Pamper is a verb

For those of you who now exclusively associate the word "pamper" with a wet baby bottom, I'm very excited to let you know about two chances to treat yourself to a little rest and relaxation.

First off, Alissa Hawker, LMT, of Midtown Chiropractic (204 N. Evergreen, just north of Poplar in midtown) stopped by with discount vouchers for one hour and half-hour massages, so come and get 'em! She's trained in pre-natal massage, too, so you don't even have to wait until full-fledged mamahood to take advantage.

Next, we're working with Spa Escape to bring you an hour of pampering and relaxation where you will be indulged with ...

Heated Lavender and Peppermint Herbal Neck Wrap
Relaxing Head Tingling Scalp Massage
Lip Masque Exfoliation and Moisture Replenishment
Herbal Green Tea Warming Facial Masque
Nourishing and Comforting Cucumber Eye Pads
Soothing and Healing Hand and Cuticle Treatment
Renewing Aromatherapy Foot Treatment
Also Learn Breathing and Relaxation Techniques

This free mini-spa experience, utilizing natural, cruelty-free products, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 11 am. Space is limited, so call the store at 901-272-0081 or drop an email to info at mothersville dot com to reserve your spot. (To keep the experience as tranquil as possible, we do ask that the babies stay home for this one.)

Moby Play

New this week: a whole slew of Moby Wrap carriers, including new colors like Moss and Chocolate. We also got in the new Moby D carrier, which is as comfortable and versatile as the original Moby Wrap but features a beautiful cloth panel that makes it even easier to use.

In The Immortal Words Of The Go-Gos ...

Vacation - all I ever wanted! I'll be out this week, but Mothersville will remain open with only slightly modified hours.

Tuesday, July 18: open 10am-5pm

Wednesday, July 19: open 10:30am-5pm

Thursday, July 20: open 10am-5pm

Friday, July 21: open 12pm-5pm

Saturday, July 22: open 12pm-5pm

Every mama helping out this week will be a volunteer, so be sure to tell them thanks!

Not So Quik ...

"Marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed. These facts are not in dispute." - UNICEF press release, 6/17/97

I've been boycotting Nestlé for several years now, ever since finding out about their unethical marketing of infant formula in the U.S. and abroad. At least, I thought I was. I just ran across a thorough list of Nestlé products and I realized that I've still got quite a few in my house right this moment, from Tidy Cat to PowerBar. Time to check the pantry (and freezer, and medicine cabinet ...) and make some different choices. At least now I've got an excuse to pick up some new (non-Maybelline) nail polish.

Today's Special

Hey, did you know that Mothersville takes special orders? It's true! If there's something we carry but you don't see your size, or the color you want, or we happen to be out of stock on a particular day, just let us know and whenever possible, we'll be happy to order what you need. This applies to slings, nursing bras, Medela parts and products, diapering supplies, most natural care products (Hylands, Weleda, etc.),Robeez shoes and more. So if you don't see what you need, please ask!

Pirates of the Carob-Bean

I wish my daughter were old enough to appreciate all of the pirate hype going on right now, because that would probably make it much easier to get her to wear her eye patch. After being diagnosed with a mild case of strabismus (or lazy eye, to use the relatively benign but nonetheless mama-irritating vernacular), M. was instructed to wear a patch over her stronger eye for 2-3 hours a day. Or more accurately, her parents were instructed to convince a headstrong two-year-old that putting a large sticker over her eye and leaving it on for extended periods of time would be fun fun fun.

So far, our success has been mixed. I followed some advice I read online and ordered a few different types of patches in patterns I thought she would like - namely: ladybugs, stars and princess crowns - so she can pick out what she wants to wear. If we can make it all the way to the patch-picking, we're pretty much set. The problem comes when we ask her to choose an "eye sticker" and she just flat out says no, she's not putting one on. If she's determined not to wear one, there's really nothing we can do. Even if we wanted to wrestle her to the floor, forcefully close her eye and accurately position a very sticky piece of medical adhesive to her face, she'd pull the little sucker off the minute we let her go.

I guess there are those who would argue that we need to assert our authority and superior judgment and just make her wear the dang thing regardless, employing harsh punishments and minor acts of torture as needed, but I'm really trying to avoid turning this into an Amnesty International case. Some days she wears the patch for 3 hours, some days she wears it for half an hour, some days not at all. I figure that the pediatric opthamologists factor this level of compliance into their recommendations in the first place, just like the dietitians who tell us to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day in the hopes that we'll manage 2-3. I'm trying to believe that we're teaching her about taking responsibility for her own health, that her body is a relevant source of information. And that girl pirates are super cool.

W lcom to Moth sville

I was going to write a post thanking my neighbors Andrew and Trey for trimming the gingko tree in front of the store, thus making it much easier to see the Mothersville sign, but that sign is getting harder to see by the hour. Thanks to an unfortunate combination of moisture and silicone caulking, the letters comprising our front sign have always been a bit unstable. So when I saw Andrew this morning and he said that he had my "r," I just sighed. I was a little more perturbed a short while later when an "e" fell from the sky right behind a customer (the letters are made out of feather-weight foam, but still, I try to avoid clocking new mamas whenever possible). So if you're out and about, looking for the store, keep an eye out for Moth sville, here for all your natural parenting - and nocturnal lepidoptera - needs.

