New Store Spotlight

We'd like to welcome our newest online store, Barefoot Bella, to our family of online retailers selling Beansoup Aprons. See below for more information on this truly special online boutique for little ones!

About Barefoot Bella

The Barefoot Bella Children's Boutique specializes in unique gifts for children ages infant up to pre-teen. All of our products are chosen carefully with the love of children in mind. We carry many designer names and are always looking for unique and fun items to have available for our cutomers.

Contact Barefoot Bella

You can find Barefoot Bella Online at:

www.barefootbella.net

New Store Spotlight:

We'd like to welcome our newest store, the Unicoi Art Studio, to our family of retailers selling Beansoup Aprons. See below for more information on this truly special place for kids.

About Unicoi
Unicoi Art Studio has been able to provide exceptional art classes to children for 11 years and we have grown and suceeded in our industry by valuing our roles as art educators.We deeply care about both children and art, so your child's creative enrichment is our number one priority. Our dedication to the arts and education is why we were voted the winner of Nickolodeon's Parent Picks Award for the best artsy classes for kids in Chicago 2008 and 2009.
Our mission is to "draw out the imagination" in every child in an informative, engaging and fun art program.

Contact Unicoi
2059 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL 60618
p: (773)975-6515
http://www.unicoistudio.com/

We're Serving Up New Looks at Beansoup.

It's that time of year when the fun begins as we start adding new fabrics to our Beansoup Apron Line. Look for us to add 2 new fabrics to our chef apron line along with 2 new looks to our cobbler line in June. And don't forget our new Magician's capes which will be on our website in July.

Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home

ACTIVITY: Release ladybugs into your garden.

COST: Less than $10.00 at your local hardware store or visit http://www.organiccontrol.com/

TIME NEEDED: 30 minutes of fly away fun.

BONUS: Ladybugs love to dine on aphids and plant mites so ditch the icky pesticides for this kid-friendly method of pest control.









I am a busy Mom and it seems there is never enough time in my day. When I am not keeping my household running, I am busy owning my own business, heading up PTA functions, training for marathons, keeping up who is winning Project Runway and the list goes on. Sound familiar?

As a modern mom, I find myself short on time and even shorter on patience.

I need to spend more quality time with my kids. Who doesn't? But what I've realized is that my kids don't need or even want my attention 24 hours a day. They just want to know that when I am with them, I am completely with them and can you blame them?

So that's what I've decided to do, give them their time. So here goes...

For 30 minutes each day, I, mother of 2, will try to shut off my"life" during which time, I promise not to tweet, post on Facebook, go near my computer, pick up my Blackberry or answer my phone. I will be present and grateful and believe it or not, fun!

$5 Fridays Are Here!

Every Friday between now and Christmas, we are going to offer one of our off-season apron patterns for $5 each.

We understand that money is tight all around and we decided that instead of selling our stock to a chain liquidator, we would sell them direct to our customers. We want kids to have our aprons and we want the people who purchase our aprons to be able to give a quality gift that they can afford.

Go to our website www.fromthebeanpot.com/5bluegreensurf.html and view our current sale on our Blue Green Surf aprons. While you are there, sign up to receive notification when each sale goes live.

Happy Shopping!

48 Hour VIP Sale - Save 50%

Our supporters are the best!! and to thank you for being there for us, we are opffering the 1st in a series of VIP Sales.

Go to http://fromthebeanpot.com/Holidaysale to save 50% of Holiday Cobbler Aprons for the next 48 hours only.

Keep a look out for our $5 Fridays which will begin soon and go through the holidays.

We know that times are tough and we want you to still be able to give the best quality gifts. Thank you again for everything.

Take a Walk On The Wild Side...

It is a little known fact that I love bugs. I am the mom at kindergarten pickup who is always surrounded by throngs of kids anxiously waiting to see what I will find next...what I will literally unearth. To look at me, you probably wouldn't guess that I am most happy when turning over some long ago placed brick to see what spectacular world creeps beneath. In fact, my friends are often astounded, if not grossed out by the fact that an earthworm's wriggle makes me smile or that the sight of a prehistoric looking beetle can engage me for hours as he crawls across the pavement.

Although we live in a city, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by nature. Our canyon is filled with great hiking trails and hills that provide us with an up close glimpse of the wild world, that is occasionally more than we asked for with the visit from the mountain lions, . We listen to the coyotes howling at night and smell the skunk as he makes his presence known in our backyard. Top that off with all of the local vegetation and the glorious falcons and other birds and we have quite the outdoor symphony that is wonderful to hear and to see.

