What is a funny or rewarding experience you've had as a mama?
I think the most rewarding experience is not just one thing, but a culmination of the lives of my children. From the look in their eyes as a baby breastfeeding, the deep gaze shared between my children and me to the new found achievement and the look of "look mom, I did it".

What did you think you'd be when you grew up?
I've always been a nurturer; I wanted to help people. My first thoughts were child psychology, but they quickly turned to nursing.

Who did your classmates think you were in high school?
As my teachers used to term it, I was the social butterfly. I never fit into any 1 click, yet I was friends with everyone in the clicks.

Would they be surprised by who you are now?
No, I always did things differently. I think the only thing that would surprise someone is if I did something considered "normal" by the mainstream population.

Are you married? How did you meet your husband?
I am married to my best friend Mike. We knew of each other for several years and had many mutual friends. A mutually close friend decided to set us up one day and the rest is history. We both new right away that we had found "the" person, moved in together rather quickly, had our first child, got married (oldest son was ringbearer), then the rest is history. We have a relationship that surpasses anything I thought would ever be possible.

Who were you before Happy Heiny's™... any interesting jobs or schooling?
Before kids, I was a nurse. I mostly worked hospice and started working at a time when AIDS was on the upswing in the community. SO I did a lot of work with our local AIDS hospices. Towards the end of my career I worked Hospice for children, something I truly loved.

How did you get started cloth diapering and sewing your own diapers?
I started cloth diapering with my daughter. Due to her time on a ventilator, she developed Chronic Lung Disease. With some information from friends, I learned that the disposable diapers may be contributing to her health problems. We switched her to cloth, and sure enough we were able to document more than a 50% decrease in the need for hospitalizations and medications.

After trying some diapers on the market, I quickly found that they did not work well for us mostly due to sizing problems. I had help from my mother with the very first pattern, but also had the same issue with sizing. After making a few diapers for my daughter, the pattern was changed and then changed again and changed a few more times until we finally achieved the fit desired for my daughter.

What inspired you to create your business?
Actually my customers really inspired me to create my business. I never thought this would happen. I one day decided to make a couple extra diapers and offer them on ebay. I never even expected them to sell, and was surprised when they did and when I received the feedback. I continued to offer them on ebay, until several people started emailing me for custom orders. It was suggested I open a store, and my first "store" was actually a yahoo geocites free page.

How did you come up with the name Happy Heiny's™?
Once again, thank you to my early customers. It was suggested to me after the diapers had been available for sometime that they needed a name. I asked for suggestions and Happy Heiny's is what came back, among a few others, but this was our favorite.

If you could do any kind of work you wanted, other than the business you now have, what would you be doing?
Nothing. I would not do anything that took me away from my children.

What are your dreams for the future?
My dreams for the future are simple, I dream that my children will grow to be happy healthy adults in an unterrorized world. In today's uncertain times I hope and pray that their world and the world of their children is not one of fear but rather one of happiness and joy.

If you have time for hobbies, or outside interests, what are they?
We love to go camping - it doesn't matter if it is a day trip to the beach or a month long drive through the states. I'm sure most moms can relate, today I have no hobbies that do not include my children somehow, be it bicycling, swimming, walking the dogs. My interests revolve around the family interests.

If you could have a day to yourself (hubby and kids could be cared for if you wanted, and you were all caught up with sewing), how would you spend it?
A day spa. I would love to go to a 24 hour spa, and get the works. The massages, cover up the gray hairs that have popped up, relax the facial muscles, close the eyes.

What is your favorite dessert?
Chocolate mint ice cream.. Love it or shakes, homemade, non-healthy (well besides the fruit), fattening shakes.

What is your favorite book?
"I'll love you forever."

What's your favorite product from another WAHM?
I don't own many other wahm products so this is a very tough question for me. I have always been of the belief that in diapering I must be confident enough in my diapers to use them 99.9% of the time to effectively sell them to you. So I have not ventured out of my comfort zone in the area of cloth. I do however have a sling that I absolutely love made from Janet at www.seamscountry.com; it is the only sling I will use. Not only can I comfortably carry my 30 lb 2 yr old, but also my 50 lb 4 yr old.

What's something that no one would ever guess about you?
Most people tend to look at me as a business woman which I am. But I think that many people do not realize that I am just another mom. I wonder in the achievements of my children, laugh when they laugh, and cry when they cry. I have witnessed drs. and nurses performing CPR on my dying child not knowing if she would survive the night, and I have watched my son walk across the stage for best student awards. I am a mom just like all the other moms, and that is my foremost concern and desire in my life.

Anything else you think would be fun for others to know about you?
I have 8 tattoo's and want at least one more. I have my belly button pierced and refused to take it out during all 3 pregnancies.

http://www.happyheinys.com
Products include: Happy Heiny's Pocket diapers, Happy Heiny's Pocket Trainers, Heiny Stuffins' 7 layer wet zone hemp fleece inserts, washies, and several new products coming soon (all diaper related).