Thursday
18Mar2010
Suddenly the first six months of Silas were worth it
Jonathan: Do you know Silas loves his big brothers very much?
Benjamin: I love Silas more than he loves me and you love me!
Jonah: I love Silas as big as Jupiter!
Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 03:34PMTuesday
16Mar2010
My own personal Etsy Treasury, Part 3: Lemon!
above: hand painted glass gems from Doodles Mosaic Tiles
below: juicy lemon kimono and bloomer set from LivvySue Boutique
above: lemon drop doxie wristlet from Persnickety Pelican
below: lemon marshmallows from Mia Mallows
above: Lemon Tree print from Block Party Prints
below: my latest body scrub... Skin Sludge No. 1 - lemon poppy seed
My own personal Etsy Treasury, Part 1: Peppermint!
My own personal Etsy Treasury, Part 2: Hearts!
Friday
12Mar2010
Hi fruit fly! (some words from Jonah) (and photos)
Because a certain male in our family let the trash go for days before taking it out (AHEM), we had a bunch of fruit flies flitting about the house. They terrified Jonah. I would hear him yip in the bedroom and come careening into the living room to escape them.
I assured him that they don’t bite, they just sort of flit around looking for food.
Non-human food.
Like fruit.
Hence: “Fruit Fly.”
I told him the next time he saw one to say: “HI FRUIT FLY!!” Which he does, in a very cheerful sort of way.
So now you understand why we talk to the insects in our house.
Jonah came to me holding two small binder clips, a paper towel tube, and a blanket. He told me exactly how he wanted me to create a cape so he could be Darth Vader.
Regarding Silas’ birth: “Did the doctor make a hole for the little brother?”
Lego Storm Trooper driving a tractor:
A sculpture made from pipe cleaners and plastic gears:
To me: “When Puppy was a baby he was inside me.”
To Benjamin: "I love you all the time, every day, even when you are crying."
Wednesday
10Mar2010
SugarChills 2.0 … a shop is born
Last June I launched a natural body care shop on Etsy called SugarChills. I listed a few things I’d created for myself and really liked. Just for fun, mostly. But then someone bought something. And they liked it. Then someone else bought something. And they liked it, too! Ack!
I had to buy more ingredients, containers, and packaging/shipping supplies. I participated in a couple of sampler boxes. A few blogs hosted giveaways. I made a note to myself to never again start a business right before having a third son. I traded with several fellow Etsians ...
... all of which provided invaluable feedback. I really liked what I’d created – and now a few other people did as well!
I expanded my product lines a bit. I worked to improve my photographs. I calculated my expenses and adjusted my prices. I found better suppliers for packaging and ingredients. I made another note to myself to never again start a business right before having a third son.
I bought a scale to better estimate postage and save trips to the post office (NOT FUN with three young children in tow). I added a few products and removed a few. I found the note to myself about never starting a business right before having a third son (it was in Benjamin’s pillow case) and highlighted it in yellow.
Recently, I’ve created a Twitter account for SugarChills and began tweeting. I’ve upgraded my packaging and photos yet again.
Now (whew), it’s time to consider advertising...
Sunday
07Mar2010
But a mother can gag on a day
My 2009 summed up in one quote I just read from Jean Sherrard:
“The years rush past, as every older woman will tell the young mothers who complain…. Oh no, they say, time flies – enjoy them while they’re young – they grow up so fast.
The mothers agree that indeed the years do fly. It’s the days that don’t. The hours, the minutes of a single day sometimes just stop.
And a mother finds herself standing in the middle of a room wondering. Wondering.
Years fly. Of course they do. But a mother can gag on a day.”
(Emphasis mine.)