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Archive for the ‘SuperMom’ Category

(All-Natural) Cold and Cough Syrup

Posted on: February 17th, 2012 by TheHotMama 2 Comments

 

**Please note this specific recipe is NOT for pregnant or nursing Moms, as one of the ingredients used, Licorice root, is not safe for this special population.  The beauty of many herbal remedies is you can add or subtract ingredients as needed/required; and if you are pregnant or nursing you should leave out the Licorice root.  Most information states Echinacea is safe during pregnancy and during breastfeeding, and it is NOT on the “herbs to avoid list”, so you’ll have to make that determination based on your own research.  Here is a list of herbs to avoid while pregnant.**

 

This is an amazing, natural cough and cold syrup (and sore throat soother) for the entire family (except those currently growing babies and nursing)  It can be used in children as well, but those over the age of 1 due to the raw honey, it is suggested children under the age of 1 not eat honey.

 

It can be hard growing a baby, ESPECIALLY if you’re sick during those 40+ weeks.  There are few things a pregnant Mama (and a breastfeeding Mama) for that matter, can take when she’s sick; and THAT can make an already uncomfortable Mama, miserable!  I know we all approach pregnancy differently, and for me, I am always ultra conservative when I’m pregnant.  No matter how bad or sick I’m feeling or how bad my headache was, I rarely took anything to help.  BUT, I have more confidence now because of the KellyMom online resource and my new found love of making herbal medicine.

Do not fear…I *promise* you, if you can boil water you can make a most excellent cough syrup and a myriad of other amazing homemade, ingredient controlled, organic (if you wish) lotions, potions and teas (okay..so perhaps there are no potions, but it sounded fun!)

I embarked on this body healing, money saving endeavor after my 5yo had been up coughing all night.  I was giving her the cough medicine as directed at the intervals of every 4 hours and it wasn’t helping AT ALL.  So what did I do, I just kept dosing her, hoping she’d find relief.  It wasn’t until 3am that morning that I went downstairs and made her chamomile tea with honey (on the heavy side) and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Why?  Well, because I remembered my mother-in-law saying she read somewhere it calmed a cough…so WHY NOT at this point, right?!  After drinking the tea, a little girl who had been coughing for hours, stopped coughing immediately.  No exaggeration; from the time her lips touched the teacup she didn’t cough AT ALL, and she slept peacefully.  So this got me thinking and Googling at 3AM because I was happily curious.  Why am I pumping her full of a synthetic cough syrup (with blue lake 40 among other awesome <sarcasm> ingredients) when something as simple as tea and honey fixed it IMMEDIATLEY?  During those wee hours I found a pin on Pinterest that led me to this post titled “Building your medicine chest: DIY Herbal Cough and Cold Syrup”, um…SCORE!  So that blog post led me to purchase the book she mentioned, Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family and then I was off!  When the book arrived days later, I drank in all the information that was so foreign to me; you mean herbs can heal us, make us healthier, cure common ailments, etc…blasphemy!  It pretty much goes against what we (our society) are taught about ‘medicine’; I was intrigued!  There HAD to be some validity to all those ancient remedies; it kind of makes perfect sense.  So I digress; I was giddy!

I highlighted, I bookmarked and I then ordered the herbs I needed for my first couple recipes; namely one for cough and cold, from Mountain Rose Herbs (also thanks to that first blog post I read, because I had NEVER ordered herbs before, let alone knew about these herbs previously).

The thing about herbal medicine is, there is really no set ingredient list; you add what you need/want for what ails you.  There is a blueprint for each ailment, so I started with that and built upon it based on what I learned from my book.  So I decided to add the following ingredients for my first batch:

Echinacea:  Immune System booster and also used as a preventative as well as a curative

Licorice Root:  Use as a soothing demulcent (coats the throat) and an anti-inflammatory remedy for respiratory problems – treats sore throats and coughs (***Not to be used in pregnant or nursing mothers…you can simply leave out of the recipe**)

Ginger Root: Known for its healing properties and is the primary herb used for respiratory system ailments

Rosehips:  Contain more Vitamin C than almost any other herb, many times the amount found in citrus fruit when measured gram by gram

