Quitting

I started selling Tupperware back in July of 2011. Although I haven't had great success, I've done well enough that the business has been justified. Just recently I was totally pumped and am putting together a big event next week, am attending a workshop this weekend, and had all these hopes and dreams. Then I started Stars 'n Stuff.

Stars 'n Stuff is something my mom and I have always had - we made crafts for annual Christmas craft sale. Recently we decided to take the business to the next level. We brought in products from suppliers, created a Facebook page, and are launching a home party plan in May. We already have a bunch of Facebook Likes and one party booking, not to mention two shows on the calendar where we will sell things on the spot and drum up new business.

A huge part of me feel done with the Tupperware business - I just want to cancel my event, skip on this weekend, and pursue Stars 'n Stuff to it's full potential. Of course, I'm still going this weekend, and I'm still having the event. Stars 'n Stuff will not be at the point where I can rely on it for awhile, and in the mean time my mom is away quite a bit so we can't do our parties.

Hopefully I'll be able to quit my day job soon.

What I did instead of actual work today.

Vintage Fabric

This fabulous vintage fabric cost just under $12 and is enough to make a table runner for me. I scored it off Ebay and am super excited for it arrive. I also found some cool skeleton keys for craft projects.

So many cool things out there.

Scrabble Tile Magnets

It may seem counter-intuitive to give away how things I sell are made, but it's neither that impressive nor rocket science. If you are lucky enough to find a copy of Scrabble at a thrift store, this can be made for about $1.50.


How to make your own:
Supplies:
- Scrabble Tiles
- Roll of flat magnets in relative size
- Hot glue gun


1. Pick out what letters you want to turn into magnets.
2. Cut the magnet roll into squares a bit smaller then the tile size.
3. Using a hot glue gun, glue the magnets to the back of the tiles. Hold together for a few seconds, then leave to dry. 


You can buy these from www.starsnstuff.com too.

DIY Easter Garland Papercraft

I was browsing some craft ideas on line this morning and stumbled upon these. Lacking a stockpile of paint chips, I decided scrapbooking paper would look really cute as Easter eggs. Here is the result:

How to make your own:

Supplies:
- Cardboard
- Pretty paper or paint
- Thick string or thin cord
- Mod Podge glue
- Big sewing needle or stylus

1. Download the template from here or draw your own egg and cut out.
2. Trace your template over and over again onto cardboard. I used corrugated cardboard for effect, but cereal boxes would work too.
3. Cut out your egg shapes out. If you want a kind of upcycled/modern look you can leave them as cardboard. If you're artistic you can paint them. If not...
4. Cut some coordinating scrapbooking paper into squares (rough measure with your eggs.)
5. I found each egg I cut out was a bit different, so I held the cardboard egg against the paper and cut around, trying to remove and sharp corners/bad cuts.
6. Using Mod Podge glue your paper to the cardboard and let dry.
7. Using either a big sewing needle or a stylus, poke holes and feed your cord through. You will need two holes, and start from the back as if you were sewing, that way everything will face forward. Note: I broke two sewing needles doing this because I couldn't find my stylus.
8. Continue sewing until your garland is at it's desired length, then hang.

The garland in the picture has 14 eggs. If you make this I would love to see, comment with a link or send me a picture!

Never Ending Housework

I have been cleaning for the past four hours or so, with several more left. My house lately has been so neglected and was/is a complete disaster. This is not entirely uncommon - On more then one occasion I have left things slide. Eventually it's enough to drive me crazy, or someone coming over, either way I start one of my big cleaning sprees.

First of all, it's remarkable how dirty things can get. I truly believe I have some of the messiest kids out there; they simply must destroy. So many things are not in there place and I can't understand how so many toys found their way to my bedroom.

Secondly, I cannot begin to describe how much everyone in my house try to work against me. Planning to get to it later, I left a pile clean blankets on the floor. Less then an hour later, I was in the process of taking some garbage out of my 2 year old's room when I walked in something wet - pee. Not uncommon in the home of a potty training toddler. I asked him if it was pee and he agreed, so I went to clean it up. As I was cleaning I heard crying from the living room, and I found my two year old had managed a bowl movement on his potty, on his feet, and on the floor. After putting him in the shower I walked back to the living room to clean up the carpet and stepped in something wet - a blanket. Turns out at some point one of the cats decided that would be a great place to pee. Also noteworthy, immediately following these events I took a shower, and came out to find 3 giant outside balls in the house, and my shelf/lamp tipped over.

I write this post now with the master bedroom/bath, my 2 year old's room, and the main bathroom cleaned. I only have about an hour left before I need to go buy a gift for a birthday party that's tonight, make the kids dinner, and get ready to go out.

