Archive for March, 2009
March 31st, 2009 | Charities, Events | 2 Comments |
Bliss Nine is contributing a basket of baby goodies, from generous vendors in the industry (list of goodies coming in a future blog entry), for the silent auction at the upcoming “Stars and Stripes” charity ball for the USO San Diego, being held on May 30, 2009. Offering help and hope, the USO San Diego has been providing a welcoming “Home Away From Home” to all Armed Forces personnel and their families stationed or passing through San Diego.
USO San Diego is unique among all USO’s in that they are host to the largest concentration of active duty military in the world. Patrons utilize the 18,000 square foot Downtown Center and the 6,500 square foot Neil Ash Airport Center 365 days each year. Also, USO San Diego provides just under $1 million dollars of in-kind services through a wide variety of programs including:
• Host to more than 150,000 visitors at our two facilities annually
• Host to 31,000 new Marine recruits at our Neil Ash Airport Center
• Free Tuesday Night Dinner served 50-52 Tuesdays each year
• Distribution of USO Care Packages to deploying units in San Diego County
• Free Thanksgiving Dinner and special holiday events for the families throughout the year
• Comfortable living room atmospheres to kick back and relax… and so much more
Each year USO San Diego touches the lives of more than 150,000 active duty military, National Guard, reserve service members and their families throughout the San Diego County region. Most of the patrons are junior enlisted personnel living on very low incomes and in some cases below the poverty line.
The USO does not receive federal funding and no operational revenue for local activities from its parent organization. As a 501(C)(3) chartered council, they rely solely on the generosity of local San Diego contributors within the local Geographical Service Area (GSA). All donations serve the local military community. Monetary donations to the USO are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
Just as important are donations of your time and talent. USO San Diego boasts over 12,000 volunteer hours annually by more than 150 volunteers. Whether they are helping with connecting flights, serving free meals or helping spouses and children keep in touch with a loved one overseas, they are the heart of USO San Diego. To make a donation or volunteer please visit ww.usosandiego.org or contact us at (619) 235-6503.
March 24th, 2009 | Gifts, Nursery, Preferred Vendors, decorating, products | 1 Comment |
Want gorgeous and modern bedding for your home? The Modern Baby Company’s great graphic prints and decor accessories make you want to decorate around their products! Once your baby grows into toddlerhood, you’ll be happy to know that The Modern Baby Co. also makes toddler bedding.
Bliss Nine loves the coverage the round bibs get and the mobiles provide a modern and artistic dimension to your nursery. And on the other side of the fun prints of the blankets and bibs are soft white cotton terry cloth. They make great baby shower gifts or gifts in general. No offense to those who like the standard baby cartoon prints and colors, but The Modern Baby Company offers enough fun color and style to keep both parents and babies happy.
The Modern Baby Company is a Bliss Nine preferred vendor and has contributed their products to the San Diego USO silent auction gift basket. Contact Bliss Nine for a discount.
March 19th, 2009 | Health, TO DOs | No Comments |
Ideally, before you conceive, you should check with your health insurance company as to what type of prenatal coverage is offered. If you don’t like the coverage, or the obstetrician you like is out of the insurance network, think about switching insurance. You may want to change from a PPO to an HMO – do a complete investigation of your options under each program.
When you first find out you are pregnant, it is important to know what the out-of-pocket costs will be for you. Deductibles! Deductibles! Deductibles! Find out what your deductibles, if any, are for prenatal visits and delivery, and ask what tests and procedures your insurance covers. Don’t get surprised by a bill for a high deductible. Also, there may be extra costs for such things as an epidural, which may not be covered by your insurance. Depending on the state, a cesarean can cost as much as $20,000. Also, co-pays are another out of pocket expense to consider. Since you will be seeing your physician at least once a month while you are pregnant, you will need to add that to the list of costs.
While you are at it, check on coverage for your baby. For an emergency early delivery, neonatal intensive care and any extraordinary situations, you may find yourself with out-of-pocket medical costs. If you don’t have health insurance, contact your local health department and some non-profit organizations to see if they offer programs that can help.
March 18th, 2009 | Gifts, decorating | No Comments |
San Diegan and work at home mother, Amy, hand makes every blanket with love and care. With a background in art and design, Amy created a company providing personal and custom blankets for babies – a perfect gift for that special newborn. Cuddle Up Blankets picks the best fabrics and these blankets are bound to be your baby’s favorite blankie.