Cinnamon: High in antioxidants and has anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties (I added 2 sticks)

Raw Honey: It is the MOST amazing ingredient and is an amazing healer (inside and out)

 

And *literally* making this is as easy as boiling water.  I added these herbs (1/4 cup of each) to 4 cups of cold water then simmered until it reduced by half (2 cups…you can just eyeball from where the water level was when you started) It simmered for over an hour, and smelled amazing might I add.  I strained the herbs, added the mixture back to the pot and mixed in 1 cup of honey (which I found made it PLENTY sweet) But make sure you don’t cook the mixture…you only need it on the heat for less than a minute to mix the herbal mixture and the honey, otherwise you cook all the goodness out of the raw honey and the amazing properties it’s known for, go up in steam!

Bottle it and refrigerate it for up to 3 months!  Adults take 1tbs as needed, as often as every hour.  Kids take 1tsp as needed, as often as every hour.  You can also stir your ‘dose’ in your favorite tea for some extra comfort for sore throats!

Now you have a cough-syrup replacement, which is also yummy and an all-natural way to feel better…and you now have a go-to for when your little humans are sick, and you can feel REALLY good about giving them this syrup to help them get better!

Oh..and this batch made 24oz of medicine for $5.41 :) and it tastes WONDERFUL!

 

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA or any governing body for that matter.  The purpose of this post is to open our eyes to natural cures and remedies; and this documented my first experience on my journey*

Pieces…

Posted on: August 9th, 2011 by TheHotMama 17 Comments

 

I’m not quite sure how to tell this story, or experience rather, that has ended.  I’ve wrestled with if… and how… and what would be in this blog if I ever wrote it.  We lost our third child when I was 5 months pregnant; that baby was due this month, August.

The biggest thing I wrestled with on if/when/how I was going to write this post was the sadness that it would bring to those who read it and also the unnecessary fear it might instill in all the Mamas-to-Be.  There are no two-ways about it; this story is a sad and devastating one, there is no getting around that.  And coming from me, who is an eternal optimist, I just couldn’t come to grips with what I would share.  So yes, this post is mostly for me, to get some of what I’m holding in my soul out…the rest, I’m not sure what to do with and how to process.

I told my husband we were expecting our 3rd child on Christmas :)  I went out and bought a keychain that had 3 birthstones in it; our daughter’s, our son’s, and one for August to represent this new baby.  He was ELATED; this is a man who would have 8 children if I allowed it!  I was nauseous from conception…yes, literally!  By 5 months I had actually lost 12 pounds.  I went to my midwife for all the usual visits and had all the testing done from blood work to the tests you opt for (and since insurance pays, why not!)  One of the tests was the Triple screen which can tell you if your baby is at risk for any number of birth defects, abnormalities as well as Down Syndrome and Trisomy.  For me, with my last two pregnancies, I always opted for this test (because it meant an ultrasound, and I got to see my baby!!) So I went in at 12 weeks for this test which is a combo of blood screen and ultrasound.  The tech did the measurements, then did them again, then seemed frustrated and said she needed another opinion.  In comes the Neonatologist to perform the ultrasound (mind you I’m by myself since my husband is out of town).  He said the neck measurements seem high; stops mid sentence and announces I need to see the genetic counselor right now.  Believe it or not, I’m still not nervous, scared, etc…just more stunned that this is the way it’s going down.  So after meeting with the genetic counselor and asking her questions SHE had to look up, I felt confident that our baby was just fine.  I know stats, I understand how data is derived (thanks to a previous life in Pharmaceuticals) so the numbers were on my side.  I still left the office fearful…fearful for the unknown.  I was given the option to have a procedure done right then and there where they would take a sample of the placenta to narrow the results more.  It would still not give us definitive results so I opted to forego the test; there was NO reason to put our baby at risk because I HAD TO KNOW.  So that meant we had to wait until 20 weeks to have the Level 2 Ultrasound, which is basically the ultrasound to check for anatomy, but in this case it’s performed by the Neonatologist who is looking for very specific markers or other clues there may be a problem.  8 weeks, EIGHT WEEKS, we waited with our own thoughts of unknowing and fear and questions.