A Mid-Summer Week's Sale

The best way to cool off on a hot Memphis day is to imagine the cool fall days ahead, and we here at Mothersville are already trying to make room for next season. Take advantage of our restlessness by getting 20-40% off on summer items like nursing swimwear and t-shirts, sundresses, Robeez sandals, baby sunblock and more! There's still plenty of steamy weather ahead, so stock up and save big! Sale prices are posted in-store only, but feel free to call or email about online orders.

The Official New Mom Shoe

Anyone walking by the front of the store lately may have noticed that, even though our mannequins don't have any feet, they now have some cool new shoes. Thanks to Diego, a local rep for The San Miguel Shoe Co., we are now featuring their line of "cocktail/combat sandals." I foolishly thought that a parenting store wouldn't have a need for footwear, but as Diego astutely pointed out, new moms experience a lot of changes in their feet and are perfectly suited for San Miguel's super-comfortable shoes. I was still a little skeptical, but because Diego was so darn nice (and apparently married to a customer - anyone want to claim him?), I agreed to put the shoes on display and see what happened. And of course, as soon as he left the store, I tried a pair on.

Now, I'm used to product vendors making me a lot of promises, but when Diego said that these were the most comfortable shoes I'd ever try on, he was telling the truth. They're wonderful! The soft suede footbed makes you feel like you're putting on a velvet slipper and the wide, stretchy bands provide a custom fit (even when your feet and ankles are changing shape on an hourly basis). The shock-absorbing heels are easy on stressed-out joints like knees and hips. Plus they're stylish enough to dress up for date night. These shoes are great! And people have been asking about them ever since I put them out.

We currently have two styles on display, but San Miguel offers more than 20 styles and over 100 colors. We can get any size, style and color you'd like. Come by and see what your feet are missing!

The People In Your Neighborhood

At least once or twice a week, I have a customer come in who has been driving around Memphis in search of our old location. When Mothersville first opened, it was located in the Chicaksaw Oaks shopping plaza on Poplar Ave. This is a lovely, upscale retail center anchored by a Pier 1 and home to many small, tres fancy boutiques. It was a nice location and our prime spot next to La Baguette brought a lot of walk-in traffic, but somehow, it just wasn't quite right.

Even though it meant losing immediate access to fresh eclairs, the store moved to its current home in the Cooper-Young district of midtown. We've been here almost two years now, and my favorite part about the new space is having moms come in during their daily walks. That very rarely happened in the old location, especially since you don't have a lot of people cruising their strollers down Poplar. But now, I feel like we're part of the community, part of the neighborhood. Even for those mamas who drive from as far as Collierville, Lakeland, Olive Branch and West Memphis, this place offers a welcoming, familiar vibe. We're a stone's throw from a whole mess of wonderful restaurants and one-of-a-kind retailers, but we're also tucked in among parks, community centers, and of course, a bunch of great families.

And we're also just 30 seconds away from the lemon icebox pie at Buns on the Run - what, you thought we'd sign a lease without first checking the area for pastries?

Book Clubbing

I guess it's about time to start what's sure to be a regular feature: The Most Recent Parenting-Related News Story To Get Me All Riled Up. Today's story is about summer learning loss, which is a fancy way of saying that kids forget some of their learnin' when school is out. The story itself isn't all that infuriating, although I feel like it leans a bit toward overscheduling an already maxed out group of American kids (send them to camp! and drama school! and a sports activity that somehow manages to sneak in trigonometry!). But it brought up my long-brewing resentment toward The Summer Reading List (which this article does not advocate).

I hate the summer reading list. And lest you think I'm anti-book, I'd like to point out that 1) my college degree is in literature, 2) I'm a semi-working writer, and 3) my favorite part of the movie Out of Sight is when Don Cheadle references the 1980's elementary school program, Reading Is FUNdamental. I'm a reader, and that's why I'm so opposed to forcing kids to spend their vacation time reading specific books. I know there's not enough time during the school year to cover every worthy book - heck, I specialized in American lit and I've still never read Moby Dick - but there's also not enough time for kids to pursue their own interests and read the books that may really speak to them. Some of my best summer memories are of wandering through a library, enjoying the cool stillness while picking out a stack of books based solely on my own tastes. No reports to write, no themes to analyze, just the pleasure of diving into a story that completely captured my imagination. My English teachers probably wouldn't have approved of every choice, especially during my Stephen King period, but like a toddler given free access to decent food options, my brain gravitated toward what it needed at the time.

Speaking of toddlers, I have a two-year-old, so I freely grant that my opinions might change as she starts reading and I do more of my own research on the subject. That seems to be the pattern with every other parenting topic I thought I knew so dang much about. But for now, I can't imagine wanting to take those library strolls away from her. Reading is fundamental, but it should also be fun.

Greetings from Mothersville

Hello and welcome to the first entry of The Mothersville Post: The Blog. It's been pointed out by several people (and blog addicts) that this would be a good way to let everyone know about new inventory, store events, interesting news, and of course, personal parenting blunders. So here I am, stepping out into the blogosphere with only a Dollar Store compass and sticky TrackPoint mouse to guide me. I hope you'll find this blog informative, useful and maybe even a wee little bit amusing.