flattenme blog

My brother’s kids attended something called Booty Camp in order to get potty trained. A concept I thought was hilarious — mostly because of the name and also because I just can’t imagine outsourcing something that is so personal and a major milestone for my child.  I wouldn’t outsource teaching my kid to ride a bike either, but I certainly know parents who do. Each to their own.

 Someone just mentioned to me that the owner of Booty Camp was on the Today Show and is now being called the Potty Whisperer. As a mother of 4 myself, the idea of potty training in a day seems insane - especially with boys. My daughter trained herself in a day, but only after she decided that ‘it was time’. But Booty Camp worked with my two nieces. They were shipshape and ready for school — for which they had to be potty trained to attend.

 Her techniques are interesting — load up on salty snacks and sweet drinks. That will make ‘nature call’ often during the day you are training. Tell them when they need to go, walk over to the potty, pull their pants down and do it. If they don’t make it, the child has to clean up their mess.  She says she has a 98% success rate in 1 day. I think I’m going to have to try this one with my youngest who will be 2 in Oct.

 On the flip side, there actually is a woman who has marketed herself as the Potty Whisperer. I would bet she’s not too thrilled about the Today Show using her self ordained title. Her techniques are totally different from Booty Camp. A ‘late starter’ is one that starts after 6 months. And god help the poor little soul that thinks about attempting potty training after 24 months. Apparently all hope is lost. Again, this seems ridiculous to me. Yes, you can get a young child to go on the potty consistently. The person this is training is the parent. Not the child.

Regardless, here’s a list of her no-no’s which are good ones to keep in mind:

 ”Potty Whisperer’s No-Nos”:

• no punishment
• no pressure
• no coercion
• no shaming
• no competition
• no showing off
• no obsessing
• no perfectionism
• no rushing toilet learning
• no attachment to time goals
• no negativity

One of the best parts of summer for me is digging my toes down into the sand and diving into a great book. Passion for reading is not something that comes naturally for everyone. If you want that for your kids, it’s never too early to start and to make it fun. The New York Public Library gave their top 10 tips for getting kids excited to read.
1. Read to children from the time they are born. It’s never too early to start.
2. Set aside a special time to read, when you and your family are relaxed.
3. Children enjoy setting the pace of reading time. Encourage them to turn pages.
4. If they are not ready to sit still, read to children while they are playing and exploring. Active children learn on the move.
5. Many children like to hear the same story again and again. It comforts them and develops language skills.
6. Read together — on the go, waiting on line and at the park.
7. Sing to your children. Sing songs from your childhood or make up silly songs. You can find lyrics to your favorites online or at the library.
8. Read Mother Goose and nursery rhymes together. They are short, playful and build vocabulary.
9. Show your kids you love books. Keep books and magazines at home and let them catch you reading.
10. Visit the library often to choose books and enjoy programs together. 
For a recommended book list, visit summerreading.org

To celebrate the launch of our personalized baby book, we are collaborating with the fabulous DIY photography newsletter photojojo.com in a Cutest Baby Ever contest. So grab those crazy cute photos of your wee one and hop on over to  http://photojojo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=746 .  We are giving away 10 free flattenme personalized children’s book gift certificates, as well as a signed print from the artist and the cuddliest little stuffed animal creature made personally by our writer.

These personalized baby books are similar to the other books in that they beautifully and seamlessly incorporate your child’s face and photo into the story. Totally brand new is that they are printed on hard board so that they are practically-drool-proof! Perfect for the new baby in your life. You can page through the story here: http://www.flattenme.com/stories/baby.php 

Flattenme stories can accomodate any skin color, hair length, and just about anything else you can think of.

Enjoy!

I was warned before I started this retail business that people are not honest, they can be rude, and some will try to cheat you. I have to say, gladly, this hasn’t been the case for us. We’ve been thrilled by the thank you notes our customers have sent along. In all the years I have done marketing for other companies, I’ve never seen thank you notes like these.

