TMBTC: This was supposed to send yesterday
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Issue 9 • April 1st, 2026 Late Night Thoughts from Behind the CounterWell, well, well… It’s 11:11pm (which feels oddly important, haha) on Monday, March 30th, and I’m starting a newsletter that I plan to send to you in the morning. Like…Tuesday morning. That’s bananas. I know. I never start a newsletter this late with the intention of finishing it and sending it the next morning. It’s just not reasonable. But here we are. I might be feeling a little unhinged. I feel like I haven’t yapped at ya’ll in forever. Does it feel that way on your end, too? Those of you that get these newsletters regularly? And by regularly, I mean…chaotically. Whenever I get the fuzzy feeling to send one and the space in my “many hats” schedule to actually sit down and write it. And to those of you that this is your first one…welcome. Truly. Welcome to the powerful marketing tool of the Colorado Baby Newsletter: The Mom Behind the Counter. Ahhhhahaahaha. It’s SOOOOOO offish (my Boomer friends—that means “official”). For those of you new around here, I like to keep my lovely Boomers (hi Mom…now Dad too, bless him for joining) up to speed on current slang. And to my Gen Z crowd (hi to my three oldest boys who signed themselves up for this chaos)…be patient with me. Imma tryin’ here, frfr (my dear millennials—that means “for real for real”—keep up). Man…poor Gen X. Truly the forgotten generation. I’d be offended. But maybe they like it that way. Meanwhile, I’m over here living my best millennial life. Could not be prouder to wave my millennial flag. ANYWAYS. I realize you did not sign up for a generational lesson, but here we are. And honestly, for a store centered around raising the next generation…this kind of tracks. It’s now 11:17pm. Look at me just burning through time. I’ve got my concentration music on and I’m attempting to enter “deep focus mode” so I can bang this out quickly. Which brings me to what some of you are probably thinking: “Why is she writing a newsletter at 11pm?” Fun fact: I am a night owl. Always have been. My brain fully kicks into creative mode somewhere between 9pm–12am. That’s when I do my best thinking, problem solving, and apparently…newsletter writing. I’ve tried to change this about myself. It’s not worth it. I spend about three nights a week working until 12–1am, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. It’s the easiest time for me to work and I get so much done. Also important to note: because I’m a night owl, I am NOT a morning person. And thankfully, ever since graduating high school, I’ve never had to be one again. I will never forget walking out of my high school on the last day of my senior year, flashing deuces back at the building, and promising I would never go back. Pretty dramatic, I know. But I meant it. And so far…I’ve stayed true to my word. Now, have I had the occasional thought of a midlife crisis where I do something absolutely CRA-ZEE like go to college and become an ER doctor in my 50s? Yes. That thought lasted approximately 42 seconds. And then I came back to reality. So yes. This is the kind of information you didn’t know you were signing up for. But also…this is called The Mom Behind the Counter. So really…this is exactly what you get. Why I'm in Your Inbox Today (on This Day of the Fools)Well, I wanted to jump in your inbox for a few reasons. #1 It feels like it’s been too long.(It hasn’t been that long…last I chatted you up was February 10th.) That was when I told you all about Colorado Baby turning 18 years old—a pretty sweet email 🥹 where I got to share the history of the store and give a little tribute to my Grandpa, who had just passed away, and what he and my grandma did to help Colorado Baby truly come into existence. If you missed it, it would mean a lot to me if you went back and read it. Sidenote: I was really craving something salty right before I started writing this. Snack options are…limited…here in my office. Luckily, I had some garlic stuffed green olives. That hit the spot. Yummm-o. More useless information for you. Where was I? (it’s already 11:30pm lol) Oh yeah. #2 Easter is right around the corner.Like…literally. It’s this Sunday. We have some CUUUUUUUTEEEEE Easter baskets that are preloaded and ready to go…or you can build your own…or you can just buy the basket if that’s all you need. Or you can not buy anything. That’s an option too. But it really doesn’t help us