Adventures in the Blue Zoo

Blue Zoo Photo Prop Featured in Prairie Child Newsletter!!!

2010-04-06T14:17:00.001-07:00

www.bluezoobabyboutique.com

It's been awhile now since my lost blog, renovating while being a full time mom and trying to operate my business doesn't give me alot of time to spend blogging (which I'm sure all you mom's can understand). So I'm sitting here waiting for a customer to reply to my email and thought I'd share my new passion...making photo props. Late at night after the kids have gone to bed and I've finished sewing my customers orders, I sneak away and work...well not really work because I love it so much, and knit or crochet away on a photo prop. This month I was so honored to see one of my props shown on the "Prairie Child" newsletter. Erin is an incredibly talented photographer soon to be new mommy and I'm so excited she choose a picture of one of my handknit props to use on her Newsletter

You can see more of my props in her gallery by going HERE.

If you're a photographer and interested in any of my photo props please email me.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails complimenting me on my work, I really appreciate the feed back.

2009-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

Re-purposing Jeans

Why is it teenagers insist on keeping & wearing old torn up articles of clothing, do they inherit this hobby from their fathers?

For some reason I can not remember wanting to wear pants with rips in the knees, maybe it's because they didn't last long that way. Before I had a chance to take them off, my mom would start sewing on some kind of weird looking piece of fabric that looked like wallpaper from the first world war. In the morning, I would find them oddly folded (so that the patch was centered), neatly on my bed. It was almost like she felt they should be framed, to me, burned, never to return.

Now that I'm a mom, I understand & can sympathize with my children as to why they don't want a 'Tinkerbell sitting on a leaf' patch, sewn onto their knees, but I'll admit that yes, I've offered to add one on here or there. For some reason they've always declined the offer. And so the Jeans were usually thrown out, always with extreme guilt. Eventually the guilt got the better of me and so the hoarding started. Bags of old jeans grew into boxes, I knew there would come a day when I could make something out of them. That day came when one of my weekly online searches brought me to this tutorial:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/sewing/recycled-jean-skirt.shtml

I was so excited to get started, maybe I would finally have more space in my storage room. The first pair of jeans I grabbed were the pair my 15 year old daughter had dumped the night before onto my sewing table. The pattern turned out to be fairly simple & within 2 hours I had the skirt completed (the one above, modeled by my fabric donor). She was thrilled to try them/it on. That night she wore her new 'skean' (skirt/jean) out to the movies, her friends commented on how spectacular her skirt was & wondered where they could find such a hip item. My daughter smiled & said,

"My mom made it."

We are a family of nothing goes to waste, if it can be cut & sewn, it's finding a new place in our home. I encourage you to find a way to repurpose your old jeans.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

- Blanket

- Cloths pin holder

- Bath Mat

- Doll Clothes

- Pocket Purse

- Bed Mat (my next project for my 13 year old daughter's room)

- Door draft stoppers

- Heating Pad

- Pot Holders

- Pet Toys

- Craft Bag - Pet Bed/Blanket

- Christmas Stockings

- Photo Frames

- Gym strip Bag

- Library Book Bag

- Pillow

- Coffee Cup Cozy

- Scare Crow costume

- Area Rug

- Yarn

- Hanging Organizer (Pockets)

- Zippered Pouch

- Jean Patches

- Gadget Protector (cell phone, ipod)

http://www.bluezoobabyboutique.com

Meet Our Newest Little Addition At The Blue Zoo!!!

2009-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.bluezoobabyboutique.com/

Yes, she's arrived!! Baby # 6 is adjusting well to our extremely busy home. = )

Weighing 7 lbs, 11 ozs & 20" long, we are so very lucky to have such an easy going baby, she couldn't be any more perfect. Here's our cutie patootie cuddled up in her pink Woombie (hey that rhymes, lol)!

The Woombie is by far one of the BEST inventions ever made, yup, even above CHOCOLATE!! Well, maybe a close second to chocolate. Like it says on my website.....

"I am personally in awe of this wonderful product. We have been using the Woombie since her birth in March/09 & we are truly amazed at how well she sleeps in it. We actually have to wake her up in the middle of the night to feed."

If there's a new baby in your life, this is one of those MUST HAVE gifts the new mommy & daddy can not live without.

We have some other new arrives here at the Blue Zoo, BEAUTIFULLY handmade crocheted hats, they come in an assortment of beautiful colors & styles to suit those adorable fashionistas in your family. Have a wonderful summer!!

Little Lives

2009-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Recently I came across a link to an ABC News Report about UNICEF & their fight to combat Tetanus. In countries like Sierra Leone, 1 in 5 children die from something that is very preventable/treatable - Tetanus. For as little as 74 cents per vaccine, many of these children could have been saved.

