Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Take a Hike

It has been such a busy time around here between sending the kids back to school, adding all of our new products last week, and everything else that comes up day to day. Sometimes I wonder how we keep up with everything. But actually, our secret is to not fight to keep up with it all but to take lots of breaks, enjoy ourselves, and then work later.
The other day we did just that. We dropped all of the work that was stressing us out, dropped one child off at school and then headed up to a favorite hiking trail of ours. We spotted squirrels, birds, and managed to wear out our puppy.



This little break was exactly what we needed. When we got back to the office Sienna happily played by herself, we were both rejuvenated to get some work done, and the dog took a long nap.

Don't forget to take plenty of breaks. The time for yourself and maybe some time to connect with nature may really help you relax and refocus. It works for us.
~Andy
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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Gaining Altitude


As you probably already know, we love our Colorado mountain towns! We also love music festivals, so combine the 2 and you've got a pretty happy Hip Mountain Mama Crew! Our all time favorite music festival happens in an amazing little town just outside of Boulder at over 8,000 feet.
Ned Fest, in Nederland, CO, is a small music festival that oozes positive energy, amazing vibes, and some serious fun. Imagine a place where everyone is smiling, dancing, hula hooping, or just chillin on a large grassy area and you've got Ned Fest. The festival is put on by Michigan Mike who selects the most fun bluegrass/jam bands around. In fact you will often find yourself chatting with band members amongst the crowd as they take in the Ned Fest Experience.
This was our 4th year to enjoy Ned Fest and we don't plan to stop any time soon! In fact, watch out for us next year as Hip Mountain Mama plans to have our very own booth at the event.

This year I took the opportunity to try out one of our new recycled patchwork skirts. You didn't think I was going to be able to resist this one did you....the patchwork guitar skirt caught my eye when I first saw it and decided it had to be mine. It was the perfect festival skirt with the secret inside pocket, comfort, and style. This particular skirt is sold out in the shop, but we do have others similar to it and plan to get more very soon!

If you get a chance, don't pass up Ned Fest...it is always a blast....see you next year! :)
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Friday, August 27, 2010

Feature Friday: Recycled Bags and Purses

It has been a crazy busy week here at Hip Mountain Mama as we have received a huge shipment of women's clothing and bags. We've worked until 11 two nights in a row and still don't have everything on the site yet. But we wanted to take a break and feature one of our favorite new arrivals.

green sun bag

These quality hand bags are made from recycled materials for vintage clothing from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. This vintage clothing was saved from the landfill and reused into these awesome bags.

greensun bag

These bags are handmade and are of very high quality. The colors are bright and beautiful. The recycled materials have been washed many times over the years and are sure not to fade or shrink. There are more colors available on the site, but if something catches your eye don't wait because we don't have very many and they are going quick.

Mountain Sunrise bag

Let us know what you think of these bags and be sure to check out the clothing as we add it to the site over the next few days.Pin It
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Hip Mountain Sisterhood


Okay friends, fans, and customers we need your help. We can no longer do this with just the two of us, so we are reaching out to you with a very special opportunity.

The Hip Mountain Sisters is a unique opportunity for our passionate fans and followers to receive great discounts and earn the occasional free product from Hip Mountain Mama.

We receive emails every week from bloggers asking us to send them free Hip Mountain Mama products for them to review. I have not participated in this because I am just never sure about who to send stuff to and who not to (can't really afford to send something to everyone:). We want to offer people the opportunity to check out our products and review them for us, and this is where the idea of creating our own Hip Mountain Mama Sisterhood was born.

Instead of filtering through the weekly emails of people asking us to send them stuff to review, we are going to hand select a few interested people to do this for us. Please see the details below on what we are looking for...