out, so I’d strongly encourage you to choose one of the earlier options. #3 I’m emailing you to say…I’ve officially decided (and now I’m committed because I just told all of you) to do a sidewalk sale this Saturday. I need my hangers back for new spring clothes, and there are clothes on those hangers that…it’s time. They need to GET OUTTA HERE. I’m tired of them. Come get them. My loss…your gain. The sidewalk sale will run from 10am to…well, I mean if I’m going to the trouble of setting it up, I might as well keep it out all day. So let’s say 4pm. That gives me time to clean it up before we close at 5. So—10am–4pm. Come one, come all. We’ll also have a basket with Easter eggs (with candy inside) for you or your child…until they run out. One egg per person. Why am I being so festive with the Easter eggs? Because we were asked to participate in an event last Saturday where adults were doing a cute little scavenger hunt situation. We were one of the stops and were expected to have eggs filled with candy. So I swung by City Market (Kroger, for you out-of-staters) on my way in, bought overpriced fun-size candy, ripped open all the bags, got everything ready… …and not a single one of the 20 attendees showed up. Bummer for the lady organizing it. Truly. That is the worst. And now I have a pile of candy I didn’t want to begin with and can’t return, and I would very much like my $10 back. So. We’re going to turn this into a cutesy, festive experience for you. Please come take an egg with fun-sized chocolate (I did get the good stuff), and while you’re here…maybe take a little stroll through the sidewalk sale. Or even better—check out all the cute Easter things inside. Because, as a reminder, Easter is in a few days. I will continue reminding you. #4 As mentioned…we have a lot of CA-UTE new spring and summer clothes rolling in.Some just hit the floor today (Monday), and they would be so cute for Easter. Come look at them STAT. Because, again…Easter is in a few days. April 5th, to be exact. Hmmm…I feel like I should go take pictures of a few things. But it’s dark (11:35pm now), so the quality won’t be great…and I might actually be shooting myself in the foot sending bad photos. Maybe I’ll try anyway. Actually…maybe I’ll do a little sneaky peaky video instead. #5 I like writing to you.It’s fun. It lifts my spirits. And I love that some of you look forward to these emails—that really does make my day. Because lately…I’ve spent an exorbitant amount of time on the phone with—ready for it? Brace yourself—health insurance claims. Hospital billing departments. And so on and so forth. COLLECTIVE SIGH. Did you feel it? Did you have a little trigger response? Because I did. I won’t make your ears bleed, but…those calls, over and over and over for months, will suck the life right out of you. And my life tank has been running on near empty. But…it’s improving. The insurance situation? Still about the same. But hope has been restored, and I’m on the upswing. A Quick Detour (but Actually Important)11:47pm and I’m at 1600 words. Ba-ding-ba-da-bamb-ba-da-boom. Just pounding those thoughts out. I still have to edit this thing. Hyperlink all the products I’m telling you about. Go make a video or take some pics out in the dark store. Then plug this into the email client (because this draft lives in Google Docs), and upload any new subscribers since the last send. Good things (this newsletter) take time, my friends. Maybe when it’s all done and I’m about to hit “schedule send,” I’ll throw a little note in the PS with the actual time this thing wraps up. Why We're Picky about What We CarryWhile we’re on the most relevant topic of the moment—Easter—let me tell you about a few products you should be considering for an Easter basket. Or honestly…just in general. Because if we have it…you should probably consider it. Quit wasting your time and money at places like Target, Walmart, and the absolute worst…AMAZON. Ok, for real though—I’m not calling you out. I shop at all those places too. No judgment here. But. Here at Colorado Baby, we do our absolute best to bring in products that are:
We try to avoid that cycle of buying a dozen things that fall apart, and instead set you up with a few really good ones that last. And I’m not just saying this to say it. (I KNOW TIMES ARE TIGHT.) Trust me. We are a family of 10 living on a shoestring budget. I basically ration food in the house. Me gots a lot of teen boys to feed. One way I keep my sanity (and yes, debatable at this hour if I still have it) is by not buying much. Truly. When I do buy something, it’s with intention. With purpose. And I don’t want to buy it knowing it’s going to break before we even get good use out of it. Case in point. I recently ordered plastic totes off the dreaded ‘zon (Amazon…is that an acceptable nickname?) to organize some of my kids’ toys—Linus’ car collection, our recent AirToobz purchase (oh look! We have ONE left in stock), wooden train set, all of it. The handles started busting off within two weeks. TWO weeks. Now I have to deal with a return (if I’m even still in the window…because I bought them WEEKS ago and haven’t had the bandwidth to deal with it), and then go back to square one trying to find something better. I hate this. What I really want is to walk into a local brick-and-mortar TOTE STORE—just wall-to-wall totes—where someone can say, “Here. These are the best ones. They will solve your problem.” That’s what I hope Colorado Baby is for you. Whether you’re shopping for:
Our goal is to do the research for you so you can walk in and shop with confidence. And we’ll gift wrap it for you. Boom. Done. You’re ready to walk into that baby shower in 20 minutes. We won’t tell your secret. We gotchu, boo. I love shopping local. Yes, I’m biased—it’s literally how I feed my family—but I genuinely love the experience. I love well-run mom-and-pop shops. I love talking to people who are experts in what they do. The kids know the lesson because I bring it up any time we have a vacuum issue. I absolutely love Russ Vacuum on North Avenue. I don’t even know the guy, couldn’t pick him out in public—but every time I bring in our vacuum (which gets an insane amount of use in a household of 10…that’s a lot of skin dander, js (Boomers - just sayin’)), I’m amazed. He is SO smart. Within about 38 seconds, he’s diagnosed the problem and is already fixing something I didn’t even know existed. Two minutes later, I’ve paid and I’m walking out with a working vacuum. And every time we get back in the van, I tell the kids: “Isn’t it amazing how we all have different skill sets? And when we work within those skills, we become a real help to our community.” That’s what makes it all work. Supporting Russ Vacuum just makes sense. He fixes my vacuum. I get to go home and clean up my family’s chaos. He goes home and feeds his family. And the world keeps spinning (well, maybe. Apparently that’s to be debated now 🤓). And I didn’t have to:
(I don’t have the income for that, and honestly, I hate wasting things that still have life in them.) Yay for small, local businesses. (Ok…pause. I just looked him up so I could link him for you locals and it says “permanently closed.” I had heard he was wanting to retire and find someone to take over for him, so maybe that’s what happened—but if it’s true that this business is gone forever…that is devastating news 😭) All this shop-local talk, but…I want to give a shoutout to my online-only customers—I love you too. I see you making intentional choices to shop small, right from your couch. Even if the transaction happens through a screen, the impact is the same. You’re still supporting a small business that pours back into its community (and beyond). When I shop online, I try to keep it small when I can. Some of my favorites:
Well. If I haven’t given you enough reason to come in before Easter (which is this Sunday)—or at least sometime in the next few weeks for fresh clothes or new toys—then I’m clearly doing something wrong, haha. Maybe I need a new career...ER Doc? Nah. Actual Product RecommendationsOh wow…I forgot. I was going to tell you about some products—and then I went on that whole sidequest. HAHAHAHA. I love writing these as a stream of consciousness. I go into these emails with very little direction. I just write what comes. And yes…I know. It shows 😂 Also—time check—it’s now 12:15am. And I have every intention of being out the door by 9:30am Tuesday morning to run some LOCAL errands with my kids. Yikes. Good luck to Megan of 9 hours from now. I really hope this newsletter is worth it. I hope it made you chuckle at least a little. Alright. Let me actually throw a few products your way for the upcoming holiday…that is in a few days in case you already forgot. The Dough HouseI love this stuff. SO perfect for Easter baskets—and honestly great for travel this spring and summer too. Made in the USA, clean ingredients, mom-owned small business, super giftable. It’s dough (you know…similar