A Free Baby Shower!

How awesome would it be to go to Des Moines' Largest Baby Shower?  A place where everything you could possibly need for baby is in one convenient location?  Well, your chance has arrived! 

Saturday, February 27th at the Iowa State Fairgrounds' Animal Education Building (East 33rd Street Entrance) from 9 AM until 3 PM.  FREE ADMISSION!  FREE PARKING!  

Giveaways, fashion shows, discounts on great items - it's everything expecting and new parents could ever want!  Vendors vary from Doula Services to Glamour Girls Dress-Up Parties (which means I will be there - YAY!).  So take some time out of your busy Saturday and come see us at Des Moines' Largest Baby Shower!

Also, stay informed by signing up for the Iowa Parent Newsletter.

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Best, 

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents

Iowa Pageants; You Ain't in Kentucky No More!?

Our family has been active in pageantry since my oldest, Heaven, now 20, was five months old.  We

have competed in and been a party to filming pageants for television all over the world.  Literally.  The one big take-away from our experiences is that pageants, like people, are different everywhere you go!  On the West Coast, "Gold Coast Pageants" rules the area with some massive Disney themes.  On the East Coast, the personalities of the mothers are twice that of their contestant's and in the south, you either "Go Big or Go Home". Oh, and internationally, they all think American's are nutty with this peculiar child pageant thing.

In Iowa, pageants are a completely different breed.  Iowans are financially practical, so custom dresses, spray tans, flippers and hair pieces are generally out of the question.  Unfortunately, so too are coaching and decent photos.  The combination of all these cost cutting measures generally dooms the Iowa contestant to the "Miss Congeniality" award at big, national competitions.  We also tend to want people to love us for our brains and work ethic, not our fashion sense or beauty.  That is why scholarship pageants, such as National American Miss and America's U.S. Miss are so popular in the state.  These scholarship pageants are more about "youth development" than who has the best spray tan and  high glitz dress.

Piper

My youngest, Piper, will be competing in the Iowa National American Miss pageant on the weekend of April 2nd (Happy Birthday to ME!).  This will be her first time at NAM, which is actually a calculated move.  She just turned 7 years old, so she will "fall back" into the 4-6 year old division and since she has prior pageant experience, but not NAM experience, we hope it plays in her favor to not look like a "Pro" (that's a bad thing in Iowa).  I expect at least 70 girls will be competing for the Princess Title at National American Miss, so it will also be the largest divisional pageant in which she's ever competed.

In true Iowa fashion, we are excited about the opportunity to show off Piper's intelligence as well as her poise, personality and beauty.  With some luck and a lot of preparation, I hope to be updating this blog as the Mom of Iowa's 2016 Princess after April 3rd.  You can follow Piper's journey if you're a friend of mine on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In) or just be sure to "Like" the Iowa Parents on Facebook to see how us pageant pros fair in Iowa. AND, if you have any interest in learning more about the local pageant scene, drop us a comment below, social media message or e-mail at GlamourGirlsDressUp@gmail.com.

Sign up for the Iowa Parents' Newsletter HERE. 

Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents

Take the kids on an EPIC Adventure!

Eighteen months ago, I decided to take my three daughters (6, 7 and 19 at the time) on an  
Epic Adventure from Des Moines to Los Angeles and back.  The difference between this trip and any of our regular vacations was that we CAMPED at state and national parks for the entire trip (except for two nights in Los Angeles, there were no parks at which to camp).  Now, you may be thinking, "Ugh! Camping? NO THANKS!" But to be perfectly honest, I am NOT an outdoorsman either!  You are more likely to see me "Glamping" than roughing it in a wilderness.  But a primary motivation of this trip was that it is SO CHEAP (around $12 a night) and SO BEAUTIFUL to stay over in parks.  So, with a couple of little two-person pup tents and strategic placement of all our gear in the trunk, we traveled across county in a tiny Ford Focus on a twelve day journey and life changing-experience.  

The Science Center of Iowa is now offering an amazing preview of what is in store for you when you choose to traverse the United States through the National Parks.  The title is appropriately, "National Parks Adventure" and on the enormous IMax screen will surely impress you so much that you'll be mentally packing the car as you leave the theater.

