Last minute prep...and a little business advice

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Blissdom. I can't believe it's already here. It sort of snuck up on me. For weeks it seemed so far away, and now here I am running around like a crazy lady trying to get everything done before I leave. I'm a vendor in the handmade market (which I'm very excited about it), and in classic Alison fashion, I put things off too long and have been sewing like mad this week to make sure I'm ready. The last few days have been all about purchasing last minute supplies, cutting, sewing, ironing, laundry, packing... the list goes on.

Since I will be selling in a handmade market in a couple of days, it seemed fitting that this weeks "5 Things" post be geared towards handmade business. Today's post was written by my sweet friend Amy Cornwell. Amy and I met last year at the Creative Estates conference, and she has since become a dear friend. I admire her as a woman, and as a business owner. This year she was able to leave her (outside of the home) job and pursue her handmade business full time. I asked Amy to share with us five things she wishes she had known when she first opened shop.

1. That "overnight" success could take a while. I started my shop back in 2003 and it wasn't until 2011 that I was able to do it full-time where it generated enough income to quit my job. 

2. That there is so much more to pricing than just doubling cost (or tripling). You have to factor in promotions, shipping materials, business cards, fees, etc. There is so much to factor in when pricing to still generate a profit that values your time.

3. How competitive and ruthless it can be. There are critical, negative people out there. You have to not dwell on the negativity and do what you were created to do.

4. How rewarding and supportive it can be. Among the small pocket of negativity, there is a LOT of positive, encouraging, uplifting business owners out there willing to help.

5. That what I love, others might not. It always amazes me when I come up with a product that I think is SO fabulous, then it doesn't sell. And then other items that I'm so-so about and it sells like crazy. Everyone has different tastes!

Thanks so much for joining us this week Amy! 

Snow Day

We had our first snow of the season yesterday. It was just a light dusting, really, but it brought a lot of joy to the little guys in my house. I wasn't expecting it to happen, even though they were calling for it. Mostly because it had been in the low 60's the day before, and we were outside in t-shirts and light jackets enjoying the warmth and sunshine. Crazy weather.

It started to fall just as Grayson was waking up from his nap. Scott took him to the big window in our living room, and the look on his little face was priceless. He lit up, with a big smile, and before long he was jumping around the house in excitement, declaring that it was Christmas :) Jackson joined in on the fun, and we had two boys who were very anxious to go out and play in the snow. 

They mostly just brushed snow off of any surface they could find, and tried to eat it (of course). After playing for a while they came in and bundled up under a blanket on the sofa and ate chocolate chip cookies (before dinner, I might add) and talked about what they wanted for Christmas. Obviously in their minds, snow = Christmas. It was pretty much the perfect afternoon. 

Keep the Love Alive

A week from today my parents will celebrate their 36th anniversary. They have a good marriage. A really good marriage. The kind of marriage that makes them do silly things together. Things that get on their kids nerves and make them roll their eyes (but of course, we are thankful for it). I can't remember ever hearing them fight. I'm sure they have disagreements, but not in front of us. I've never heard them say anything negative about the other one. We have always known that they love each other, and they have always been a good example of what marriage should look like. 
For all of these reasons, I asked my Mom to write this weeks "5 Things" post. Five things you can do to keep the love alive in your marriage. 

1.  Floss your teeth regularly. Really. "It's the thought that counts" doesn't work for bad breath, and nothing makes it sweet like regular flossing. (Your dad is laughing at me. Why is he laughing? I can promise you he appreciates that I floss!)

2.  Find the place where talk flows most naturally for you both, and visit it as often as you can. For us it's in the bed.  Mornings are good if we're not rushing off, and we have our best laughs there.  And...

3.  ...laugh often. Sing, too. For us singing may even bring on the laughter! Men, if your wife begs you to dance with her dance all the way to the end of the song. Who cares if you really know what you're doing or not?  Besides, who's looking while you dance in the kitchen anyway?

4.  Be careful what you say when you're upset with each other. Don't say things that hurt, and will leave splinters to fester later.

5.  Should be first, last, and all between - be sure your hearts belong to Jesus completely. Get past the embarrassment of praying together. Follow Him closely and wholeheartedly. This pattern for marriage is His original masterpiece, and He'll teach you all the best of it.

It all goes by so quickly, so choose to enjoy each other and take hold of the simple pleasures of life!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I am giving away this print from Yellow Heart Art. To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment below telling me who in your life has been a good example of marriage, and why. 

* The fine print: this giveaway is open to residents of the US only, and will close on Friday, Feb. 17th. This print comes in multiple colors. You will be able to choose the color of your choice. If you don't have a significant other, and wish to choose a different print, Leonora has so kindly offered to allow that :) 

Starting the Homeschooling Journey

Hi everyone! I’m Amy from bura ellen. I was really excited and honored when Alison asked me to contribute a post about homeschooling to this series. And then reality hit me and I panicked a little. I am by no means an expert when it comes to homeschooling. There are so many seasoned veterans out there. But, I have been doing it for several years and have definitely learned a few things during that time.

When I first started to homeschool, I waited until the summer before kindergarten to start figuring out what I was going to do. That July I went to a homeschool conference book fair, and an hour into it I was crying. Moms were all around me full of direction with their checklists and their rolling carts full of purchases. I had no direction, no idea what I was doing and my purse with a wallet, a phone and lip balm. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I needed a lot of help in the beginning. I was kinda flying by the seat of my pants.

So whether you are considering homeschooling, or are just starting out, hopefully these tips can help you.

Five things I wish I had know when I started my homeschooling journey...

