Feature Friday: The HMM Crew

If you've been following the blog for a while you know the story behind Hip Mountain Mama as we have done a few updates here to talk about what is happening in our own lives. To celebrate our second anniversary we decided to give you another update.

Suzy was a stay at home mom who rarely stayed at home. She became an Attachment Parenting Leader and founded a local Attachment Parenting Group among many other activities to stay busy. In the summer of 2008 Suzy decided that she wanted to follow her dreams of making the world a better place through promoting natural, organic, and handmade products. She approached her husband, who was a commercial loan officer at a bank, with her idea. Andy had been trained to assess small business risk but just thought this was another one of Suzy's wild ideas. Luckily, Andy had always had a dream of owning a small business and decided to let Suzy give it a shot.



Suzy began calling companies that she knew and started building a website. Within two weeks of deciding that she was going to go for it. The LLC was set up, a logo was drawn, the website was live, and boxes of inventory started piling up in the basement. Suzy sent a basic email out to about 40 friends and family members announcing the opening of her company and her dream of selling quality natural products came to life.

As friends told friends, we learned to use social media sites, and we experimented with some advertising the business started to grow and grow. Andy continued to work his 40 hours per week at the bank and then would stay up at night doing the accounting, inventory, and whatever else to help ease the strain on Suzy who still kept her children as the primary focus of her day.

A few times the work became too much for one person and Suzy called Andy at the bank and said, "I can't do this. It's too much work". Andy knew that Hip Mountain Mama had a lot of potential because it had a leader who was passionate about natural products and with an honorable mission of truly helping the earth by promoting green products and helping other small businesses succeed, it was too important to give up.

While Andy's mother was proud when he reached the title of Vice President, it never meant anything to him because it wasn't his dream. His dream had always been to own a small family business. Andy quit the bank in November 2009 and Hip Mountain Mama because a true family business.

Since then, it's been the time of our lives. This summer we have enjoyed camping, hiking, playing in the river, water slides, music festivals, and lazy days at the pool. We work hard but we structure the day so that we can play even harder. Having mom and dad work at home has been wonderful for our daughters. They can usually talk one of us into taking a pool break or we may all choose to spend a Tuesday at the river together.

Now don't get me wrong, there are times where we wonder if we are doing the right thing. Every month or so we talk about one of us looking for a job, even a part time job, just in case. But when you are chasing your dream and having a blast you can't give it all up for the security of working for someone else.

Honestly, in August of 2008 we never thought we would be celebrating a two year anniversary at the end of the best summer of our lives. This is all so much more that we could have asked for and we couldn't have done it without such great friends, fans, and customers.

We know we have succeeded because we have inspired others to live greener lives through our One Small Change Project, helped many small businesses including stay at home moms by selling their products, and we have met so many awesome people.

Thanks again and stay tuned as we've got some even bigger plans for next year!

Andy & Suzy

Please help us celebrate the Hip Mountain Mama Anniversary by using the coupon code "2year" to receive 15% off everything in the store except for gift certificates and items already on sale.

Feature Friday: The HMM Crew

Exploring Something New: Splash

We have been having a blast with our Exploring Something New Challenge this summer! We have discovered new nature areas, new shops and restaurants, new people, and new activities! I really am proud of ourselves for trying new and exciting things this summer!

Last week we traveled down to Golden (about an hour from here) to visit a splash park we had never been to. We don't usually go to places like this, so it was a real treat for the kids! Rolling with the great feelings of treating the kids, we stopped for ice cream after the park and the kids were beaming with joy!




I hope you are having a blast this summer exploring new things!

Exploring Something New: Splash

Truthful Tuesday: Letting Go

I am not the neatest person in the world. I do love to organize and I really love having a neat and tidy house, however I don't usually take the steps necessary to achieve this. Hidden in the dark corners of my home, you will find things like a really messy closet. I don't feel the need to keep it tidy because I only go in there once a day and it's only for 1 minute or less...so I would rather use my efforts on straightening up areas that we spend most of our time.




Although I don't keep a tidy closet, I do really like to go after it about twice a year. I love taking everything off the shelves and looking through the stuff hanging up, and getting rid of stuff.


