my week's checklist

My business is about to be a full reality.  There are a few things: big, important, must-do things still left.  I am going to get them all done this week, well, that is the plan.  All of you moms out there know what I mean.

The list involves a lot of paperwork, computer time (and I am NOT computer savvy!!), and trips to THREE government offices.  I am also working one night, have my monthly craft night with friends & an appointment in San Francisco ... as well as the normal mom / housewife / chef / gardener etc stuff.  Basically, it is all of the business to-dos I have been putting off because I didn't want to do them.

So, here's to an exciting week of becoming an official small business!  

a milking we will go!

So those of you who are friends with me on my personal face book page know that since Wednesday, my oldest, Vivienne has been obsessed with wanting to milk a cow.  I have no idea where this came from.  I asked her why, and she replied, because I want to!  Vivienne is a really fun little girl & at times very quirky.  I think part of the fun of being a parent is feeding my childrens' curiosity.  Who knows where it could lead?  I think this philosophy of real world learning is part of Waldorf or maybe Montessori ... but for me the mom, it is just plain fun.

After two days of her talking constantly about wanting to milk a cow I decided I would find a cow for her to milk.  Out here in the San Francisco Bay Area, that is not as easy as it sounds!  There are urban farm programs that have cow milking days, such as Slide Ranch in Muir Beach but all farm days are sold out for the rest of the summer!  There is an urban farm in Lafayette, Sienne Ranch.  They have a farm program where children can milk goats, but you have to sign up for their week long program (which we will probably do in the future).  I told Vivienne I couldn't find a cow, but what about a goat?  She agreed that a goat would be just fine.

After much googling, I found a goat farm in Vacaville, CA that talked about selling kids (baby goats!).  I figured babies = milk.  So, I called them up.  After explaining my situation, the woman said we could show up when they milked their goats at either 8 am or 7 pm.

So ... out the door at 7am Saturday morning!  Headed for the farm!  Of course this is the day all three girls decided to sleep in past 6:30 am (and I had worked until 10:30 the night before ...).

We arrived and first spotted about 20 kids eating breakfast.  They were about 18" high ... so cute!   The girls got to pet them through the fence.  After about 15 minutes, it was time to head into the barn and milk the goat!  We were told about their food and the process of getting 35 goats milked every day twice a day.  They use a machine to milk four goats at a time, but first brought in one for Vivienne.

Here is Vivienne giving it a try.  She listened very well & followed the instructions.  With help, she got the milk out!  And no, we didn't bring one home.  They are a lot of work!

Company Logo!!

Here it is!!  MY company logo.  Small Batch Studio.  I get asked why did I call my company Small Batch Studio.  Here is my reason.  In case you haven't discovered, when it comes to projects I have ADHD.  I have 100 ideas for things to create, make and sell.  No matter what those things may be, it will be done by me (and maybe my husband helping out ... or a friend or two).  It will be done on a small scale ... in small batches.  Made in my craft room (spare bedroom), kitchen or at the dining room table.  My husband asked me why "studio", well because I think of a studio as a place where you create.  So, there it is ... Small Batch Studio.

For the logo design I used a woman, Amber Mabe, who offers her services on Etsy.  I loved her style.  I also figured, if I am going to be selling on Etsy I should use others who do the same.  If you are interested in logo design, here is her shop:   http://www.etsy.com/shop/amber84 

Push Pack label coming soon!!

Who is incharge?

I was very blessed when my oldest was born to find a pediatrician who was an "expert" on kids & a God-sent for first time moms & dads.  Are you asking, aren't all pediatricians experts on kids?  No, I don't think so.  Let me explain.  He was (as far as I could calculate) 80 years old.  He was confident and very good at helping guide new moms and dads.  He had these "cheat sheets" that he would hand out at each appointment.  They gave you in site into what you would be experiencing during that time frame and advise on how to handle it.  He also gave out his home numbers for you to call in the mornings if you had questions.  These sheets were honest and realistic.  I remember one that said (at 18 mos - 2 yrs) something like ... there are times you may not like your child ... . Or the newborn sheet given at the initial consultation that said your new born may be "ugly" (well, he didn't use THAT word, but did tell you it may not be this beautifully shaped glowing white smooth skinned baby you see in the movies.)  When I  read these sheets I felt as though he had a hidden camera in my apartment and was giving tips just for us.