Summer Memory #3 - Nature Walk

Life goes by quickly. We scurry around from soccer practice to piano lessons and through Drive Thrus so often that we forget to stop and take a look at our surroundings. When I announced that we were going on a nature walk, I was met by two pairs of skeptical eyes and a chorus of whines that echoed through the canyon. But when I told them we were looking for BUGS, we were out the door before you could blink. (Those apples really don't fall the far from the tree, now do they?)

Our walk was peaceful and educational and we found the biggest nest of Rolly Pollys ever! For me and my kids, it was a good day and we have dirt under our fingernails to prove it.

Whose Apron Strings Are You Tied To?

I am convinced that aprons strings are always tied to memories. Whether with family members or colorful waitresses in diners, when asked most people can conjer up stong sensory memory of a woman and her apron.

Mine is of that of my great-grandmother "Granny". I was very young when I visited her but I will never forget her in her apron. The only reason I actually remember the fabric is because I now own the apron but the memory of my Granny is strong.

She was a formidable southern woman who lost her pinky to a lawn mower, dipped snuff ( tobacco chewing for those of you who don't know) and could shell peas and "put up" a whole garden's worth without blinking an eye. She was awe-inspiring and tough as nails and though I was afraid of her stump of a finger, even at that young of an age, I knew that I wanted just a little of what she had.

Her strength, her confidence, her courageousness....

I'd love to hear your apron memories. Please share them with me if you can.

Mmmmm....Weelicious Fans

We are greatful to Weelicious for their wonderful review of our Overall Aprons. We know that the boys are tough customers when it comes to aprons so we are happy to hear ours passed the test. Read on to see what the folks at Weelicious had to say:

In my experience, one of the major challenges as a parent is getting kids dressed every day. From the time kids first start to assert their independence around the age of two, having choice in what they wear is super important for them. Control is a very big deal for children and next to food, clothing is paramount.

Kenya has gotten to the point where he not only insists on picking out what he wants to wear, but he also negotiates how he wants and when he’s ready to be changed. I feel like I have to strategize every morning before I go in his room just so I have a plan of attack.

Keeping this in mind, when I got this adorable Beansoup apron, I wasn’t even sure if Kenya would let me put it on him. Fortunately, both sets of his loving grandparents recently got him a mini play kitchen so he could cook just like mommy. All I had to say was “do you want to put on a apron and do some cooking” and his arms flew in the air for me to place it on him. He loved that he could put utensils in the pockets and get to work making a feast. I love it because now he wants to wear his apron every time he eats, and so he doesn’t mess up his outfit before we head out for the day.

Beansoup makes 3 different styles: chef, cobbler and overall aprons, all in different fabrics for each cook’s unique style. I can’t even tell you how comfortable and sweet they look on future chefs. One step closer to culinary school!

Eco-Me DIY Kits Give Beansoup a Greener Purpose

We'd like to thank the fabulous folks at Eco-Me for including us in their 52 weekly tips email blast.

Beansoup Survives Bankruptcy Tuesday!

I'll admit, when I first heard about the new CPSIA law that went into effect last year, I panicked. How was a small company like mine going to possibly afford to get lead testing on it's products? What exactly did all of this mean? It was confusing and scary.

I am a mother of 2 wonderful kids and I have made it my life's work to make sure that they are safe and healthy. I buy organic foods, I use as many chemical free cleaners as I can and I watch like a hawk what they put in their mouths. But who am I kidding? As parents, we know that when we turn our backs, they ingest every ounce of junk food available, chew on batteries and light bulbs and maybe even lick the paint in their paint sets. The point is, we can't monitor them constantly so we have to know that what we are buying for them won't harm them. So I sat down and asked myself a few questions.

Would I want to buy my children a product that has dangerous levels of lead in it?

No.

Do I want manufacturers to be responsible for insuring that their products don't have excessive lead counts.

Yes.

To me it wasn't a question of could I afford to test my products, it was how quickly could I get them tested? How soon would it be before I could go to bed at night knowing that the product that I provide for children is safe? For me, it was a done deal and even though the CPSC generously granted a stay on certificates, I felt that it was absolutely my job to be prepared for the February 10 deadline.

The moral is, Beansoup will survive Bankruptcy Tuesday. We have been tested and according to our CPSC approved testing facility, our products are safe. Our certificates are ready, should anyone ask and we are prepared, confident and more than a little relieved.

So the next time my son chews on his favorite apron, I'll let it go and know that he will be just fine. I'm making it my life's work to protect my children as their parent and as a business owner it is my duty and my pleasure to protect yours...

No matter what the cost.