Last week I had the rare occasion of having an entire evening all to myself. I knew I shouldn't use this time to clean or organize, but I had a very strong desire to de clutter my closet. I knew this would make me feel good in the end and I would enjoy doing it without interruptions, so I went for it.
This was a real event in letting go, as I let go of a lot of stuff that I was hanging on to for over 7 years that didn't fit me anymore. Before I got pregnant with my first child I fit nicely into all of these clothes...I always told myself after giving birth, I would find a way to fit into these clothes again. After trying on these clothes last week, I had the realization that I needed to let go.


I need to be happy with the size I am now and not worry about trying to fit into those size 8 pair of shorts. Instead of beating myself up over not getting back to a smaller size, I need to embrace the curvy woman I am today. My curves, my scars, my wrinkles...they all tell a story of me and my history...they give me character and make me who I am today.


Cleaning out my closet wasn't just an act of organizing, but it turned into a special time for me to reflect and get a little bit closer to loving myself where I am today!


Try cleaning out your closet and see how it affects you!

Truthful Tuesday: Letting Go

A Tiny Slice of Rhythm

Summer has always been a time of chaotic spontaneous fun. I remember as a kid running around barefoot, meeting friends at the pool, playing night games with neighborhood friends, and feeling free. Now, as a parent, I am trying to let my children have this same feeling of just going with the flow and having a blast. But...it is hard as a parent to not have plans and not know what the day will bring. Sure, we plan things...trips to the water park, play dates with friends, a tumbling or hip hop class...but for the most part we just wake up and greet what the day brings. Maybe the neighborhood girls will ask my kids to play, or maybe we will head to the park or pool, or go for a hike. There is a feeling of excitement with not know what will happen after breakfast, but there is also that uneasy feeling of what if's.

With all this up in the air excitement of summer, there is one thing I can always count on. It's our once a week ritual that makes me feel comfortable knowing that I know what to expect. It's that rhythm or ritual of going through the motions without having to discuss what will happen. It's our Sunday morning coffee on the porch! We have done it without fail (unless we are out of town) just about every Sunday all summer. Some times we have coffee with friends, sometimes it's just us, but you can bet that each Sunday we will be out there enjoying our coffee. Although I am enjoying the freedom of summer, I am also enjoying the little things that I can always count on.

Do you have any Summer daily or weekly rituals?

A Tiny Slice of Rhythm

Hip Mountain Mama Happenings

Just a quick reminder on some of the things going on at Hip Mountain Mama.


We are excited about our growing Facebook Community and are making a push to reach 1,000 Facebook Fans by our anniversary 8/1. We will be giving away Hip Mountain Mama Gift Certificates to some lucky fans if we reach that goal. Please join our Facebook Community now and invite your friends. If you invite your friends, go ahead and leave us a comment here and we will throw your name in the pot a few extra times to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate.

Our Facebook Page is a place where we give information about discounts, sales, giveaways, useful information about natural parenting and green products. We also like to give special deals to our Facebook friends and/or let them know about sales before the rest of the puplic. We would love to have you be a part of the community!

We are giving away $200 and $50.00 to 2 lucky entries in the Hip Mountain Mama Anniversary Contest. Be sure to help us pick the winner by voting for your favorite entry.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hip Mountain Mama Happenings

Feature Friday: Babywearing

We are strong supporters of safe babywearing. Earlier this year there was a recall of some baby carriers and all slings, carriers, and wraps seemed to be under attack. The Hip Mountain Mama crew responded with an informational post on safe babywearing, we asked our Facebook Fans to post pictures of themselves safely carrying their children, and we made a video to help others learn to use a Moby Wrap correctly.

If you or someone you know is looking for more helpful information on the safety of wearing your baby check out the latest issue of Mothering Magazine. The latest issue includes a guide to safe babywearing, information on why babywearing is beneficial, and a list of babywearing resources.

We are honored that Hip Mountain Mama was listed in the magazine as a babywearing resource and that our Moby Wrap video is also included on Mothering's website along with some other informational videos.

Please do yourself and your child a favor and take advantage of the great resources available. Please send this information on to your family and friends who may not know all of the facts on babywearing. Pick up the new issue of Mothering Magazine and give it to a new mother who may not be aware of the importance of carrying their baby.

