Posts by Tag: nurtured

GCDC 2012- cloth diaper advocacy

Posted by on April 25th, 2012 | 0 comments »

This was my 2nd year planning the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  In the last year I’ve struggled to balance work with events and life.  I’ve renovated a store, started a child in primary, moved households not once but three times, not to mention been pregnant and had a new baby.  In the fog of post partum I’ve been holding cloth diaper workshops and planning a major event.  Why?  Cloth diaper advocacy.

In hosting the Great Cloth Diaper Change last weekend and a year prior we brought out enthusiastic attendees, some excellent sponsors and a lot of media attention.  We celebrated Earth Day by organizing an earth friendly event.  No one can deny cloth diapers produce much less waste that their disposable counterparts.  The media love to hear this once a year and also look at how cute cloth diapers are on happy babies. The topic continues on, however, for my daily work at Nurtured and also my daily life with a baby in tow!

Years ago I sat on the other side of the fence and simply thought cloth diapering would be a lot of work.  During that same time I also looked at a blistering, severe diaper rash, tried my best to cure it and was deeply disappointed in the outcome.   If that’s you, just try one cloth diaper (or pick up our rental kit) and see for yourself.  Cloth diapering options and benefits are very attractive even to the biggest skeptics.

What a beautiful bottom baby number 2 has had since day one…I dare say.

Here’s a few things I love about cloth:

1.) There’s always a clean diaper ready, waiting

2.) The cloth diaper creates a perfect environment for skin  - Those that switch from disposables to cloth are amazed when they hear or see each diaper change does not require a barrier bum cream.

3.) Sunshine- just when I think the fabric/staining of a diaper is showing it’s age, sunshine and water prove me wrong!

4.) Health!  Proven stories from customers and friends tote the health benefits of cloth diapering. From NICU babies to children with asthma cloth diapers keep a  lot of chemicals out of your child’s environment.  I’ll mind the bunnytrail and introduce talking about using wool, natural fibres and body temperature later…

5.) Cleanup is easy-  breastfed baby’s stool is water soluble! Just toss into the wash! Other accessories make potential mess avoidable or simple.  Also, since cloth provides a texture for mess to adhere to, notorious diaper blowouts do not occur.

6.) Affordability! Frugal moms say if you stash away a $20 bill each week of your pregnancy, you’ll have your diapers paid for even if you use the most expensive style.   This is leaps and bounds better than the dollars you’ll spend each week/month running to the store to buy a pack of diapers.  Financial experts say you can pay for university just by cloth diapering.

I’m never more proud of the parents that make the switch in the diapering years to cloth and live to share the benefits with their friends and health providers.  I’m never more impressed by the parents that choose cloth before baby number one has arrived.  The increase of cloth diapering enthusiasts out there impresses me.  I am thankful you give me reason to stay busy and happily working as a small business owner and proud mom in the cloth diapering community.  Thank you for joining the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012.  We look forward to hearing the outcome of setting a new Guinness World Record (TM).  In the meantime, it’s business as usual, continuing with the daily work of supplying you with the best diapers for your baby, planning a flurry of future events and living a passion for cloth diaper advocacy.  Hope you had a great Earth Day weekend!

 

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Boxing Day

Posted by on December 26th, 2011 | 2 comments »

I’ve been seeking inspiration for picking up knitting again.

Even with a new baby I have not become smitten with mittens, booties, soakers or sweaters to knit.  If I’m honest my knitting prowess (or lack thereof) has me stuck at pot holders and scarves. I like knitting. However, my knit purl needs motivation and a patient mind with time to fix a dropped stitch.

I just need a pattern, yarn and some time. The holidays are perfect for projects like this. Just in case, I have chosen a project I won’t require until December of next year.

Several years ago I purchased a set of stocking hangers at a boxing day sale.  There were four and a lone one nearby, so I bought five for merely pennies.

We had spent that Christmas holiday with my husband’s mother and father visiting us from Nova Scotia.  I hung stockings by non-committal thumbtacks! Once filled, my method a la Charlie Brown didn’t bode well for baby-proofing or poor Santa’s toes.

