Tatyanna Wright's Haute Mama: For The Stylish Green Urban Mother
Book Coming soon
Haute Mama is a shopping and informative destination for the stylish green urban mother offering toys, clothing, organic baby bedding, a line of exclusive holistic body care products and interior items all hand picked and used by Haute Mama founder, Tatyanna Wright.
Ah Valentines Day - Like every “holiday” it only comes around once a year, which is why we like to make such a fuss of it. But in house we have two small children, so its cuddles and loving all year round. And I like that way.
Of course as adults we need more than cuddles and hugs, we crave romance and a little indulgence now and again never hurt anyone. So this Valentines Day in the midst of this cold winter warm up to the radiant glow of these fabulous sexy new candles by pleasure enthusiasts LELO.
LELO's Massage Candles are made from all natural soy wax, shea butter and apricot kernel oil. The lightly scented wax melts into an exquisite pool of luxurious massage oil. The silky formula is specially designed to nourish and moisturize your skin with natural vitamin E, while the subtle fragrance excites your senses for the pleasures that lie ahead.
Their enticing collection consists of blends like BLACK PEPPER & POMEGRANATE, SNOW PEAR & CEDARWOOD, and VANILLA & CRÈME DE CACAO. Each candle burns up to 36 hours and retails for $29.
If you’re seeking a last minute Valentines gift, this sensual candle might just do more for you than a few tricks. If you're in NYC, you can buy the candles at Babeland in Soho or the LES, or online at Lelo. Whatever you do, have a Happy Valentines Day.
Or maybe it never left. You lucky pregnant thing! For some of us being pregnant can leave you feeling fat, tired and far from wanting to exhibit oneself ala a pregnant Demi Moore. What better excuse to rock something sexy than this Valentines Day. After all there’s a good chance you’re carrying your partners offspring in your belly and he/she might just want a little bit of sexy back.
Regardless of whom you might be getting sexy for – or not - Belabumbum maternity bras are sure to make you feel sumptuous and flirty, offering great support and beautiful trimmings for any time of the year.
They are particularly handy when it comes time to nurse. The maternity/breastfeeding bras offer generous leeway for expanding breasts in those early weeks when your milk is regulating. Easy to maneuver one handed the bras are under wire free and wash very well.
Tickets are on sale now for this amazing event. If you don't know about the festival, its time you do...
Founded in 1997 to promote intelligent, passionate, provocative cinematic works for ages 3-18 and to help define a more compelling film for kids. Since its launch, the event has grown to become the largest festival for children and teens in North America, with a paid audience of over 20,000 attending the most recent event. Since 2000, all screenings have sold out in advance.
Each year the festival presents 100 animated, live action and experimental shorts and features from around the world plus gala premieres, retrospectives, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, audience voting, and the NYICFF Awards Ceremony. But the festival has become much more than just an annual event; NYICFF now offers year-round film programming, a touring festival, an online festival, and film production workshops for children ages 6-16.
This year features some of the most celebrated names in cinema as jury members - Susan Sarandon, Uma Thurman and Gus Van Sant to name a few. Plus opportunities to expose a budding film maker to techniques like claymation, stop-motion, and more with the incredible workshops offering one-week filmmaking intensives available for ages ranging from tots to teens.
Visit gkids.com for more information on the festival, tickets and workshops.
It’s officially giving season - that time of year when we think about what others might like to receive as gifts. Giving comes in many ways – we buy presents for our children, loved ones and friends, and sometimes we donate. But what about you - Have you thought about how your family might give to you?
Here’s a new way to give and a fantastic alternative to traditional gift buying. We all love presents and children especially love to unwrap gifts but what about teaching our children about giving in a new way, or even setting up a gift registry account where friends and family can contribute to items that you really need or are saving up for…Something as big as a car or tuition or even a honeymoon?
That’s where Deposit A Gift comes in, the brainchild of founder Dana Ostomel, a marketer and branding expert, who started the company because she wanted to simplify and modernize gift giving. “Little has changed about registries since they were introduced in the early 1900s, but the way we live has changed significantly. People today need flexibility and cash gives them just that. There are no returns, no space constraints. People can spend the money where they want, when they want.”