Please watch this video (Warning contains a babies death). I was amazed to see a celebrity like Salma Hayek, breastfeed a newborn child who was not her own, it was truly an amazing thing to see, One mother's need to help another mother's child.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=6804291&page=1

Even though I'm a HUGE advocate for cloth diapering, I have to say that I do support the purchase of Pampers diapers.....

"Hayek became a spokeswoman for the Pampers "One Pack = One Vaccine" campaign to support UNICEF's efforts to eliminate tetanus. For each pack of specially marked Pampers diapers sold, parent company Proctor and Gamble donates the cost of one tetanus vaccine to UNICEF. The North American campaign has generated funding for more than 45 million vaccines since the beginning of 2008."

Please pass the word around....if you're going to purchase disposables, please make them the Specially Marked Pampers & help a mom & child in another country.

** We have not been paid/reimbursed in any way for posting this article.**

http://www.bluezoobabyboutique.com

There is no 'Perfect Parent'

2008-09-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

You would think that for me...being a parent of 5, Child Care provider for over 16 years & Special Needs Caregiver with umpteen million years of Child Development Education,etc. that I would know how to handle every parenting situation & how to dicipline "correctly"...but sad to say NOPE!

Even with all my training, I'm still learning. I'm still working on my parenting, still learning how to discipline my children, still learning manners. For many of us, we parent the way we were parented to, with a combination of our own beliefs/experiences & what we've seen on TV. There has NEVER been a perfect parent & there never will be... (well except for maybe my grandmother & Mrs. Cleaver...).

We as parents have to remember that we don't & can't control how others parent, nor can we control how others will react to situations. All we can do is Model the behavior we want to see in our kids & speak to them as we would like to be spoken to. I am FARRRR from a perfect parent & I know that no amount of experience or training will ever make me the perfect parent, I also know that my children will never be perfect & that's ok.

No matter where you go, what you do, I guarantee people will have a difference of opinion, again, we can't change that...what we can do is control how we react to situations, & yes we will look back & sometimes realize that we could have handled a situation better, or maybe we handled it in the best way possible...for us.....at that time. The key is to not let it get to us...I try to remember what my mom always told us...life is WAAAAY to short to worry about something that is not life threatening. Again, that was her way of parenting...right or wrong...who's to say? She was brought up without yelling, spanking or time outs & yet, we sometimes got yelled at, spanked & the occasional...time out (aka: sent to our rooms). She was brought up in an evironment where everyone helped out because if you didn't the entire home would fall apart (imagine 12 children in a 3 bedroom house). Everyone worked together..."there was no time to complain", my mom says that no matter what, they were a very loving & happy family because they helped one another & each supported the other.

What's my point?? That the word parenting & perfect/right/wrong, should NEVER be used in the same sentence...it's an Oxymoron!

Big Hugs to all you parents who've ever felt judged... PLEEEEAAASSSEEE remember....we are all just trying our best with what we know. And what I do know is that we ALL need each others support.....

You know the old saying... "A child behaves as well as he/she is treated." What about...... "An adult behaves as well as he/she is treated." So let's all try to treat each other ... better.

Please.

The Static Monster!! AKA: Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips

2008-07-23T19:49:00.001-07:00

It's a busy Saturday morning, you've only got one more child to dress for a family birthday party (in my case I have 5, 6 including myself), you take your daughter's favorite birthday party shirt out of the dryer only to discover it's been attacked by the Static Monster! The same little creature who likes to glue the bottom of your dresses to your newly shaven (or for the brave of you...), waxed legs!

What have I ever done to deserve such an intrusion into my laundry pile or more so into a very rushed day! Like washing & folding clothing for 6 isn't enough, now I have to deal with the dreaded static clingy disease. But alas I have finally found the vaccine...well at least one that works for me.

After reading many articles on ways to keep laundry from collecting static, I found the same theme...use a bit of vinegar in the rinse cycle (which is great for those lucky laundrypeneurs who have a rinse indicator on their washing machine) or purchase expensive & not so earth friendly rubber/plastic dryer balls. You've seen them, they look like a rubber ball crossed between a porcupine & Homer Simpson's head.

Then there's always the dryer sheets...yes they work, but did you also know that because of the coating used in their construction, they tend to build up on the dryer filters which causes the filters to clog & can sometimes lead to house fires. House Fires!!! Not too mention all the harmful chemicals & that they also put undo strain on the heating coil, which by experience can cost almost as much as a new dryer to replace! This build up can be avoided by washing the filters once every 2 or 3 months (after removing from the dryer), with an old used toothbrush (Ya more re-using), warm soapy water, a good rinse, air drying & placing back in. (Try the clog test: If your filter beads up when you pour a bit of water on it, it's more than likely clogged).

