Mama's Kisses Heal (Almost) Everything

Hi Girls! A few weeks ago, my daughter bumped her head and immediately started crying. Sometimes she looks at me first to judge my reaction: if I'm wincing, she starts to bawl; if I'm smiling, she shakes it off, no big deal. But this time, it really hurt. I checked it out and could tell that no harm was done, so to make her feel better, I said, "Here. Mama will kiss it." And poof! It was as if I had cast a magical spell upon her! She instantly felt better and went about her day. Ever since, if she gets a boo-boo of any kind, she will immediately seek out Mama's kisses to heal them. Likewise, she has determined that her kisses have healing powers too (after all, she is Mama's daughter). I hit my knee hard against the door last week and she immediately offered her kisses to assist in my speedy recovery ("I kiss, Mama, I kiss," she said). And I thanked her for them. (It was so cute!!!) I suppose there will come a time where my kisses aren't enough. She might outgrow the need for Mama kisses or think the whole concept is silly--or totally uncool. Or have a pain that I alone cannot fix. I know they really don't fix everything right now, but they really do make her feel better when a little hurt happens. So I will keep on giving them as long as I can -- or as long as she lets me. And besides, who's to say there isn't a little magic happening with each little one?

'Til next time!
Erin

For inspiring and positive clothes for girls, check out www.gis4girl.com

Positive-ly Cool Girls T-Shirts and Clothes at Gis4Girl

Hi Girls! This week I added some new designs to our online store at Gis4Girl.com! The latest is the "My Heart is in the Right Place" tee--perfect for the tween or teen girl who volunteers her time to others or helps out her family. We really are striving to create designs that are both cool and meaningful. As always, we are seeking feedback. So check them out and let me know what you like or don't like! You can e-mail me at info@gis4girl.com, or post comments on this blog. Suggestions, both positive and negative, will only serve to improve our product line.

'Til next time!
EB

Ode to Caffeine

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would pay tribute to a long-overlooked love of people all over the globe: caffeine.

Ode to Caffeine

In many forms you come to me--
chocolate, soda, coffee and tea,
you pry open my eyes and give me a kick
just a cup or twelve usually does the trick;
Oh what fun! Now I'm typing so faaaasssst!
just me and this nifty buzz that I wish would last
For noontime always seems to come around
and you and I both come crashing to the ground;
Then you disappear, leaving me
with nothing but an empty mug and a memory;
'Til we meet again, I give you one thought that's true:
5 a.m. just wouldn't happen without you.

Adieu!
EB

Need cool clothes for girls with positive messages? Check out www.gis4girl.com

Camera Phone Etiquette, Please!

Hi all! Well, it's official: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so there's six more weeks of winter ahead. It's been a tough one here in Chicago, so thoughts of spring are very welcome at the moment. My family and I always get inspired for warmer weather by heading to the sailboat show at Navy Pier, which we did this weekend. We love all things h20, especially sailing, which my hubby and I both grew up doing. We took our daughter along this year. She loved looking at all of the boats, including little electric model sailboats in the sailing pond. It was here that we encountered something weird: a man walked up to us, held up his phone, told us we looked cute, took our picture and walked away. Whoa! What the ... !?! He did not ask, he did not linger to say anything else, strike up a conversation--nothing. What will he do with that picture? Show his friends the random strangers he encountered? Print it out and put it in an album? Or has it already been deleted? Why even come up to us and make us aware the picture was being taken? My husband didn't see this happen, since he was standing off to the side talking to a vendor, but if he had, he probably would have gone berserk on the guy. I'm both p.o.'d and creeped out at the same time. But mostly angry. Just because you CAN take a picture of anyone, anytime, anywhere, doesn't mean you should. Maybe it was harmless. A photo just meant to capture the moment. Kind of like a photo diary. But when my child is involved--I don't think so. I wish I would have said something, but I was too surprised at the moment to verbalize any kind of response. Actually, a little afraid to, as well. Maybe I'm overreacting. I just know that I wouldn't ever take a photo of someone else's child without getting parental permission. Then again, often technology works faster than people's brains do.