How Deposit A Gift works: Users make gift registries just like people do with a traditional store registry, using a database of images or by clicking on a pre-made list. You can choose from cribs to music lessons to college funds—and everything in between. To view Registry Samples click here. Guests choose a gift to purchase, finding the right price point for their budget. They are not actually buying the present, but it feels more personal than sending a check. The money gets deposited into the recipient’s Deposit a Gift account. When users are ready to spend the money, they cash-out in the form of free direct deposit, check, or VISA gift card.
How long does it take: Sign-up and set-up can be done in minutes. DAG offers pre-made lists called ‘Rapid Registries’ so it is literally plug n’ play if you want it to be. Everything is editable, so if you prefer to customize, you can. There is also a graphic of the Rapid Registry menu in the drop box.
Deposit A Gift is a fantastic option to traditional giving for so many reasons; people feel awkward asking for money, and others are not accustomed to giving it. DAG is an excellent option for these economic times when people might prefer financial assistance but are embarrassed to ask. You could set up Santa registry for example to ensure relatives contribute to something you might not be able to afford this year or perhaps help out with school fees for the coming year.
The site is very user friendly and a great place for people to share their wants and dreams with their guests, who can help them achieve their goals. For more information be sure to visit DepositAGift.com
Last week I hosted my first Healthy Home party. It was a great success.I presented the evening over a couple of hours beginning with explaining a little about Healthy Child Healthy World, specifically about how it began and why their work is so important.
While we discussed the toxic issues presented in our daily lives as a result of living a mostly urban modern life, my guests enjoyed organic wine, organic strawberries, sauteed organic tofu and some wild caught shrimp I procured from Whole Foods.
Our discussion went right into a special presentation of the film My Toxic Baby that highlights not only the toxicity that exists in everyday house hold cleaning products, but in other everyday items like plastic toys, mattresses, and flame retardants on our children’s clothing. It was an eye opening film for many of my guests that made them realize why you’re asked to remove your shoes when you enter my home (it prevents tracking pesticides indoors where the residues can rub off on my rugs lingering and exposing my children playing on the floor to chemicals you aren’t even aware of). And why I harp on about eating organic and explain how using a certain glass and window cleaner is terrible for your health, and that using an enviromentally friendly product is so much better for you and your indoor air quality.
Afterwards my good friend and certified EcoBroker, Emma Hamilton spoke about her field of work which involves a lot more than finding your next green home! Her expertise assists families wishing to green their present homes as well as clients unsure of the best and safest way to discard renovation waste or what they could possibly reuse and repurpose.
But the most rewarding part of the evening was having my friends want to share this important information with their friends and families. Two friends asked if it was possible to share this information with their schools – of course!!! I’ll be sharing it with my sons school too.
If you’d like information on how to host your own Healthy Home party, please visit: healthychild.org
Healthy Child Healthy World is a nonprofit organization. They have been a national leader for nearly two decades, igniting a movement of awareness and responsibility to inform and inspire millions of people to take action and create cleaner, greener, safer environments for our children and families.
Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans, overwhelmingly children, now face chronic disease and illnesses including cancer, autism, asthma, allergies, obesity, birth defects, ADD/ADHD, and learning and developmental disabilities. The number gets higher each year and more parents ask WHY? Scientific evidence increasingly finds chemicals in everyday products like cleaning supplies, beauty care and cosmetics, home furnishings, plastics, food, and even toys, that are contributors to these ailments.
The good news is that parents are best equipped to “do something” to prevent harm and help their children have the healthiest and happiest life. Healthy Child Healthy World ensures parents know what they can do today.
It’s an amazing organization with incredible support and I feel honored that they have asked me to host a Healthy Home party to explain the importance of reducing toxic exposure in our homes by sharing with my friends and neighbors the five easy steps to creating a healthier environment and lifestyle for all stages of parenting.
EcoBroker, Emma Hamilton has kindly donated time to speak about what to look for in a green home, and explain what a certified EcoBroker does. I’m looking forward to great evening of organic wine, organic food, safe samples, good company and a unique opportunity to present my passion in a fun and comfortable setting.
