanga



Do you baby wear? I think we all eventually do weather it's with a pouch, sling, carrier or our plain ole arms because that's what babies want right? It soothes and calms them just to be on us or in our arms. So the best inventions ever are the solutions solvers to this problem of never being able to put your little monkey down, the pouch, sling, and carriers of all sorts out there.
The next give away that Steph at Adventures in Babywearing is doing is $75.00 towards products at Mama Kanga. While I absolutely love the look of the Sling Ring Slings, I have a horrible back and know this pretty baby would just put me on the floor for days so I would stick with the Cat Bird Mei Tai hoping that this helps distribute weight evenly (it's really cute too).
Check out Mama Kanga for all of their really nice babywearing products and also check out how to win this gift certificate for yourself on Adventures in Babywearing !

Evie

Business Advising

Today I had an appointment with a business advisor. What a great experience. I'm a year into this official business stuff an I've taken business courses, I've read business books (especially those geared towards women) but I've lacked the business mentoring from a professional.

It started off great. He really knew his stuff and really liked my invention, my clothing, my ideas and mission. I did get a bit nervous when the topic on "Business Funding" came up because I hate thinking about credit or owing money to anyone BUT I'm figuring that many have succeeded with this form of assistance. It's still up in the air and there is so much to research and plan.

Boutique Scouting

This week I've been off to a few more boutiques and I have an appointment with a couple more. I was accepted into one, which is owned by two really nice women. They complimented me on my business and product which made me feel really great. Another boutique owner is planning on ordering some covers. I also have my fingers crossed for my appointment at a local hospital boutique. We'll see and I'll keep you posted. I'll be updating my retail locations soon.

Evie

Diary of a Mom to Be

For any of you who would love to follow the pregnancy of a mommy to be then follow me to Chic Blvd.'s season 2 of Diary of a Mom to Be.

Her name is Alli and her little one is due very soon, September to be exact. She's expecting a boy and Mommy's Little Monkey is proud to gift her with a Simple and Sweet Nursing Curtain plus clothing for her little one. Check out her blog and look forward to your own pregnancy or simply reminisce about your recent pregnancy/pregnancies. Also check out the great products she receives along the way.

Evie

SHOES

fit for a little Monkey!!!!!

Having three monkeys means I am always on the search for new shoes. Growth spurts plus little monkeys that "drag" their feet everywhere they go equals shoe shopping every couple of weeks, it seems like. I know that if it were possible they would walk barefoot every second that they could but because they can't I'm happy to have come across some cute thick soled shoes that look like they can take some good ware. Stephanie at Adventures in Baby Wearing actually posted a contest on her site to win a gift certificate for some Vincent shoes so hurry up and check her site out for all the info.

Vincent shoes are stylish, cute and the best thing for me is that they are available in large sizes for my older monkeys. My favorite pair for "Monkey Man" are COOL. For my "little Monkey Princess" I prefer Sanna, although I know she would live in the Princessa if she could. For my "big Monkey Princess" I really like the Tanja's and I know she would really like these too. By the way, did I mention that they offer large sizes for older children? If you have older children in larger sizes you'll probably really appreciate this as well. The larger their feet grow the harder it is to find sweet and age appropriate styles.

Hip Hip Hooray for Vincent shoes!

What about Mommy?

A little fashion plus comfort after giving birth is a necessity. Although I'm not a walking model of fashion (to tell you the truth I'm often seen in work out clothing) I can't help but hope someday I will be fashionable :-)

I can say that I clean up pretty well though..haha. So on to the topic. I do feel it is a very neglected subject-new mommies and fitting fashions. This is a crucial time, a sensitive time and often the time we feel our frumpiest. This is a time that nothing fits and we find out that most won't for a while. We get stuck in maternity clothing and never ending roller coaster of emotions. Do we go for a walk? Should I eat that? Why am I not loosing this darn weight? Will those pre-pregnancy pants fit yet? Why am I not loosing the weight, I'm nursing that baby like crazy and feel like a dairy cow!

Okay, I am determined and on a mission to help those women out there, including myself (because one day I may go through this again) to find fashionable clothing that will help during a woman's transition into motherhood. We all know how many emotional and physical changes we can go through and having comfortable, well fitting clothes (not maternity clothing) will help in this department.

