The Birds and the Bees

On the way home from my parents house, I told the girls that they were going to have a new cousin. My four and a half year old then asked, "How do babies get into your tummy and how do they get out of your tummy?" I wasn't ready for this. After a long pause, I honestly replied that it was a long story and I didn't know that I was ready to tell it. To which she replied, "Mommy, we're in the car and it's a long ride home so we have time to talk about it." I decided to give her the accurate, albeit short, version of how they come out which I was hoping would give her enough to think about so that she forgot about the first part. She was completely silenced. After a few minutes, I asked her what she was thinking about. She said "Mommy (she often dramatically begins her responses this way...I wish I could convey the tone of her voice), I am not thinking of anything, I am just looking out the window." What she was really doing was staring at her reflection (one of her favorite things to do) in the window because it was totally dark outside and they like to travel with the backseat ceiling light on. That was probably the only reason she was deterred from pushing the subject. I suppose I had better come up with an age appropriate version of the birds and bees because next time she might ask me during the day without a mirror around.

11th Annual Hollydaze

Thank you to everyone who visited us at The Northwood during Drummond Island's annual Hollydaze! The winner of our drawing is Kathy Nelson of DeTour Village, Michigan. The big sellers of the day--eco dog toys!

The overall best seller of the day:
Zogoflex® Tux™ Dog Toy

Zogoflex® is a super durable, extremely pliable material that's tough, buoyant, non-toxic, and guaranteed to last! These fun dog toys are easy for your pup to pick up and won't hurt their teeth. Recommended for aggressive chewers, pullers, and fetchers. Tux is the perfect combination of a supremely stuffable / tossable dog treat toy. Tux is pliable, bounces, nontoxic, recyclable, and buoyant. Simply stuff your dog's favorite treat into the cavity of Tux and let 'er rip. Tux is even dishwasher safe for easy cleaning! Tux is a treat toy and was designed to withstand chewing, but still be fun - with or without a treat!

Moving Forward

No matter who you voted for, let's hope that President-Elect Obama's win will re-energize a country, and especially a youth, that seems to have lost the drive and competitiveness that has made this country so successful in the past. Let's all hope for unity within our country and the ability to make progress here and abroad. Let's hope for renewed belief in our democratic ideals and founding vision. Let's hope that we are able to offer even more examples and ideals for other countries to aspire to. Let's hope for the peace we need within our own boundaries to be able to help attain the peace that is needed beyond our borders.

Election Day!

First of all, please exercise your right to vote. Many people have fought very hard for us to have that right and it is the least we can do to honor their sacrifices.

Now, in celebration of the end of the overwhelming campaign coverage, please use the coupon code VOTE to receive 20% off your first order with bella sophia. This coupon expires December 31, 2008.

Happy Halloween!

Why is it that I feel guilty every time I put a store-bought costume on my kids? My childhood costumes were handmade, usually sewn, with attention to every detail--it was a shock not to win best costume. My mother is obviously more talented, more creative, more ambitious and more frugal than I am...why can't I just accept it?

Pumpkin Patch

The temperature was 40 degrees that day and we had to drive almost two hours each way and I dreaded going. But, as you can see by this photo, it was all worth it. I would have posted one of my older daughter, but she was crying hysterically because she thought that the nice man carrying her pumpkin to the wagon for us was stealing it.

The breaking point...address labels

You wouldn't think that it was possible that someone could spend most of one day entering 200 addresses into a database and then save a blank page over it during the so-called "merge" step. But I did. The better part of six hours of computer slumping, child interrupting data entry--all in vain. I have this kind of luck with labels and copy machines--always have. I can't line them up on the page, my printer (or copier) jams, or I loose the data. Many of my college jobs were office assistant type positions where there were a lot of labels and copies to be made. I would manage to get paper jammed into parts of the copy machine that didn't even have a little door to open--and anyone who has used a large copy machine circa 1994 knows there were a lot of doors! Today, I started my list over and got to the Gs before my computer seized up and had to be shut down. My computer is seven or eight years old and just cannot handle everything that I have going on right now. Have I mentioned that everything in my computer life is on my desktop and has not been backed up in any way so I'm just asking for a complete computer crash. I'm barely computer literate which makes every task seem insurmountable. Oh, yeah, crashing...I lost the label database AGAIN. Anyone of even below average intelligence would have saved after the Bs at this point, but not me. Tomorrow I will save after every letter under two different file names, and pray that my computer doesn't give up before I do.

