Get to Know Baby in a Fishbowl!

I've really enjoyed using Theresa's products and I wanted to get to know her a little better. I asked Theresa a few questions about motherhood and her shop.

1. What led you to babywearing?
I hated strange people touching my all baby the time, I would be anywhere and strange people would want to kiss her and pick her up. I wanted to keep her as close to me as I could, so I turned to babywearing and fell in love with it.

2. What inspired you to open an Etsy shop?
Actually I believe my step sister turned me towards etsy. I was amazed that I had never heard of it before.  Although I have had a slow go on etsy, I enjoy the less stress buyer/seller relationship. As everything is handmade, people here seem to understand the time it takes to create an item and have a family too.

3. What is your favorite item in the shop?
My favorite item, right now, is my wrap skirt. I just started selling these. I actually spend more time making myself skirts than making them to sell - heehee.

I do use everything I sell, from bibs, burps, blankets, pouch sling, ring sling, aprons, skirts, etc.  I have made other items for myself, but never duplicated them, since I didn't use a pattern.  My diaper bag is one example. I enjoy not using a pattern, but I sometimes fail to ever re-create the same thing over again. :)

I also love the Silk Ring slings! I think they are so pretty to wear, and great to feel. I only have 3 left, and am not sure I will stock anymore, but I look forward to finding homes for them. 
Adds Angie:  I love the silk ring slings too!  I 100% endorse them:)

4. What has been your best/favorite/funny adventure of the mom kind?
There has been so much in the past 7 yrs since I became a mom. I never thought I wanted to be a mom. I hated to babysit when I was a kid, because kids just didnt like me.
I guess my best adventure was finding the Mom in Me, and discoving how much I LOVE being a Mom!

5.  How did you get the name Baby in a Fishbowl??
How we came up with "Baby in a Fishbowl"- Well...While pregnant and trying to explain to how a baby grows in mommies belly, I told my oldest daughter(then 2.5y old), that the baby is in my belly swimming around like a little "fish" and the baby will stay there until it is ready to come out.  

Fast forward about another 1.5 yrs... while pregnant with number 3, my daughter was talking about the baby in my belly being a little fish.  Her brother was in the sling at the time and she came to the conclusion that being in the sling was like being in my belly again, just like the new baby.  I said "Yes, sort of like a fishbowl".   She said he was a "baby in a fishbowl"!  Now you know the story!

Theresa has a lot of great items in her shop (more than just baby gear too!) and it's all mom-friendly!.  Please visit her shop and check out what items might look good on you!  Also, become her fan on Facebook to hear about specials or enter into her giveaways!
Don't forget to enter a giveaway of $25 toward any item in her shop!  Click here to go there.  

Baby In A Fishbowl Ring Sling Review AND GIVEAWAY

Baby In A Fishbowl Ring Sling Review

Basic Information About The Sling:
This slings come from a great Etsy Shop, Baby in a Fishbowl.  There are a lot of fabric options available and she can make custom orders too.  The particular sling that I purchased is made of Duponi Silk in Summer Sun color and the ring color varies by sling.  The width is about 26" and the length is 85". 

This information about ring slings is from her Etsy Shop site:
Ring sling are great for multiple wearers. They go where your stroller cannot. The open style tail gives you great coverage for nursing privacy, especially for first time moms who are still getting the nack of it. Tuck the tail away when not needed or you can use it for a changing pad, blanket, wiping up spit-up.

Care of sling:  Wash alone Gentle cycle, cold, or hand wash.  Hang dry is recommended.

How it works:
Pretty simple:  put the sling on, put the baby in the pocket, and tighten the sling by pulling fabric through the rings.  It honestly seems more intimidating more than it really is.  The best way to figure out to put it on is to search YouTube for instructions on the different ways to wear your baby.  There are a bunch of videos that demonstrate different holds.  It took me two or three times to get to the point where I could get her in/out quickly.

