Let's start at the holidays and move forward...
A designer Mama. An organic toddler. An Aspie tween.
2.29.2012
W-O-W.
Where do I even start? It's been months, and I need to be more diligent about posting. Well, here's the last chunk of time in pictures...
Let's start at the holidays and move forward...
Jaxie received an inflatable log house from Santa which has since become somewhat of a slip and slide sans water.
Prime example of why I take all of the photos.
Going to see the Lion King musical at the Orpheum in January...
Jax and Jessa having a playdate
A quick weekend trip to the Dells in February...
Jax swimming at the Dells
Yep, as of February 14th I have a new last name...
Busy developing Fall 2012 for b&b
Lookout Ridge - one of the ways to entertain Jax on snowy days
Tickle time with "beans"
My obsession with vintage
Mama's vintage obsession rubbing off on Jaxie
Let's start at the holidays and move forward...
12.23.2011
Waaay too long...butters&beans kids has been busy!
Holiday holiday holiday! Merry Christmas all, and I'm so sorry for not updating on a regular basis - I think about it often, but then get a little ADD and get distracted by something that typically takes priority. It's been a busy holiday for us, but I'm going to give you the scoop - I'm going to stay recent since so much time has passed.
Store - We have taken on SEVERAL new designers! Some national, some local, but all amazing! Pictures speak louder than words, so here are some of my favs:
Home: Jaxie (AKA Butters) is T-W-O! Can you believe it?
I'll stop there. If I went any further, this could be a novel, and that could be a long day for both of us. :) I'll try to be better about updates.
Store - We have taken on SEVERAL new designers! Some national, some local, but all amazing! Pictures speak louder than words, so here are some of my favs:
From new designer Gitchee
Backpack by Home Grown Sewn
Leggings by Twisted Trees
Holiday dress by Viola Mae
Baby shoes by Tweed Baby
A hair found in my Wheat Thins
Aviator hat by Marigold Baby
Leggings by The Farmer and The Belle
Home: Jaxie (AKA Butters) is T-W-O! Can you believe it?
"Don't sing Happy Birthday to me!"
I'll stop there. If I went any further, this could be a novel, and that could be a long day for both of us. :) I'll try to be better about updates.
10.20.2011
Sooooo....
To market to market....again. But on the OTHER side of the aisle this time - way more fun, and WAY less stressful (especially if that silly thing called a budget didn't get in my way). There is sooooooo much coming - you guys will totally love spring 2012 at b&b kids! We will of course maintain our best selling brands - Isobella & Chloe, Twirls and Twigs, Tralala and Decaf Plush - PLUS we'll be adding several more, starting with SWIM in January! The. Cutest. Little girls swimwear. Lots of big floppy flowers and tutu-esque skirts. Here's one pic, but it just doesn't do them justice at ALL...
Just wait till you see them in person - I totally died - I had NO intention of bringing in swim, but just had to have this line. Sizes start at 3 months (be ready to omg over these) and will go up to a 10. And Mamas - they're affordable, I promise (but they don't look affordable - I promise that, too - wink). The whole line is adorbs, and will start rolling in in January for vacation season.
Another new line is Limeapple - all girls 7-14. Yup - 14. THIS is the line that convinced me to carry up to a 14. It will be here in February, and I totally fell in love with it. I'm not going to post pics because I'm not a huge fan of their pics - you have to actually see it in person to love it. Again, another one I had no intentions of so much as looking at, but I happened to whirl through it and L-O-V-E-D it. And I KNOW you all are dying for an alternative to the J-word store...well, this is what I'm bringing you (for now, anyways). I actually had to shop at the J-word store once - for some photography styling. Now, I left there with two complete summer outfits and had spent $120. That's $60 per outfit. We all know their quality is terrible, and the style is...well, not really what we want for our kids. Limeapple is much cuter, higher quality and definitely less...Britney Spears circa 1998. AND - lower pricepoint per outfit. Win-win-win-win, right? I certainly thought so.
