Fay heading towards Gainesville - Possible shipping and communication delays

There will be shipping and communication delays if Fay hits us or if we need to shut down due to lightning or flooding. We thought we were in the clear but Fay is meandering around at sea at the moment, perhaps picking up steam for another land attack. One thing we like about being so far inland is any hurricane or storm should lose a lot of power by the time it reaches us. But even so, wind and rain can require us to shut down or we can lose power.

We appreciate your understanding. We will still have customer support when possible and we usually have limited access via the Edge network (iPhone is great!!!)

La Leche League again

It's coming around to that time again; last year I went to the Florida La Leche League conference mostly to see Hathor speak. But I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of the speakers and what a great family vacation it was that we're going again this year, even without Hathor there! Just spending time around families that parent in the way most there do makes for a relaxing time.

Regular attendees don't have to do anything but show up, but us vendor types have to get our butts in gear well in advance of events.

I am donating a new Scootababy baby carrier for the fundraising auction and will also have a nice little surprise in the gift bags.

Ergo Baby Carrier in Cranberry is Discontinued!

Very soon, you won't be able to get a cranberry Ergo Baby Carrier! We only have a few left in stock.

When they're gone, they're gone!

This has been a very popular color so grab yours now while you can!

"That should keep you busy!"

I have sponsored The Natural Child Project for over a year and will continue to do so because I love Jan's work and what she stands for. And I've been meaning for some time to make it a priority to get a counseling session from her.

Last week, I hit a parenting snag (okay, crisis) that sent me straight to my computer to send the money over. My four year old daughter (Jan says it seems like a very high percentage of her clients have four year old children) was pushing all my buttons with her issues around food and control. I really needed some help getting out of the trees and finding the forest.

Obviously, not all our issues are going to get solved in an hour and I've done phone counseling before so I just let Jan do what she does best. She ran quite a few ideas past me but what she made clear at the start was that I would not have to take notes; she'd send a follow up email with information on all the resources and techniques we discussed. I just got the email (that was fast!) and the last line is:

"That should keep you busy!"

Yes indeed! I can't wait to get started on all this! I now have what I need most: Hope!

Beco Butterfly Madness!!!!

All Beco Butterfly baby carriers are on sale! Nearly 25% off! You won't see another sale like this any time soon! Enjoy!

The Beco Butterfly is suitable from birth and right up through toddlerhood. It can be worn front or back.

Huggalugs Baby Leg Warmers!

Gorgeous new product for us!

Like everything we sell, we test it first.

Boy, was it a hard choice to figure out which one to try. Well, hard for my four year old! She immediately narowed it down to two flower prints, pink and purple, but then it was touch and go while she deliberated, finally deciding upon pink (as I knew she would!)

My older daughter likes them as arm warmers!

New Improved Scootababy - Best Hip Carrier!

It didn't need to be made better! But Scootababy did it anyway! They managed to take the ideal hip carrier and make it even better!

First, and most important to me, it's prettier! This is just one of five gorgeous new prints, most of which are even guy friendly.

Second, it's taller, so it will accomodate even taller toddlers.

Third, baby's seat is contoured for improved fit and ease of use.

For more improvements, surf on over to the Scootababy product listing.

Beco Butterfly Sale!!! Still plenty left!

Beco Butterfly Sale Still Going on!

At these amazing first ever Beco Butterfly sale prices, many prints are already sold out and gone forever, but there are still amazing choices left, including:


Allison


Aubrey


Avery



Carnival


Chloe



Espresso



Joshua



Martini



Morgan

SoBeBabies is a Featured Store at The Mama Log!

Check us out under:

mamaShops

BABY & TODDLER GEAR


Plus a lovely writeup in the latest newsletter with an exclusive coupon for Mama Log subscribers!

Beco Butterfly Sale!

All Beco Butterfly baby carriers are now on sale! This is the first sale ever! We have loads of inventory right now but limited numbers of many prints so hurry and get your first choice!