Earth Friendly and Luxurious

Finally, something organic and luxurious, elegant and earth friendly, beautiful and sustainable. Better for your baby, better for our world.

The newest celebrity must have--Robbie Adrian organic blankets! Bruce Willis bought Halle Berry two!

The Robbie Adrian organic cotton velour blanket is made from 100% certified USA organic cotton fleece on both sides and is trimmed with a natural silk charmeuse ruffle. Their cotton is grown in West Texas, spun into yarn and knitted on the east coast. The organic cotton used in their blankets is certified back to the bale of cotton, by the United States Department of Agriculture.

And, the best part of all, the brains behind this economy friendly and earth friendly company are two WAHMs!

Cross Promotion

I just added bella sophia to the list "Support Women Entrepreneurs" at the blog Our Creative Life.

We're LIVE!

bella sophia has launched! You can now visit us at

www.bellasophiagifts.com

Now, if only I knew how to get people there...
I guess my children are in for some more neglect while I work on that for the rest of my life.

Summer's over...

Well, I'm back from summer vacation! And, yes, fall is almost over too, but who's keeping track? Being wait listed until September for Web design allowed me to procrastinate on all fronts for a few months. This last month, however, I have been hard at work, just not blogging--oops. My logo has been chosen (thank you Laura!), my Web site designed (thank you Leila and Cicily!), most of my initial products ordered and uploaded, and many other ducks put in a row. I should be online in the next day or so. Unfortunately, other than a loosely defined plan in my head and partial ideas scribbled on notes spread throughout my house, there hasn't been any marketing or search engine optimization done yet. So, I have a site, but little chance of any traffic. Heads up to all my friends (and anyone else whose address can be found in my junk drawer): You will be receiving "junk mail" from me very soon...please read it before discarding it with all the other advertisements. It will stand out because it will not look nearly as professional as the others. Cut me some slack, I'm on a shoe string budget and I spent all my money on the eco-friendly postcards.

Finding things

Six times last night--six times! I wish that I were boasting about something other than how many times my seventeen-month-old interrupted my sleep. If she is awake enough to yell "Mommy! Come! Paci!", then why can't she find one of the three pacifiers in her crib? I know it is my own fault. We keep pushing back when we are going to bite the bullet and take them away from her. Six months, then one year...was 18 months, and now, by age two, for sure. After last night, the deadline might move back up.

Yesterday I spent almost two hours working on key words. After reading chapter five in Search Engine Optimization for Dummies, I searched Yahoo's site for a keyword selector tool in vain. The author of the book had a link from his site because he says that Yahoo! keeps changing the location. Well, he hasn't updated since the last time they moved it. Who do they think they are, Wal-Mart? Leave it be so we can find it!

A guilt free day

On Saturday, my husband took our four-year-old shopping at a local store (remember, we live on a sparsely populated island). After repeatedly telling him to keep it a secret, at bedtime she couldn't resist blurting out what she had bought me. "An Ugg! I bought you an Ugg!" she excitedly yelled. I was surprised to hear that our local store carried Uggs, but was excited that I was going to receive such a useful gift. I already owned a pair of their boots, slippers and flip flops and any one of the three could use replacing. The next day, I reached into the gift bag and pulled out a tall coffee MUG with cats on it. "Oh Mommy--I just knew you would love it and I picked it out just for you" she shouted into my face from six inches away while dancing around with her signature happy hands fluttering at her sides. I couldn't have received a better present. My husband brought me home supermarket flowers and cooked and cleaned up dinner. But, aside from my oldest daughter's exuberance, the best part of Mother's Day is that it allows me a guilt-free day. I can let my husband do the majority of the parenting and not accomplish a thing without feeling the nagging guilt that usually accompanies that kind of inaction. To me, this guilt-free pass is the best part of Mother's Day...that is until I remember that Joe and I have moms to attend to. Well, it was great while it lasted.

Moving forward

I have finally written the first draft of my Web site content (not including product descriptions). The mental key was to tell myself that all I had to do was write crappy copy to be revised later as long as it contained the key information. It wasn't too bad until nap time was over and then there was constant monkey climbing on me and my computer table by my 17 month old. Now, as I look around, I see what occupied her (when she wasn't mauling me) and my four year old during this time. The house is trashed! My husband came home from work around lunch time and fed the girls PB&J's and apples (which I had to suggest) and took our four-year-old with him on errands which is his contribution to helping me get things done. You know, because the 1 1/2 year-old is no trouble at all. He takes the one that can be placed in front of Saturday morning (OK, afternoon) cartoons for diversion. Truth be told, the younger one entertains herself better than the older one (with the exception of TV time). I guess it is time to decide whether or not I'm going to name them in this blog. Since they will undoubtedly provide most of the content, it's probably inevitable that I will and it's much easier to call them by name than to settle on one of their hundreds of nicknames. Is it wrong to leave your child on top of the table if that is allowing you to get just one more thing done?