I cannot more highly recommend taking "Epic Adventures" with your family.  Since our first journey, we purposely make attempts to create Epic Adventures.  Whether it's a simple day trip to the Spam Museum in Minnesota or the (upcoming) adventure to New Orleans, these are experiences that will define my girl's personalities and spirits forever.  If you have a story about your adventures, please share them below in the comments or on our Facebook Page.  We want to know what you do with your family to create memories.

Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents

Iowa Mom's Don't Want Their Children Shot

Today it was my privilege to participate in a "Mom's Demand Action" meeting with a strong, amazing group of women in Newton, Iowa.

When six year old children were slaughtered in their classrooms at Sandyhook Elementary, I knew that the time had come to take action on sensible gun reform.  The idea of my daughters being murdered, as they sat learning in their classroom and dreamed of a life that would never be, haunted me. It kept me up at night. 

As I followed the tortuous coverage of the murders, I learned that the little bodies of the victims of

Sandy Hook Elementary were each riddled with at least 11 bullets.  I pondered, why would we ever find it acceptable to allow our children to suffer such a horrible death?  How scared must those children have been as they grimaced and cried out in pain?  Without a mother's comfort, these babies died, writhing and bleeding.  That's when I decided to take action.  When I tied to imagine the pain of the children. The pain of the parents. It was felt by me. Presumably, it was the collective pain of a nation. 

We must demand action.  We must demand sensible gun ownership.  Never again must we allow a madman to savage the lives of our children, and these lovely ladies with Iowa Mom's Demand Action understand this fact.  Regardless of political affiliation, surely, we can agree that our children take presidence? 

Join Mom's Demand Action's FACEBOOK PAGE.  Join our Des Moines Group for coffee on Sunday, February 28th at Smokey Row Coffee.  Demand. Change.  Join the Iowa City and/or Ames groups.  Do. Something.

Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents

Killing My 8 Year Old's Fun!

As we were leaving the house this morning, my 8 year old daughter, Ireland, announced that she was

so excited that she found a new "free game" on her Kindle.  It is a game where she can "chat" with other people.  Instantaneously, my ears perked up and I promptly freaked out. "Ireland, you can't just start chatting with other people on the internet." I explained.  "You don't know if those people are other children or freaks who want to kidnap and kill you." I continued.  I don't humor my children with flowery fantasies about how the world works.  If my girls really have a reason to be worried, I want them to know that they SHOULD be worried.  Be cautious.  Be wise.

Ireland promptly informed me, in an annoying, pre-teen-ish tone, "You always kill my fun!" To which I responded, "It's better than being killed, isn't it?"

Not too long after this conversation, Ireland admitted that I was right and deleted the application from her Kindle.  The interaction made me realize how important it is to keep a better eye on the games and applications my two youngest download on their electronic devices though.  No matter how much we think we have a handle on what our kids are doing on-line, there is ALWAYS room for improvement.  I, for one, will be keeping a closer eye on my 8 year old's on-line experience.

Don't forget to "Like" Iowa Parents on Facebook here: 
https://www.facebook.com/Iowa-Parents

Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parent

FREE Cute Kid Photo Contest by Iowa Parents

Iowa Parents is proud to announce our inaugural event - a FREE photo contest!  What better way to celebrate Iowa parents than allowing them to show off their adorable children?  The rules are super simple:  1) Upload your child's photo to our Facebook page under the Photo Contest Post (CLICK HERE).  2) Like the photo and invite your friends to Like the Photo.  3) ONE contestant with the most votes will win the "Crowd Favorite" award. 4) ONE highly photogenic contestant will be chosen as the "Director's Choice".  Winners will receive two tickets to Kids Fest which may be used any time between March 4-6 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.


So help us spread the word about Iowa Parents by entering our fun and FREE Cute Kid Contest by visiting our Facebook Page.


Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents

Welcome to Iowa Parents!

It is with great pleasure that I bring to you, Iowa Parents Blog!  As a active mom, business owner and community activist, I am constantly searching for fun, educational activities for our family.  I also often either find myself handing out advice or asking for an opinion about parenting.  With this blog and matching social media forums, I hope to bring all of the benefits of parental networking to one place.  If you have input, questions, or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me at GlamourGirlsDressUp@gmail.com or give me a jingle at 515-808-2555.  

Be sure to "Like" our page on Facebook as well!   

I look forward to building a dynamic parent's network, with your help!

Best,

Heather Ryan
Iowa Parents