We carry the Moby Wrap and the New Native Organic Cotton Baby Pouch in our store. We are offering our blog readers a special discount of 10% Off all Baby Carriers now through Thursday 7/29/10. Use coupon code "Safety" to receive the discount.

Feature Friday: Babywearing

Exploring Something New: Meeting Other Bloggers in Person!

I started blogging several years ago as a way to let my family and friends know what I was up to. This was before many people were using Facebook and probably before the existence of Twitter, so blogging was a great way to stay connected. 2 years ago when I started my business I began using my blog for just business purposes. And today, I have morphed the personal and business side of blogging and have enjoyed updating my Hip Mountain Mama Blog several times a week. I also run my environmental blog called One Small Change.

I am not only a blogger, but I am an avid reader of other blogs! I just love reading what others have to say and have spent many hours surfing the web finding blog after blog that draws me in and leaves me feeling energized and inspired. With all this connecting with other bloggers on line, I never in my dreams imagined that I would meet any of these people in person!

Here is Shannon with her son Keston on their trip to Colorado

One of my favorite...if not my all time favorite...bloggers is Shannon of Free Spirit Knits (seriously check her out if you haven't already!). She contacted me this Spring to say she would be vacationing close to where I live and that she wanted to get together! I was soooo excited! Now, you never know in these cases if things are actually going to work out, so I tried to take it in stride. It is always easy to make the plans, but when it comes down to it it is even easier to break plans. But, sure enough, Shannon arrived into town and we got together! We met at a little cafe in my town and chatted for about an hour an a half while her son played with toys and my girls colored. It was such a surreal experience just looking at her face and hearing her voice..in person! She is every bit the genuine person I believed her to be on line!

Sara and I in front of her home

And, the story doesn't end here! A few weeks ago I got a call from another one of my favorite inspirational bloggers, Sara of The Happy Janssens. She is a travelling Mama and just happen to be staying 15 miles from my house for a few weeks. She was hosting a gathering at her RV site and invited us to come meet her and her family. This was another opportunity that would have been easy to let slip by...it was a hot day, I was tired, the kids were cranky...but it was something that I knew I would regret if I didn't follow through. It was another surreal experience and one I will cherish. Sara and her family are adorable, fun, and all around great people to know!

Lisa and I in Sara's RV

Now to add to all this excitement I had surprise that night of the meeting at Sara's RV. As I was sitting down chatting with new friends, Lisa from Visionary Mom, walked in. I was stunned as I had no idea she was going to be there! It was amazing to get to meet Lisa, finally, in person. I believe Lisa and I actually first met from the Mothering Forums! She is an inspirational Mama helping other Mamas to achieve their dreams...amazing!!

Getting to meet these ladies in person has been a wonderful experience. I immediately felt closer to each one after our "in person" meeting and feel like I have made new life long friends. I have a strong belief that everything in life happens for a reason and each of these fabulous women have come into my life at just the right moment!

I hope you will make sure to greet every new opportunity with open arms and continue to explore new things and new friendships this summer!

Exploring Something New: Meeting Other Bloggers in Person!

Now This is Livin'

A few weeks ago our family decided to cancel our TV service. It was something we had been thinking of doing for a long time and this summer we had the extra inspiration to just go for it. Not only is this an environmentally friendly change, but it has also been a great family change. We no longer look to TV to fill those moments of boredom...instead we are really livin'. We are doing things that make us happy, are healthy, and satisfying.

We have been enjoying...

Finishing up books and starting new ones

Lots of outdoors time with friends

Using our imaginations!

Lots of painting

Hula hooping!

Beating on our drums
Catching up on my knitting

And playing in my journal

I feel like we are really living our lives and instead of being spectators we are actively participating in all the things that make us happy, healthier and more positive people!

What are you doing this summer that makes you feel really alive?

Now This is Livin'

Stepping Back in Time

When I met Andy in the Winter of 1998, he was living in a pretty nice house in Silverthorne, CO with a bunch of his buddies...although I should mention that Andy's bedroom was a closet, but that is another story. After a few months of hanging out and with summer approaching Andy told me that he and 2 of his buddies were going to camp all summer. What I didn't realize was that he literally meant ALL summer. They set up tents at the Rock Creek Camp Ground just a bit outside of town and called this home. They would shower at the Rec Center, go to work as normal, and come home at night to their camp site. Sounds crazy to some, but it made perfect sense to them and they had a blast!