Next is the one I'm MOST excited about - Baby Nay. OYE. Love it. I actually made the poor rep stay past their tear down time so I could place my order. I really wish they went higher than a size 6, but no such luck, and I HAD to have it regardless of WHAT sizes it came in. Bright green and pink with grey funky florals and a "crayon" art pattern - super funky and very b&b kids. I also added a couple sets for holiday - so we will have some pieces in shortly! One of them is pictured below (gasp!)
Now for boys - I did not completely disclude boys - I found Bobinette. I only brought it in in sizes 4-8, because that's what I liked it for, but I absolutely adore how chic yet simple it is. The designer was brought up in Paris and her upbringing really shines through in her designs. Tres magnifique! The pic below shows one of her designs from last spring/summer - she is well known for her classic shirt and shorts that utilize unique but durable fabrics...a little shi-shi for boys, I know, but the price point is reasonable for this age group for one of their "nice" summer outfits, and the line is obscure enough that it is fitting for b&b. I really fell in love with it...
Well folks, those are a few of the lines you can expect to see this spring (and sooner)....and of course, expect some surprises along the way! I have at least six new designers coming in within the next three weeks that are NOT on this list!
Just wait till you see them in person - I totally died - I had NO intention of bringing in swim, but just had to have this line. Sizes start at 3 months (be ready to omg over these) and will go up to a 10. And Mamas - they're affordable, I promise (but they don't look affordable - I promise that, too - wink). The whole line is adorbs, and will start rolling in in January for vacation season.
Another new line is Limeapple - all girls 7-14. Yup - 14. THIS is the line that convinced me to carry up to a 14. It will be here in February, and I totally fell in love with it. I'm not going to post pics because I'm not a huge fan of their pics - you have to actually see it in person to love it. Again, another one I had no intentions of so much as looking at, but I happened to whirl through it and L-O-V-E-D it. And I KNOW you all are dying for an alternative to the J-word store...well, this is what I'm bringing you (for now, anyways). I actually had to shop at the J-word store once - for some photography styling. Now, I left there with two complete summer outfits and had spent $120. That's $60 per outfit. We all know their quality is terrible, and the style is...well, not really what we want for our kids. Limeapple is much cuter, higher quality and definitely less...Britney Spears circa 1998. AND - lower pricepoint per outfit. Win-win-win-win, right? I certainly thought so.
Next is the one I'm MOST excited about - Baby Nay. OYE. Love it. I actually made the poor rep stay past their tear down time so I could place my order. I really wish they went higher than a size 6, but no such luck, and I HAD to have it regardless of WHAT sizes it came in. Bright green and pink with grey funky florals and a "crayon" art pattern - super funky and very b&b kids. I also added a couple sets for holiday - so we will have some pieces in shortly! One of them is pictured below (gasp!)
Now for boys - I did not completely disclude boys - I found Bobinette. I only brought it in in sizes 4-8, because that's what I liked it for, but I absolutely adore how chic yet simple it is. The designer was brought up in Paris and her upbringing really shines through in her designs. Tres magnifique! The pic below shows one of her designs from last spring/summer - she is well known for her classic shirt and shorts that utilize unique but durable fabrics...a little shi-shi for boys, I know, but the price point is reasonable for this age group for one of their "nice" summer outfits, and the line is obscure enough that it is fitting for b&b. I really fell in love with it...
Well folks, those are a few of the lines you can expect to see this spring (and sooner)....and of course, expect some surprises along the way! I have at least six new designers coming in within the next three weeks that are NOT on this list!
10.09.2011
Major wow today!
I got a huge surprise in the mail today when I stopped by the store (on my one day off per week) - a feature in Earnshaw's!
Having the line recognized by such a huge trade publication is absolutely a-mazing!
Having the line recognized by such a huge trade publication is absolutely a-mazing!
