Thursday, March 08, 2012

A sponsored post about being Honest with your baby

What do you think of when you hold a baby in your arms?

The first thing that may come to mind is how innocent and dependent little ones are on others to feed and take care of them. I love to look into a baby’s eyes and wonder what he or she is thinking and how I can make a positive impact on the future...both in their lives and for the planet which we share.  
That being said, although I am personally not a mom, I am surrounded by friends and family who have children. Whether I am asked to change diapers or to feed and clothe one of the little ones, I wonder whether or not the products being used are truly safe, non-toxic and eco-friendly which will most surely have an impact on the baby’s long-term future.

Being a golf-fashionista, I also like baby products that I purchase to be both colorful and stylish…even diapers! It is conjectured that newborns can distinguish bright colors and shapes and, by eight months, color vision is mostly developed!

 
The Honest Company has found a solution to all of the above concerns for both mom and baby. Golden-Globe nominated actress Jessica Alba founded the company with her own two children in mind, “I created The Honest Company to help moms and to give all children a better, safer start."

Co-founder of The Honest Company and former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, Christopher Gavigan, was deeply concerned about the products that actually touched his baby’s skin.  

"Parents get a lot of advice about what to feed their children and how to baby-proof their home," Gavigan says, "but many are still completely unaware of the toxic risks posed by everyday basics, like diapers, home cleaners, body washes, and laundry soaps. There's growing consensus that some chemicals used in these products are linked to chronic diseases like asthma, ADHD, and even cancer."

The result of Gavigan and Alba's concerns is a company whose mission statement is an ideal: savvy style using the highest in health and sustainability standards. For your baby this means a reduction of toxins within the products by sourcing natural, organic, sustainably harvested, renewable, pure raw materials. For the environment, The Honest Company reduces toxics in all products and packaging, is committed to dramatically reducing petroleum-based plastic (virgin) in their packaging and uses 100% renewable and/or recycled materials in all products, packaging, shipping materials, and office materials.


While many companies rely on either one or the other facets, it is refreshing to see that The Honest Company is genuinely seeking a solution to potentially hazardous problems for both baby and the environment while also making the future brighter for the next generation of little ones!

For moms and for women like me who purchase products for babies, The Honest Company is guaranteeing that you won't find hazards like phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, PVC, parabens, benzene, chlorine, synthetic fragrances, triclosan, formaldehyde-based preserving agents, etc.,  in their products...if you can't pronounce these names, they can't be good to put near your baby's skin, can they?


The Honest Company partnership with non-profit Baby2Baby, supplying families in need with essential baby clothing and gear, is an awesome charity too, don't you think? Giving makes the world go 'round!
Here is Jessica Alba, honestly speaking about why she started the Honest Company:



Check out The Honest Company on Facebook and Twitter.



Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Reputation management needed for Michelle Wie?


Michelle_wie In the span of a few days I received three press releases about LPGA golfers; two spoke about achievements in the sport and one, about Michelle Wie, offered insight into her “favorite things.”

 The achievements of the first two golfers, Lorena Ochoa and Paige MacKenzie, were self-explanatory. Ochoa is being honored with an EWGA Leadership award next month at the organization’s annual Golfpalooza gathering for her philanthropist efforts. MacKenzie is being appointed as sports ambassador for the National Association of Professional Women.

As for the press release regarding Michelle Wie, I concluded it to be a prime example of reputation management. Although Wie has shown herself to be a charitable sort thereby offering up a positive view of herself, some golf fans in a recent article referred to her as an overrated mishandled "has-been" with no clue how to win. (I didn’t say this folks. You can read comments here.)

The comments were in response to Michelle’s angry behavior demonstrated last week at the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore. Wie tossed her golf club and shouted an expletive (or two) after a mishit drive. Although she apologized after the round, her reaction did not go unnoticed by the media and by fans of the sport. The crowd was spurred on to criticize her most recent act while also reacting to her past seven years of unimpressive results and her flair for the dramatic.

A team from USGA, U.S. Women’s Open and Kohler immediately put together positive press to counter the growing resentment. Whether good or bad, isn't it important for women’s golf to get some publicity?

 Wie and Co. have created a money machine (Nike, Sony, McDonalds and Kia, to name a few of her sponsors) with her agents and parents very much in control of the purse strings.

The LPGA and women’s golf in general sorely need attention, good press rarely gets any visibility nowadays and Wie has always been a figure who is larger than life so why not utilize her to help get more eyes on the sport?
  
So, without further adieu, here are a few of Michelle Wie’s favorite things:
· Her dog, Lola
· Baking vegan cookies and muffins
· Painting and drawing
· Classic golf movies like “Caddyshack” and “Happy Gilmore”, as well as the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series
· Blogging and tweeting
· All kinds of music, from Justin Bieber to Lady Antebellum to The Jakes

And so, now Michelle Wie's positive side has been shown and we're all full of the "warm fuzzies". Which do you prefer to see and comment upon?

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook.

photo credit: outcomemag.com