Parenting: Get it all done with 'Mom Noir'

PHILADELPHIA - February 7, 2011 (WPVI) -- The old saying goes, "A mother's work is never done."

That's really true these days, with so many moms also holding down jobs. A website run by a local mother aims to help working moms do it all with a little cultural flair and style.

Iman Marcano-Sowell knows busy. She's raising five kids, three of them under 4, all while working full time and cooking for her family's catering business.

"I'm at work and I'm trying to come in between five and six, cook what I seasoned yesterday, get it to them by 6:30 and have them in bed by eight," Marcano-Sowell said.

Somehow Marcano-Sowell also finds time for her website, Mom Noir

While many mommy blogs are all about baby, Mom Noir focuses on mom, helping her continue to do things like dress, decorate, entertain and travel with pizazz.

"I still want to be stylish and tote the toddler," she said.

The site features baby slings that like look like high fashion and an upscale skin care regime. It recommends cool laminated placemats for kids and keeping your kitchen pretty and functional.

Mom Noir also helps you turn your kids' pictures into affordable, customized, ready to hang wall art with the help of an online company called Fracture.

"It's quick, it's inexpensive," she said.

Marcano-Sowell is from Trinidad, and the site also has many tips great for ethnic moms or moms interested in adding a cross cultural touch.

For example, there are natural remedies to cure coughs and comfort food recipes from the Caribbean.

She also gets to the bottom of the "mask of pregnancy", a darkening of the neck that can affect darker skinned women. With no good medical answer, she offers a personal fashion fix.

"I bought a tone of scarves that just went with everything, so I could just hide that," said Marcano-Sowell.

Marcano-Sowell is planning to add webisodes to the site and to take Mom Noir on the road for events in other cities.

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Online: Mom Noir

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