My hubby and I walked hand-in-hand into the 20 week ultrasound.  We talked about whether our baby was a boy or girl, if he/she would resemble our daughter or our son.  I think we both were ready for that “A-OK”.  Seriously.  Truly.

The tech starts the ultrasound; moves the wand around, presses harder.  The questions I’m asking about is the baby sleeping, etc, go unanswered.  She then quickly takes her gloves off and excuses herself from the room.  My husband and I just look at each other…no emotion.  Then the Neonatologist comes in and says he’d like a look at the baby, and asked if that was okay.  He proceeds to repeat the same steps as the tech; then stops, removes his gloves and announces our baby has passed away.  I had just felt kicks and movement 2 days prior.  I was prepared to be told our baby had an abnormality, I was prepared to be told our baby had Down Syndrome, I was even prepared to be told our baby wouldn’t survive much after birth; but I DID NOT expect to be told our baby died in utero at 5 months gestation.  I wasn’t prepared for it, it wasn’t even an option I had in my head.  I cried, and cried, I couldn’t see for hours because my eyes would not stop filling with tears.  I have never cried that much.  This all came at such an amazing time in my life when things were going too well; I blogged briefly about it here.

My husband was supposed to leave after the “happy” ultrasound to go away for work; he asked, pleaded even, if I wanted him to stay.  I said no.  You may judge me for that, and for some of my other decisions you’ll read in this post, but it’s me, it’s how I handle things, and it’s what I wanted.  I didn’t want to be THIS sad and have him there to just watch me.  THAT was even sadder to me.  So he left to drive about 8 hours to where he was working and I went straight to the OBGYN’s office; apparently this was out of my midwife’s jurisdiction and I had to be referred to their OBGYN. 

The OB was the most amazing MD I have ever met (and mind you I have met and had relationships with over a THOUSAND because of my previous career).  He was genuinely soft, and kind, and careful with me.  He explained to me that I was too far along for certain procedures typically performed with miscarriage, and I would have to deliver the baby.  I’m thinking…this CAN’T be happening to me.  Losing a baby at 5 months gestation isn’t bad enough, now I have to labor and deliver this baby.  We discussed how I felt movement 2 days prior so the baby had to have passed away sometime between then and today.  Then he says something I again wasn’t prepared for; I would need to be admitted today.

I call my husband who is about 4 hours into his trip and ask him to come home.  As soon as he got home late that night we headed to the hospital.  It was March 22nd, my Dad’s birthday.  I will not go into much detail about the rest of my stay.  It was more physical pain than I’ve ever experienced and I’ve had 2 natural births, it was sadder than my heart has ever felt, and it was devastating.  I birthed our baby on March 24th, my niece’s birthday.  Yes, I was in labor for 2 days; it was a nightmare that I prayed I’d wake up from.  I have never in my life wanted to alter my state of being, I’ve in fact NEVER done any type of drugs; and during my stay I took all the narcotics I was allowed at every interval I was allowed.  My OB was amazing and empathetic he talked to me and told me not to feel guilty for taking the narcotics.  But I did; I felt guilty for so much, and for no reason.  After a lot of hours of demoralizing pain they offered to do an epidural again, something I had refused the last 4 times they asked.  After 2 natural childbirths I felt like such a failure for caving to an epidural; I was glad I took it, because I don’t think I could have physically taken all the events and intervention that happened after.

There I sat in my Hot Mama Gown holding a baby that I couldn’t take home.   I don’t talk about this, or what happened to anyone (not even my Mom or Dad or best friend), and here is only a quarter of the story, but it’s what I am comfortable sharing.  There is no need to spread this kind of sadness, and I feel guilty for even sharing this much.  My goal is not to sadden or instill fear; frankly I’m not sure what my goal is.  I know a lot of people are curious as to what happened, etc, and I understand, it’s only natural.  No one except my husband and sister know the whole story and I am eternally sorry they have to share it with me.