Join our mailing list to get news on upcoming sales plus special discounts!

Shipping speed

Wow. Sometimes customers get angry about how long things take to get to them. Items generally ship out the next business day, but for certain items, shipping can take longer. I just had an order with Amazon take 5 days to ship out. It wasn't shipping from an Amazon store, but from Amazon directly. That was why I chose that item; I assumed they'd send it right out! Five days! Wow. I thought I'd have these by now. Still waiting. Just saying!

Appearance of Doing Good More Important Than Actually Doing Good?

I am speechless. The other day, I was listening to NPR and there was a quote to the effect that it's more important to give the appearance of doing the good than to actually do good.

Really?

I do lots of things in my life and in my business simply because I think they are the right things to do; not for any kind of recognition. I actually feel funny saying what they are because it sounds like bragging. Perhaps it is worth saying some of them?

I use a minimum of packaging. I certainly love to get a package with pretty tissue paper around it, but I resist the urge to do this because it's unnecessary waste. I hope my customers will appreciate the reasoning but I doubt it. And so I struggle with the little voice that says to buy tissue paper!

I save and reuse packaging supplies. It makes me go weak at the knees when I get a package that has so much extra packaging. I can't bear to toss it all. I have never needed to buy packaging supplies for my business! I simply save all the plastic bubble wrap and air bubble thingies and use them again. I have bins of this stuff.

I try to find a realtor closer to the customer. If I get an order from overseas, I feel quite strange causing a package to go around the world when there is already one sitting in that country, so I defer the sale. I know this probably sounds mad but I have to do what is right for me. No customer has ever said, "Good for you!" but that's okay. I can sleep at night.

If a customer accidentally misses the place where they could have paid $15 instead of $45 for international shipping, I refund the difference. They may never buy from me again since I mainly ship one product overseas and it is not one you'd buy again, but I'd feel bad taking the extra profit and knowing they paid that much to ship such a tiny package.

Would you like a "slouch"?

Sometimes, when I'm on the phone with a customer, my tongue gets ahead of me. Oh, who am I kidding. Sometimes my tongue just gets tied in a knot. Like the other day while my husband was driving and I started to say "Slow down!" but then quickly had to turn it into "Stop!" because of an animal darting into the road. Unfortunately, what I actually shouted, much to everyone's amusement, was "SLOP!!!!"

So the other day, I asked a customer if she was drawn to "slings and pouches". Only I didn't say that. What I actually asked her about was "Slouches". Then I cracked up. Oh poor woman. She didn't get the joke at first and it took me a sec to compose myself and explain.

Babywearing Conference is over!

Well! Sponsor and Teach and Exhibit, oh my! Not to mention extras like donating baby carriers, a diaper bag, and a Lose Your Mummy Tummy Splint & DVD to help raise funds and modeling two carriers in the Fashion show!

I didn't realize that doing all that would take every waking moment and every ounce of energy plus some. I returned from the adventure with a deficit that took a good two weeks to make up for! I am not cut out for exhibiting, that is for sure.

Well that and I worked around the clock for months to get ready for the conference. I loved all that. If I ever have a booth again, someone else will run it! I didn't realize how slow it would be. The last day was hopping and that was great and literally flew by. But "hurry up and wait" just isn't my cup of tea.

Introducing Haiku Karma Neutral!

Gorgeous new Karma Neutral bags! Completely vegan! Great "sushi" prints. Delish!

Fun Backpacks and Bags for Kids

What little girl doesn't love a fun kid's backpack or bag? My girls are taking turns with this gorgeous Oilily Hippo backpack. We're super into pink. Can you tell?

I must be crazy!