I also loved the nurse's advise when both my husband & I came for the first newborn appointment.  She told us that moms and dads parent differently.  Different doesn't mean wrong and we need to respect the differences.

Around the 15 - 18 month appointment the Dr asked me if my daughter was doing anything I didn't like.  At the time she was really fighting me while I was changing her diaper.  I told him that.  He asked what did I want?  I said I wanted her to lay still while I changed her.  His advise was that when she would squirm & try to roll I should (in a deep, stern voice) tell her no and hold her still.  She would get the point.  The next check up, same question.  This time I had a good one!  (Little did I know terrible twos starts about 18 months!!) She "refused" to get in her stroller for our walk home from the park.  Now, at this time, I was about 5 months pregnant living in San Francisco in a 4 story walk up, on the top floor.  We were a mile away from the park, and yes, I had to walk up a hill on the way home.  So, this time, I carried her and pushed the stroller.  The Dr's advise.  Buy a bungee cord, put her in the stroller and tell her (in the firm but calm voice) she was going to stay in the stroller until we got home.  The next park visit she threw another tantrum.  A huge one.  I buckled her in & told her she was staying put.  I had drawn my line in the sand.  The rest of the way home she would do everything in her power to get me to budge.  As far as she was concerned. we were at war and she was going to win.  Little did she know, the Dr had warned me of this.  When you pick a battle, he said, you have to win.  If you don't want to win, don't start the battle.  He told me children will make themselves pass out, throw up and just about anything else to get you to give in.

I think that walk home resulted in several conversations among observers about the possibility of never having children.  She screamed like I had never heard.  Tried to throw herself out of the stroller.  Kicked,  and hit ... but I didn't give in.  And ... you know what.  I won.  That battle was over.  I can honestly say we never had a major fit regarding the stroller again.

I had a mom tell me today that she wasn't able to brush her daughter's hair.  Her (3 year old) wouldn't let her.  She said she assumed I never had that problem as she can tell I spend a lot of time on my girls hair in the morning.  I told her, that we have "that" problem about 1 - 2 times a week, but if I don't brush their hair it just gets worse and worse, so I ignore the screams and brush through the falling down and crying. There are days I do give up and say forget it ... but not too often.  It's a battle I pick and win.  The hair gets brushed.

There are battles I choose not to have.  My oldest has picked out her clothes and dressed herself since she was 2.  She has her own unique style and that's OK with me.  I know moms who don't have this option for their child.

The point is, sometimes we as moms need to be reminded, who is in charge?  When we say our child "refuses xyz" are we really thinking about what it will be like at 13 or 14 and they refuse.  I think, that if you start winning battles now, there won't be as many as they get older.  I hope not at lease.  I think we will also have practice saying no and meaning it.  I think children are looking for a parent who is in charge.  They start testing us early on.  If they are out of our control at 2, why do we think they will be easier to handle during those teenage years?  No, I'm starting now.  It isn't fun.  It is HARD, especially emotionally.  In the moment the battle happens I think so many times it would be easier to give in to my daughters ... but in the long run it will be much harder.

Remember moms, you're bigger, stronger and you can do it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here we are!  Mother's Day is tomorrow.   I have mixed feelings about the actual day, as I have had to work the last 10 out of 11 of them.   I work at a hotel & we do a Mother's Day Brunch.  I have mixed feeling about that too.  I mean, what mom with little kids wants to get everyone out of the house dressed to impressed for a buffet lunch at a 5 star hotel?   Not me!!  Some of the dads are great.  The moms sit & get to enjoy their food while the dads serve a food runner for the kids.  These dads have spa appointments waiting for their wives when the brunch is over.  (I'm assuming these dads also had the nannies get the kids ready in the morning ...)

I always struggle with what to get my mom.  This year, I decided I would make her gift.  There is something unsatisfying about buying something for someone when they could easily buy it for themselves.

My mom was and is my inspiration for things handmade.  I remember the all nighters she would spend on the finishing touches of our matching holiday dresses.  There was one year she made matching nightgowns for my cousins too ... all 7 or 8 of them.  She was also frequently crafting for holiday boutiques everything from cats made of yarn to hand blown painted eggs.   She cooked, canned & baked from scratch too.  All while raising three over committed children.   She found time to serve her church, be school room mom & at times part time employee (my favorite was when she worked at an ice cream & candy store!!)  Now as grandma, my girls have knitted blankets, sweaters and booties.  Handmade clothes and thanks to her my 3 year old can make french toast almost unassisted.