This past weekend we decided to re visit Andy's old home and set up camp at the Rock Creek Camp Ground. It was just us Happy Hawbakers on this trip and we had a really great time!

We spent some time on Saturday in town hanging out with my sister (who lives there) and her kids playing in the Lake, riding a chair lift, and eating ice cream (now this is the kind of camping my kids can get used to).

The rest of the time we hung out at camp, went for short hikes, played in the river, and enjoyed each other's company. This was a more primitive camp ground than we are used to with no amenities, but we dug it all the same.

After a great family camping trip, we are working on planning our next family adventure!

I hope you are enjoying many fun filled adventures this summer!

Stepping Back in Time

Feature Friday: Discounted Hats

I have never been hat wearing kind of gal....until recently that is. The combination of coffee dates with our neighbors first thing in the morning (with messy hair) and my part getting sunburned, I decided a hat was the way to go. Now I am sure no one cares if I have messy hair, but there is something comforting about being able to throw a hat on in the morning to calm things down a bit. And being in the sun several hours each day is also a great reason to start wearing a hat...the protection it offers from the sun is wonderful!



So, after deciding I wanted a hat, I went straight to the shop and grabbed our "Let Peace Grow" hat. My hat has become a part of my wardrobe that is worn almost daily and I love wearing it. I decided to also purchase our "Let it Be" hat and it is fun to mix it up!



The hats we carry are made by a company called Natural Life and I love them because of their style and positive messages. I would like to phase these hats out and start carrying some hand made hats by some of you Mamas out there! I am putting our hats on sale at 40% off and hope you will take advantage of this sale!



If you or someone you know makes hats and would like to sell them at Hip Mountain Mama, please email our product department at info@hipmountainmama.com.

Feature Friday: Discounted Hats

Anniversary Contest VOTING

Rules:

In order to vote for your favorite "Going Green Summer 2010" blog post, please leave a comment to this blog post with the # of your favorite post. Please only write the number of who you are voting for (this makes it easier to count the votes in the end). You may vote up to 3 times...each vote needs to be a new comment. Voting ends on midnight July 31st and the winner will be announced August 1st. Good luck!

1. Not Bless'ed Mama

2. Amber

3. Christine

4. Sarah M

5. Anastasia

6. Sheena

7. Selina

8. Rosemamie

9. Rainy Day Haven

10. Laura

11. Mandy

12. Earth Mama

13. The Enchanted Tree

14. Tiffany

15. Sara C.

16. Frugaluser

17. Kat

18. Gloria

19. Danielle

20. Megan

21. Denise

22. Amanda

23. Every Day Life For Four Seasons

24. By Hand and Home

Anniversary Contest VOTING

Last Few Days to Enter Anniversary Contest

Just a quick reminder that Wednesday at midnight is our cut off time to enter our Anniversary Contest. We have had some great entries so far and we are excited to see more. Feel free to get creative in your post, make a video or slide show, or simply write us an email (suzy@hipmountainmama.com). If you wrote a post earlier this summer, feel free to enter that post. Remember that everyone who enters wins something and the more people who enter the greater the prize (if we get over 20 participants 2 people will win gift certificates to the shop, so tell your friends).

Voting starts on Thursday, so if you entered make sure to let your friends and family know to come and vote. The person with the most votes wins, so let's get people voting!

For details on how to enter please visit here.

Last Few Days to Enter Anniversary Contest

Exploring Something New: St Vrain River

Since we will be starting the voting for our Anniversary Contest on Thursday, we will be Exploring Something New on Monday this week. (For details on how to enter the contest to win up to $200.00 at Hip Mountain Mama, please visit here...you have until Wednesday to enter).

We have played in the St. Vrain River before at Planet Bluegrass Festivals, but had never gone down to Lyons on a random day to just play. This weekend we had planned to go camping, but changed our plans due to a surprise visit from Great Grandma. We had a mellow day on Saturday visiting with family and by the time Sunday rolled around we were antsy for an adventure.