Healthy Home parties are presented by LUNA bars and Klean Kanteen with sponsor sample participation from Activeion, Earth Friendly Products, EAT CLEANERTM, Say Yes To Carrots!, HAPPYBABY, Organic Valley, Plum Organics and Seventh Generation. If you're interested in hosting your own Healthy Home party, please click here
Last night I attended Twitter parties discussing ways to celebrate a green Halloween. It inspired this post.
As my children get older each Halloween has started to become a bigger and bigger deal. What started as a cute idea to get dressed up has turned into an event to gather up and consume as many sweets, treats and junk one little body can handle before it develops an awful stomach ache from not being used to consuming non-organic corn syrup filled chemically dyed “candy”.
Last Halloween I managed to convince my then five-year old son to discard all the “really bad ones” – candy corn, nerds and some I’d never heard of - I let him keep the M&M’s and mini Mars Bars but he was only allowed to have one or two on weekends. We managed to string the candy out for 6 months.
Fast forward a year and thinking about alternatives for Halloween I discovered Green Halloween online – a movement founded on the notion that some people might actual think outside the conventional candy-box seeking a healthier Halloween. I know I do.
Last nights Twitter parties were hosted by Green Halloween and Holistic Moms Network. We discussed costume swapping, reverse trick-or-treating (buying fair Trade chocolate) and eco-tips for making up your child or yourself. Herein are some tips from our conversation that will hopefully inspire you to have a healthier, greener more holistic Halloween.
Adopt the Switch Witch’s approach to Halloween and explain to your child that during the night all the rotten candy will be switched out for a special present by the Switch Witch. This way you don’t have to worry about your child eating all that horrible candy and they still get to partake in the trick or treating with their friends.
Consider holding a costume swap with your friends and neighbours. This way you’ll be passing on your old costumes and saving buying a new one. To learn more visit: Greenhalloween.org
Buy Fair Trade chocolate. Give Fair Trade chocolate back to adults, along with an informational card...while Trick-or-Treating door- to-door in your community.
Buy organic sweets and make homemade organic treats like pumpkin cookies.
Decorate in a sustainable fashion buy gathering up leaves and other nature items, make beeswax candles and buy organic pumpkins that you can carve and then cook with the in flesh.
Use natural face paints and use spices like paprika or curry powder and mix it with an organic hair pomade for some scary but well scented fun for your hair.
For more information on how you can get involved in creating a Green Halloween visit greenhalloween.org
Okay, so I know tush refers to your backside but it goes so much better with taut than writing vagina! During pregnancy we’re reminded to practice kegels. But many of us have never consciously walked around or sat and squeezed for that matter unless you happened to be in a pre-natal yoga class. It's true kegels are probably the easiest form of exercise you can do since you can do them just about anywhere and anytime and without anyone knowing – but be honest, how often do you remember?
It’s a fact our brains shrink 5% when we’re with child, and with remembering to do everything else in our ever so busy lives, who can be blamed for forgetting to practice 100 kegels a day to maintain a taut vagina? Fear not haute mamas I’ve got just the thing.
Most women think of pleasure beads as, well, a device that offers pleasure. If you’d like your personal parts to be in tip top shape six weeks post birth you might want to reconsider what pleasure means to you. I use LELO LUNA Beads and for more reasons than you’d think. Firstly, they’ll remind you to practice kegels because you’ll see the discreet jewelry-esq box the Luna Beads come in sitting on your dresser. Then when you do use them, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how easy they are to use (insert that is) and continue about your business – at home or wherever that might be. The point is, you’ll be working that special muscle more than you realize toning and firming it for an easier healing process post vaginal delivery.
LUNA beads work to strengthen the vaginal wall and PC muscles through more effective kegel exercising. This makes you more responsive to touch, improving muscular control and allowing for the most intense and stimulating orgasms in the future. They deliver a subtle, self movement-induced vibration creating a comfortable workout, revealing the pleasures that caring for your body will bring.
If you’re pregnant for the first time, trust me, you have no idea what vaginal trauma awaits you the first time you go to the bathroom, let alone the first time you have sex. After the birth of my first baby I also experienced leakage almost every time I laughed or sneezed. Not good. Fearing incontinence later in life I decided to implement the use of these little balls to give my otherwise overworked birth canal a fitness regime to get it back into shape. Can I just tell you how much this worked? Brand new would be an understatement. How about virgin!