I don't know why I did it, but I agreed to have a booth at the Babywearing Conference! I am so busy with doing all the sponsorship tasks and thinking about teaching, and now I have to figure out how to be a vendor too! I have so much to learn! I have been sinking every dime into more inventory so I'll have a good selection of products to choose from. I've been combing forums for ideas about booth layout. It is all so daunting! Every day, I learn something new at this business but this is a whole other animal. I thought I could do this smallish but it sounds like people are taking it super seriously. One vendor keeps asking me what kind of flooring and gridwalls I am going to get! Yikes! All that stuff costs a fortune and then what do you do with it? I don't want to just leave it there; that is so wasteful! But I haven't been able to find any leads on 2nd hand stuff. It seems strange to me that you can't just rent all this stuff. I guess that probably exists but also isn't cost effective. I don't think I'll ever be doing this again; the sheer waste of all the extra shipping stuff around keeps me up at night!

Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier Voluntary Recall

Yesterday, Beco Baby Carrier announced a voluntary recall of the Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier. You can read the full text here:

Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier Recall

If you purchased one of the affected baby carriers, you should have been contacted by now by the vendor you bought it from. If you have not heard from them, please contact them immediately to find out about repairing your Butterfly Baby Carrier at no cost to you.

Swiss Strolli Rider Spring Madness Sale!

The Swiss Strolli Rider is now 25% off regular prices! Hurry! These go back to full price on March 29th!

We moved!

Well, SoBeBabies is no longer South Beach Babies! We've moved to north central Florida and we love it! So many trees! No more condo living for us. An actual sweet little house with a yard and a pool. A pool which is currently full of leaves from those trees. Sigh. Shortly, I will do the daily dredging. It's all good. Very meditative, in fact. There are actual seasons here! At night, you can tell it's winter! And yet, we have a citrus tree in the backyard!

Active Mom Carriers

I love getting new baby carriers in! We recently got our first shipment of Active Mom Structured Baby Carriers (AMC II). We were lucky enough to test these and give feedback on the design. The finished product is amazing.

I was so glad to find out that many people had the same reaction I did during the testing process; we just wanted to pet the carrier and didn't get to using it right away because it's so pleasing to so many senses. I can't say this of any other baby carrier. The fabrics are very lush and rich. And soft and so nice to the touch. Sort of like petting a kitty. Plus the foam is wonderful and makes for a super comfy ride.

Another great thing about the AMC II is the minimalist green packaging. I love working with environmentally responsible vendors.

New at SoBeBabies: Active Mom Structured Baby Carriers!!!

My order is nearly ready to ship to me. I can't wait to see how the silk looks and feels. I had one of the testers with the Minky lining and I mostly just pet the fabric before even wanting to try putting in a baby. It was very cool to find out I wasn't the only one with that reaction to this baby carrier. I have to admit I've never reacted like that before or since but the Active Mom Structured Baby Carrier is so yummy, you'll see what I mean!

Beco Butterfly

These just arrived! The newest innovation by Beco Baby Carriers! Everyone has been anticipating the Butterfly and it is going to live up to our expectations and even exceed them! Of course the fabrics are the beautiful Beco look that we have all come to know and love. And the details of this carrier are exquisite. The comfort is as good as or possibly even better than the Fourth Generation.

After watching the DVD, I was able to confidently play around with my Butterfly. Buy this baby carrier and you will never need anything else!

Like a frame backpack, you may load the baby into the baby carrier first. But unlike a frame backpack, there is no frame between you and your baby. When I started babywearing, frame backpacks were one of the baby carriers I tried. I found them bulky and uncomfortable. The Beco Butterfly has added the versatility of a frame backpack without the bulk and discomfort.

The newborn insert features narrower leg openings to accommodate a little one's shorter legs. There is another insert for older babies. These unique inserts allow for much safer loading and unloading and especially for much easier and safer back carries. Since the baby gets loaded into the carrier first, there is no need for hip scoots or Santa tosses and that scary moment of time when you can't see your baby and don't have a good grip. With the brilliant design of the Butterfly, you simply put your baby into the carrier and start putting the shoulder straps on first, then go ahead and secure the waist strap. This is the same way you would load a frame backpack.