Shades of green

I have led a life of convenience so I am new to Eco-friendly, but I'm committed. Not committed like my California surfer friend Jason (who is married to Holly, one of my best friends) who has not only erased his carbon footprint, but is doing enough to make up for a few of us slackers. My problem is that I have a guilt complex. About pretty much everything so prepare for that to be a re-occurring theme. Now that I have taken my head out of the sand, I feel guilty about everything I'm not doing (and it's a lot of not doing). So whenever I come across someone telling me that it is OK to start small, or as it has been referred to lately, to be "light green", I feel a little relieved. I also love a witty read.

Case in point, the following excerpt from John Mayer's "(NOT) WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE - ENTRY NO. 1" blog entry on April 26Th (go on, keep reading, it is entertaining): "The trouble is, nobody has managed to come close to bringing this issue to you in a way that doesn't turn you off. At best, it's a bore, and at worst (toilet paper square accounting?) it's insulting to human autonomy.
It seems to me that when it comes to this issue, we've been given only two sides to pick from: side one says the future of global warming does not present a doomsday scenario, almost chuckling the matter aside. Side two says it is a dire issue (which it is), and then goes on to inundate side one with so many separate nakedly-scientific points that they make naivete' seem cozy by comparison.
So here I am, introducing a third side. A laid-back, panic free approach to environmentalism. One that believes the message of "An Inconvenient Truth" is sound, but that it's an incredibly un-fun name for a movie. A side free from the cry of hypocrisy, for it doesn't make sweeping promises. A side that drives an SUV on the way to the grocery store but then produces nylon mesh bags at the checkout line. A side that believes in bringing a change of perspective to our government but letting Carl Rove finish his meal first.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fans and Friends, I submit to you a third way: Light Green.
No thinking about "offsetting your carbon footprint". No rallies. No brow-beating people who think the Earth just has a fever. Pick one thing to change this year, and keep the rest of your life the same. After all, the only message the charts with escalating red lines are meant to send is that the red lines have to stop escalating, not that hey have to drop to the bottom of the graph by next Tuesday."

I drive an SUV and I don't use reusable grocery bags. It's on my green "To Do" list (I am a list maker from way back so, yes, I literally have this list). You see, I can't afford that just yet. I live on an island (ferry boat service and all) and do the majority of my grocery shopping once a month or so 75 miles away and would need 25 of those bags. That is also why I have the SUV--to carry the 25 bags. But, I do save the bags to reuse...it's a start. I am such a rationalizer. I know that isn't a word, but it describes me so well that it should be. And, I do use reusable bags at our local grocery.

Recently accomplished from my list: Recycle everything I can and haul it to the community recycling trailer on the island. Stopped buying plastic water bottles for home use. Buy glass and stainless food containers and bowls instead of plastic. Limited my use of paper napkins, paper plates, paper towels and computer paper. Replaced some light bulbs with compact fluorescent (I'd change them all if I didn't find that either the light is annoying or they take too long to come on). Shop at local farmer's markets and co-ops (thanks Grain Train in Petoskey, MI!) when possible. Replaced dryer sheets with reusable dryer balls (thanks Holly--they really do work). Replaced some household and personal products with organic and biodegradable versions. Started taking shorter showers. Turn off/unplug appliances, computers, lights, etc. when not in use. Bought energy efficient appliances, toilets, and windows and a Geo-thermal heat system for new home addition. And, reuse whatever whenever possible.

Please don't judge me too harshly. I'm trying and improving and in no way am I preaching! I am a recent convert with much to learn. Jason and Holly will be pleased...and shocked.



Update: Jason and Holly saw the blog and are sending me 25 reusable grocery bags. And my "To Do" list just got a lot longer.

Married with children

Today in the headlines (Fox News online), I read that Harvard University psychology professor Daniel Gilbert presented at the Happiness and its Causes conference in Sydney that "children can send marriage into downward spiral".

Duh.