The Christmas that followed I was pleased to rediscover planning for my previous year’s hindsight.  My in laws each had a stocking, my husband, myself and Sweet Potato Sam.  When one stocking hanger fell and broke (note aforementioned toes), my husband and I shared a stocking.  Four stocking hangers sat on the mantle that year. One lone stocking hanger lay wrapped up and boxed away last Christmas with the intent to be moved back East for spending Christmas together.  I didn’t foresee any significance.

While unpacking Christmas decor this year Sweet Potato was impressed.  “One for me, one for mommy, one for daddy….and look, Mommy, there’s even one for the baby!” I smiled.  We set these on the mantle as we unwrapped ornaments of Christmas past and looked for the red Christmas stockings.

Low and behold this year the stockings turned up short.  Boxing day last year meant packing for our move to Halifax. Gone was the plush Santa and flattened boxes with ribbons waiting to be reused.  The trinkets.  The nutcracker.   I can only hope our movers sent my Christmas remnants to a good home.

I hate to say it: I skipped the stockings this year.  Oranges and chocolates went in a bowl.  The harmonica I could hardly wait to put in Sweet Potato’s stocking was wrapped at the last minute. A yo-yo found it’s way into the household circulation early this season.

We kept the empty and unweighted stocking hangers up.

Symbolic for each member of the family.

Four knitted Christmas stockings have my best intentions now and into the new year.  May they be packed away next Boxing Day.

Perhaps I’ll find enough yarn to knit a fifth.  For a dog of course. Ahem.

Happy Boxing Day to you and your family.  Go ahead and buy the extra stocking hanger.

Use it to invite a special guest for Christmas next year or fill it with donations for the Boxing Day intended tradition of giving.

I promise it’s worth the pennies and the memories in the making.

P.S. I’ll knit mittens for the grandkids.

 

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Thank you for everything

Posted by on July 7th, 2011 | 9 comments »

Over two years ago I joined April MacKinnon on her quest to improve the lives of families and to make babies healthier. I’d been a customer of hers since my son was born in late 2007, and she was one of my “Mommy Mentors”- someone that I looked up to and trusted.  She opened the store with me by her side, and I continued to be her right-hand woman until she sold the store in March 2011.  She was able to collect a wonderful group of women to help grow the store and everyone worked together to find products that you, our loyal customers, wanted to buy. More than that, all of us worked hard to develop a COMMUNITY for you, a place where you could come and talk about anything you wanted to (and boy, did you ever!).  There was hardly a day that went by that we didn’t talk about how much we loved the fact that you would come to us and talk about your birth experience, your breastfeeding struggles and successes, and even more intimate things. We were always willing to listen, to comfort, and to let you know that we had been there too, and that it was going to get better.

I have learned so much from you; lessons I’d never otherwise have learned, and I can’t thank you enough. We all try our best to make the right decisions for our families, especially for our babies, and it was you who showed me, loud and clear, that I don’t know it all, and that the choices I made for my son are ones that you may not have made for your children, and that’s okay. Sometimes it feels like we’re all walking around with blindfolds on, not knowing up from down, and the only advice I have to give you is to follow your instincts.

Along with the customers who’ve allowed me into their lives, I have found a sisterhood among the staff (past and present) at Nurtured. We were all brought together out of our desire to help people, to change lives, even if it’s something small as cloth diapers. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know people I never would have otherwise met, and I love them all despite our differences. Our hearts have always been with Nurtured and the people we meet because of it.

I’ve never had a job that I’ve cared this much about, that I’ve looked forward to going to every day, that I’ve had so much passion for.  It’s because of you- each one of you who have allowed me to teach you about cloth diapers or carriers, who’ve sat around and spoken to me for hours, who trust me to help you choose healthy alternatives for the ones you love the most. You are the community that we worked so hard to build. Thank you for making our dreams come true.

We all come to crossroads in our lives though, and this is one of mine.  There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel some “Mom Guilt” for being away from my son (who was 18 months old when the store first opened, and is now nearly four years old), despite me completely loving my job.  I would like to spend more time with him. I’d also like to focus on growing my own business, Pip Robins, and so that’s what I’ve decided to do, at least for a while.