I have not mourned; I don’t know how to mourn.  I have no idea how to move on, for me, it’s complicated (I’m not a “talk-it-out” type of person and it is SO hard for me to accept ANY type of help from others).  I never imagined we’d only have 2 children, never; and also never could I have prepared for an event that was so disgustingly life changing.  I have often said and truly believe the Lord does not put something in your heart unless it’s in his plan for you.  As I am now, I am blank in the topic of more children; truly and purely blank.  I don’t know what it means, I don’t know what I want; I know I don’t want to indure hurt anymore.   So, if you’d think of me this month, say a prayer if you pray, send healing; whatever you offer, I will accept.  Thank you.

From my 3yo (son) out of the blue one night “Don’t worry Mommy, God will put another baby in your belly; a boy baby” :)

Out of the Shark Tank Waters: An update on Deidrea and Hot Mama Gowns

Posted on: April 24th, 2011 by TheHotMama 48 Comments

 

WOW!! Hi ;) So what did you think about Friday’s episode (Episode 205) of Shark Tank Season 2?  What was UP with that know-it-all who couldn’t listen?!!  I have to fight every fiber of my being to not dominate this post “defending” myself, my actions (or non-actions) and my demeanor in the tank; it is what it is, and I am who I am!!

Making the Cut

 It WAS an amazing experience; I am STILL in shock that my email to casting sent in August 2010 allowed me to take a swim with the “Sharks” and subsequently landed me on Prime Time TV on ABC!  EVERYONE is asking what was/is the “secret” to getting on; honestly there IS no secret.  Wait until they announce casting for Season 3 (fingers crossed for a Season 3!) send an email answering the questions they ask and…at that point it’s up to casting to decide if you’re worth a phone call!

 Within 2 weeks of sending my email I received a call from casting (YAY!) and from that point it was a series of many phone calls, lots of questions, lots of paperwork and then I was asked to submit a 5 minute audition tape; and coming from someone who can talk (as evidenced by Friday’s episode..HA!) 5 minutes is SO short when you’re trying to show an outsider your passion and convince them that Hot Mama Gowns IS a business for the masses!  I overnighted my audition tape to CA (which cost me $60!!) Money well spent!  And then came the calls from the producers…and FINALLY the email with flight information…Hollywood bound!

My Audition Tape...Overnighted to California (Ouch!)

 I had two models for my pitch to help illustrate the reality of nasty, used, chemical smelling hospital gowns; and to show the Hot Mama alternative!  Sandy Sunshine who is no stranger to lights & cameras and then my Hot Mama model Paige Smith who I ACTUALLY met on Twitter and with whom I formed an AMAZING friendship.  She agreed to fly into LA to support me & be my Hot Mama.  One of the reasons I connected with Paige is because she ALSO owns a maternity business; Pure Belly, which boasts beautiful & soft belly wraps, maternity tanks, breast wraps and more!  She’s also the “special person in my life” I referred to in my first Shark Tank post who took me on my virgin trip to In-N-Out Burger (Animal Style all the way)! 

I Went, I Pitched, I Said No!

Minutes before I stood in front of the sharks I did this backstage interview; and truly, I was not nervous!  At that point I had successfully channeled my worried/anxious/nervous energy into excitement…it was GO time!

Eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe standing in that room in front of the Sharks was OVERWHELMING & awesome!  The next hour of my life I’d spend pitching my heart & soul to the sharks; looking for money, looking for affirmation that I HAD created something amazing, and looking for a strategic partnership.

In order to grow to the next level and reduce costs (and offer lower prices on my gowns) I needed an influx of cash.  Even though Barbara brought cash to the table in addition to her incredibly positive attitude & business savvy (and make no mistake I would have LOVED to partner with Barbara) the conditions weren’t in line with my vision and the sizing condition (to only offer S, M,L ) was in stark contrast to what the market demands.   Moving forward this way would CONTINUE to ignore the sizing needs on both ends of the spectrum, a need that I AM fulfilling!  EVERY woman, in EVERY size category should have a Hot Mama Gown that fits HER, not “most”.  I was SO humbled and grateful that Barbara extended me an offer; it WAS a vote of confidence, it WAS affirmation that I am breaking ground.  Hot Mama Gowns are NOT hospital gowns, they are NOT patterned after hospital gowns; they are SPECIFICALLY and thoughtfully designed for a mother about to give birth and to help facilitate a comfortable and successful breastfeeding relationship (not to mention the immediate skin-to-skin contact that is so critical to baby’s body temperature regulation and bonding).

