My newest addiction

Labeling everything. Some may say that I am really bored at home and nesting. While others may think I am super-organized. Whatever the reason may be, I simply know that I am loving Mabel's Labels. I never ever considered myself a labeling type person. I remember growing up, my mom would use a marker to identify our clothing, backpacks, etc...I also remember, I was completely and utterly embarassed by this. Also, I never understood why people labeled, unless they were complete clutzes, or they had some sort of compulsive disorder. I would watch HGTV or TLC, and could not relate to those organizational shows. However, now I can tell you that I am completely intrigued by labeling. Let me tell you why.

Once my daughter started school, we started to miss articles of clothing, her bag, her containers, etc. I didn't want to start labeling her things with a sharpee pen, although I did almost give into that option. To my happiness, I discovered Mabel's Labels. First and foremost, I loved the name. I will be the first to admit that I do buy into the packaging. I went to their cute website, and they pretty much offered a whole line of everything and anything that has to do with labeling. The most ideal package for me was the Camp/School Pack, since all my problems and the need to label, had to do with this.

The Camp/School Pack has 15 sticky Labels, 40 Iron-Ons or 50 Tag Mates, 8 Shoe Labels, 2 Bad Tags. The Labels are all dishwasher/micro-wave safe and UV resistant. The clothing labels are laundry safe, as well. The Labels are available in 3 grouped colors: standard, princess, and ocean. My daughter and I appropriately chose Princess, as her color pallette. Since each order is customized/personalized to your needs, you get to choose what you want, and it's very easy. We typed in her name, selected what sort of labels we wanted, chose our Princess icon, picked our Princess color, and then we were done. These labels are $34.00 for the pack.

Once I received my labels in the mail, I was super excited to start labeling my daughter's school stuff. She just started her ballet/tap classes at school, and I did not want to lose anything of hers, since they were pretty pricey. First, I had to go through the process of fighting over the labels with my daughter because she thought they were stickers, and I wanted to start labeling as fast as possible. She eventually got what I was doing and was pretty excited to see her name everywhere. She loved her princess icon and now that she is learning to spell her name, she immediately read the labels, which as a parent, was one of those proud moments. I labeled her tap shoes, her ballet slippers, her leotards, and her tights. It felt like such an accomplishment. When she gets to school, her teachers will now be able to distinguish her things from her classmates.

Another thing that I had to get that Mabel's Labels offers, was the Mama Cards. Such a simple, but clever idea. How many times have you gone to the park or the mall, and have had other mothers ask for your number or email address? I have had that happen to me so many times, that I can't even keep count. Every single time, I either took out a receipt from a grocery store, rip a portion of my mail envelope, or write on their hands. Obviously, we are not carrying around Mommy business cards to give out when we are doing our daily duties. At least, I don't think about networking or anything of that matter when I am out with my child. The focus is completely on my child. However, once I started my blog and people were approaching me about my blog, wanting to know more about it, it looked a little sloppy writing my info on a Whole Foods Receipt, or a ripped out piece of paper from something else. At that time, I knew I had to get something that was like a business card, but more Mommy oriented.

Mama Cards were the answer to my clumsy looking days. Just like you can customize the labels, you can customize the cards with five different designs and you can include any information you would like on the card. I chose the Field design and put my name, blog name, email address, and phone number on it. On the back, you have a notes section, so you can write down anything you would like. I love this feature because the person who has my card, either knows how we met, what we talked about, or they can write notes for themselves. It's such a cute way for mothers to give out information, without the hassle of taking out a pen and paper, in the midst of all the chaos that goes on at playgrounds or at malls. I already started using mine at my daughter's school, and all the mothers are asking me about it, so it is definitely a winner!

Mabel's Labels is a mommy started company and they themselves created these innovative products, after going through the same frustrations that we mothers go through. Nice clothing items, backpacks, and other things leaving the house, without ever making an appearance back at home. The products definitely had the mother/child/family in mind. I am now a huge fan and I will continue to label everything that I feel needs to be labeled in my household. For more information on Mabel's Labels go to: http://www.mabels.ca/