“There’s only one person on the planet who is going to care enough about what you are doing, and that is you. Don’t expect someone to come along and make it happen for you.”

Cooperation is a wonderful and necessary thing, and no one can become successful without some harmony between like-minds to bring ideas to life. Even after all these years, however, I have found that the amateur advice I was giving has held true. If there’s something you really, truly believe in – at the beginning and at the end of each day there’s only one person who is going to make it happen. And that is you baby! Every hearty entrepreneur learns this lesson very quickly.

On that note, I’m not one to toot my own horn but will always make noise for our diaper caddy, which has become one of the most gift-able and useful baby-care products out there today, making diaper changes easier for new parents for over 5 years now! Here are a few recent reviews from customers at Target Stores for the SaraBear Diaper Caddy… Thank you!

A MUST HAVE ITEM I love this basket! It goes everywhere in the house baby goes! Bath or diaper time everything you need will fit neatly into the basket. Its extremely durable. I found my nephew standing in it (don’t ask) and can find no sign of damage done by this assault.

BEAUTIFUL and FUNCTIONAL! The liner is beautiful and the basket is top quality. The middle pocket fits a wipes container perfectly and the basket’s handle folds down to be out of the way if you want! One side of the basket has 4 smaller pockets and one of them is shallow (perfect for fingernail clippers!) I highly recommend this caddy to everyone, it’s perfect.

OUR FAVORITE! We received this basket as a gift when our 1st baby was born. Our 2nd baby is now 6 months old, and we still use it every day. It’s a staple product in our house and I don’t know what we’d do without it! I usually keep it in the family room where we end up doing many of our diaper changes…:) I recommend it and it’s always my gift for new mommies…

One of my other babies I believe in…Sara before her Spring dance recital

en·dure (v.) : To hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding.

I had a magical little conversation with a friend of mine the other day. A successful inventor and self-made Entrepreneur, he has the attitude and wit of a child yet the negotiation skills and sales abilities of the seasoned executive he is. He is always thinking, stewing on ideas, creating. He’s a problem solver and a positive thinker.

Unbeknownst to him, he inspires me.

Also a writer, he recently signed with a publisher to submit some chapters for his first book. As we exchanged stories about the latest in our lives he shared that he has hit a “writer’s-block” and this is yielding a wee-bit stressful situation for him.

Some family chaos is taking center stage in his life and, thus, his creative thoughts are clouded by necessary obligations. Time will mend this and anyone who has ever written knows the writing process ticks to its own clock – it is authentic and organic. One cannot force the creation of communication and tale.

“So what about you Melissa?’ he asked. ‘You haven’t posted in a long time.”

Well, maybe one could say I’ve also hit a writer’s-block of sorts. My emotional, creative energy has been channeled elsewhere.

Maybe I’ve just been incredibly busy – softball practice, softball games, driving to, driving fro, dance practice, dance recitals, managing SaraBear – my own necessary yet cherished duties.

I suppose one could also say that I’ve been intentionally vague, metaphorically communicative, purposefully vacant.

All accounts would be correct.

Pleasantly, this conversation and the exchange of our words birthed a realization (a badly needed one at that). A thought shifted from my peripheral to tunnel vision. Although rather intuitive and likely foreign to many, the jist of which was this:

Sustainability isn’t something you earn, are given, or even work for. It is a quality that you ARE. It is a feature you have likely always possessed and is at work for you, whether splashing on the surface or resting in the undercurrent, all the time. In the right hands, endurance is not selfish. It is selfless.

Thank you friend. I hope your road-block opens up soon.

Our new Soul-Sista – Cassandra, Miss Sandra B., “Sandi”. Likely not pondering the emotional qualities of sustainability.

In her fever-induced fog, she whispered softly to me, “Mom. If there was magic in this world and we could use it, I would only ask to use it once. I would bring Grandmom back to take care of me when I was sick, because she would make me feel so much better.”

April 30, 1943 – December 7, 2005

In Blackwater Woods

Dancing Princesses Avery, Finley and Briar Magee

Sometimes in life you get taken by surprise, as natural milestones blossom like miracles. About three years ago we did a photo shoot for new packaging for our diaper caddies. We had two models in a local mom and her daughter. The baby was as beautiful as we could have hoped for, with twinkling eyes, a radiant smile and toes so edible they made it onto the packaging.

Looking back, I realize that it was a pretty magical convergence of life parallels— a photo shoot for mom and baby, forever capturing the magic of a moment in time and the earliest days of a new product. You might think it’s a stretch to compare a baby and packaging, but little Avery, barely 9 months at the time of the shoot, was coming into her own, beginning to gurgle and kick at the activity around her, while the diaper caddies were beginning to take off, that particular round of packaging was targeted at the goal to reach wider distribution.

Now, three years later, Avery is a pre-schooler, walking home each day with breathless tales of tag on the playground and learning new songs in the classroom. SaraBear diaper caddies have exciting tales of their own, first tentatively crawling into boutiques, then walking into Target Stores throughout the country and now running into Babies “R”Us and Babiesrus.com – the world’s leading baby products retailer and the #1 Baby Registry site in the U.S.

We always knew that things would change, babies would grow up and new frontiers would be explored as a company, but it still takes our breath away.

Our gorgeous little model has grown up so much, with a baby sister taking on her own role in SaraBear photography, but to us the laughter of that 9 month old during a photo shoot one winter will endure like the first caddies crafted in a basement in the Adirondacks of New York.

Read our press release

Avery’s timeless baby face

I hope they’ll be friends forever.

Determination meets rock.

Doc and Brie would be proud!

“What’s the big deal Dad? It was only 75 feet.”

With each step I took in the cool morning rain, clarity infused my mind. As I scaled the rocks nearing the summit of the mountain it occurred to me: “If life is so short, why then, are we so deeply and at times desperately invested in how we spend our time and who we spend our lives with?”

Seems to me, this may be the ultimate conundrum.

She’s 7 1/2 and nothing is quite good enough, lasts long enough, or is big enough. My Princess Sara…the universe, of course, revolves around her don’t you know? We are players in her innocent game and dancers in her elaborate show. Each day includes power struggles, stomping off, rolling of the beautiful green eyes and at least one door-slamming.

I was reminded of this repeatedly as we enjoyed an afternoon at the County Fair. We had strolled the dusty paths, perused the carney fodder, eaten sinful fair-food and ridden a dozen rides. We watched a show, played some games, and spent all of Dad’s money. And at the end while the sun was setting there we were in the middle of the fairway. Sara with tears in her eyes that she wanted more! Not understanding that one ride-ticket wouldn’t get us anymore she finally yelled in frustration, “But it’s not fair!”

I took a deep breath and looked up. To the left I watched a group of tween boys and girls hanging out. They wore goth-like attire and shared a common and bit creepy deer-in-the-headlight gaze. I just smiled. “Thankfulness” was my only emotion. I reached out for my kid’s hands. Quietly knowing it was time to call “Uncle”, they instinctively reached back out for mine.

As we made our way back to the car the lights and sounds behind us faded away. The moment was mine to savor – the moment where my babies still hold my hand in crowds, they still listen to me and believe in what I have to say. The moment when I know where they are and who they’re with. These moments that I am hanging on to as long as I possibly can.

So Sara I say to you, bring it on! Bring on the whining, complaining, huffing and puffing. It will not daunt me. Being your mother is the most wonderful and fairest thing in the land.

Our most precious assets – Nathaniel and Sara.