Confessions

I've been debating about posting about this for the past several weeks, but finally just need to get it off my chest:

A few weeks ago, I was considering giving up on my business.

Seriously.

I was feeling so rotten about it.  Lack of sales, retailers returning stock to me, and dwindling funds made me question the legitimacy of my business.  Not only my business, but my path in life.  If I'm not making enough to help support my family, is this really my calling?

But it's not as if I went into this line of work for the money.  And thankfully, my mister has a full-time job that allows me to keep doing what I'm doing, so most of the money I make goes back into the business or else covers things for Whitney and occasionally goes towards some household bills.

Let's face it, though.  My full-time gig right now really is being a mom.  Take today, for example.  We booked a nanny to look after Whitney, since Matt is busy working on a film and I had hopes of getting in more than 3 hours of work.  But due to unforeseen circumstances (a car accident - no major injuries, I think), the nanny couldn't make it and my plans went out the window.  I could have made a stink about this.  Instead, I see it as a sign that today was simply meant to be spent with Whitney.

These years with her are so precious - though they don't always seem so - and I need to remember that I won't be able to get them back.  She won't always want to spend this much time with me.  

So, what it basically comes down to is that I have to remember not to be so hard on myself.  I am a full-time mom, running a part-time business.  No matter how much money I make, I don't want to lose the love for what I do.  And I am NOT giving up.  It just may take me a bit longer to get to where I want to be.

On the bright side, I finally designed some baby congratulations cards, currently available in my etsy shop and also at Kid Culture.

And I am looking to expand my list of retailers this year, particularly in Canada, so if anyone has suggestions for cool shops to approach, please do share.  Thanks for listening.

Meow Are You?

I've been busy!

After rearranging my home office last week, business picked up a bit. I am by no means a feng shui expert, but I have an interest in it and try to rearrange things in our house by following certain guidelines. Whether or not that had anything to do with the sudden surge of business, I don't know. But the work was much needed, as we've had a string of unexpected bills to deal with the past month (or two). Funnily, I even inspired Matt to rethink his desk arrangement at home and his office, as well as those of some of his coworkers.

I will get around to showing you more of my new setup soon (along with other parts of our house), but here's a peek of one part of my office that stayed generally the same.

And a pic of my new business cards/hang tags including the other side of it.

Before things got busy, I reworked one of my old greeting card designs by eliminating the phrase on the front and adding a message inside (first photo above). It's now available in my shop.

The image ties in with Spring but it's also the purrfect anytime card for a cat lover.

Other cards and things will be listed in the shop soon. The rest of this weekend will be mainly devoted to spending time with my sister who's in town for a conference.
Her wedding is only a few months away and she also is eager to get in some Auntie time with Whitney.

Happy weekend to you!

11 and 1

my awesome new planner

Before January turns into February, here are 11 Goals for 2011:

1. Update my blog at least once a week.

2. List a new item in my etsy shop at least once a month.

3. Get some printed press.

4. Drink more water.

5. Make at least one new painting/illustration/design a month.

6. Enroll in a mom and baby class and/or get Whitney into a playgroup.

7. Dress up at least once a week.

8. Date night with Matt once a week.

9. Reconnect with friends, meeting with at least one friend once a month.

10. More belly rubs and chin scratches for Suki and Dex.

11. Grow my business.

And Whitney turned 1 today.

(pardon the terrible blurry photo)

We enjoyed a low-key day together, skyping with family, and eating cake.

Yum!

Hello... December!

Wow! Is it December already? Where does the time go?

Office Sneak Peek

My mother-in-law recently reminded me that I haven't updated my website in a while... ahem, like since January. Or at least certain pages on it, like my bio, ie. not mentioning anything about Whitney.

Well, like Stacey, life (ie. looking after a little rugrat 12+ hours a day, running my business, screenprinting for others, cooking - on occasion, cleaning - ugh!, quality time with hubby, alone time for me - what's that?, tlc for the kitties - um, need to work on that!, moving, etc.) has got in the way of regular website and blog updates this year... there's always next year. I haven't really made or followed New Year's resolutions in some time, but I think 2011 deserves at least a few.

But I'm getting ahead of myself already. It's still 2010! And Christmas is still a few weeks away, so there's still time to pick up a few stocking stuffers from my shop.

Like these:

Bad Kitty Undies

Or these:

Owl and Pussycats Stickers

And these, added to the shop today:

Horoscope Girls Sticker Set

Check the shop tomorrow for a last-minute holiday item.

Off to bed now. Good night!

Balancing Act

Balancing being a mom and running your own business certainly requires some superior multi-tasking skills. I'll be the first to admit that I've never been a great multi-tasker, so my absence from blogging is due in part to that fact.

Each week, heck, each day with Whitney seems to present new challenges and/or experiences. I spend a lot of time googling things about babies on a daily basis.

The latest challenge has been managing Whitney's naps. Several weeks ago - I think it's related to when her eyesight got a bit better - she suddenly decided that napping in her crib was out of the question. So a typical day involves me having to "wear" her for at least one nap a day. The other naps she either takes in her stroller or else, if I'm lucky, in bed with me, so I can catch up on some sleep too.

When Matt gets home from work that usually gets Whitney a bit worked up, since she's excited to see her daddy.

She is full of smiles these days and laughed her first real laughs the other week.



The rest of the evening is spent nursing her and winding her down, with a bath every other night. As we live in an open concept loft, putting her to bed at an early hour - 7 or 7:30 - is not really manageable. At least, we have not tried doing that yet and if or when we do, will involve at least a few nights of crying and tiptoeing around with the lights off. I just try to make sure she gets a nap after 2 hours of being awake and she goes to bed when we do, which is usually between 9:30 and 10 these days.

Gone are the days of burning the midnight oil for me!
Ah, the joys of parenthood!

Speaking of which, my mom will be back for a visit next week and we'll be celebrating Mother's Day together again. But this year it will be all the more special. And her being here will not only give me a little break from our darling daughter - I love her so, but there are times that I wish I had some relief - it will also allow me a little more time to get some work done. And possibly blog some more. For now though, being a mom - and hopefully a good one - is certainly my main priority.

Back to Business...

... mostly. My shop is open again and I will be adding some new things to it...
very gradually.

The tee above is now available here. I've only been staring at it when I'm at my computer for the past three months or so, but simply didn't get around to listing it until the other day.

That seems to be the case around here a lot lately, but I have to remind myself that being a mom is a full-time job in itself. Plus, how can I resist spending time with this cutie?

(If only she were this calm all the time)

Ciao for now.

edit: I forgot to say thank you for all the sweet comments left on my previous post re: our new addition. Whitney says thank you, too :)