Oh, my! We've had so many wonderful reviews...press with so much love wrapped around the words describing our Nesting Pillows that our hearts can hardly contain it. The nurturing that we receive from YOU is unbelievable. Then, we get another love note in our (e) mail box. A customer, a joy giver, has blessed us once again.
Meet Beckie. She is one beautiful new momma to sweet baby Evelyn. (love... the name. My baby Sophie's middle name is Evelyn ...sqeee)
Beckie purchased a Nesting Pillow then took the time to write a review after giving birth. All during the season of having "mommy brain" which is really no different then pregnancy brain...
( I should know, 7 years after giving birth, I still have mommy brain!)
Becki says:
"Of all the items that we would be purchasing for Mini, the nursing pillow was one that I knew would have alot of baby time. This lead me to look into organic, health friendly options. Boppy offers an organic pillow cover. As one reviewer pointed out: the cover may be organic but the pillow is still filled with the sort of chemicals that you're most likely trying to avoid in purchasing an organic cover.
And so the search continued. I don't remember how I stumbled onto the Blessed Nest web site. It was probably the fateful result of a google search. After about 15 minutes on the site, I knew this was the pillow for me."
This is the single most useful baby product we own. It has been used multiple times a day, every day, since E made her way out into the world. I can see this becoming a snuggle buddy for E when she's bigger. Love love love it.
We love you to the moon and back Beckie! Thank you for taking the time to tell us how much you love your Nesting Pillow!
Heather and MurphyEver wondered where the money goes that is raised during one of those "walk for the cure events"? Well, now we know...Heather found a suspicious lump in a routine checkup and was in one of the best Breast Cancer screening centers in the country the next day... Susan G. Koman picking up the tab. Those people don't mess around. ... So, if you've ever walked or donated, THANK YOU. I'd like to give you the same tearful hug I gave the ultrasound tech who gave me my good news (HOORAY!). I only had to worry (even a little) for one night. And now I have a healthy baseline mammogram which could increase my chance of survival by up to 24% if there ever is a problem.
After my appointment, I enjoyed a celebratory ice cream cone in honor of the best news I've had in a while!
And ladies, if you think you can't afford to get a mammogram, get off your butt and get one. If I have access, you have access...
love, Heather
Find a local program in your area. Free services are available with a click of the mouse or a few google searches. Take the time to see if you qualify. You probably do! Go here to find a location!
"Organic" products and organic foods have become a buzzing topic as of lately. Not surprisingly, consumers are often confused as to what organic really means. This article will look to answer some of the most common questions about buying organic and the benefits of choosing certain organic foods over non-organic foods.
What is Organic?
Use of the term Organic is monitored by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP uses the word "Organic" to mean that a food or produce is grown or raised without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, in an area that is not contaminated by sewage, and does not involve genetically modified organisms or ionizing radiation[1]. "Organic" meat means that the animals are not raised with or given antibiotics or growth hormones. The USDA NOP has created three categories of organic. 100% Organic is a top grade Organic product and all ingredients in the product are made according to the USDA organic farming standards. The second category is labeled simply as Organic which means that at least 95% of the ingredients are organic. The third category is "Made with Organic Ingredients" which signifies that at least 70% of ingredients are made according to USDA's organic standards without any genetically modified organisms.
Don't get tricked!!!
Products that contain less than 70% organic ingredients may still have labels boasting about their few organic components; this does not mean that the product is considered an organic product!!
Look for the Seal The USDA Organic seal assures buyers that the product comes from a manufacturer or farm that has an Organic-certified program and system plan and that all records of product production are verified in accordance to that plant. Manufacturers and farms that produce food that hold this seal are inspected annually unannounced to ensure standards aremetand maintained.
Why Buy Organic??
Pesticides belong to a group of chemicals intended to kill living organisms and are intended to be toxic material. Consuming small amounts of pesticides each day may lead to a build-up of these toxic materials in the body. Pesticides in and on food have been linked to a variety of health problems including skin, eye, and lung irritation, cancers, nervous system side effects, and changes in hormone levels[2]. Organic produce is grown to be "earth friendly", without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Although some foods nutritional content does not change depending on whether the food is organic or not, the presence of pesticides does!!!
What to buy Organic According to the Environmental Working Group, the most contaminated foods are peaches, strawberries, apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, cherries and imported grapes; buy these fruits organic! Of the vegetables: celery, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale, collard greens and potatoes are best to buy organic because these vegetables retain the most pesticides[3] Naturally lower in Pesticides The vegetables least likely to test positive for pesticides are onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant
and sweet potatoes. Lower pesticide containing fruits include avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, domestic cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit and honeydew.
For a complete list of pesticide content for fruits and vegetables go to www.foodnews.org
Your Shopping List for Organic Foods: Buy these Organic (15 Listed from most pesticide-containing to least)
What better way to celebrate Earth Day then to honor one of our "green" stores? PeekAGreen.com supports Blessed Nest...shop today and you'll be nurturing mom, baby and planet.
1 Nesting Pillow= 10 trees planted through April 30th, 2010
Thank you! We think that the mission is amazing too. In February of 2005, IPP founder Shannon Keith went to India on a mission trip with her church where her eyes were opened to devastation of lives happening on the streets and in the brothels. After visiting a red-light district, she could not forget what she saw - young girls sold by their families, orphans picked up off the street by pimps, even young mothers just trying to feed their children. Many were held against their will. Others were trapped by economics. Those who escaped the brothels often returned just to survive. Compelled by the magnitude of this reality, Shannon and her team of volunteers founded International Princess™ Project to advocate for these women, give them opportunities to restore their broken lives and empower them to live in freedom. The traditional Indian Sari, worn in even the darkest places in India, became the inspiration for International Princess™ Project. The sari's bright color and beautiful design are fit for princesses. 2) PUNJAMMIES are wonderful. Do you work closely with the ladies who make them? How did you pick the area/country where you have them manufactured?
We think PUNJAMMIES are wonderful too! Not only because they are beautiful and comfortable, but because they are the work of beautiful, wonderful ladies who are now working with freedom and dignity. We work very closely with strategic partners in India - we are a team. Our partners in India rescue, house and care for the daily needs of the ladies, and IPP provides tools, training and development of the PUNJAMMIE business. We do work closely with the ladies. Those of us here in the US visit several times a year for various training, events and visits.
The project began in India (see above story) and we have focused our first years of efforts there, though we hope to expand to other countries in the future. The specific areas that we work have been largely chosen by our ability to locate like-minded indigenous organizations who are doing great work in this area, but are in need of this kind of partnership to increase their effectiveness in helping the women and girls.
3) Tell us a little bit about your team ( and how it was developed) at International Princess Project?
When Shannon returned from India, she quickly gathered a group of like-minded volunteers who became the founding board members of IPP. Together, they worked to get the project going in their extra time, squeezing between their families, jobs and busy lives. It is remarkable to see what a group of committed and passionate people can do when they are mobilized into action! After several years of gaining momentum, the team took the leap to hire their first staff members. Now, two years later, we have 2 full time staff and one part time staff member here in our Costa Mesa office who partner with several amazing partners in India and a team of great volunteers here in the US.
Thank you Laura for taking the time to give our friends and community at Blessed Nest a glimpse into what you do and why you do it. We are inspired by you!
We hope to see more from the ladies at International Princess Project here on our perch! ( coming soon!)
Monday, July 26, 2010 at 02:57AM 
Meet Beckie. She is one beautiful new momma to sweet baby Evelyn. (love... the name. My baby Sophie's middle name is Evelyn ...sqeee)