Thank you so much for answering 300+ of my Parenting Questions of the Day, talking to me about your life and asking my advice because you trust me. Thank you for supporting local, for contributing to the growth of the business and making sustainable choices for your family. I will miss you all incredibly- coworkers and customers. I look forward to seeing Nurtured continue changing people’s lives for the better.

If you see me at the playground or around Halifax, please keep saying hello!  If you want to keep in touch, I can be reached via email, pip AT piprobins.com, or through the Volunteer Doula Program at the Chebucto Family Center. Thank you for everything!

Gillian Hyde

 

 

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Father’s Day 2011

Posted by on June 20th, 2011 | 2 comments »

BirthDAYS, Father’sDAY, EveryDAY

My son Sam turned five last Thursday and because he has a mid June birthday it is always around that “special day” for dads. Each year Father’s Day takes on a different meaning to me. The one question I always wonder is what my son will think when he thinks back about the kind of dad that I was. Just asking myself this question implies that maybe I could be a better dad. As I read over the posts about other dads on our Nurtured Facebook page I am certain that I can sometimes do things a little better. There are some powerful and emotional feelings that one gets from reading over those submissions about others. I tip my hat to the many dads that were mentioned. Keep up the good great awesome work!

I have had the good fortune to be a stay at home dad since March 2010. It has been within this time that I have seen so many things through the eyes of my little guy – this little person that I really only knew when I was home after a day at the office or back from another 2 or 3 night trip away from home; and there were many of those in his first 4 years. I’m still embarrassed that when my son wasn’t even 8 days old I was hopping on a plane to cross the country when I probably could have skipped the trip entirely. I guess it takes some of us a little longer to put perspective in place!

My wife was doing an amazing job of helping Sam grow and prosper but I was missing many of those moments – moments that I could never get back. To make matters worse I was missing some of the moments even when I was home because it always seemed that something else had to be done or I was too tired, blah, blah, blah. What a crock…

I am a better man now that those times are behind me since living the past 15 months through the eyes of my little man Sam. He is a good boy (well 90% of the time anyway). I’m so glad that we will be welcoming another child in October – there is no way I will miss any of those future moments with him or her and those yet to come with Sam.

I wonder what the response would be if I asked the dads from the Facebook comments yesterday whether a birthday, a Mother’s Day, a Father’s Day, an anniversary or any memorable date is really any different to them from any other day? Of course, the actual dates will always hold special sentimental meaning, but do these men really think that these are special one-of-a-kind days that happen only once a year so they need to be on their best behavior? I don’t think they do.

I think those gents have chosen to make sure that they try their hardest to make everyone’s “everyday” feel like it is their Mother’s Day, their Father’s Day, their birthday, their anniversary or whatever day it is that makes that person feel special. What do you think? If I am right then what a wonderful way they live life.

There is truly no way to know and / or quantify the best dad in the world. I suspect that there would be a lot of ties for that so called first place. Just close your eyes and imagine a bunch of cloth diaper cladded 2 year olds play wrestling over whose dad is the best. There would never be a winner – there never could be a winner. (And no I do not subscribe to violence ☺)

Reading about one dad’s journey really moved me after a few short sentences from his wife. I have never met J.P. Bremner but I am truly inspired by him to be a better dad. I contacted his wife Sacha to learn a little more about what life has been like for them since being diagnosed with his illness. With her permission I am sharing that with you now:

“My husband was set to leave with the military to Afghanistan, but an optometrist appointment (for pressure he was having in his eyes) 2 days prior to his deployment changed our lives in a way that could never have been imagined. J.P was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme which is a very aggressive stage 4 Brain Cancer. He has had 95% of it removed by surgery, has undergone 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, and continues to do chemo monthly. The prognosis of this type of cancer varies, but can be bleak as the cancer usually returns within a year we are told. We are hopeful that with J.P being so young, this will help him beat the average survival time of this horrible disease.