Price:
The regular price for this sling is $48.  However, I got mine on sale.  If you become a Facebook fan of Baby in a Fishbowl, she posts sales and specials there, so you can keep a lookout for deals.  She also has giveaways pretty often on Facebook, so you may win a great item from her shop.

My Experience:
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this sling.  I have another ring sling that I bought at a garage sale and while I liked it, I never felt 100% comfortable that she was secure.  I have NEVER felt like that when I have used this sling! 

I noticed the difference between the slings immediately and I put my other sling away (I think for good).  Anyway, I love the fabric, I love the rings, and I love the cute detailed stitching.  I think that the silk is really easy to adjust. One cool thing that I like about the fabric is the color, it seems to change color depending on the light and I think that it is really beautiful.

I use this ring sling when I go to the store and we both like it.  The baby hates sitting in the car seat so she’s glad to be out and about.  I think using a ring sling is much more convenient than lugging a car seat or stroller anywhere. I’ve started keeping it in the car, so that I always have it available when I’m out.  In fact, I just got back from CostCo where I wore her the whole time!  I seriously use this sling almost every day!

Features We Love:

• Sturdy construction 
• Cute detailed stitching  (see picture below)
• SO EASY AND CONVENIENT

The Downside:

• Wearing her for long periods of time does make my shoulder get a little sore.

We Vote:

• Excellent Value 
• Easy to Use 
• Convenient for Everyday Use 
• Love it, Love it, Love it

Overall Rating (out of 10):  10
 
HERE IS THE COOL PART!  BABY IN A FISHBOWL is generously giving away $25 towards any item in her shop!  
Leave a comment for each entry.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO COMMENTS.

This is a mandatory entry:
Visit her shop and tell me what you would purchase with the $25.
Extra Entries:
1.  Follow this blog 
2.  Become a Facebook Fan of Baby in a Fishbowl HERE 
3.  Become a Facebook Fan of Adventures of the Mom Kind HERE 
4.  Announce this giveaway on a blog, forum, or Facebook and leave the url in the comment

This giveaway will end at 7pm on May 3rd.  Please leave your email or a way to contact you.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. 

Social Media Part II--Winning Stuff

Like I've mentioned before, I really had no idea the extent of the social media bandwagon until I was on maternity leave and spent time on the computer (when I probably should have just been sleeping).  Anyway, I've mentioned before about winning giveaways on blogs, but I also wanted to encourage you to become facebook fans of your favorite brands, products or stores. 

I have had opportunities to win prizes, get coupon codes, or be notified of sales on facebook fan pages.  For example, I won the child pouch sling from Baby in a Fish Bowl from a facebook contest.  I'm also a fan of diapershops.com (I have ordered quite a few things from kellyscloset.com).  They have hosted several facebook contests and they also remind you to enter their Friday Fluff giveaway!  Gro Baby hosted a contest last week where they awarded the longest discussion chain on a blog or in a forum a 15% off coupon.  Yesterday I took a survey about Thirsties from their facebook page. 

Even if I don't win anything, I still enjoy feeling like I have some input into their product, like I'm serving on a longstanding marketing panel.  And, it's nice to feel like you have the inside track when it comes to finding out about upcoming specials or deals. 

AND, you can find this blog on Facebook.  That's right, I created a Facebook Fan Page for Adventures of the Mom Kind!  I always link up my newest posts, so you can stay up-to-date (as I'm sure you're dying to do) on Angie's latest thoughts!

I'VE WON! I'VE WON! I'VE WON

OH MY GOSH, I WON TWO THINGS LAST WEEK!  I'M SO EXCITED!

I really want to thank Baby in a Fishbowl. I won a quick giveaway for a child's pouch sling on her Facebook Fan Page.

I want to thank Tricia at Luv Jurns3, her Cloth Diaper Exposed Event and Eli Monster for allowing me to win a diaper! 

Both of these companies have Etsy shops--another reason to love Etsy.com!