brief candle life

I'm totally ignoring the children right now! We're about to take them to the Austin Kite Festival though, so family enrichment time will trump the current TV mindsuck.

On the Rag Bag is the name of a product I want to develop. I also want to reproduce locally what Kaos kids clothing does; recycling cool old concert tees into swanky toddler dresses. For my kid and a couple crafty boutiques maybe. And a new jewelry product.

I have to write a book review.

The dishwasher is not fully loaded.

I want a beer.

I don't have two consecutive hours for the Turk tonight.

I do have time to research Godchild gift websites, and that's what I'm going to choose to do right now.

5. Amazon Turk

This is kind of a hidden penny mine of income. Supposedly if you just gnaw into this endeavor you can make a few hundred a week, but I think my brain would explode with the monotony first. I've made some chump change here, like $14 for a half hour of cumulative work, say, which has gone straight into discounting whatever my next Amazon purchase was. But, the opportunity exists if you hit upon the right projects, are quick with computers, wordy, and accurate.

 
6. ASA International Area Representative

I applied for this position recently through Craigslist. I would manage local families and incoming foreign exchange students at the High School level. But dang if it hasn't been impossible to actually get the training and start the process of this job going!

7. Preschool teacher

What I did when Toddler was a baby. I taught the 2's class, and she got to go for free. When this baby turns 18 months, I could work there again if they have an opening. This would be 2-4 mornings a week for pretty low pay, but it's childcare rolled up with a steady (albeit small) paycheck that would complement the other employments nicely.

I mean, it seems pretty clear that I should focus my efforts into making more money with the avenues already accessible to me. I'm gonna go do that now!

I've been in limbo for a long time about how to go about earning money. Going "back to work" full time would mean the kids going to full time preschool and daycare, and I'd have to get the highest paying entry level job possible in order to basically equal the cost of mortgage and childcare. Dh's salary covers our bills, period. My/our other part time work covers Miscellaneous.

So for months, actually years, I've been dithering about just cashing out of the whole full time mommy thing and getting a full time job, full time daycare. But it's a reality that's just not happening. I need to make so much right off the bat to make it even worth it that's it's daunting and so the list of jobs I can even apply for is small in an already tiny pool of job postings that will even respond to your inquiry/shining resume/well-crafted follow-up emails. 

So I always wind up going back to square 1: 

1. (not that this is the #1 best way to do it, simply it's first on this mental list) 

Though it seems like this is a finite way of making money, you'd be surprised at what you're willing to sell once you start digging stuff up. Suddenly your book shelf starts to look like a used book store, and your closet like a thrift store.

Ok, so I've Craigslisted an old futon, Toddler's cute baby shoes & clothes, an old washer and dryer, the "other" car.

I have accounts on Ebay and newbie Bonanzle. Haven't Ebayed yet, that market seems to be kinda saturated. Bonanzle is nice because there are no upfront fees. No sales there though, even though the site is really pretty!

I have sold basketloads of baby and maternity things to a local kids resale shop.

I have had two garage sales in the past year, both with a really decent turnout, and gotten rid of everything from heavily emotional items - first baby's bassinette :( - and heavily reviled items (bye, ugly candle holders!) to the "someone else's treasure" (full unused fondue set.)

The key here is not to look at each item's true estimated value, but to look at turning a bulk of unused items into hundreds of dollars. This has helped me be less attached to things and more interested in oiling the gears of our fiscal situation. And hey, uncluttering to boot. 

2. Sell New Stuff 

Put more effort into our kids' t-shirt business and get more clients. We're already in a bunch of local stores, but getting out of Austin has proven to be difficult. The phrase "we're full in our t-shirt lines" has been often uttered to me, if they've even replied at all. I mean, hundreds of emails and dozens of phone calls have fallen about as flat as emailing your resume to as many job postings on Monster. My most recent wholesale order? Baby was wearing one of our onesies when I went to sell a basket of old clothes to a local resale store; the owner really loved it, I mentioned we make them, she revealed her business plan to expand the locally made "new clothing" portion of her store, and weeks later a bulk wholesale order was born! Other local stores are laming out on me, choosing to stock more yuppie couture and less homegrown & clever.