What you need to qualify:

*The ability to write quality reviews of our products on our blog and yours
*The willingness to share quality photos of you and/or your child using/wearing our products on our website, blog, and Facebook page
*We are getting in a ton of new women's clothes so are looking for people willing to review this new clothing
*A love of hip and natural products
*A love of Hip Mountain Mama and our mission
*At least some knowledge of and a presence in some kind of social media
*We are looking for women from all across the country (to us Mountain is about Attitude not Altitude). You do not need to be a Mom to apply...we want women of all ages and in all stages of their lives. We do want some Sisters with kids to review the toys but we also want hip women without kids.
*You do not need to have a blog...just willing to review products on our blog.
*The most important thing is that you 'get' what Hip Mountain Mama is all about so you can spread it on to others.


What you will receive in return:

*discounts and the occasional free products from Hip Mountain Mama
*Happiness, joy, fun and an over all good feeling
*and of course some good karma for helping out a small family business

To show interest in this project simply send an email to info@hipmountainmama.com with the word "Sisterhood" in the subject line. We will send out applications next week.

We look forward to hearing from many of you and can't wait to see what the Hip Mountain Sisters do to spread the word.
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An Easy Craft



No need to go to the craft store for this easy and fun activity. In fact, this can be a great way to use scrap paper and items around the home that need to be used up. We got this idea from the Trail Head Discovery Children's Museum in Crested Butte.

What you will need:

Paper
Glue
Beans, Seeds, Popcorn Kernels, Popsicle Sticks, Feathers, Ribbon, anything you've got around the house that can be glued to paper


How to do it:

Simply put glue in your paper and stick the beans, seeds, feathers, etc. to your paper. You can try and make pictures like a sun, flower, tree, etc. or just randomly place the items on the paper to make a groovy design.

Enjoy! And if you are in the Crested Butte area I highly recommend checking out the Trail Head Museum...we had a blast there and spent 2.5 hours playing, crafting, and having fun!
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Nourishing

Here at Hip Mountain Mama we believe it is important to nourish our mind, body, and spirit. We work hard, but we also make certain to take time every day to do the things that fill us with happiness, peace, and joy. One thing that fulfills all of these for us is meditation.

Andy and I have been meditating on and off for a couple of years now and we really notice a difference when we are on an on cycle. When the opportunity to participate in a 21 day meditation challenge presented itself, we jumped on it.

One of the major things I notice when I meditate every day is my patience level skyrockets. I am able to let more things pass without getting worked up and upset. I feel happy, centered, patient, and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

I wanted to share with you a sample of a guided meditation from our 21 day meditation challenge. If you are interested, find a quiet comfortable spot and listen to the video below. Enjoy!


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Friday, August 20, 2010

Feature Friday ~ In With The New

As we are looking towards Autumn (our favorite season here at Hip Mountain Mama) we are excited for many changes. Not only is it an amazing time of change in the natural world, but it is also a time of year that we personally crave change. Yes, Autumn is still a month away, but who can resist dreaming of cooler temps, beautiful leaves, autumn crafts, and snuggling by the fire.

As far as the shop is concerned we are dreaming of many exciting changes also! We have had a lot of feedback and requests over the past few months and we have listened. You have asked for more unique and affordable clothing, bags, and accessories...and we have some amazingly cute unique items on the way.
New skirts
We are clearing out a lot of items in the shop to make room for these new products. We are very excited to be offering more items for women and hope to appeal to more hip mamas!

We also want to stress that our shop is not just for Mom's. The word Mama has become slang in many hip circles for any woman, whether Mother, Sister, Daughter, Grandma, or Aunt. We welcome all women to have a wonderful shopping experience at Hip Mountain Mama!

Yesterday, we offered free shipping to 20 lucky facebook friends on any of our clearance items. It was such a great success that we wanted to do the same for our Blog friends. So....the first 20 customers who order from our "Sweet Deals" section will receive free shipping along with the discounted prices (must spend at least $10.00). Just use the coupon code "OBLOG" to receive free shipping ($5.95 is the largest discount, so international orders will not receive free shipping, but will still receive $5.95 off their order).