I found the idea for this patchwork tablecloth in a Martha Stewart magazine.  The have an outdoor picnic table that gets used all spring, summer & early fall for family dinners, a Sunday night tradition.  Now, this was very intimidating for me as my mom is also an amazing quilter.  She knows the ins & outs of color coordination & placement.  Her lines are straight & seems are just so.  I think I did a pretty good job.  I won't admit that I made a few mistakes because being a patchwork quilt, you can add a patch & it works ;)

People often comment about the time it takes to do things like this & "finding" time.  Here is my answer, think small blocks of time!  No matter what your project is, it will take a certain number of minutes to complete.  This goes for housework, reading, and crafting projects ... well goes for everything we do in life really.  But for those things if you just work on them for a little bit - even 5 minutes, it brings you closer to the completed project!!  It may take you years to finish, but when you are done it feels really great!  So my thought for you, today is if you have a creative side - FEED IT!!  There is a real satisfaction in creating something.  If it takes you 10 hours to complete, by working on it just 1 hour a week in 10 few weeks, you'll have a completed project.  Time flies ... have fun.  Be creative.

A home without TV

So, today on facebook there was a post about not having cable TV.  I re posted it to my page & loved the comments I got regarding not having cable.  The little glimpse of the blog that you got was that on average, cable runs about $75 / month.  That's $900 a year.  Aside from the money part, there is a lot that TV can add or take away from the home life of the people who have it.

TV has had a very large impact on my life.  Growing up, I had this view of the television.  TV (or the act of watching TV) was at times, the most important thing in the house.  More important than sleep, practicing piano, doing homework ... more important than the people who lived in the home.  If the TV was on & being watched, all other activity had to be done in a way not to disturb the TV viewing.   Now this was even before 1000 channels all in HD with 24 hour news & views ... it was the 70's and the 80's.

One of my friends commented that now that they have no TV they talk to each other.   I love that.  I love that someone put it in words for me.  Not having TV they (and I am taking some liberties here with the interpretation of that statement) have found a deeper relationship as a family.   I remember at times LONGING for attention, but instead it was given to a TV ... this object.   Now that I am a mom, and a person w/ out TV other that DVDs,  I wonder what my daughters views will be on TV when they are older.  Don't get me wrong, when I can (hospital & hotel stays) I LOVE watching HGTV.  I used to be a big fan of Law & Order, the weekend marathons were great ... but now, I have three little ones.  Do I really need to be sitting watching Judge Judy rip some idiot to shreds because he came to court chewing gum and mumbling?   No.  And the programs now!  What "family" is really a family we want our kids to look up to.  Gone are the days of the Cosby Show that kids could watch.  Now, the "kid friendly" shows are full of disrespectful kids (or cartoons) and parents who act like they can't stand each other.  What "vibe" or "energy" is that putting in your house?

So ... for those of you who have TV, I offer a challenge.  Think of your cable bill.  Take that & plan something with that money 6 months or a year from now as a reward for being TV free.  What would you do?  Could you cancel your cable today?  How do you think your family life would improve?  Is your TV more important than your child who wants to tell you how her day was or ask you about a problem she had in school?  If you can't cancel it, what about turning it off while your kids are awake?   Record what you want to watch & watch it when the kids sleep.

It is late, I am tired and have a long day for the next few days ... but I could go on & on about TV.  Instead I will close and get a few hours of SLEEP!  I look forward to reading your thoughts.

musings of a belly button

Honestly, I have never really given belly buttons much thought.  Oh, I did think about if I had an inny or an outy and how attractive or unattractive they were.  In my 30's as a celebration of a new found life I got mine pierced.   (It was that or a tattoo ... and I couldn't decided what to get where ...) but other than those thoughts nothing.