Cuddle Up Blankets is one of the generous donors to the USO silent auction. Amy donated a beautiful “Made In America” blanket to the auction, which is perfectly appropriate for such a great organization. Visit Cuddle Up Blanket’s website for available blankets with various designs, including the animal print blankets online now and shown above.
March 14th, 2009 | Eco-friendly, Gifts, Nursery, decorating | No Comments |
Don’t we all want something personal and special dedicated to our little ones? Putting artwork, created for your baby, in your baby’s nursery is as personal and as unique as you can get. All parents want their new baby’s nursery to be a sanctuary, but many find it a daunting task when faced with all of the different decorating choices out there. Spotted Moon murals are the perfect place to start!
Spotted Moon is an eco-friendly art company owned by artist and San Diegan Christine Bryant. She has created ingenious and beautiful Movable Murals and Milk Murals, specializing in children’s rooms and nurseries. These pieces of art are all lovingly painted by hand and can be customized to incorporate room decor, fabric patterns, name meaning and family history. Her goal is to create a meaning behind the art, such as reflecting the feelings new parents have toward their new child via a painting in a nursery. The murals are framed in fabric, which can be used as a focal point for coordinating bedding and decorative accessories. Also of note: Christine’s husband, Jason is a painter and can paint your nursery and/or your home with VOC-free paints or milk paints as well as provide his personal knowledge regarding a creating a toxic free environment for your baby. Visit their website for more information!
A mural from Spotted Moon would also make a lovely and personal gift for a family member or special friend.
March 14th, 2009 | Eco-friendly, products | No Comments |
Donate your stoller: Check out Baby Planet and ship your Baby Planet stroller back free of charge (download a postage-paid label at the website and it only applies to Baby Planet strollers) and the company will fix it up and donate it to charity. If it no longer work or functions, they will recycle the parts. If you don’t have a Baby Planet stroller, ask your manufacturer if they recycle or refurbish old strollers. Of course you can also drive/walk/send it to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and donate it. Especially in these tough economic times, a new family would make great use of your old stroller.
Sell your stroller: If you want to make a little money, sell your old stroller on sites such as Craigs List or Ebay.
Bliss Nine (B9) can help you choose: Consider all the energy and materials used to produce your stroller with its many parts. Its about reusing the materials we have without creating more products. That’s why it is important that you choose the correct and proper stroller for your needs and wants. Purchasing and using the wrong stroller or ending up with one that is too bulky for your tastes is a huge waste of money and resources. That’s why Bliss Nine can help you choose one with every feature you may need and want so you don’t end up with 3 or even 5 different strollers.
March 11th, 2009 | Safety, products, recalls | No Comments |
Notice has gone out today that Infantino has recalled three of its infant toys – the Lil Chef Set (seen above), the Activity Stacker and Tag Along Chime Trio. They are sold at Target, Babies R’ Us, Wal-Mart and other specialty stores. There have been reports of the metallic fabric detatching from the toys, posing a choking hazard. Fortunately, no injures have been reported.
Visit the CPSC website for more information.
March 8th, 2009 | Feeding, Health, products | No Comments |
Bottle manufacturers, Avent America Inc., Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex Products Inc. and Evenflo Co. are voluntarily complying with the request of a few state attorney generals to stop using bisphenol-A in the manufacturing of their baby bottles. Though the FDA has stated that FDA approved products with bisphenol-A are safe, studies have shown animals exposed to this chemical have had various health problems. No word on when these companies plan to start manufacturing only BPA free bottles (a few of them already make BPA-free baby bottles) – nor whether bottles with BPA on the store shelves now will be pulled by these companies.
Bliss Nine definitely recommends BPA free bottles, whether they be glass or plastic. One of our favorite BPA free bottle brand is Born Free, which can be easily found at major retailers nationwide.
March 8th, 2009 | Photographers, Preferred Vendors | 1 Comment |
Check out Sundin Photography’s website and be amazed by the beautiful images Ginette has captured of pregnant women, beautiful babies and families. Her latest project, shown above (check out the site for more pics), is a testament to her ability to assess her client’s best attributes and capture them. As a preferred vendor, Bliss Nine had the pleasure of meeting Ginette and she is a positive and resourceful work-at-home-mother, who is excited about her new business.
Sundin Photography is also one of the amazing vendors donating its photography services and a CD of photographs for the Bliss Nine coordinated basket benefitting the USO Stars and Stripes fundraising event. Contact Bliss Nine for a discount with Sundin Photography.
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