So, let the fun begin! Once the 20 orders with free shipping have been placed, the coupon code will not work anymore! Enjoy!!

To view our clearance items, please visit herePin It
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Thursday, August 19, 2010

How To Be Alone

If you haven't watched this already, I highly recommend it!

Enjoy!

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Adjusting

This morning my 6 year old went to her first day at a new school for 1st grade. This is a big adjustment because for Kindergarten she just went to school in the mornings, but 1st grade is all day. And I mean a serious all day...8:48 until 3:50! 3:50 just seems crazy to me...by the time I pick her up and get her home it will be almost 4:30...time to get ready for dinner, then bed, then do it all over again.

I had big hopes that on this first day with just 1 child at home, I would get the laundry pile put away, clean the kitchen, go through piles of paperwork that needed my attention, and work up a storm with my business. All this is possible as my 3 year old is perfectly content playing with her doll house or creating a store in her play fort. The problem is I am a mess of emotions today!

I am full of happiness, sadness, fear, loss, excitement, joy, and so many other emotions all wrapped up...how is this possible? I miss Magnolia and am on the verge of tears, however I am thrilled about building a new relationship with Sienna. I am filled with possibility, but scared about failure.

So, on this day, instead of putting the laundry away and preparing a fancy dinner, I am allowing myself to just snuggle and play with Sienna. I am sending positive thoughts to Magnolia while laughing with and hugging Sienna. I am processing my thoughts and instead of trying to push them aside I am embracing them and going with what feels right.

Some times it is important to just sit if you need to be still, play if you need to be silly, exercise if you need to move...listen to yourself and try to honor your feelings! It feels so much better to go with what feels right, rather than go against it!

Happy Day!
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Quick Mountain Getaway

CB 07
Last week we snuck away from the office for a wonderful 3 night stay in beautiful Crested Butte, CO. It was our last full week before our kids start back at school and we wanted one more fun trip. We've had a ton of fun this summer with a few camping trips, a trip to Moab and to the Great Sandunes, day trips to Rocky Mountain National Park, afternoons spent splashing in the river, and just more family fun than I can write about.
CB 02
The current state of the business doesn't let us get away for more then 3 or 4 days at a time so we are thankful to be in Colorado where there is so much to do and see that we never get sick of it.
CB 03
This particular trip was last minute as we realized the start of the school sneaking up on us. We all wanted a break from camping so we rented a condo at Mount Crested Butte. The adults had visited this area briefly over 10 years ago, but it was a first time for our children.
CB 06
We enjoyed hiking up the ski hill, drinking coffee at a local hot spot, discovering a fun children's museum, watching a band play at the base of the ski area, admiring the most amazing wildflowers, enjoying happy hour with the locals on a fabulous patio, and driving up 4 wheel drive roads to some absolutely breath taking lakes.

CB 08
CB 01
This short vacation was fun, exciting, and very peaceful. It was everything we needed and we enjoyed every minute of it. Although this marks the last weekday trip for a while, we are still looking forward to some amazing fall weekends.
CB 05
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Monday, August 16, 2010

Sweet Deals!

sweetdeal

We are doing some end of summer cleaning here at Hip Mountain Mama! We have placed some orders for many new products that we are excited to add to the site this Autumn, so we are in need of making some room in our warehouse. This is where you come in...we have put several new items in our "Sweet Deals" section at closeout prices. Stock up now on some of your favorite items before they are gone for good!

Have fun!Pin It
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Friday, August 13, 2010

Namaste Hip Holster Giveaway!


We are so excited to have the new Namaste Hip Holsters and Messenger bags in stock. The blacks are still in transit, but we have the Peacocks here and they are so fun. By offering these items at pre order, we noticed that the Hip Holster Peacocks are VERY popular! Because we have sold so many of these already, we wanted to offer 1 lucky winner a free Peacock Hip Holster!
How to enter: (you can enter up to 3 times by leaving 3 separate comments)

1. Visit our shop, then come back here and leave us a comment

2. Join our facebook page, then come back here and leave us a comment letting us know you joined (if you are already a part of the community, leave us a comment and let us know).