Now where was I...oh yes Laundry articles....I came to one article that got me even more curious about getting rid of the static pest...it suggested putting 2 tennis balls into the dryer, so I began to think with my over worked tired mommy brain...if 2 tennis balls would work, why not tinfoil balls? Cause doesn't touching metal 'ground' electrostatic? Hmmmm could it work? The next article I read confirmed my mommy intuition.....yep aluminum foil balls can work & they can also help dry the clothing faster because they separate the fabrics! So I grabbed my very full roll of tin foil, ripped off 1/2 metre & then another & rolled each section into tiny golf ball size dryer balls.

My husband thought I was crazy...I knew I was well before the foil ball episode.....but I was a determined Eco-conscious frugal mommy who LOVED the idea that I had all the control over that Static Monster.... muuuahhhhhh!!!

Being the patient person I was, I waited 1 entire day until I finally had enough laundry to warrant our old machine one last try with eradicating the monster with in without using any chemicals or hyper-fad products....within seconds of hearing the dryer bell ding, I ran to the laundry room to see the results of my science experiment....IT WORKED!!! I couldn't believe it! I was SO excited that I called my mom to tell her, she would no longer battle with the mischievous Static Monster that learks in all our dryers & all it would take is a bit of foil.

I'm happy to say that I still have the same 2 dryer 'ball buddies' I now like to call them, along with 6 or 8 of their friends. Instead of having one huge Static Monster to deal with, I now have mini monsters... foil #1 & foil #2, unfortunately sometimes they can also cause problems, like playing hide & seek in our laundry...which I'm very ok with because my 2 youngest little monkeys, ages 2 & 5 love to search for them.... many times they our found in daddy's pant legs. Something he's not to crazy about....lol but at least they don't stick to him like our previous laundry use to!

Here are a few other laundry tips, (please keep in mind that cloth diapers along with many other types of fabric, require special laundry care):

There are Methods to reduce potential static cling which include:

1) Putting one-half cup of borax or one-half cup of vinegar in the washing machine during the wash and rinse cycle. These substances are said to naturally reduce static electricity on clothes. (Never mix vinegar & bleach together as it may cause a caustic/dangerous reaction).

2) Wash and dry cottons and synthetic fabrics separately.

3) Try not using the dryer at all for nylon and other synthetic fabrics. Hanging to dry will also save you some money and help save our environment...a win win for us all!

4) Do not dry clothing completely, let them air dry the last few minutes while still damp.

5) Spray clothes with a light mist of water after the cycle has ended & hang.

* Cloth Diaper Laundry Care Hint: Cloth diapers made with a PUL (Polyurethane Laminate) cover & micro-fleece inner cover do not require dryer use. Many dry quickly hanging on their own after a few hours in a hot summer laundry room or over night during a cold winter night.

Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips are always welcome for submission to my blog!

*** Since first writing the above article, I have done more experimenting & now have another static fighting tip:

I have found that by placing a few copper pennies (Canadian pennies dated 1993 or earlier), in the dryer will make clothing soft & static free. If you're worried about the pennies wrecking the inside of the dryer, you can place them in an old cotton sock & tie the end. It also helps them from getting lost in your clothing. I recommend washing them in the sock first.

http://www.bluezoobabyboutique.com

Teething Jewelry by Smart Moms

2008-07-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Teething Bling® was inspired by babies who like to tug on our jewelry. Made from the same material as many teething toys, Teething Bling® looks great on Moms, Grandmas, Aunts and Caregivers but is safe for curious babies to handle and chew.

Patent Pending Teething Bling® products are 100% lead-free, non-toxic, phthalate, BPA and PVC free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp. CE marking approved.

I love the idea that the bracelets come with matching pendants & they can be worn long after baby is through their chewing faze....when is that any way?

Teething Bling come in a beautiful assortment of colors, patterns & shapes & make wonderful shower gifts for any new or expecting mommy.

http://www.bluezoobabyboutique.com/

Award winning diaper, now at the Blue Zoo Baby Boutique!

2008-07-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Recycle...Reduce...Reuse...Rump•a•rooz®!

AWARD WINNING Rump•a•rooz® are quickly changing the face of cloth diapering today! As easy to use as a disposable diaper, with the same unbeatable leak protection but without all the yucky chemicals!

Rump•a•rooz® is the ONLY cloth diaper available that has been uniquely designed to contain the messiest of messes. The inside of each diaper is designed with 2 inner gussets that channel the inside of each leg. The elasticized outer leg will fit snugly around your babies thigh (no matter the size) for true double barrier protection.

This diaper truly amazes me, after 18 years of diapering, (WOW I know that's a lot of diaper changes!) I can honestly say from experience that these diapers are the "end all" of cloth diapers, (sorry no pun intended). lol

We have almost fully sold out of these yummy diapers & can't wait for our next shipment to arrive.

http://bluezoobabyboutique.com