I said no to Barbara’s deal because of her required changes to what I feel is an integral part of Hot Mama Gowns; sizing.  And to give away 40% of my “baby” for such a small investment ($30,000) just didn’t make sense, or feel right.  I will always be grateful to Barbara for extending an offer and seeing what the “boys” (hee hee) didn’t!  To be validated to the point of someone wanting to give you their hard earned money is SIMPLY extraordinary, and the gravity of that is not lost on me.

Whatcha Up To Now

So…you’ve heard people say “God opens doors”, well, He opened the double doors for me!! You may have noticed our gowns are no longer $119-$139; they are now $89-$99 which is a HUGE reduction; and something that doesn’t happen too often in retail!  And…you may have also noticed we launched the “Essentials” line which is a little easier on your diaper bag (wallet) with gowns priced $59-69 <insert cheers>!

So, now let’s walk through those double doors I was telling you about ;) Shortly after I filmed, an unexpected cheerleader entered my life; total blessing to have met this person and truly grateful to have gotten to know them.  This person has one of the purest hearts I have ever experienced and is so incredibly sincere, I am fortunate just to have them in my life, let alone the series of events they were about to put into motion.  It is no accident God brought them into my life.  This new friend connected me with a family member who has extensive & successful experience in all things retail, marketing and sales and what THIS person has accomplished in their own life is quite amazing so I was very much looking forward to “talking shop” and gaining some insights and expertise from this person.  That phone call about strategy, sales, marketing and a whole mix of other things as they pertain to Hot Mama Gowns ended up leading to an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G strategic partnership that is about so much more than money, so much more than experience and is SO MUCH more than board room meetings and false pretenses.  This “Angel Investor” (this is what investors are called who wish to remain anonymous, and rightly so!) is human, shares my vision and shares my confidence and enthusiasm for the brand and where we are going.  THINGS.LIKE.THIS.DON’T.JUST.HAPPEN :)  

I feel validated, I feel even more empowered, and if you can believe it I feel re-energized…to have someone with so much experience, who has climbed to such high ranks within their industry believe in me, and want to partner with me…it’s just AMAZING. And if you thought I was working hard before, this “Angel” makes me want to work EVEN harder and smarter to make them proud and show them I will NOT let them down…it’s going to be an amazing road!  And that is the reason you are now able to luxuriate in a Hot Mama Gown for as low as $59.  And this is ONLY the beginning!!! 

You can also click here to read another update on myself and Hot Mama Gowns, written by Kirk Taylor, a self-proclaimed Serial Entrepreneur :) (and I swear I didn’t pay him money to say such thoughtful things..swear!!)

There is Loss and There is Light

I’m not entirely sure why I feel so compelled to add this, but I do, and I’m not going to question it or fight it.  I filmed for Season 2 of Shark Tank in October; in November I found out we were expecting #3 (My daughter is almost 5 and my son just turned 3 this month!).  I mean, you can’t get a higher high than that…SO much good was happening for me in business and in my personal life.  The months ticked while I waited to hear if my segment made it to air, and then finally, a “Yes”, Hot Mama Gowns made the cut and my segment would air for 6+million people to see..again…SUCH high highs.  It truly seemed that every day was filled with more good news and I LIKED IT!! 

My husband and I went in together for my 19 week ultrasound, which is known as the “BIG” ultrasound, because we’d be finding out if we were welcoming a boy or girl into the family…and minutes after the tech started the ultrasound she stopped abruptly and told us there was no heartbeat.  Yes, this was my reality.  The doctor came in minutes later to repeat the scan and confirmed the news.  I truly, truly felt like I somehow, someway was responsible…had I put so much energy into my business and was reaping so many rewards from Hot Mama Gowns that something in my life had to fail to balance it out.  Devastating doesn’t COME close to the news we got on that day.  That was March 22nd, I was almost 5 months pregnant, and it happened to be my Dad’s birthday of all days.  And again, this happened in the midst of ALL the Shark Tank excitement, preparation, and normal every-day life of raising two kids.  I was admitted that day into the hospital for an induction because I was too far along for any other options.  I delivered on March 25th.  Do I even have to point out the cruel, thick irony, that I was wearing my Hot Mama Gowns for those 3 days to deliver a baby that I couldn’t take home. 

