Showing posts with label Community Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Community Interview. Show all posts

May 27, 2010

Meet the CGB Staff!

Since our fearless leader will be M.I.A. for some of the summer months (as well as the fall), the CGB staff wanted to formally introduce ourselves.We're all very enthusiastic Crunchy Granola Baby-ers and Jennie has trained us well, so please feel free to direct any questions/comments/ideas to Amy, Erin, or Kim. After all, Jennie needs to concentrate on getting ready for the newest addition to her family!

Amy Tetreault is Crunchy Granola Baby's manager and marketing guru, as well as a marketing/pr coordinator at Tree Care Industry Association and freelance journalist. With a bachelors in communications and a masters in journalism, her work has appeared in various publications, particularly North Shore Art Throb. When she's not staring intensely at her iBook screen, Amy is reading, exploring, listening to NPR, riding her Giant bicycle, enhancing her concert resume, and plotting her next travel adventure. Learn more about Amy at her website, http://amytetreault.weebly.com/.




Erin LeColst has been working at CGB intermittently for two years now. Erin is a history teacher for both middle school and high school students and an avid sewer. She makes everything from quilts to cloth diapering accessories! After having a baby, she took some time off from teaching and now works part time at CGB. She is passionate about veganism, politics, history, and the environment...plus she loves to discuss cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and birth stories. Crunchy Granola Baby is a perfect fit!




January 21, 2010

Twitter Tuesday: Advice to New Families

Earlier this week, we hosted our weekly Twitter Tuesday Contest. We asked our Facebook (& Twitter) friends to share advice for new families. Here are some of the wonderful responses! (And congrats to our winner, Rebecca Wood, who scored an ImseVimse Organic Cotton Cover for little girl!)
  • My advice for new parents is to never do anything just because a well intentioned person said that is how it should be. Just slow down, relax, breathe deeply, and listen to your baby and your inner voice. Getting a child to sttn, wean, etc...is not a race. Its a developmental process that takes time, and differently so with different babies.

  • My advice for new parents is don't worry about others & their feelings do what is best for you & your baby.

  • Enjoy every moment, being a parent is such a learning experience!

  • Follow your instinct - you really do know what is best, although it will take time to gain that confidence.

  • Don't take the advice of others too seriously. No one knows your baby better than you - follow baby's lead and all will be well. And resist the temptation to do what needs to be done when baby naps, it can wait, you need rest to be present for your little one.

  • Laugh, let go, and enjoy the ride!

  • Blow up your TV!

  • Trust yourself!

  • Have fun.

  • Know that you have the child you were destined to have, so when it gets hard you can take heart that this is just the place you are suppose to be

  • Vote! (Hehe, this was submitted on Election Day.)

  • Go to Crunchy Granola Baby! Actually, I DO give this advice out to parents - you're a great resource! (Awwww, thanks!)

  • The gift of a yummy meal is a visitor's ticket to meet the new baby. (Shameless Self Promotion: Check out Green Delicious New Parent Package!)

  • Stay true to yourself, don't sweat the dishes, and remember that you absolutely cannot spoil your baby by holding her/him too much.

  • You don't need all the gadgets that are marketed to expecting parents. A sling (or some type of carrier), breasts, and cloth diapers is it!

  • Follow your baby's lead...they will always let you know what they need.

  • Trust your instincts.

  • Your child will do what your child will do when your child is ready to do it.

  • Connect with other Moms - sharing the journey with others is so valuable on many levels.

Be sure to visit our Facebook and Twitter pages next Tuesday for your chance to win a great CGB prize!

August 11, 2009

BPA-free baby bottles have been the norm at Salem store

Did you hear?

Jennie is featured in The Salem News today!

In an article titled "BPA-free baby bottles have been the norm at Salem store," Jennie discusses the new public health concern over baby bottles with the chemical bisphenol-A.

"The reason why I opened my store was I couldn't find anything natural. My store's always been BPA-free, phthalate-free, all-natural fibers," explains Jennie.

To read the full article, click here.


July 2, 2009

Community Interview: Courtney Heath




Courtney Heath is a local mom/wife, marketing/public relations genius, blogger and the new co-owner of Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Front Street.

We caught up with Courtney to learn more about her wonderful family (pictured above) and her life here in Salem.

Q.) Are you originally from Salem? How did you end up here?

Not originally from Salem, but it sure feels like home. I grew up on the Cape and my husband in L.A. When we were looking to buy a house, Cambridge and Boston were too expensive for what we wanted so we sought to find a place that had a great sense of community but still enough of “a city feel” to offer amenities we were used to as city dwellers. I also wanted to live close to the water, having grown up on the Cape. Salem really fit the bill but it wasn’t until we had our daughter that we realized this place would be our home and that we’d want to invest time and money in making this a community for us for the long haul.