We love hearing your stories about our products - “Sarah brought it to school today to show all her friends”, “we gave Wyndham his book today and he couldn’t stop giggling”, “I received the book today and can hardly wait to give it to my grandson during our next visit”, and so on.

We are also particularly indebted to our most loyal customers. They’re the ones who write to tell us that they’ve passed our web site along to all the mothers in their play group, buy books for all their kids and nieces, or even write in to give us tips on how to improve our rankings on Google!

So, to our consumers…thanks to you for your support, encouragement, and the occasional kick in the butt.

I know that it’s been awhile since I have contributed to this blog. My excuses are this — between work and life, there isn’t a lot of time to stop and smell the roses. Although all of my roses are in bloom right now so I guess it is a sign to start sniffing.

I’ve never been a big fan of Hallmark-ish holidays like Mothers Day or Valentines Day, but yet we have another one upon us. Mothers Day will arrive with great fanfare on Sunday. While I have warmed up slowly to the idea, I have learned to start to appreciate these holidays. As my kids get older and can actually make me breakfast in bed without poisoning me, Mothers Day has become full of possibilities.

 With the Mothers Day spirit in mind, we are launching our latest set of ecards — Superkid and TomThumb (or TomThumbelina) for our flattenme fan club. Good Morning America thought they were special enough to highlight our two new designs on the show. Next up, we will be having a tea party with Alice and the Mad Hatter this summer

 Up, up and away!

We need more potty training tips! Click here to help diaper weary moms navigate the troubled waters of potty training with your help. There are a total of 6 questions. It will take less than 5 minutes.

We are giving away a $100 Visa Gift Card to a lucky participant.

Thanks for your time!

Someone commented to me the other day that we (flattenme) are running on Hallmark’s calendar. The Christmas season is over and now we rush into valentine’s day. Valentine’s Day is a holiday that I have detested most of my life. I’ve never quite understood the concept of telling someone you care with a bunch of overpriced roses on a certain day of the year. Shouldn’t that happen every day of the year? Shouldn’t someone feel loved all the time by their other half? If you need Hallmark to remind you of the fact that you haven’t given your significant other the i-love-you nudge since last Feb 14th — then what does that say?

I had a friend who used to tell her parents ‘I love you’ as she walked out the door. Every single time. Even as a teenager. I remember asking her about this interesting tradition — it was like watching monkeys at the zoo - but her comment still sticks with me today. She told me that she made a point of letting her parents know she loved them as she was leaving because ‘you never know’. She could get in a bus accident and never see them again. She wanted to be remembered as someone who loved.

 So do I. And not just on one day of the year.

Happy Groundhog Day. Does Hallmark make cards for that one too?

-Margo

I have never been so tired in my whole entire life. 1st retail season complete. Whew. Yes, it was tiring, but I really, really hope that lots of kids are blown away Christmas morning with their books. That matters to me. A lot.

I’m Margo’s better half - Joff. I asked Margo if I could do a guest blog post to write about a fun idea I had tonight. Hanging on our dinning room table is a framed picture of my family when I was a young boy about the age of my 4 year old.

I took the old photo out of it’s frame, scanned it, and then submitted a flattenme order for Here There Be Pirates. I can’t wait to read my son a book that stars me as a young 4 year old. I don’t think he realizes I was once young like him.

It’s sure to bring some smiles and giggles.

When I told Margo what I was up to she said I was not the first! There have been a number of orders from parents and even grandparents who scanned in old pictures of themselves. I love it!

Off to dig up a photo of my mom (aka Nonnie) when she was a kid …

- Joff

Super exciting day for Team Flattenme. Our books were selected to be featured on the Today Show’s Holiday Gift Guide segment. They have over 5 million viewers and we were down right giddy when our web servers started to light up this morning with orders.

Here’s a link to the article and video segment.

Gotta get back to work now. Lot’s to do

- Margo