As of right now J.P is doing well. We are taking things day by day, and as with any cancer there are certainly good days and bad days. We try our best to take in the good days as they come, and try to get through the bad days the best that we can. J.P continues to go to work as much as he can despite how sick he feels some days (we are very fortunate to have the financial support of the military to cover all of his medical expenses etc). He can be described as someone who loves to work: work on cars, work on our house, whatever can keep him busy. Since I have known J.P he has always wanted a garage, so we built one for him with funds from a benefit family and friends had for us, and it makes me smile every time I see him working in it. He is an amazingly strong husband and father, who our little girl (Sophie) adores, and as I mentioned in my post, he always makes time for the little moments with her, and I know he will continue to be the same amazing father to our baby boy that is due in September.

Sometimes I look at our situation and try to understand why this is happening to us, and it breaks my heart when I think about what the future may hold (which I try not to do) But I try to remember that we never really know what life is going to hand to any of us good or bad. It sounds so cliché, but we really do have to live each day to the fullest that we can. I read a quote by Oprah the other day that really expressed how I try to live each day, it went: “Breathe. Let go, and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

At Nurtured, we would like JP to accept our Nurtured Dad of the Year Award on behalf of all of those other awesome dads out there.

I cannot imagine facing every day with the reality of having Stage 4 Brain Cancer – that fact alone would make me try harder to be the full potential of the parent I can be, and that my child wishes I were. I would cherish every moment with my family, not knowing what the future holds. It would be so easy to give up, to give in, to stop fighting, but instead one needs to remember that having a family should inspire you to live each day to the fullest with no excuses and no regrets. All of us at Nurtured sincerely hope that JP will beat this disease forever and be there to see the birth of his second child, to see his children’s first day of school, their high school graduation and live a long healthy life. We know that there are other men in the world facing seemingly overwhelming challenges. We wish them well also.

I’ve been told that JP is kind of shy. From one Dad to another JP I want to say that you didn’t win the right to accept the title on behalf of dads out there because of pity. You won purely on the strength it must take you to get up out of bed and live not just for yourself, but for Sacha, Sophie and your yet to be born son. You deserve to represent other dads as they try to be the best they can be.

JP and family will enjoy a two-night stay at one of the fantastic inns and resorts in our beautiful province, White Point Beach Resort. A well deserved opportunity to take a break on behalf of all Dads (and Mom’s). A well deserved opportunity to just breathe in the air.

I would really like to thank Jolyn and Gillian for helping me with my inaugural post on the Nurtured Blog – my first ever blog posting on any blog. I really only wanted to put a few things down for others to read so if you have made it to the end I thank you.

Happy Everyday Everyone!

Follow me @NurturedDad

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Mother’s Day Entries

Posted by on May 8th, 2011 | 0 comments »

When our inbox at Nurtured first began filling up for Mother’s Day entries, I noticed key words crossing my screen time and time again.  Those words were lovely, inspiring words praising the women who were being nominated.  It brightened my week to read those words and place them into our store ballot! We were rather enthused to make the draw this morning.

Here’s a little sprinkling from the entries that came through by email.  If you ever need words to express the wonderful attributes of a mother, feel free to mix these up and pull one out from a hat!

Most of our entries came through as follows:

I am nominating my:

wife, sister, daughter, sister-in-law, mother, friend, colleague, neighbor

for your Mother’s Day contest. She is:

amazing, lovely, patient, gentle, understanding, fun, playful, wonderful, inspiring, devoted, giving, fount of wisdom, glowing, strong, intelligent, quirky, brave, humorous, graceful, deserving, good, selfless, genuine, listening, supportive, researching, generous, and the very best, raddest hero of a mom!

She is (a):

new, first time mother, expecting, foster mom, newly post-partum, single mom, mom of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 boy(s)/girl(s) who works hard, stays at home, cloth-diapers, attachment-parents, had a high-risk pregnancy, keeps an even keel during the roughest ‘phases’, is my best friend, is carrying my baby, challenges my conventions,  is making hard choices, using eco-safe, ethically sourced products, handles challenging situations with love, is an example, finds her kids the best locally grown and organic foods, has been a great support to me, navigating sleep deprivation, expects nothing in return, delivers food and supplies to other moms, has inspired me, strives to give all of herself and more!