I am not a negative person; my ridiculous optimism is truly my gift from God, so I always find the good, the positive, and the light.  Thru that experience I realized how much people loved me (and loved me hard), some people whom I’ve never met; how highly I was regarded by friends, colleagues, and even just acquaintances, how my pain was your pain.  Yeah…this is reality, and it’s not always rainbows and unicorns, but this is me, I’m just as human and fragile as the next. 

Everything that is/was/and has been Shark Tank has been an extremely welcome distraction, I’ve been working so hard and have been so focused; you have to have faith that everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t know it at the time, or ever know it.

I have been so humbled by such an outpouring of support before, during AND after my Shark Tank experience; you guys TRULY rock my socks!!  Yeah, yeah, there are haters, so I just take my husband’s advice and put on my “Hater Blockers”!! 

But just know that Hot Mama Gowns has ONLY just begun our quest for World Domination (at least in Labor and Delivery) for now!!

So much love and so many thanks!

XOXO

Deidrea

The self-proclaimed “Hot Mama” (yep, it’s on my biz cards!)

YES, Yes I Am SuperMom, and Thank You for Noticing

Posted on: August 17th, 2010 by TheHotMama 10 Comments

This post isn’t just for me (well, it’s largely for me), it’s for ALL the Moms out there, no matter what acronym follows your name on your business card, mommy card, or made up in your head card; WAHM, SAHM, CPA, RN, Hot Mama, and the list goes on.

I had an epiphany the other night, August 15th to be exact!

 

 

And this tweet wasn’t a rant, it wasn’t a vent, it was quite simply an epiphany; an acceptance of reality.  For as long as I’ve been a mother (since May 2006) I’ve heard it frequently, either in person, over the phone, in a text, over Facebook, Twitter, you name it; Deidrea, I just don’t know how you do it, you are SuperMom.  And I always corrected them and said, no I’m not, I’m just doing what I have to do.  I am not one to fish for compliments and to be quite honest I don’t really even know how to accept a compliment; I usually assume people are only giving compliments because they want one in return.  I know, it’s a bad character flaw, I admit it, but it’s the truth.  So when I do give a compliment, I really, really, mean it.  I don’t dish them out in buckets, nor do I expect one in return (actually, the quick responded compliments are a huge turn-off because I know the giving party is ONLY giving a compliment because I just gave one) and it’s so not necessary.

I’m not sure what made me actually realize it the other night, I was doing what I always do on a Sunday night, but as I changed the kid’s bed linens to nice, fresh, snuggly clean ones, it hit me.  And it hit me hard.  I AM SUPERMOM.  I really DO, do it all.  And this is not a dis against my husband in any way, AT ALL!  He works extremely long hours, he’s actually gone Monday thru Friday so he’s only home on the weekends, so it’s not about what he’s not doing, but about what I AM doing.  And since I don’t have staff, no maid (that’s me), no landscaper (me again) <–and on many occasions the kids and I hop on the riding lawn mower and cut the grass together, and no chef (yes, me again), I HAVE to do it all in order to keep things running.  And at this stage in the game, it’s still JUST ME doing all the Hot Mama Gowns business; as of Monday of this week I’ve welcomed Oliva Jade PR who is going to help grow the brand across retailers and media outlets, but I am still 100% involved in everything!

I say all this to say, I’ve decided to give myself the credit I deserve, and I have decided to actually accept those compliments.  I hope you don’t think this is me being snoody, or feeling entitled, because I am sooo not; this is just a step in the direction of really accepting my worth.  My worth as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and business owner.

Tell me your story; reflect on all you do EVERY day (and I mean really reflect).  And I challenge you to do what took me 4 years to do, ACCEPT YOUR WORTH, you ARE Supermom!!

I want you to print out this certificate; put it on your fridge, on your mirror, on your front door…and remember, you really are SuperMom, and I notice!!