Thanks to the regular weekly use of the LUNA Beads for about a year before I conceived again, I healed significantly faster after the birth of my second baby. I was ready for sexual action sooner and no longer experience any form of incontinence. I attribute my vaginal muscle strength to the use of the LUNA Beads. While its not recommended you use any pleasure beads during pregnancy, I did use them during the last two weeks of my second pregnancy to give my vagina a little tune up. While this was fine for me, make sure you ask your doctor before considering using them.
Note: LUNA Beads are NOT safe for use during pregnancy. Please check with your doctor if you would like to consider using the beads during pregnancy. If you'd like to buy a set please click here.
I'm celebrating my favourite items and offering 50% off on the things I love and think you should have.
Julia Failey 100% recycled silver charm & chain necklaces. Personalize your charm with your child's initial. Cindy Crawford and Kate Bosworth are fans. Discount applies to all Failey pieces in my online store only.
The P'kolino Clothes Tree is a favourite in our home, make it one in yours. Drape your little darlings school backpack, hats, scraves or pj's from this stylish little tree.
Organic cotton sheets by Q Collection Junior are a big favourite in my home and the best thing you can place your baby or toddler onto sleep. And now they're half off. Why not get two for the price of one?
The Belly Blanket is an absolute must have item whether you're pregnant or not. It shields 99.9% of incoming radiation (~50dB) from sources specifically like lap tops! Having a hot lap is not Haute!
Discount also applies to all items in my Opensky shop. Enter code: FIFTYHAUTE at check out. Happy Shopping!
Belly dancing isn’t the first physical activity that comes to mind when one becomes pregnant, but it makes total sense. Intrigued by the movements, the technique and the physical attributes belly dancing has on the body I asked Maternal Dance founder Suzanne Caesar how belly dancing can positively enhance pregnancy and labor.
Caesar was always a lover of dance history and discovered during her own pregnancy that before belly dance was called just that, it was called the ‘womb’ dance. This was because women would dance with and around the pregnant woman to celebrate new life and help ease contractions with hip swaying. “My prenatal classes naturally and organically progressed into what they are today – belly dance with yoga.”
Caesar doesn’t teach traditional belly dancing, instead she incorporates moves that you would normally see in a typical belly dance class: “There are many different forms of belly dance. These movements are not necessarily the seductive dance most people think of when they hear belly dance, though the movements I incorporate when teaching women, pregnant or not, are very sensual and meant for the women dancing to feel their sensuality as they move in this way, even pregnant women!”
So what’s in a typical routine? Caesar works down from head and shoulder rolls to rib cage (modified) and hip swaying/rolls/figure eights – “All to loosen up; wrist and ankle rolls, snake arms and shimmies – shoulders and hips, but not so jerky and abrupt.”
Caesar modifies the moves so you can dance the "belly" at any stage of pregnancy. “Most of the moves I have developed in my class “warm up” women who are just weeks or days from delivery. They enjoy it very much, because the lower back is stretched. These muscles shorten as the belly grows and pulls the weight forward, hence the shift in a pregnant woman’s center of gravity. Hip rocking and pelvic swivels are also excellent right until the end because they work with the pregnant body by opening the pelvis and stretching muscles and ligaments that can cause discomfort.”
The use of hip swaying and figure eight movements helps the baby work its way down the birth canal. Preparing for labor includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes. Exercising during pregnancy enriches the placenta and amniotic fluid, and can result in a shorter labor and fewer Cesarean births. As with any exercise, please check with your caregiver before attempting a new form of exertion.
Caesars final words of wisdom: It’s important for pregnant women to have all the information they can get their hands on to empower them, so they feel confident to go through the labor process. At the same time, enjoy this very special time in their lives, remember to “squeeze” in 50 kegels a day and take the time to rest.
Suzanne Caesar is a movement educator, certified perinatal fitness trainer, prenatal yoga instructor, and longtime student of Pilates.
For more information or to purchase her DVD, “Rhythm For Life – The Prenatal Belly Dance Workout” please visit: maternaldance.com
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