Let's start the day we deliver. Cute post partum lounge wear is a great start. I remember watching when Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) from FRIENDS had her baby on the show and I absolutely loved what she wore when her Friends came into the room to see her and her baby for the first time. Rachel was in a shelf bra Cami, a hoodie and what I could imagine were some cotton cute pants. When I had my third baby I made sure to go out and find this type of clothing for my post partum resting. I felt so good when I received compliments from my nurses. Thanks Rachel ( or more like the fashion stylists for the show)!!!! Here's some cute stuff I found and at reasonable prices for your recovery. A pair of drawstring lounge pants, a tank top or Cami allows easy access to baby during nursing time, and a thin hoodie is a plus during your stay especially when that air conditioner kicks in. Don't forget a pair of slippers ( make sure to pamper yourself with a pedicure before labor. Whether it's professionally, hubby or best friend doing it for you).

Now a great "Leaving the Hospital outfit" would be nice too. This would be the outfit you go home in and later can accept visiting Friends and family or run quick errands in. Make sure clothing afterwards is as loose as you would like but shorter than maternity clothing. Drawstring or elastic fashions will at least help your emotional transition and will help you physically transition back into to your pre-pregnancy clothing.

Cheers to motherhood, because it's beautiful and so are you!

Sun+Skin= A Painful Burn

The sun is officially here and it's the time of year we welcome it and all the fun that tags along. The beach, swimming parties, camping vacations, and not to mention amusement park visits are all coupled with bathing suits and barely there fashions exposing hidden skin we're so ready to drench in the sun.

I have to admit I am very ready to relax and soak in some rays. After the recent teaser,Memorial day weekend, I am very excited to start summer and have a little fun. So I wanted to mention SUNBLOCK!

What age is an appropriate age to lather those kiddos in protection? I just so happened to apply some on my first monkey princess when she was 7 months old (one month older then the recommended age) and she had a painful reaction. Her skin turned red and her eyes teared up. I felt like a horrible mommy after it occurred but just wanted to protect my baby's skin. After a quick washing off with mild soap she was all better and we made sure to place a good floppy hat on her head.

Researching the topic a bit I found this article on Sunblock and babies. Best bet is to just keep baby covered and a hat on. Their tiny body and sensitive skin may just not be ready for the chemical filled sunblocks a larger body can handle.

When protecting an older child (6 months and older) make sure to use a high SPF. Here's a natural brand of sun protection I found. Combine this with a great hat and you're set, but remember to reapply sunblock every 3-4 hours and keep little one out of the sun during high sun ray hours (12-4pm).

For Mommy and Daddy try Clarins sun protection (just mentioned on Oprah) and for hat protection (something I've been recently searching for) Hat attack offers a great floppy hat for women and for men check these out. A pair of cute sunglasses and good hair conditioner for mommy and you're set! Oh, make sure to protect your hair and scalp, especially those hair partings on your scalp, they will burn. Believe me, it's happened a couple of times to me and it's pretty painful not to mention embarrassing once your scalp starts peeling

:-( Gross.

Happy sun fun

Evie

Diaper Bags

Diaper bags are what saves a mommy's life! You can place your baby's whole wardrobe in some bags and place just a couple of things in others. Well, I went in search for a cute diaper bag that would double as a stylish purse during and after baby packing days. I fell in love with........drum roll please!

Mia Bossi ! A little pricey but it's the same amount many women are spending on their own bags these days. Mia Bossi bags have compartments for all the many things we carry with us keeping it all organized and pile free. No more digging! (At least for the first couple of uses). After you're done with baby carrying check out how you can change the interior insert to a computer bag! Too cool working mommy!

Here are some other cool and stylish diaper bags. Caden Lane, now this one is too cute and pretty. I love the pink trim. Chocolate brown with pink lining, now that Mommy's Little Monkeys signature colors.

For more cute diaper styles check out Caden Lane's Backpack, The blossom Diaper Bag by POSH, and The Sam Hobo bag (in style, functional and no one knows it's a diaper bag).