The store.
Well kids, the store has been crazy busy.
This post will be short and sweet, and again I know I've taken forever to update everyone. Twirls and Twigs and Isobella and Chloe have been selling like mad, and I'm loving the Decaf Plush (corduroy dress below sold out quickly).
I also brought in a new brand called Tralala:
My personal fav brand though will always be Twirls and Twigs - Shawna Dalton, you rock:
I just can't say much besides I love the store - I love my customers, I love helping them find what THEY love for their kids. I've both worked hard and been blessed with a few opportunities - and that combination has put me where I am today. Every day that I go to work I feel lucky to do what I love.
This post will be short and sweet, and again I know I've taken forever to update everyone. Twirls and Twigs and Isobella and Chloe have been selling like mad, and I'm loving the Decaf Plush (corduroy dress below sold out quickly).
I also brought in a new brand called Tralala:
My personal fav brand though will always be Twirls and Twigs - Shawna Dalton, you rock:
I just can't say much besides I love the store - I love my customers, I love helping them find what THEY love for their kids. I've both worked hard and been blessed with a few opportunities - and that combination has put me where I am today. Every day that I go to work I feel lucky to do what I love.
9.19.2011
Just thankful.
Well folks, it's been awhile AGAIN. I could give you a gazillion excuses but I won't because some would be good, and some would be bad. Instead, I'm going to sum up the last few weeks real quick-like.
The store: B-u-s-y. Any of you that have worked in retail know how dynamic this field is, and I'm still doing most of the work by myself. Now, this isn't to downplay the help of Windy, my sidekick/therapist/Auntie/sales assistant and Carol, my very part-time personal assistant - they are both amazingly helpful. However, the major stuff like purchasing, budgeting, scheduling, visual, maintenance (think plungers - yes, plungers), inventory, sales and not to mention working the store close to 60 hours/week....all of those things still need to be done by me. And that 60 hours doesn't include the HOURS of research and what-not that I do at home until the wee hours...if I want to get real about it, I probably work 100+ hours per week, and that's no exaggeration. Yikes. Doing the math on those hours just gave me (more than) a little agita and made me realize it's time for some more delegation. (Sidenote - Agita is one of my favorite words, but most Minnesotans don't know it. You can find the definition here.)
The line: Market was awesome in every way. We picked up some accounts, learned a TON and made some great contacts. Going into more detail on this could take up paragraphs, so I'll leave it at that. I know that's a little anti-climactic, but we'll all be ok. This, however, is what our booth looked like!
This is Colin and I at Ceasars - I know it's SUPER blurry, but it is literally the only picture we took while we were there:
I'm wearing Custo and 6" sparkle stilettos, and he's wearing jeans and a Yankees hat. Gotta love it!
Personal: We. Are. Finally. Moving. Yay! The kids will finally be in their own rooms (and own bathrooms!) and we will be on a much quieter street so playing and riding bikes won't be quite so complicated and limited only to the backyard.
Jax (aka butters) is absolutely hilarious and is quite adamant that he knows how to talk. He CAN shake his head yes and no finally, which any Mom knows is a huge help to figuring out their little toddler-brains, but we're pretty limited on the vocab right now. His favorite words are "no" and "mine" - imagine that. He has about 20 or so other words that are clear, and the rest is just gibberish. I have to say, I'm a huge fan of gibberish. When a toddler just jabber-jabber-jabbers and looks you right in the eyes like you know exactly what they're talking about? Not too many things cuter than that. Definitely enough to give you the warm fuzzies.
Logan started school again, but at his age they just kind of get right back into the swing of things. His case manager says he's doing well, and I even got a cute little note back last week saying he had a great day. He initially didn't take well to the idea of moving as he has to switch schools, but he's coming around quickly. I think the idea of barricading his brother out of his room is unfortunately what is most appealing...but whatever works I guess.