but WAY better than the one that rhymes with LayDoh) paired with little themed charms. Kids can create scenes, mix everything together, or dig the charms back out—which is a fantastic sensory activity. This one has a soft spot for me—my now 6-year-old’s feeding therapist actually used activities like this when he was working through oral aversion at age 2. It’s a little hard to explain, but just know…this kind of product means something to me. All the bunny plush we brought inDon’t miss it. Most of it is Douglas—a small U.S. company that’s been around forever (I think since the 40s? I could Google it…). Their plush is top-notch and so soft. And listen—I do not allow more stuffed animals in my house…unless they’re Douglas 🙊 Those get a pass. Piggy Paint + Piggy PensIf you’ve got kids who love painting their nails—this is a great basket add. Piggy Paint is already a favorite, but they just released Piggy Pens—basically nail-art pens for drawing instead of polishing. Very cool. We also have little nail stickers to go with them if your child wants to go all out. It’s fun. It’s very fun. Easter Baskets (the actual baskets)I would be remiss not to mention these. We brought in a smaller basket (available with pink ears or blue ears) that’s just $10. Which…what is even $10 anymore? 😭 A pack of gum? But here’s the real win: small basket = you only need a couple of items to fill it. Recession-proof Easter basket. Winning all around. We also have a larger, very Easter-bunny-forward basket. It’s…a lot for me personally. But I know some of you will LOVE it, and I have to remind myself I’m not just buying for me when I bring things into the store. So. That one is for you. All the Eastery Things (if you want to browse in your pajamas)That is a link to all sorts of “Eastery” things we’ve put together for you. Now listen…is it more fun to come into the store and wander around, touch everything, and let us help you put something together? Yes. Obviously. But. If you’re in your pajamas, on your couch, snack in hand, and just want to get some ideas rolling—you can absolutely do that too. Take a peek, get inspired, make a mental note of what you want…and then come see us in person anyway 😉 Ok. We’re now at 12:25am and I still have multiple steps left before this email is done. Normally I would’ve been heading home about 10 minutes ago. Haha. Oh boy. What have you done, Megan??? I really feel like you deserve some sort of coupon for reading this whole thing. But also…I am giving you a sidewalk sale on Saturday (if you’re local). And if you’re not local—don’t worry. We’ll likely do an Instagram Stories Sale (basically an online sidewalk sale) in a couple of weeks, and anything left after that will roll into our Last Chance section online (just not quite as discounted). If you want to know when these products go on sale online, just click the button and I’ll send you a short heads up in a couple of weeks.
But. What say ye? Coupon code? Let’s do this: 11% off all items in this Easter collection. (11% because I started this email at 11:11. Obviously.) I had other ideas for this coupon, but apparently my ideas are too complex for the coupon code creation system. Oh well - have fun buying Easter stuff…because, you know, it’s just a few days away. CODE: EASTERISINAFEWDAYS Use it online, or tell the staff at checkout. And please—make it clear you’re giving them a code. Otherwise they’re just going to be like, “Yeah, I know…can you believe it’s in a few days??” (Secretly I’m hoping for at least a little confusion at the register. My poor staff.) Code expires on Easter…which is in a few days. So hurry up. Too-da-loo, friends. I hope to see you this week—especially Saturday…the day BEFORE Easter. Don’t delay. Megan PS – In case you didn’t catch it…this email was not sent Tuesday morning. APRIL FOOLS! (heh…that actually worked out pretty well). I just could not. I was so tired. I made it until 1:45am and then I was like…dUDe, yOu HaVE tO Go HoME. So I did. And then I went straight to bed. (Well…after a beef stick. I was famished. Burned through a lot of brain calories.) Then I went to bed. And Megan of Tuesday paid for it…lol. I was DRAGGGGING. So here I am, finalizing this newsletter Tuesday at…WOW…11:12pm. (That sure came full circle!) And so yeah. There you go. PPS – If you come into the store today, on this Foolish Day (April 1), be sure to tell Sharon: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU FOOL!” Because…yeah. It’s her birthday. |