I just don’t know how I could have done it without her!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Congratulations, Amanda Smith for winning the lucky draw.  Your husband’s kind words were sweet to read and relay back to you! We hope you love the gift box of Anointment skincare products, Rescue Remedy, Organic Cotton Rounds, The Birth House by Ami McKay and a Kate & Birdie card!

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Thanks for the warm welcome! Hello!

Posted by on March 9th, 2011 | 0 comments »

In 2005 I was pregnant, had just moved to a new community, was newly married, and new to staying at home.  Thankfully pregnancy allowed me some time in which to read and learn to adapt to my new role. Although I had a new life growing inside of me and opportunity for new experiences around me, I felt alone and isolated. In those early months most women turn to their family and friends, of which I had none close by. In the end, I relied on doing the best I could with the resources I found…and I learned a lot! (In retrospect, I still wish I had a practice run!)

As a woman I am proud to say I am a daughter, a sister and a friend to a community of mothers whom I respect. Part way through my pregnancy I realized I needed to reach out and ask for advice. This allowed me the insight I needed to sift the information I had read into ideas on how I would parent.  Motherhood quickly became a ticket to listening and sharing experiences within a parenting community I hadn’t realized existed. Luckily, for me, the communities we build as parents allow us to learn from each other and evaluate what works (and what doesn’t).

The last five years of parenting have boiled down to a few simple rules I fall back on:
1. Ask questions and keep asking them until the answer resonates within you
2. Trust your instincts
3. Keep it simple
4. Pat yourself on the back for your efforts

In 2010 my husband had an opportunity to become a stay-at-home dad. He became more involved in the daily parenting of our son. Our child is in no way, shape or form (or behaviour) perfect, but we narrowed the gap of parenting our child together. It was a turning point I will always be grateful we came to and one that widely impacted our decision to look at Nurtured for 2011.
When we learned of the opportunity to become the new owners of Nurtured, everything came down to the “fit”. For us, this transfer of ownership allowed the opportunity we had sought out for years to move “home”, be near family and be a part of an amazing community outreach.

The last few weeks have had me laughing at how circumstances create opportunity. Just as April was beginning a new business in 2006, I was finding the ground to stand on! April is an amazing woman (have you seen how pregnant she is right now?!) and has certainly left big shoes for me to fill. I am so grateful for the life experiences that have led me to where I am at today. I am also thankful to have April’s blessing to now steer what she began as an outreach and resource to her local community. She will always be integral to the foundation of what Nurtured is and what you see at Nurtured on Robie Street and www.nurtured.ca.

I look forward to meeting you as a customer, a fellow parent and friend, and continuing to provide this resource along with an amazing team of parenting enthusiasts who can say, “I’ve been there”.

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Welcome, and Goodbye

Posted by on March 6th, 2011 | 12 comments »

In 2005 I was a new mom cloth diapering a tiny baby and feeling very isolated from my existing friends and was having a hard time connecting with new ones. I had faced significant challenges with breastfeeding and didn’t know anyone who could relate to my situation. I started thinking about the path of my life, the impact of every choice I made for my little girl on the world around me, and how I could use the information I learned as an engineer to connect with other parents who, like me, wanted to make a difference for their children, and for our environment.

By April 2006, Nurtured was born. Those first few months were full of planning, research, ordering, building and learning a whole new world of retail and e-commerce. The original Nurtured Products for Parenting website launched in August 2006 and was supported by friends, family, and a few loyal local customers. In those early months I met many women with whom I instantly shared a connection and who have become life long friends. At this time, I was pregnant with my now four-year-old and looking forward to making Nurtured my new career.

Through “word of mom” and networking opportunities locally, Nurtured hit critical mass in the spring of 2007 with a sudden upsurge in growth, which coincided with the birth of my son. Those early months were challenging, and I burned the midnight oil building a business between feeding an infant for weeks and months on end. I also participated in the “My Fair Baby” shows hosted by the Midwifery Coalition, gave cloth diaper workshops throughout HRM at yoga studios, stores owned by friends and acquaintances, and in my own home on a weekly basis. Babywearing workshops followed, initially in collaboration with my friend Tory at her (now closed) shop, Next In Line, and then, after an invitation from local doula Robyn Berman, at Uncommon Kids in Halifax and Pillars of Health in Dartmouth.