We packed up our towels, swim suits, and some snacks and headed to Lyons. We didn't really know where we were going to go, we just knew there would be the perfect spot for us to go play. And the perfect place, we found!

We set up on the shore of the river in Meadow Park and soaked in the sun, while dipping our feet in the water and watching the kids have a blast exploring the area.

Have you been exploring new things this summer?

Exploring Something New: St Vrain River

Giveaway Reminders

We are giving away up to $250.00 at Hip Mountain Mama for our anniversary contest! All entries are due on Wednesday July 14th and the more people that enter the bigger the prize. For details on how to enter please visit this post.

We are also giving away some adorable SnackTaxi reusable snack bags. Please visit our One Small Change Blog for details on how to enter this giveaway.

Enjoy your weekend!

Giveaway Reminders

Feature Friday: Handmade Waldorf Dolls

This week we received some of the cutest handmade dolls and I couldn't wait to share them with you. These beautiful Waldorf Dolls are handmade in California, USA by Christine of The Puppenstube. Christine has been making soft cuddly dolls in the Waldorf tradition for many years and definitely does a great job of crafting these one of a kind dolls for children to fall in love with.

Many of the dolls are made from recycled sweaters but all are stuffed with 100% natural wool. The mix of recycled and natural material make these a safe, eco-friendly, and adorable toy for your child.

Hip Mountain Mama is offering these dolls in the 10" Bunting Doll, 9" Nicky Doll, and a 4" Flax/Lavender Doll. The Flax/Lavender Dolls are stuffed with flax seeds for weight and Lavender flowers for fragrance.

When we received our first shipment of these dolls we immediately opened them and our children fell in love. I'm sure your child will also greet one of these handmade dolls with a smile and a hug.

We have wanted to offer this type of natural handmade doll in our shop for a long time but we took our time to search out the right person to make them. Christine puts a lot of love into each doll making each a one of a kind while also making them of highest quality to ensure they will last. These dolls are priced more affordable compared to many of the other dolls we have found. I can't say enough about how excited we are to welcome these beautiful dolls into our home and our shop. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Feature Friday: Handmade Waldorf Dolls

Exploring Something New: Sewing and Hooping

*Please head over to our One Small Change Grassroots Environmental Project for a chance to win some great reusable snack bags!

With some inspiration from this challenge and my friend Shannon and her E Course I have decided to try 2 new things this summer. 2 new activities that I have wanted to learn for a long time and have finally taken the steps to get started!

The first activity is to finally learn to sew. This has been on my "to do" list for well over 10 years and I have finally signed up for a beginners sewing class. I am stumped on why I have been so hesitant to learn this new craft, but whatever the reason was, that road block has been cleared as I look forward to my class in August!

Photo courtesy of Sara Janssen of The Happy Hoop. Please do not reproduce this image without permission

My second adventure is going to be learning to hula hoop. I have seen some amazing hoopers at festivals over the years and always thought it would be so fun to learn. Lately I have had some extra motivation from Sara at The Happy Hoop and finally got myself over to The Super Hooper and ordered my first hoop.

It is so exciting to leave old unnecessary things behind and bring new things into my life that will bring me more joy and happiness.

Are you exploring or learning anything new this summer?

Exploring Something New: Sewing and Hooping

Just Let Them Paint

I like to think I am fostering my kids creativity...and in most cases I am sure I am. But, the truth is I used to be so hesitant to let them paint. They would ask and I would say "maybe later"...they would ask again and I would say "maybe tomorrow". Honestly they were probably painting about once a month tops. Not sure what my hang up was, but I am sure it has something to do with the "mess" it would create.

I have had a change of heart these past few weeks and the kids have been going nuts with painting. They paint first thing in the morning, after lunch, and before bed....and the pieces that they are creating are really blowing my mind.

I have also been dabbling in painting and having a blast with it. I don't paint anything really special, just put brush to paper and see what happens. It feels so freeing and is such a fun creative way to spend an hour.

I used to hide the paints in a cupboard where only I could reach. Now, I leave the paints and brushes on the kids craft table for them to get out whenever they please. As a Mom there are a lot of things I like to keep control over, but lately I have been realizing I need to ease up and just let them paint!

Just Let Them Paint