Feedback Friday | Tell us what YOU love!

The absolute best part of greenberries is the community. We love our clients, consignors, customers, and their voices! Today, we'd love to start a conversation about products. What are your favorite products we carry? What products do we not carry yet, but you would love to see us add in the future? What's your go-to baby shower or toddler birthday gift? We love to listen! Let us know in the comments!

Featured Product: Pretty Pushers

Dress for success! An often-heard admonition, it does ring true! Dress for the job you want, wear something that inspires confidence on days when you need a little boost, or put on those favorite jeans that fit just perfectly when you know you want to feel fabulous and look great. That's the concept behind Pretty Pushers. Gorgeous labor and birth gowns that are in fun colors, soft fabrics, and exciting prints that help you leave the old, boxy, industrial "property of hospital" gown in the dust and own your own birth experience. Just as useful and gorgeous in a birth center or home birth setting, dressing in a way that presents your birth as YOURS and a joyful occasion, not an illness, is a great way to set the tone for an important event in your life. Greenberries has several different styles of the Pretty Pushers line and they're all priced right to be worn and washed or worn and tossed!  Happy Birth Days!

'blogs & 'berries time!

We are thrilled to be hosting another #blogsatberries night, on the evening of July 30th! Last time we made some amazing friends and networking connections, and had a blast getting to know everyone. This time, we're looking forward to seeing some of our familiar faces and meeting new friends too. If you're a blogger in the DMV area and would like to be invited, send us an email with a link to your blog and your preferred email address to greenberriesVST@gmail.com We'll send your invitation right away! We can't wait to meet you all!

Thank You!

Thank you to all who participated alongside of us babywearing ‘berries at the 14th annual River Hill July Fourth Parade! We started off at Pointers Run Elementary School and danced down the streets to Claret Hall in Clarksville - that is just over 2 miles with a baby on your chest or back. Our participating parents were awesome and helped us perform steps to the 1958 original song, “Lollipop”! Our big kids handed out organic lollipops with $5 coupons attached, and we had some great families walk with us, pulling decorated wagons showcasing festive little ones waving flags from the inside. Our van was covered with patriotic décor made up of ripped strips of upcycled cloth tied to a rope, creating a garland of red, white and blue that flowed in the breeze. The crowed was fantastic and so supportive of greenberries. We sincerely thank you for your continued kindness!

My two favorite times of the day

I love being a mom. I feel like it was my life plan. No mom knows all the answers and I believe that you just learn as you go. For me personally, I live, I learn, I move on, but I always remember what was learned. My kids teach me new things each and every day about life, themselves and also about myself. Waking up to this life everyday is a gift and a blessing and I remain thankful every day. 

That being said, my first favorite part of my day is when my kids wake up. I hear the pitter patter upstairs of my seven year old as she runs to my room each morning. She is so anxious to see mom and dad that she runs every morning to see us. After seven years, that never gets old. I love knowing how eager she is to start her day in this family and my heart smiles. 

My son is still in a crib so when I hear him chatting with himself as he wakes up with the rising sun, I peak in the door and catch him off guard. "I have sweet dweems mama!" he shouts at me as he sits up. I open his curtains and he tells me all of his favorite things that he wants to do that day. Being a work from home mom allows me to make sure his daytime wishes can come true and again I realize the blessing that is my life. 

My second favorite part of the day is the complete opposite. Bedtime. To me, it sounds horrible and selfish being a mom and being so happy about your kids going to bed. Being home with the children all day, I sometimes forget to drink water or eat a meal after making sure they both are fed and have everything they need. There are times that I realize the clothes my husband saw me wake up in the same attire that he comes home to me in. My kids follow me into the bathroom and stand on my feet while I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I love having them with me all the time, I do feel like I neglect "me" till I have them safely tucked in bed and asleep. Only then can I take a relaxing bath or shower, read a magazine, watch a TV show that is not on Disney Jr., or clean up toys knowing they will stay in a bin for more than 7 minutes. When the kids are in bed at night, I know I kept them safe, healthy and happy for one more day. We made it, and tomorrow will come and we will go through the cycle all over again. I can't wait!

How do you feel? What is your mommy confession or confusion?

Trader Joe's Brownie Mix Make-Over

Brownie truffle baking mix

Made with Dutch cocoa and chocolate chips

1 package of mix

2 large eggs

1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon ground chia seeds

1 tablespoon raw wheat germ

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly spray a glass 8x8 baking dish with EVOO cooking spray

Spread batter in dish evenly. 

Bake for 40 minutes, enjoy!

**A dollop of ice cream optional.

 

Save the Date!

We are so excited to announce that greenberries will be hosting a fall fashion show event this September, with proceeds benefiting the fantastic organization Healthy Families of Howard County. We will be showcasing looks from our maternity, infant, and children's fall consignments, as well as babywearing and cloth diapering looks from our premium retail brands in store.

We'd love to welcome your family to get involved, either by joining us on September 26th for our show and reception, or by modeling some of our looks in the show! We'll be bringing you details as we get closer and closer, but for now, save the date! You don't want to miss this!

Guest Post | 5 Tips for Photographing Fireworks

1.)  Keep Your Camera Steady

Beautiful captures of fireworks require low exposures, so be sure to avoid camera shake by perching your camera on a car, wall, railing, or better yet, use a tripod.

2.)  Use the Self-Timer

Using the self-timer helps you avoid camera shake that results from pressing the shutter during long exposure times.

3.)  Turn off the flash

Your camera's flash is not long enough to reach the fireworks and, besides, this is not the time to use a flash.  You don't want to freeze the action, rather you want long exposure times to fully capture the light trails.

4.)  Use a Slow Shutter Speed and Small Aperture

This can be achieved two ways:

Use your camera's fireworks mode or switch to fully manual mode (my preferred method).  In manual mode, set your shutter speed to 2-3 seconds or longer (this is why it's important to keep your camera steady) and your aperture somewhere between f/8 and f/16.  The longer exposure time will fully capture the light trails while the small aperture records more detail.

5.)  Take Lots of Photos

Snap a few pictures.  Check your LCD.  Adjust your settings, then snap a few more.  Experiment and see what you end up with!  Have fun!

Jennifer Krafchik, owner of Jennifer K Photography, has been a wife for eight years, a mama for three, and a professional photographer for two. Capturing life through her lens is one of her greatest obsessions and she looks forward to sharing this love with you each month. Keep up with her life as a mama to two little monkeys as well as her latest work and promotions by following her blog and Facebook page.

VOTE! greenberries presents: Local Favorites | Birthday Party Venue

If you missed our recent post explaining this new project from the greenberries team, and you, the greenberries community, you can catch up on it by clicking here! This new program will help boost our community by recommending places and professionals that parents can choose with confidence, as well as provide exposure for the family-friendly services and businesses that are the most help in our community.

We've had our first round of votes, and you can look forward to a spotlight later this month on our first winner, Dr. Beams for pediatric care!

This Month we're voting on our favorite Birthday Party Venue! Any Venue, however creative, in the DMV area is eligible. To vote, leave a comment below with your favorite venue's information and why you think they should be our local favorite. 

At the end of two weeks accepting votes and nominations, that is, at 11:59 PM on July 14th, we'll close voting and award both one lucky voter, chosen at random, to recieve $5 off their next greenberries purchase, and the entity with the most votes will hold their title for the year, until next July, when votes for best Birthday Party Venue are open again. We'll present them with a certificate, an opportunity to accept a video interview for our youtube account, and listing as our featured Birthday Party Venue this year. So make your voices heard, and share this with your friends! We want to know, what's your favorite spot to host a birthday party, and why?