Until today.  I am feeling a little emotional today, hormones I guess.  I was changing my youngest's diaper & there it was.  Her belly button.  The place where she & I were attached, literally, for 40 weeks (or in her case 39 1/2).  I almost started to cry as I looked at this little girl and felt a bond to her that I haven't felt since I first held her in my arms.  I was getting the kids ready to take the oldest to school so was dressing and changing them all.  Throughout this time, I saw all of their belly buttons.  They all look different.  They were all attached to ME.  I don't think my girls look like me.  People say they see me in them, but their skin is a beautiful brown that I could only dream of.  Their eyes are dark brown, mine are light green.  Our features are different too.  There are kids who you look at and you say, yeah, that's a mini mom or dad.  I don't have that.  I am asked if they are mine.  I don't mind that, I am in no way offended.  But here it was this morning ... a reminder that no matter what life throws at us, we were connected in a very special way and always will be.

I then looked at my belly button & thought of my mom.  Another tear came to my eye.  The bond is a little stronger after today.

Fun in the kitchen.

These last two days have been great. My husband had a day off Sunday. He is a chef, and works in the land of the salaried. (Translation, he works A LOT.) He also commutes into San Francisco, which is about an hour door to door from our house. Oh, how I miss living 2 miles away from work!! Anyway, when he has a day off it is like a gift. This time was no exception. We cleared some weeds that had been bugging the heck out of me in my front yard. It wasn't a project I could really work on with the girls around & no one else watching them. I like having a good looking front yard. It makes me feel like no matter what is going on inside, it looks good from the outside. Also, a kid can't undo a mowed yard (unlike a vacuumed house!)

I also got to do some creative stuff in the kitchen. When I was young, the big treat when I was sick was ginger ale. We would get to drink it when we had an upset stomach. When pregnant, I learned that ginger candy cured morning sickness. So, how thrilled was I to learn that you can MAKE ginger ale and candied ginger. They are a bi product of each other. I've enclosed the blog page that I got the recipe from ... she wrote it better than I could and has great pictures too.

http://sweetsavoryplanet.blogspot.com/2011/04/ginger-soda-and-ginger-candy-double.html

Anyway ... you should try it. It's one of those things that you can do (in multi-steps over a few days) that when you have a party with your nice bottle of ginger & bottle of soda water so people can make their own ginger ale ... well, you have just "bumped it up a notch." in the party world.

The other creative kitchen project was making my own graham crackers. Now I must admit, this sounds cool, and yes, they are so much more yummy that the store bought ones. They are however a pain to make. Well, the mixing is fun & a great thing to do with kids since it involves pulsing the food processor - they love that. It is the rolling out & cutting that is nuts. I've got to look at some other recipes, I think. My husband gave me some tips for next time & saved me this time by doing it for me so I didn't have a complete meltdown in the kitchen. Let's just say, the dough is VERY sticky. So, rolling & cutting then moving to a pan are not easy the way I was doing it. BUT it did make some YUMMY graham crackers, along with the marshmallows my husband made last week & some melted chocolate ... um, yeah. I've eaten a few.

Today was back to the everyday grind. But I am enjoying the fruits of my labor! Here's to a good s'more & a cold glass of ginger ale on a beautiful spring day! Cheers!

Child modeling from a mom's perspective.

Nordstom Holiday 2010

My daughter age 3 1/2 has been modeling since she was 6 months old. Her fist job was a month after we signed with JE Model in San Francisco and was for Pottery Barn. Since then, she has worked for Macy's, Mervyns, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Hannah Andersson, and the latest, Children's Place. It is a very interesting business filled with mystery for those who are interested in having their child be a model. I thought I'd write about things that people seem to be most curious about. I asked on my FB page & got a few responses as well as a few emails. So ... here are my experiences.

How did you get your daughter into modeling? By chance actually. I had a cousin who threatened me if I didn't submit my daughter's pictures to JE Model in SF. She knew someone who knew someone who they represented. I went online & followed the submission guidelines thinking that would be the end of it. They called back the next day & she was signed a week later after meeting my daughter and I.

How do I get my kid into modeling? There are several agencies in the Bay Area. We are with JE Model in San Francisco. There is Models Inc, Stars, and Marla Dell. Maybe others, but these stick out in my mind. Each of them have submission guidelines on their websites. Just follow those carefully. If they like your child's look they'll call you. I can only speak to JE, but they'll request an in person meeting to see the child's personality. Your child has to, in general, be ok with strangers and well behaved.