3. Post this giveaway on your blog, facebook, twitter, whatever...then come back here and leave us a comment letting us know you did so.

We will announce the winner in 1 week (August 20, 2010) Please make sure to leave us a way to get in touch with you (email address would be best)

Good Luck!

Congratulations Emily on winning! And thanks to everyone for your support!!
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Feature Friday: Natural Art Supplies

This week we are focusing on the homeschoolers, Waldorf teachers, or anyone who loves the high quality of Stockmar and Lyra non-toxic, safe, and natural art supplies. Hip Mountain Mama has a great selection of natural art supplies and we are thankful that we have such a wonderful group of homeschooling Mamas and teachers that regularly purchase from us.

Our kids have been using Stockmar Crayons for a few years now and they love them. The crayons don't break like those skinny petroleum crayons and when one end up in a child's mouth (like they always do) I know they are not toxic. My children also love the Lyra Colored Pencils, Wax-O-Glass Window Crayons, and Modeling Beeswax.



If you are getting ready to start a new school year and need to stock up on supplies, stop by the shop and check out our selection. We are offering everything in our art supplies section at 10% off for One week only. Purchase between now and August 20th, use the code "art" and enjoy the 10% savings!
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Thursday, August 12, 2010

On Location

The Hip Mountain Mama Crew is enjoying some time away from the office for a few days. Here is where we spent our evening last night. Any guesses on which small mountain town we are hanging out in?

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Amazing Hannah

She has done it again! I just love the necklaces Hannah of Hannah Handpainted has made for us in the past. I want to fill the shop with her creative artwork and have asked her to make us more necklaces! This time around I also asked her to make 2 paintings along with 6 new necklaces.

If you haven't checked out her amazing birthing necklaces, that she is making exclusively for Hip Mountain Mama, you are missing out! These birthing necklaces make a wonderful gift for any mom, mom to be, and birthing or breastfeeding advocates. Don't miss out on grabbing one of her unique one of a kind creations!

To check out her birthing necklaces please visit here http://www.hipmountainmama.com/bine.html

To check out her new paintings please visit here http://www.hipmountainmama.com/aromatherapy.html

And, to check out her special kid handpainted necklace series, please visit here http://www.hipmountainmama.com/jewelry1.html


I've also got a few other Hannah necklaces here http://www.hipmountainmama.com/hahane.html
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Magical Cucumber

The cucumber is so delicious, but did you know all the wonderful things you can do with a cucumber?


1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!Pin It
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Sunday, August 8, 2010

One Small Change: Yearly Wrap Up

So, here it is August 8th and I haven't given much thought to my August One Small Change. I needed something easy this month as we have a lot going on. I started thinking about all the changes we have made this year so far and thought it would be neat to recap and fine tune what we are already doing. So, that is my August One Small Change...to revisit my yearly changes, make sure we are sticking to them, and see what else can be done in each department to have even more of an impact!

January~For our first change we switched from TP to using the family cloth. This change has gone great and is one we are sticking with. I think this month I will cut the larger cloths I have in half so we can double the amount we have (we usually run out and have to use TP until I get the laundry done).

February~Water conservation. Andy showers once a week, I take shorter showers, and the kids are having a bath about once a week. We have low flow shower heads on both showers, we don't flush every time, and if you saw our lawn, you would know that we don't water it very often. We are still saving the amount of water we use by a lot. I think I would like to move from showering just about every day to every other day...it would be a nice start.

March~We got the girls switched from paper pull ups at night to cloth trainers. This was an awesome change as we are no longer throwing away 2 paper diapers each day. The only problem with the cloth is that they do occasionally leak...but I would rather have this problem than the alternative. No need to fine tune anything on this change!