These are sure to be a fast seller so grab yours now!

Babywearing Conference

I am so excited! I was asked to teach at the 2008 2nd Babywearing Conference in Chicago! I was not planning on going. I did do a bronze sponsorship but that is all I was going to do. It will be so exciting to meet everyone in real life! I am a bit nervous about the travel. We are moving in a few weeks and when I agreed to do this, my husband said we'd all go. But in our new town, airfares are a lot more expensive and I am afraid I am going to wind up traveling with my youngest. That sounds tiring! Oh well. I've never been to Chicago. It'll be fun to see a new city!

I think I'm in love!

I recently hired someone who is helping out with special projects and shipping.

It's so funny - people always ask, "Where did you meet her?"

The fact is, we've never met! Not yet, anyway, but we will in June at the Babywearing Conference. Until then, we are getting to know each other and learning things about each other.

Recycling, reusing, and avoiding waste is very important to me. So I sent her an email asking her to save all the packaging she got. I was in a bit of a panic, thinking she'd been throwing it out all this time. Some of the products do seem to come with an awful lot of it!

And do you know what she said? She's been using the paper that comes in the boxes to put on her daughter's playroom wall for "murals". And she already saves this kind of stuff.

Sigh!

It doesn't get any better than this!

I have my period and don't even know it!

I have used a Diva Cup for over a year now. I love this thing. I wish I'd always known about it. It is so much better in every way than tampons, sponges and pads. I never buy any of those things any more. I feel very off the grid!

What is the Diva Cup?
It's a silicone cup that stops the blood from leaking. When it fills, you rinse and reinsert. There is also a rubber version, quite similar.

How do you use the Diva Cup?
Put the cup in in the morning. I am able to wear it all day without leakage. At night, I remove, rinse and reinsert. I can do this for my whole period. I can swim, exercise, go to the bathroom, whatever! There was a learning curve for me but it's been so worth it. Every once in a while I don't do it correctly so now I know to dance around a little to make sure it's in correctly.

Where to buy Diva Cup?
I'm not going to tell you! Just google it and find a place near you. It is around $40, which sounds like a lot of money but come on, you know you spend that on pads and tampons within a few months.

I think my favorite parts are that I never have to worry about changing pads/tampons in a public bathroom. That can be such a pain. And now that I am always with my kids, it's even better!

Just one more thing

So I thought I was done but then I tried my website in Opera and it would not give me the lock. Picky, picky. After some serious digging, I uncovered yet one last image that was not https and now Opera likes me! LA LA LA LA LA!

Online Security: SSL

I consistently work on ensuring a safe shopping experience. I've come a long way in this regard. As far as I know, my website is very secure, but I am always open to hearing about any issues.

Like yesterday, a customer called and said she was not comfortable ordering because there was no lock on the browser. I had noticed this before but hadn't addressed it because, well, an entrepreneur always has a million things on her plate. But if it's costing sales, it suddenly becomes Issue Number One.

So after frantically researching this, it turns out that the issue was due to some images from external websites that were not being addressed by the full secure pathnames. If a website is set up for SSL, you can get to the same place by using either the http:// pathname or the https:// pathname. Some external images were not being accessed by the secure pathname, even though the script was created by the vendor. Their bad!

I've kludged my way through and put in proper secure pathnames to all external images and now the lock shows up. But not on all browsers. So read the article for more ideas to ensure you are buying from a secure website before sharing your credit card information.

Please note that my site was secure all along. Now it's just able to show that it is secure.

Proud Sponsor of the Babywearing Conference 2008

I am proud to announce that SoBeBabies is a Proud Sponsor of the 2008 Babywearing Conference. I've also been asked to speak about Structured Baby Carriers!

Demo & Used Baby Carriers 50%-99% off Sale!

So what was I taking all those photos of? Go check out my online yardsale and see!