Do I have to pay the agency? I've kind of addressed this is other areas. but No. They get paid if and when your child gets paid. I met a mom who bought a "modeling kit" for $250 from her agency. She was surprised to see none of the other moms there had this kit ... it had hair products, wipes, and plain white diapers and some other stuff. Not $250 worth for sure.

What is the time commitment? This is a tricky one. All three of my girls are signed with the agency, though only the oldest has ever actually worked. The business in the SF Bay Area has really slowed down as companies have closed (Mervyns) or moved their shooting (Macys, Gymboree, GAP) I can tell you what is involved. You (the parent) have to keep an online portfolio updated. The agency wants to see current pictures. Think of how much a 6 month old baby changes every week! The agency wants good pictures too. So, I spend a lot of time taking, uploading & editing pictures. The agency picks only about 10% of the ones I submit ... so that is a lot of work. You have to keep their work permit updated, which is just mailing in a form once every 6 months. Then there is the actual "work" or work getting work. Most jobs, you have to go to a "go-see" or an audition. You can get a call a week before, or two days before ... something like, your child has been requested for a go see on Tuesday between 10 - 2 in San Francisco. I have been at some that take 5 minutes, other times I have waited for 3 hours. Then, if your child gets the job you find out anywhere from again 1 week to 12 hours before. Literally. The last shoot, the calls were put out at 7 pm the night before, and the location was 1 1/2 hours from my house! On a side note - when you go to anything work related, it is only the child and an adult that can be there, no siblings. Last year we went to 6 go-sees and 3 of them resulted in work. So far this year, we have done 5 go-sees, and one job.

Is all of the work last minute? In my experience, pretty much no more notice than a week out. We actually got a call last year to be in San Francisco ASAP for a shoot. The company had forgotten to call the agency about my daughter shooting that day. It was the middle of the day & I had just put my girls down for a nap. We made it & it went great. But, I was holding my breath the whole time. (I did take my other daughter that day ...)

What is the money like? It isn't a lot, so far what we have done & I don't know about things like being on a pampers box BUT generally the catalog work pays about $100 - $200/ hr with a 2 hr minimum.  If the picture has more "usage" like a clothing hang tag, the pay is higher ... around $1000.  Your agency takes 20% (and this is the ONLY money they get from you ... if someone wants you to pay them more run the other way.) This is just for the actual shoot. You are not paid for the go-sees, and you have to get to the location which can be anywhere in the Bay Area!

One of the head shots ...

What are the expenses? Aside from gas being $4 - $5 / gal and getting your child to all of the places for work & go-sees, there is a small fee every month for your child's online portfolio. After age 3, they should have professional pictures done. This can be from $200 - $450. Other than that, not much that I can think of, unless you have to miss work and want to count that.

What are the shoots like? There is no typical shoot. One she did we were in and out in 20 minutes, literally. One other time we waited for 3 hours before they shot her. Really you are at work. There are a lot of people involved to make this happen. Sometimes 20 or more. Your child is just one piece of the puzzle. Most are pretty kid friendly in that they are people who know how to work with kids. Sometimes, as kids, they are just not having it. I have seen more than a few meltdowns. Usually for smaller kids they hire a backup child in case #1 is having a bad day. That's another thing, your child could be the backup & though they get paid never get their picture taken. Yeah, you get the money but no picture.

What advise would you give? First, you have to not take it too seriously or personally. Looks are trendy and not every child has the look. It doesn't mean your child isn't beautiful or cute or the best baby ever! Especially with the lack of business in the area I was told the agencies are really picky and maybe they just have too many kids that have your child's look. Also, if you are working and don't have a flexible schedule or someone (like a grandparent) who can take your child places last minute, it is really pointless. Each job represents possibly 2 days you will miss from work. Lastly, not every kid likes it & some LOVE it. My middle daughter runs and screams at the camera. We almost stopped with my oldest when she was 2 1/2. She did not seem to like it at all. The "deciding" shoot, was a great one with a child wrangler who made it like going to a party. My daughter has enjoyed it since then. Also, it is a JOB.

Do you get to keep the clothes? People ask me this all of the time! Nope.

Another from her head shot shoot ... I got to play stylist.  

Any other questions? Post in the comments ... I'll answer. Have other experiences? Post please! I'd love to read about them!