'Til Next Time...
E

For positive-ly cool t-shirts for girls check out www.gis4girl.com

Draw Happiness

Hi Girls! My daughter, at 19 months old, is all into drawing. She's discovered crayons, pens, pencils, pudding--anything you can use with your fingers to draw whatever her little heart desires. She has what we call a "crayon purse"--a little metal 'purse' to hold all of her crayons and broken crayon pieces. She decorated a birthday card for her Grandpa this week and mailed it off, so proud that she could think of something, then apply hand to paper and voila! A mini masterpiece is made. Her favorite thing to do is sit on my lap and ask me to draw things: hearts, circles, triangles, trees, her Papa--anything that comes to mind. Imagine how I was taken aback when I asked her, "What should Mama draw now?" And after some thought on her part, replied, "Draw happiness." Then I paused and thought, "How on earth do I draw that?" Happiness? Did she just say that? Yes she did. And she meant it. I kept thinking....I wanted to get this one absolutely right. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's never to keep a toddler waiting. So I came up with this: I drew a little caricature of her, her Papa and me all huddled together. Then I drew a big heart around us. "There," I said. "Is that happiness?" She nodded and said, "Yes," with a toddler's conviction. And yes, happiness it was. And is.

May your week be a happy one!
EB
www.gis4girl.com

Posting Pictures Online

Hello girls! I joined an online business networking group the other day, hoping to learn some new marketing ideas, ask questions, etc. It's for women only, so I thought it would be good to see what other ladies have been up against in starting a new biz, and what solutions they had to offer. So far so good! There's lots of intelligent females out there doing well for themselves! It's wonderful to see. Anyway, most of the other members have little thumbnail pics of themselves so that you can kind of put a face with a comment. So I uploaded mine...and then I freaked out. Is this normal? I've never really posted a pic before on a public site. On Gis4girl, I have an "About Us" page but specifically did not post a photo. Not sure why not. I mean it's only a photo of me sitting in front of the computer, fully dressed, mind you. And I'm not agoraphobic. I do leave the house on occasion (though not today; it's not even going to hit zero in the Arctic Minor known as Chicagoland). But posting pics online feels...well, kind of weird. I don't ever plan on posting pictures of my family, either, anymore than I would take a family photo and tack it up on the bulletin board at the grocery store. So why do so many people do it? I understand posting pics/video on private sites where one needs to login, but what about public sites? Anyone else feel this way? Should I just get over it and get with it? That's what I've learned so far on the road of technology. If you can't beat them...join them!

EB

Learning Something New

Hey Girls! Happy 2009! Hope everyone had a happy & healthy holiday. My hubby & I had a nice long weekend, most of which was spent playing with our daughter. Her favorite activity now is to make her parents polka. Since a good portion of our family is Polish, the word 'polka' was introduced into her lexicon a few weeks ago. She quickly became fascinated by the polka, and now insists everyone who enters our home dance it, including her dollies. So roll out the barrel! This weekend, I too learned a new word: Sexting. Definition: sending promiscuous photos of yourself or others via phone, like texting. According to the Chicago Tribune, about 20 per cent of teens say they've sent nude or semi-nude photos or videos of themselves to others this way. I can only imagine that to some degree peer pressure factors into this. Much of the time, these photos get forwarded on and on and on, seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people. However embarrassing now, the real damage to sexting might not occur until later, when the sendee tries to apply to college or a job. More and more recruiters and employers are Googling applicants or checking out Myspace pages to make sure the applicant hasn't participated in inappropriate behavior. It's up to us parents to teach our kids about the dangers and ramifications of such actions. And if you're a teen reading this: don't do it! It might come back to haunt you! If you receive a photo, don't pass it on. Be better than all that. That's why at Gis4Girl, our designs live above the fray. Before I started Gis4Girl, I did some research and found that there are many clothing shops out there whose messages continue to degrade females. Here we celebrate them! I know my daughter will grow up not believing in any messages that are negative to women. I just wish all daughters did.

EB