I titled this post "just thankful" for a reason. With work and the kids it's easy for me to get so busy that I forget to slow down and appreciate everything I have. I think sometimes we all need a reminder to take a minute, look around and thank God for everything we have. I am not a highly religious person, but I am spiritual, and I read something yesterday that reminded me that the most important thing today is not how much I sell at the store, or what store picks up my line, or what kind of car I drive, or how big my house is. It's the people around me that matter - those are the only things that aren't replaceable. So today, I am thankful for my beautiful, precocious children, and all the other people in my life that are amazing in some way or another. Click here to read what I read, but I'll warn you, there will be tears. If you read further into her blog though, you'll see that she really is a remarkable woman with a huge amount of courage that has taken the worst scenario possible and tried to help others...major kudos to her.
The store: B-u-s-y. Any of you that have worked in retail know how dynamic this field is, and I'm still doing most of the work by myself. Now, this isn't to downplay the help of Windy, my sidekick/therapist/Auntie/sales assistant and Carol, my very part-time personal assistant - they are both amazingly helpful. However, the major stuff like purchasing, budgeting, scheduling, visual, maintenance (think plungers - yes, plungers), inventory, sales and not to mention working the store close to 60 hours/week....all of those things still need to be done by me. And that 60 hours doesn't include the HOURS of research and what-not that I do at home until the wee hours...if I want to get real about it, I probably work 100+ hours per week, and that's no exaggeration. Yikes. Doing the math on those hours just gave me (more than) a little agita and made me realize it's time for some more delegation. (Sidenote - Agita is one of my favorite words, but most Minnesotans don't know it. You can find the definition here.)
The line: Market was awesome in every way. We picked up some accounts, learned a TON and made some great contacts. Going into more detail on this could take up paragraphs, so I'll leave it at that. I know that's a little anti-climactic, but we'll all be ok. This, however, is what our booth looked like!
This is Colin and I at Ceasars - I know it's SUPER blurry, but it is literally the only picture we took while we were there:
I'm wearing Custo and 6" sparkle stilettos, and he's wearing jeans and a Yankees hat. Gotta love it!
Personal: We. Are. Finally. Moving. Yay! The kids will finally be in their own rooms (and own bathrooms!) and we will be on a much quieter street so playing and riding bikes won't be quite so complicated and limited only to the backyard.
Jax (aka butters) is absolutely hilarious and is quite adamant that he knows how to talk. He CAN shake his head yes and no finally, which any Mom knows is a huge help to figuring out their little toddler-brains, but we're pretty limited on the vocab right now. His favorite words are "no" and "mine" - imagine that. He has about 20 or so other words that are clear, and the rest is just gibberish. I have to say, I'm a huge fan of gibberish. When a toddler just jabber-jabber-jabbers and looks you right in the eyes like you know exactly what they're talking about? Not too many things cuter than that. Definitely enough to give you the warm fuzzies.
Logan started school again, but at his age they just kind of get right back into the swing of things. His case manager says he's doing well, and I even got a cute little note back last week saying he had a great day. He initially didn't take well to the idea of moving as he has to switch schools, but he's coming around quickly. I think the idea of barricading his brother out of his room is unfortunately what is most appealing...but whatever works I guess.
I titled this post "just thankful" for a reason. With work and the kids it's easy for me to get so busy that I forget to slow down and appreciate everything I have. I think sometimes we all need a reminder to take a minute, look around and thank God for everything we have. I am not a highly religious person, but I am spiritual, and I read something yesterday that reminded me that the most important thing today is not how much I sell at the store, or what store picks up my line, or what kind of car I drive, or how big my house is. It's the people around me that matter - those are the only things that aren't replaceable. So today, I am thankful for my beautiful, precocious children, and all the other people in my life that are amazing in some way or another. Click here to read what I read, but I'll warn you, there will be tears. If you read further into her blog though, you'll see that she really is a remarkable woman with a huge amount of courage that has taken the worst scenario possible and tried to help others...major kudos to her.