May I also add that all of these bags will fit my wonderful Nursing Curtain or Simple and Sweet Nursing Curtain! Just had to mention that little piece of info. ;-)

Little Monkey Fashion!!!!

Once upon a time when I didn't research on the Internet and had so much time on my hands I did not know about "clothing brands" other than the big names in department stores. I loved anything Target, and I still do, BUT now I'm catching myself notice different brands (boutique brands) when I see them on little ones and in boutiques. To see them in person is so much better than to run into them on line. I never meant to be into this stuff it just kind of happened. Like the different strollers and shoe brands-they're catchy especially when you're researching brands over and over again. I do it to see what the company is up to, where they're going through media coverage and so forth. I also love to see the development of their web sites. So blah blah blah on to my point for this posting.

I came across a clothing brand that is so nice and reasonably priced, at least for special occasions. TEA Clothing is absolutely beautiful. Don't tell her but I purchased a really pretty Dress for my daughter's upcoming birthday and I know she'll love it. Tea prides themselves in designing clothing inspired by celebrating the beauty found in cultures around the world. I absolutely love that about them. The dress I bought was a Mexico piece. I can't find it online at all but I'll add a picture once I give it to her to show you how pretty it is.

Check Tea out.

That's a fashion bit for your little monkey.

Business

I've been thinking about this blog thing and where exactly it fits in with my business and life. I mean do people really care that I have anything on my mind? Do people want to read my life challenges, although I haven't really been posting too many of those colorful events lately? Do people want to read about my little monkeys and my gorilla husband? Do they want to read about the road I'm traveling with my business, my triumphs, my up and downs, what makes me happy and sad and that I really do cry because I'm an emotional wreck plus sleep deprived? Well, maybe you do. So, I decided I'm going to take you on a little journey with me through it all.
Okay, so if you've been reading this blog then you realize I'm not so great at writing. Here's a little secret, I often come back on this blog and re-read everything and then correct my mistakes, clarify what I'm trying to say and correct misspelled words because this darn spell check is lousy. So forgive my writing and that's the end of that.

On with my new journey

Evie

Picked up!

Mommy's Little Monkey was picked up by a cute and posh boutique! My Little Sprout located here in Chula Vista. The Shops at San Miguel Ranch to be exact, has picked up clothing and The Simple and Sweet Nursing Curtain by Mommy's Little Monkey.
I'm thrilled! After preparing my presentation I was a bit nervous and hesitated to go to the boutique. You see, I'm a bit shy when it comes to this business stuff. Maybe it's the fear of rejection I have haunting me. I'll have to get over that.
This was a new experience for me. I had sincerely contacted Java Mama's owner complimenting her on her great idea for her wonderful and much needed mommy coffee shop/hangout and she responded with an invitation to pick up my line of products. That was thrilling but this was a actual knock on the door "Hello would you like to buy some cookies" ordeal, and she bought some! I mean I won't compare my stuff with cookies because, you know, they're not cookies. I'm just so happy to finally be walking the road of having my products liked and recognized.........I guess finally making this (my dreams) a reality.
After the presentation was over we talked a bit about business and our aspirations. When she finally made her decision I went to my car to get my products, checked the time and freaked! I had to go pick up my two little monkeys from preschool. WOW, I had 20 minutes to get to the other side of town and had to let her know that I needed to go. I'm so thankful she understood and that my very good friend stayed with the monkeys until I got there.
I returned later to finish the order and I was off. Now, maybe being sleep deprived and exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions I had experienced earlier that day made me exhausted but I still drove to my best friend's house to take pictures of her and her little monkey with the Simple and Sweet Nursing Curtain on to add on to the website and then realized it was nearly 8:00pm once we were through. This meant that I really didn't see the kids all day and I wanted to get home to them plus tell them the great news. I talked a bit with them and then put them to bed, found my way to the couch and I was out by 9:00PM. The next day I was pretty beat. Well, I guess I'll stop whining and express my excitement on this great experience. WHEE!!!!

Happy I'm spreading the news on my business.
Happy I'm being picked up by boutiques.
Exhausted and a bit fuzzy headed while doing it all.
Loving the journey.

Evie