A year ago today, with the help of some amazing friends, old and new, I held a fundraiser, “Desserts for Disaster Relief.” We raised money to assist local non-profit Awaken Arts with their relief efforts for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Awaken Arts, formerly known as “The 24 Foundation,” reached out to over 5,000 people on Bantayan Island with their Arts Healing Program, medical intake and instruction assistance, rebuild efforts, aid and entertainment for the children, and many other fantastic things I don’t have room to list. I’m happy Westside Mommy is a partner to Awaken Arts.

After one year of blogging, I learned how difficult, exhilarating, and rewarding it is to be a parent and business owner. The moms I’ve met along this journey continue to inspire me with their creativity, hard work, and ambition. I appreciate their support, advice, and assistance, and am happy to call them friends. As Small Business Saturday approaches, I’d like to raise awareness and help support these friends.

The Sweet Potatoe Indiegogo Campaign

The Sweet Potatoe is a hip, modern, handcrafted, organic cotton children’s clothing line launched in June of this year by artist and fashion designer parents and partners, Maria Aldana and Richard Alaydrus . They have a (now) toddler named Skye, who is the inspiration for their line. After having Skye, they moved to the Seattle area from the Washington, D.C. metro area to be closer to Maria’s family. The Sweet Potatoe celebrates babywearing with their popular “Wear Me” Collection” and shows off style and humor with their carefully thought-out patterns (and names) for pants, mittens, and bibs (my favorite name of theirs is “thunder thighs“). The Sweet Potatoe participates in several events and currently sells at their products at their local Farmer’s market and online . Recently, they were invited to exhibit at their first international trade show in New York City in March, 2015.