8.20.2011
Two days...
Two days from now I will be at Paris showing the line. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 7am, so I'm guessing I probably will only sleep for a couple hours being that I'll have to be up around 4:30ish - If I sleep at all.
So, I'm nervous. Very. I have a lot on the line. Enough said.
One of the worst parts of this is that I don't get to see Jaxie for a week. He's going to come to the store today to visit for a bit, but then I won't see him until next Saturday as he's going to New Jersey to visit his grandparents for a week. I've never, ever been away from him for more than a day, so I just can't imagine not seeing him for an entire week. I'm praying that I'll be busy enough at the show that I won't think about it that much...
I need everyone's positive thoughts and prayers. Just a little positive energy from all of you that read this...
So, I'm nervous. Very. I have a lot on the line. Enough said.
One of the worst parts of this is that I don't get to see Jaxie for a week. He's going to come to the store today to visit for a bit, but then I won't see him until next Saturday as he's going to New Jersey to visit his grandparents for a week. I've never, ever been away from him for more than a day, so I just can't imagine not seeing him for an entire week. I'm praying that I'll be busy enough at the show that I won't think about it that much...
I need everyone's positive thoughts and prayers. Just a little positive energy from all of you that read this...
8.13.2011
Oh boy.
An over-achiever I must be.
Somehow I don't think the average Mom of two starts a clothing company, a year later opens a store, and then three weeks after opening the store takes original said clothing company to market...I just don't think that's normal. Now, nobody thinks it's normal that I work until 4 or 5am sometimes. I guess I don't think much of it - who else is going to get it done? It's kind of like changing a poopy diaper. Somebody has to hold their nose and do it, or there's going to be a lot of screaming to listen to later...
So, I'm going somewhere with this. Market is stressing me out, probably more than opening the store did. SO many details - and being on the selling end of market is an unknown for me, whereas the store is something I've done all of my life and is extremely familiar. In the store I'm (overly?) confident that I could handle anything that happens - market, I'm nervous. I called Paris today, where our show is and also where I am staying, to ask what happens to packages that we have shipped that may arrive before we do. The woman at the front desk laughed a little and said they go into a big room, and that they come in by the truckload this week. She said when we get in, we get to venture into this "big room" and find them. I'm assuming she meant find them ourselves. Fan-TAS-tic. Because that's exactly what I want to do while I should be setting up my booth. And when I'm nervous as hell. Search for a needle in a haystack. Outstanding.
I also realized today that it might be good to have something to hang our garments on when we're showing them. Hangers, maybe? Whoops. Silly details.
Progress has been made on the line sheets - this was one of those instances where you have know when to throw in the towel and pay a professional to do it for you. Thank goodness for Molly, my new handy-dandy graphic design whiz (and yoga princess). She whipped something amazing up overnight, and it's just a matter of plugging in the right information and pictures. Molly, you're the best. Maybe she can give me private yoga lessons too, being that I haven't been to the gym since I started the first company last year...
Somehow I don't think the average Mom of two starts a clothing company, a year later opens a store, and then three weeks after opening the store takes original said clothing company to market...I just don't think that's normal. Now, nobody thinks it's normal that I work until 4 or 5am sometimes. I guess I don't think much of it - who else is going to get it done? It's kind of like changing a poopy diaper. Somebody has to hold their nose and do it, or there's going to be a lot of screaming to listen to later...
So, I'm going somewhere with this. Market is stressing me out, probably more than opening the store did. SO many details - and being on the selling end of market is an unknown for me, whereas the store is something I've done all of my life and is extremely familiar. In the store I'm (overly?) confident that I could handle anything that happens - market, I'm nervous. I called Paris today, where our show is and also where I am staying, to ask what happens to packages that we have shipped that may arrive before we do. The woman at the front desk laughed a little and said they go into a big room, and that they come in by the truckload this week. She said when we get in, we get to venture into this "big room" and find them. I'm assuming she meant find them ourselves. Fan-TAS-tic. Because that's exactly what I want to do while I should be setting up my booth. And when I'm nervous as hell. Search for a needle in a haystack. Outstanding.
