May 7, 2010
The Mop Flops Story
The Mop Flops Story By Gaile Spalione I became a stay at home mom upon the birth of my first daughter in 1986. It was never planned that I would give up my paying job, so of course we were not financially prepared to cut our income in half. But the moment I held her, I knew I couldn't leave her. I used to roll pennies to go grocery shopping. We gave up a car, so I used to ride the bus with a baby and a bag of rolled coins. I was always looking for ways to make a little extra (with my baby by my side), and I did start up a little side business along the way. (But that's another story!) My most important job was being a mom (and housewife). I soon became the mother of four. So, it seemed for years I had crawlers and toddlers in my home. Believe it or not, I am not crazy clean....as some assume by my invention. However, it did bother me to have my babies crawling around on a dirty floor. This led to my constant washing of my floors. My last daughter was the most attached (still is), and maybe because she's my last baby...I too was more attached. I mean literally....I held her 20 hours out of 24 a day!! This made my floor maintenance quite difficult. So I progressed to towels all over the floor and I would shimmy around with a baby on my hip. Since I sew, I eventually took some old towels and made them into booties so I would no longer have to hop and shimmy around the kitchen floor. Now I could wear my booties around the kitchen and spot clean as I go! This cut down tremendously on big mopping jobs. It prevented muddy prints when water dripped from the sink or dishwasher (or refrigerator ice maker...or dog bowl... and who knows what else)! I also loved wearing them when I did mop so I could walk all over the wet floor. I was no longer restricted to working my way out of the kitchen. I could even go back in and retrieve anything if needed. (Also, my kids love wearing them and playing on the floor with a squirt bottle!) My friends and family loved the idea and asked for their own pairs. I began sewing more and perfecting them by lining them in vinyl and adding a pocket for towels or sponges or whatever! And, well, as I said in the beginning I'm always looking for ways to make a little extra, so I decided to invent MOP FLOPS! I have a lot of people who believe in me and MOP FLOPS, especially my parents. Even though, they work two jobs each themselves to make ends meet, they mortgaged their home to help me get started. We have just gotten the official Patent from the US Patent office this past October and are currently trying to market on a restricted budget, since of course I am still a stay at home mom struggling to pay the bills and buy shoes and braces for four. I am currently selling MOP FLOPS at the local swap meet and by word of mouth. You can also order MOP FLOPS from my website....check it out! www.mopflops.com and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Dr. Laura Foundation for neglected and abused children. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com

Posted by Staff at 1:42 AM