Space of my own

When I worked outside of the home, one of the things that I loved most, was that I had an office. A place that was all my space with my stuff. A place that would look the same in the morning as it did when I left it the night before. After just a few months in my first job out of college as a marketing assistant, we were moving into a newly constructed building and there was constant speculation as to who got which office and in some cases, which cubicle. Some days I was penciled into a cubicle and some days, an office. For me, this decision somehow determined my worth and potential within this company. Looking back, I hardly think this kind of thought was given to this matter, but at the time, to me, my future was at stake. Finally, I was given the news that I had been waiting for...an office was mine! Most people, having seen this broom closet office space I was being offered would have longed for the cubicle down the hall, but I was elated! It did not matter that it was barely big enough for my desk and had no windows. It had four walls, a ceiling and a door! I was a valued employee! I had a future!

Obviously I valued my own space even before I had children, but now that I do, and now that I don't have an office, I long for that room. I fantasize about it. Not just for the actual space and functionality of it, but for what it represents to me. My computer sits on the narrowest of tables in the corner of our tiny living room. I cannot leave anything out, nor can I work without a child on my lap punching keys unless they are asleep. When complete, our addition allows space for an office. If this space is completed while the kids still live at home, I am going to install locks on both sides of the door and relish that in the morning everything will be in the same spot that it was when I left it the night before.

Commitment issues

With all the demands on my mother-wife-entrepreneur's life, it makes sense that I would question whether or not I am willing to fully commit to yet another obligation. Right? That is how I feel about this blog. Though I know that it is part of a successful marketing plan, and writing is something I always planned to dabble in, it is another time consuming, weigh-on-your-mind commitment. Of course, I've already admitted the fear this invokes in me so I may have ulterior motives in looking for more excuses to procrastinate. Did I mention that I am a HUGE procrastinator? I was recently reading an article in The New York Times about business blogging that says I am supposed to "define [the] editorial vision" of my blog (tone, content, look, and frequency) before I begin. As if that wasn't enough to make me feel a bit deflated, it went on to tell me that I need to be credible and offer insight into my area of expertise. What area of expertise? I think you can tell that instead I am winging it. I hope that appeals to you less structured people out there (if anyone ever actually stumbles upon this). So, I have hired my Web designers and logo designer and opened my wholesale accounts. I have my gift boxes in hand (re-using from previous brick and mortar gift boutique) and have found my grosgrain ribbon source. I have decided on a shipping method and know which size boxes are needed. I have found the best price for biodegradable packaging peanuts and where my logo labels will be printed. I have even started the feared blog. I guess I may just have to write that copy now. How long have I been saying that? I promise I won't mention it again until I have actually started writing it--more than just the headings. And, I'll try to blog about something other than not blogging.

My logo meeting went very well. I am confident that Laura will come up with a great logo for Bella Sophia. Simple. Sophisticated. Slightly feminine. I'm excited to see my options. Laura is experienced and seems very in-tune with my vision. She was recommended by my former boss and invaluable resource and friend Bob Fell. Now about that Website copy...

OK, I must admit, I am blog scared. I stopped keeping a diary in my teens for fear that someone might read it someday. In a high school psychology class I was labeled with a "fear of failure". I think a fear of public ridicule would be more appropriate. Despite this, I have come back to post again...I am currently in complete procrastination mode because next on my "To do:" list is writing my Web site copy and determining meta tags. I was given this luxury of time because my Web designers Lightning Bug Designs have a waiting list that puts my launch date in September. I do enjoy leisurely (a word that doesn't mean quite what it used to now that I'm a mom of a pre-schooler and a toddler) summers so maybe it's better this way. Martinis anyone? Your chaise will be waiting for you Bailey. I am moving forward though...Thursday I am meeting with the person who is designing my logo. To me, this will be the most important part of Bella Sophia's identity and I am afraid that I won't be able to accept one. I have trouble committing to such final decisions. We are adding on to our house right now (I forgot to mention that little fact when questioning my sanity in the previous post) and that particular character trait of mine causes my husband fits since he is a doer and wants it done yesterday. I like to know all of my options and then process. Unfortunately, my budget will not allow for that kind of contemplation when it comes to this logo. It's probably like taking tests though...when in doubt, go with your first inclination and then embrace it and don't look back.

The adventure begins...the development of Bella Sophia!

I have spent all of my free time (nap time) setting up this blog site so the actual post will have to wait. And that is precisely why I question my sanity in choosing to start this business with two little ones in need of raising.