April~In April we purchased a set of To Go Ware reusable utensils for every family member. We have done really good about taking them with us when we go camping, hiking, or picnicking, but...we have slacked on bringing them with us to other people's homes. This summer we have been in a few situations where we found ourselves at someone's house using throw away utensils and we think to ourselves 'we should have brought our To Go Ware'. So it is more of a forgetful thing...to solve this, I am going to start carrying my set in my purse!





May~ Hanging my laundry has been a really awesome change for me! I have stuck with it and have only used my dryer about 3 times since the middle of April. This is one change I see myself sticking with for a long time!



June~ No Poo! I have been using baking soda and apple cider vinegar to wash my hair these past few months and have loved it! I wash my hair about twice a week and I will definitely stick with this change also!

July~ We cancelled our TV service and this has been another awesome change. We don't miss it and we find ourselves using our time much more wisely!

So, there is my wrap up...I will do a few easy things to fine tune a few of my changes and keep on keeping on with the rest!

It feels so great to look at this list and realize that last year I wasn't doing any of these things and now they have become such habit that I don't even notice the changes. I hope you are enjoying your One Small Changes and I look forward to continuing on this journey with you!

By the way...there is a giveaway going on over at One Small Change...check it out!!Pin It
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Friday, August 6, 2010

Feature Friday: An Eco-Friendly Lunch




We seem to always find ourselves out on a hike, a camping trip, or a day at the river and everyone wants a snack. So needless to say we have fallen in love with our SnackTaxi Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags. They are so cute, convenient, and are something we couldn't live without.

They make bringing food on the go so much easier and they help to reduce waste of plastic baggies. There is no reason to throw away a plastic zip-lock bag after every snack. The SnackTaxis are easy to use and easy to clean.

We take them almost everywhere. They are great for picnics, hikes, camping, trips to the park, and they are a must have for back to school.


My daughter will be having lunch at school for the first time (1st Grade) this year and she'll definitely be bringing reusable bags to school along with her Organic Cotton Lunch Bag. The organic cotton reusable lunch bags that we carry at Hip Mountain Mama are the perfect size for school lunch or for an adult to take to work. We let our kids personalize their bags with fabric paint. It is a fun family project and in the end everyone has their own reusable bag.

***We would like to help you make your child's school lunch greener this year. Order any 4 SnackTaxi Bags (snack or Sandwich Size) and receive One Free Organic Cotton Lunch Bags. Offer good Now through 8/12/10***

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thursday's Adventures

Today's adventure took us just about an hour from our home to the amazing Rocky Mountain National Park. Living so close to this incredible area is something we don't take for granted and we visit several times a year. Today we did a nice hike, exploring mushrooms, climbing on rocks, and enjoying the gorgeous views. After our hike, we had a snack and hiked up to a beautiful water fall.










We had such a spectacular week exploring and creating new family memories. We have decided to take the day off of adventuring tomorrow to catch up on some much needed housework and HMM work! Check back in the morning with our Feature Friday!Pin It
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Wednesday's Adventures

We decided to let the kids have full control over our adventures today. Not sure this was a great idea as they chose to go to Chucky Cheese (a pizza joint with tons of games and rides for kids). Magnolia has been asking for me to take her there since she saw a commercial for it when she was 2 yrs old. I told her this was a place I would not ever take her, but today we went. It felt so nice to just let go of all my worries and negative thoughts and just go have fun. I will say, it was a really neat place for kids, but after 2 hours it was major sensory overload. To gain some balance we came home and spent some time outside, then did some yoga once the rain set in.

Tomorrow we have plans to visit one of our favorite National Parks!
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tuesday's Adventures

Day 2 of our week o fun took us just a few miles from our home to our local Fairgrounds Park. The park has it all....a dog park, a spray park, playground, large picnic areas, and the river! You know we are suckers when it comes to playing in a river!

Still trying to decide where to go tomorrow...any ideas?


I think Andy had the most fun!





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