1. Attend a homeschool conference. I have been to several conferences over the years. Conferences usually have a book fair, workshops and speakers. For years I only attended the book fair portion (usually you can get a cheaper ticket if you only attend the book fair), but this past year I finally attended workshops and listened to speakers and I must say that I can’t believe I waited so long! It was very encouraging and I learned so much. But, I have to admit that I absolutely love the book fair portion. I love to be able to get my hands on curricula and books and really examine them. It is so helpful to really see what a particular one has to offer. I have even changed my mind about a curriculum after getting to see it in person.

2. Make a schedule. And then completely abandon it. Not really. Well, kind of. Each week, usually on Sunday night, I sit down and plan out our week. A few years ago I developed a spreadsheet for myself and I fill it out each week. There are many different ways that people plan and there are many ideas online. Find a way that works for you. Once you get your plan, your oh so lovely organized plan, you have to be prepared for it to get completely squashed. Things happen. People get sick. Opportunities come up. And you have to be ok with that. While having a weekly plan definitely helps my sanity, it can also ruin it if I get too rigid about sticking to it.

3. Have a support system. When I started out homeschooling I had one friend that had been homeschooling for years. It was so helpful to get ideas and advice from her. I don’t think I could have survived without her. Later I joined a local homeschool support group. There were activities for the children and the moms met one night per month. Sometimes those mom meetings covered particular topics and other times they were just for socializing. Either way, it is important to have people with whom you can relate and bounce ideas off of. Some of my best friends are fellow homeschool moms. And some of the greatest homeschool encouragement and advice I have gotten has come from these friends.

4. Become an expert about your child. For me, this is two-fold. First you should learn your child’s learning style. (The three main types are visual, auditory and kinesthetic.) Every child is different. And there is a chance that your child has a different style than you. You will save yourself a lot of headaches if you pay attention to the ways your child learns. It used to drive me crazy that while I was reading to my son he would walk around the room and seem to be ignoring me. But, every time I would stop and ask him about what I had been reading, he always knew exactly what I had said. He is an auditory learner. I am a visual learner so it was hard for me to relate to his style in the beginning. I didn’t understand how he could be listening while doing other things or why he wouldn’t respond to something that I found helpful.

Also, pay attention to what your child finds interesting. For example, in science earlier this year, we were reading about bats. My children always love science but for whatever reason, they were all about bats. They never wanted me to stop reading. So, we went to the library and checked out lots of books about bats and went online and looked at tons of images of bats. If your child shows a great interest in whatever you are studying (even if it is grammar), take the time to go in depth with it. Don’t let the pressure to “get through the book” keep you from exploring their interests with them. Children will learn a lot more this way than if you just skim the surface of every subject. At the same time, if my children hadn’t been so interested in bats, I wouldn’t have forced it. Don't go in depth with something just for the sake of it.

5. Have fun. This seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it? But, it can be very easy to lose sight of this basic need. I feel like this point is at least two-fold. First, don’t be so focused on lessons that you don’t stop to have fun with your child. So often, one of my children will get silly during a lesson and I have the tendency to get frustrated and just want to finish our work. However, I have found that my children actually focus better if I stop and get silly with them. Also, have fun built in between lessons. Play games. Dance. Bake cookies. Do things that make you and your child smile and laugh.

Also, not all lessons are exciting and fun. Everyone has a subject that really doesn’t float their boat. And that is ok. However, if you are finding that a curriculum isn’t fun for you, chances are it isn’t fun for your child. Children pick up on your attitude and usually imitate it. If I am rolling my eyes as I pull math out, my child starts complaining about having to do math. In other words, if both of you are dreading a subject, change curriculum! Just because a particular curriculum has gotten rave reviews, or works great for a friend, doesn’t mean it is for your family.

I hope these tips are helpful. Just remember that homeschooling looks different for every single family. You have to find your family's rhythm. Sometimes that takes a while and sometimes it changes. Just remember to have fun and don't feel pressured to do things a certain way.

Sugar Free

A week ago today I decided to cut sugar from my diet. A friend of mine told me she was cutting back, and why, and then on Thursday evening while browsing Pinterest, I saw the ebook "I Quit Sugar" by Sarah Wilson. After reading a short excerpt from the book I knew I wanted it. I purchased and read it Friday morning (it's an easy read. Only 41 pages long), and decided to embark on a no sugar diet.
If you know me at all, you know that I love coffee, and that I love it SWEET. This is how I used to fix my coffee: 2 tsp. sugar, 1 T flavored creamer, top with whipped cream & cinnamon. So, ummmm, yeah. Loads of sugar. 18 grams to be exact.

Source

In Sarah's book she states that the recommended daily allowance for a woman is no more than 20 grams (or 5 teaspoons) of sugar per day. Obviously I was going WAY over that on a daily basis. I have known for a long time that I needed to cut out (or at least cut back on) my sugar intake. I have a pugdy belly that I like to blame on "baby weight". But really, the baby is almost three, so I don't think I'm allowed to use that excuse anymore.
This first week hasn't been so bad. Her book lays out an 8 week plan for getting yourself off of sugar. The first week is basically making better choices. Cutting out as much sugar as possible and swapping sweet treats for more healthy options. Although the plan doesn't "require" that you cut out all sugar until week 3, I decided to go ahead and just go for it...mostly. I've had between 5 and 7.5 grams of sugar per day. This week has been a lot of trial and error, discovering that certain foods I considered "healthy" have loads of sugar, and finding replacements. I've been drinking a lot of hot tea, and have replaced my morning cup of "high sugar" coffee with an iced coffee with cream only.
I'm telling you, it really isn't that bad. If it's something you have been considering, I say go for it! I'll let you know if I stil feel that way in four weeks :)