Shelly, the founder of My Spoiled Rotten Baby, wrote to me with her story, and it seemed appropriate for the Rookie Moms audience. After delivering her son via cesarean birth, she decided that moms needed a little more support than she received during her birth experience. She started teaching childbirth education at a prestigious hospital in her area, and spent a lot of time as a labor and postpartum doula.
Eventually, as her personal situation changed, she was no longer able to be in an on-call situation. The desire to stay in the ‘new Mom/ baby’ industry was strong enough for her to take the leap into running a small business full-time as a newly single-mother. Go, Shelly!
She says:
I wanted to take my passion, combine it with my experience as an educator and doula, and throw in a little fun. Thus, Spoiled Rotten Baby came to be. Spoiled Rotten Baby is an online luxury and baby gift company featuring some of the products that Moms would love to have, but won’t buy on their own. We have 100% organic Egyptian cotton clothing for baby, all-natural products for labor, postpartum, and breastfeeding, chenille and silk-edged blankets, Bumble Bag diaper bags, and more. What makes Spoiled Rotten Baby stand out is the fact that everything is beautifully hand-packaged in our signature gift boxes; complete with hand-tied bow, linen-textured tissue, and pretty little gift card. Luxury that is ready-to-give.
Shelly has other suggestions for new moms, and she’s compiled them into a one-week agenda of free entertainment. Even if you don’t live around Issaquah, the outings on this schedule might give you some ideas for new things to try with your baby. (PS If you think Shelly looks too hot to be a rookie mom, don’t worry, she’s had seven years to recover from pregnancy and birth. You’ll get there, too.)
Monday
Boehms Candies Factory Tour: The best way to start your week ”“ with chocolate! The historic Boehms Factory is located in the heart of downtown Issaquah. Open daily, families are invited to check out the factory and retail shop for a free self-guided tour. The best time to come is between 9 am and 2 pm weekdays, when the candy makers are in production and you can actually see how candy is made. Guides tours are available during the summer. Free samples are available for both the self and guided tours. Open daily. (425) 392-6652
Self-guided tours: Free
Tuesday
KidzBounce: KidzBounce is the perfect place for moms to gather and visit while the little ones literally bounce off the walls. Featuring a room filled with giant bounce houses, this place is a favorite for regular drop-in visits as well as birthdays for kids (and adults!) of all ages. Parents will love it because it is a safe, clean indoor environment. Kids will love it for the various giant slides and obstacle courses. KidzBounce is just 6 minutes East of Issaquah. Drop-ins Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. (425) 222-5439
Parents and kids under 2: Free
Wednesday
Cougar Mountain Zoo: This zoo is like no other! Cougar Mountain Zoo is nestled on the North facing slope of Cougar Mountain and based around educating the public about endangered species. The main attraction, of course, is the cougar, but on any given day visitors can see Antelopes, Alpaca (part of the camel family) and 3 species of Lemur. If you’re lucky, one of the zookeepers may even be walking one of the Lemurs around so you can really get close. Can anyone say, “Zoboomafoo?” Finally, during the holidays, they have the zoo decorated for Christmas”“ complete with Santa and his live reindeer. Closed every Monday and Tuesday. (425)391-5508
Adults: $9.50 Kids 2 and under: Free
Thursday
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery: This is an educational and fun outing that teaches visitors about Pacific Salmon, watershed stewardship, and hatchery operations. The best time to visit the hatchery is mid-September through mid-November when the fish at the hatchery are at their largest. Chinook salmon, for example, can reach up to 135 lbs although most mature at around 50 lbs. Also, during this time, free tours are available to all visitors several times a day during the week. No matter what time of year you visit the hatchery, there is always the opportunity to see the various types of fish swimming around in the underground observatory or up above on the fish ladder. There are several fun and well-maintained parks within walking distance, so pack a picnic lunch and spend the day with the fish! (425) 427-0259
Free admission for everyone!
Friday
Luther Burbank Park: Located just 10 miles West of Issaquah on Mercer Island, Luther Burbank Park is 77 acres of natural beauty with plenty to see and do for the little ones. On a warm day, you can spend time playing in the water. Luther Burbank park has 3/4 of a mile of Lake Washington waterfront where you can build sandcastles, take a dip in the lake, or just relax; watching the 135 species of birds, 50 waterfowl, raccoons, beaver, muskrats, and tree frogs. In any weather, kids can play on the gigantic play structure or take the pooch for a romp in the enclosed off-leash dog area. Older siblings will have fun playing shuffle board, shooting hoops, or playing tennis on one of the 3 tennis courts located right next to the playground. In addition to all of this, there are 5 barbeque’s to use and 3 dozen picnic tables spread throughout the park.
Cost: Free
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