Selling

Apart from raising kids, there is nothing more rewarding then working for yourself. There is just this feeling of pride, joy, and excitement every time I make a sale. Making money is a plus, but I really love the adrenaline rush. There is such a feeling of accomplishment when you spend a day at a show selling from your table - and every penny you earned is yours. Sure, we have to pay income tax, but every business move I make gets ME further.

I have two businesses, and in one I get to go to parties and give people tonnes of free stuff. In the other, I help them connect with products they love that were previously not available in this area. All around, I get to make people's lives better, and happy customers are a fabulous bonus. If you're considering it, I highly recommend giving self employment a try. Start with products you love or things you are talented and passionate about, and go from there. 

Working

A friend of mine recently started a discussion on Facebook - a mother of four young kids thinking of picking up a job that required 12 hour days and pays really well. Now this individual does not, by any stretch, NEED to work, but she has some financial goal in mind. To each their own.

But this got me thinking - my husband and I do not earn a great living by today's standards. In my opinion, we both make a decent wage, but there never seems to be enough. We have debt, we have to budget, do without, a wash Ziplock bags. Why? We have the greatest luxury in life - working from home and doing what we love. My husband loves his job. I only work part time, for the same company as my husband, freelancing, selling Tupperware, and starting a retail business. All of this keeps me VERY busy.

When I don't feel like working, I don't. When I'm sick, I take the day off. When he kids are sick, I can take care of them,  I never miss any "firsts", and I can do daytime and school activities with them. Recently I was asked to help out at the preschool Valentine's Day party. The party was on Wednesday, and it was the Friday before. At that time the teacher had not yet got any volunteers, and actually asked me if I would help. Of course, the only reason I didn't offer was to let someone else have a turn! Anyway, long story short, one other parent did come - out of 24 students.

Forget balance - being gone most of the day would leave me too exhausted to spend time with my kids in the evening. Sure - when I leave them I am happy to see them, but after working all day, how much would I have left? And then there's doing housework - when?

Eventually I'm hoping to turn my small business into a retail store, but if that happens and I have more young kids, they will be coming to work with me. My mom did it when I was little, and I didn't mind. I don't know if I ever will be wealthy, but I will be happy.

This is not a stab at working parents - I respect what you do, and just like those people who make great money running home daycares, it's not for me.

Housework

"When I get a bigger house, it will be more organized, and it will stay clean". This is my mantra. The truth is that despite my best intentions, my home never manages to stay clean. I am not striving for magazine shoot clean, or even very clean, just clean enough that if someone stops by unannounced I am not unbearably embarrassed. I am forever making excuses, but it does seem my friends and family have a knack for showing up on the worst of days. I clean, I really do. But it is extremely short lived.

So what happens? Take today, as an example. Yesterday morning we all got together and made the house pretty decent. Not perfect, but clean enough. We were out most of the morning, the kids napped the afternoon away, and we went swimming after dinner. The next morning greeted us with what wasn't cleaned up from the night before. It wasn't too bad. I sat down to work this morning only to find a lot to do that needed to be done - now. Flash forward four and half hours of ignoring my children while sitting on the computer. Sure I looked at their finished puzzles, broke up their fights, and read some instructions, but overall they entertained themselves. Apparently the most entertaining thing to them is making a mess.

The unfortunate trade off to needing to work - and doing it from home - is that the house is the playground and it suffers. As I write this it's nearly five, the kids are eating animal crackers while watching cartoons, and I have spent the afternoon working even more. Now I will try to ignore the mess while I play with my kids, knowing that some things are more important.

The view from where I've been perched most of the day (no I don't know what's on the floor):

Sick Kid

My little boy is sick. A two and a half year old quickly becomes a baby you rock him back to sleep. He's suffering from some sort of chest cold, with one of those nasty barking coughs. I would like to say that on this special occasion little one is sleeping in my bed, but he finds his way in here each and every night.

I am hoping, once little guy is all better, that we can start the battle that is operation: "stay in your own bed". Along with operation: "night toilet train my four year old" this should guarantee I receive the minimum amount of sleep possible.

Then again, with a husband, toddler, and cats in my bed, I haven't been getting much anyway.

Welcome

Welcome to... The new... The improved... The networkable Musing Mama Blog.

Join me as I journey through life's new adventures; The never-ending struggle of Motherhood, the thrill of starting a small retail business, the daily grind of working at home, the lifelong goal to complete a novel, and the unmanaged mess that is the home. Money struggles, discipline issues, electronic distractions, and so many more of life's obstacles. All of this while maintaining balance, love, and sanity.