In 2008 another customer became not only one of my best friends but Nurtured’s first part-time employee when Becky Keen joined the Nurtured team one or two days a week. This was following a significant home renovation to move Nurtured from my dining room table to the basement. By the end of 2008, Nurtured had won the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Atlantic Canada, was still growing very quickly, and it was evident that Nurtured had outgrown its home-based location. That Fall, a lease was signed for our Halifax location.

With many late nights renovating, tag-teaming with my husband while we set up shelving and juggled child care, the Nurtured store opened on April 1, 2009 with a staff of four: Gillian (now Manager), Karen, Annie, and myself. This was incredibly rewarding but also took its toll as I was working 6 days (and sometimes nights) to get the business up and running. I can never thank Gillian, Karen, and Annie enough for their help in those early days.

2009 truly left its mark on me as a business person with the media attention we gained for opening a boutique store in the middle of a global financial recession, and for the legitimization moving to a retail store provided for the Nurtured brand. I also acquired Anointment Natural Skin Care from Anastasia Manolakos, a favourite of mine and MANY others from the Halifax Farmer’s Market, and began working on improvements and marketing strategies Anointment products, which stood out to me for their natural ingredients, lack of unnecessary “stuff” and high quality.

In 2010 Nurtured won the Small Business of the Year Award (Silver) presented by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, was nominated in the Better Business Bureau Ethics Awards, Was 2nd Best Eco-Conscious Business in Halifax as voted by the readers of The Coast magazine, grew from a staff of four to a staff of eight, and essentially outgrew our retail store. I am very proud of all these accomplishments.

Also in 2010, I learned we were expecting our third child and both my father and my husband’s mother suffered significant health issues. With reality setting in of having a child in school, one in pre-school and an infant, we were faced with some difficult decisions. Having worked so hard while my son was a baby to build this business and the resulting burn out it caused, I had to consider carefully if this was the path my family wanted to continue to follow. My husband was also provided with the opportunity to transfer his job to another office, which would allow us to move closer to both of our extended families. With a deep breath and a lot of discussion, we decided it was time to let someone with fresh eyes build Nurtured while we cheer and watch from the sidelines.

The search for a buyer began and concluded with a lovely husband-and-wife team, Eric and Jolyn Swain along with their five-year-old son. Eric is a Nova Scotian who was longing to come home, and Jolyn, with a business background and a birth and post-partum story not unlike my own, was very excited to be part of a business with such a strong sense of environmental ethics and community. I have been working with Jolyn for some time now and I am very impressed with her knowledge, kindness, and desire to continue the community that Nurtured has become.

Over the next few weeks you will see Jolyn and I together frequently as she learns the fine details of what makes Nurtured tick. Of utmost importance to me was that the staff also be retained, and I’m happy to say that Gillian, Karen, Simone, Sarah, Jessica and Melissa will remain at the store, so you can be sure that the customer service you have been accustomed to will continue.

Jolyn has many fantastic ideas for making the great things about Nurtured even greater, and the team will remain strong and focused on the natural parenting ideals that makes Nurtured special.

I have experienced a lot of emotions over this huge change in my life, but I can say with confidence that you are all in very good hands. I will still be a regular at the store as I deliver my third baby sometime in the next three or so weeks, and I will be working away on Anointment over the years to come.

I want to thank each and every single person who has shopped in the store, come to a workshop, attended a breastfeeding support group, picked up a card for a local doula, asked for help, advice or just wanting to hear a “I’ve been there, this too shall pass”, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Nurtured is very special to me: like one of my own children, and it is my sincere wish that the Nurtured community will welcome Jolyn to the Nurtured family with open arms.

Cheers to the great circle of natural parenting enthusiasm we have all built together, thank you for allowing me to be part of it, as I will continue to be from the sidelines of my Anointment workshop, the soccer field, or wherever life takes me as I take some time to focus on my children and my family.

With love and gratitude,
April

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