Then, there are individuals of the world wide web who simply don't know about our fun fun homemade baby goodies and need a cute giftie for someone. The real grunt work is getting these folks' attention in a genuine way. I mean, I hate sales. The idea of telling someone to buy something makes me ill. But presenting them with the option of making a buying choice that supports local & handmade does make me feel good. That's all. I just want the world to know that we are here, on our little island of internet property, with our little home silk screening workshop, churning out witty things for kids to wear over which we giggled while designing, written on the back of a junk mail envelope over consecutive walks in the park with our first baby in an attempt to transcend the rat race.

I also started my adventure in self owned business when I learned how to design and make jewelry. So that's another thing I can sell. I haven't made any new pieces since 2007 or something. I could make more. I also have some other ideas for jewelry type things, though I won't divulge here lest someone else runs with the idea and makes the millions I'm missing out on by ignoring these ideas.

3. Web Design

Juggle juggle, hey! I'm a web designer too. I need more clients though. My thing is though that I work in very basic html. Been using Dreamweaver since 2001. With the advent of iWeb, I'm able to design a little more complicated things from templates, but so can every other average jane. So my target client is your basic 60 year old with a something that needs web presence. A nice neat, functioning site with pretty colors. A website for the book you wrote, your art photography, your restaurant/bike shop/dentist office/tattoo parlor. Word of mouth so far has been my only ally. Lots of fish biting, but no one's signing on, no matter what price I make up out of thin air. The truth is, most people can create a site lickety split with today's user friendly technology, why pay someone else? Wealthy Luddites, I welcome you with open arms.

4. Music

I am a musician. I am in a band. Like probably 80% of Austin. LOL. We rehearse every Monday and have an average couple gigs a month. We are still hoping to make it, and I love the music. I have yet to make money, as one of 13 members, but the possibility dangles. Anyway, I could do so much more with music. I can offer flute lessons. I can record my own flute lullabye cd based on old Polish folk tunes, heavy with the reverb and delay that I so love. If I could push the grand Pause button on the children and go into our recording studio (= dh's closet, site of the recording of his entirely self produced kids' cd,) I could make this a reality. 

5. Amazon Turk, 

6. ASA International Area Representative,

7. Preschool teacher,

and any more that I think of will have to be posted tomorrow. I have work to do, and when you have babies, 12:32am is when it gets done!

At some point I realize that nursing has turned into indiscriminate rabbit kicking and intermittent high pitched shrieks. So I fumble for my glasses (unless Baby has crawled over me to get them for me, and by "get" I mean shake like a cocktail and bend back the wrong way), my feet find the floor and I roll Baby off with me. He slithers away and runs to sister on the couch. We say Boo to her when we arrive. An alternate version is if we get up before her, we go to the couch, and when she wakes up she sneaks up on us to shout Boo on the couch. 

We then veg for a show or two. I have to hide the remote, my glasses, and cell phone under my pillow, and clear the coffee table of all water containing vessels. At some point the need for coffee and food align with the ending of a show and I ceremoniously emerge from my morning twilight to turn off the TV. Whining ensues, "I don't wanna go potty!!!!" I grab the baby and say over my shoulder, "follow me to the bathroom..."

As I'm changing his diaper, she arrives meekly in the bathroom, her whining having fallen flat in front of the dark television. She might start playing with all her barrettes or something but finally gets on the potty and does her duty like a little racehorse. I then have to use all my energy to keep Baby from pulling her off the stool as she brushes her teeth. 

Then we move on to their bedroom. I try to catch one last shred of rest on her big girl bed as I tell her to go pick her outfit. This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes. She brings me socks, undies, pants, and a tank top (oh, it's always a tank top) piece by piece. Baby runs around, playing with the dinosaur ball ramp toy, throwing stuffed animals into his crib, and banging on the door once in a while for good measure. I chase him around the room on my knees until both his legs are in pants and his shirt or onesie has fit onto the rest of his body parts. He's really good at getting his own arms through a shirt. He'll be 15 months old tomorrow!

Now, it's time to move back out to the living room. Yay! I have approximately 5-8 minutes to make coffee and start breakfast before Baby spots me from the depths of the toy room and remembers that he wants to be back in my womb immediately.

I make the rest of breakfast dragging a hysterical baby with my knees until he sits in his high chair  with some food that he will begin eating with great gusto. Toddler angles for some computer or tv time while I make breakfast, but will generally retreat into imaginary play for the duration of the prep. 

Everyone sits at breakfast, and I take a nice deep sip of my black coffee with sugar.