Q.) Tell us a little about your family, your community, etc.

We have a two and half year old little girl Mazie May who is really the reason we fell in love with Salem. As a new mom with a preemie, I was amazed to find a place like CGB and was part of the inaugural Friday morning play group.

Q.) What do you do for work?

Right now it seems like I have four jobs. After having Mazie I went back to my former job three days a week, helping biotech and healthcare companies with public relations and marketing needs.

In a totally different direction, my husband and I have recently purchase Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Front St. here in Salem. So now much of my time is also spent managing the store, purchasing product, and working with customers.

Tack on the job of Mummy and Wife and I’m keeping pretty busy.

Q.) Can you tell us more about Seed Stitch? Why you bought it, your vision for the shop, etc.

Searching for something a bit more tactile to supplement my career over the long term, we had long thought about starting or buying a business in Salem. We really wanted to contribute to something for ourselves and for our community. When we heard the previous owner of Seed Stitch wanted to sell, we jumped and are so pleased we did.

We hope to add to the amazing foundation that was created for us at Seed Stitch, increasing the community involvement, bringing in additional new and exciting products, adding to the eco friendly lines of yarns, seeking to showcase local designers and talents, etc. If you’re a knitter or crocheter, please stop in and say hello and if you’re not, we have great classes to get you started.

Q.) Your blog is great! What prompted you to start a blog? How do you find the time?

I’ve had a personal blog for several years and found it a great way to express myself and focus my energies. Unfortunately, that blog has been a little neglected for the new Seed Stitch blog, http://www.ayarntale.com/ , which is equally rewarding to write and I hope interesting to read. I just can’t manage both right now. Maybe one day I’ll pick the old one back up. Blogging no doubt takes a lot of time and commitment. Readers expect posts often and you’re constantly challenged with what will be an interesting tidbit, but luckily the posts are often thoughts or conversations already spinning around in my head so it comes fairly naturally.

To read Courtney's personal blog, visit http://www.mymamay.com. For the Seed Stitch blog, check out http://www.ayarntale.com/.

April 23, 2009

Community Interview: Kristy Mount

April's Community Interview is with Kristy Mount, local mom and creator of Potty Mouth Designs!

Kristy has had a love for fashion and design since she was a child herself.

After years of designing and sewing her own clothes, her passion led her to study fashion at Parsons School of Design in Paris and graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

And while producing her own line of clothing has always been a dream of Kristy’s, it wasn’t until she became a stay-at-home mom that her dream was realized. After having her first baby, Nathaniel, Kristy became dissatisfied with the traditional designs and colors that dominated the baby clothes market. By the time Kristy’s second child, Anabelle, was born she decided to do something about it and began making her own clothing and accessories for her little ones.

So began Potty Mouth Designs.

Where did you come up with the name "Potty Mouth Designs"?

A group of us gets together every week to craft/ socialize/ vent about parenthood and since the kids are asleep, the expletives just seem to roll off my tongue. My friend Kristen said that if I ever started to sell my stuff, that I should call it Potty Mouth Designs, so I did. It was just the perfect fit.

What is the most rewarding aspect of Potty Mouth Designs?

Knowing that I make a product that people find worthy enough to take home for their children or give to someone they care about means a lot to me. And while I wouldn't trade staying home with my kids for the world, sometimes its good to know that people other than my family appreciate something that I do.

Stop by Crunchy Granola Baby and check out all of Kristy's Potty Mouth Designs!

March 2, 2009

Community Interviews: Jennie Cudmore

This March, we're introducing a new blog feature!

Each month, we'll interview a different local parent about his/her kids/job/hobbies/passions and anything else we feel like discussing. We're hoping this feature will help our friends and customers get to know one another better and create a strong community within the shop, Salem, and the North Shore.

March Q&A with Jennie Cudmore. In case you didn't know, Cudmore is the owner of Crunchy Granola Baby.

Where did you come up with the name Crunchy Granola Baby?

[laughing] I remember talking to my mom about what a good name would be while I was nursing Tommie and watching the Food Network.

What inspired you to open Crunchy Granola Baby?

While I was pregnant with my two year old son Tommie, I was forced to do all my “green” shopping online. And I kept thinking it was so backwards that I couldn’t physically touch my cloth diapers before buying or feel the organic cotton tee before purchasing. And so I figured that instead of just sitting back idle, I might as well go ahead and do something about it. And when I really started thinking about it, I realized how great it would be to create a place where families could meet other families and feel comfortable just hanging out and, of course, spreading the “green” word.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of Crunchy Granola Baby?


I love that I have met, and continue to meet, new and fabulous families whom I am always learning so much from. I am truly blessed to be able to do something I truly love. I have made so many lifelong friendships and am forever grateful for that.