I also realized today that it might be good to have something to hang our garments on when we're showing them. Hangers, maybe? Whoops. Silly details.
Progress has been made on the line sheets - this was one of those instances where you have know when to throw in the towel and pay a professional to do it for you. Thank goodness for Molly, my new handy-dandy graphic design whiz (and yoga princess). She whipped something amazing up overnight, and it's just a matter of plugging in the right information and pictures. Molly, you're the best. Maybe she can give me private yoga lessons too, being that I haven't been to the gym since I started the first company last year...
8.10.2011
To market, To market...
To buy a...wait. To SELL many clothes.
The collection is beautiful. Just beautiful. Even since our photo shoot, changes have been made, details have been added and final touches applied. I can kind of tell what our big sellers will be, but I've been in this industry long enough to know that not everybody's eye is the same. It's a wait and see game at this point.
My nerves are definitely a little racked and I'm kind of pushing my body to its limit with lack of sleep. But, this is how I do. I'm a "do-er" in the twelfth hour. Not that most everything isn't done, because the majority of it is, but I tend to go over and over things until the last minute (little bit OCD). Don't get me wrong, I have a list, probably a longer list than I would like, of things that still need to be taken care of. Samples are still being made. Paperwork is still being formatted. Our backdrop was just ordered today. Considering the situation though - just having opened a store and all - I think I'm on my game.
The store is fantabulous. Couldn't ask for more. The support of my friends, the community and the press has been amazing. With the only problem being I can't seem to keep merch in long enough, I think I'm doing okay.
Jaxie (aka Butters) is quite possibly the cutest thing ever. Yes, I'm partial, but still. This can entertain him for a solid hour:
Yup, that's my boy.
One LAST thing - I have to plug our amazing photographers, Kristy and Chris at Journey Photography. Mamas, I'm going to keep it very real and tell you that it's taken me more than a few tries to find the right photographers for my line, but these guys are IT. They are the very best photographers I have ever worked with, and have taken the most amazing pictures I have ever seen (yep, and I'm talking in general, not just my line). They take the type of pictures that really make you sit back and say, "WOW.", as opposed to "Ooooh, that's cute". I, personally, am looking for that "WOW", not the cutie-patootie shots that I can do at home with my SLR and its handy-dandy quick-shot guide. So, if you want some amazing photos of your children/family/whatevs, click here for their website, or here for their Facebook! Here are a few of my favs that they have done for us...
The collection is beautiful. Just beautiful. Even since our photo shoot, changes have been made, details have been added and final touches applied. I can kind of tell what our big sellers will be, but I've been in this industry long enough to know that not everybody's eye is the same. It's a wait and see game at this point.
My nerves are definitely a little racked and I'm kind of pushing my body to its limit with lack of sleep. But, this is how I do. I'm a "do-er" in the twelfth hour. Not that most everything isn't done, because the majority of it is, but I tend to go over and over things until the last minute (little bit OCD). Don't get me wrong, I have a list, probably a longer list than I would like, of things that still need to be taken care of. Samples are still being made. Paperwork is still being formatted. Our backdrop was just ordered today. Considering the situation though - just having opened a store and all - I think I'm on my game.
The store is fantabulous. Couldn't ask for more. The support of my friends, the community and the press has been amazing. With the only problem being I can't seem to keep merch in long enough, I think I'm doing okay.
Jaxie (aka Butters) is quite possibly the cutest thing ever. Yes, I'm partial, but still. This can entertain him for a solid hour:
One LAST thing - I have to plug our amazing photographers, Kristy and Chris at Journey Photography. Mamas, I'm going to keep it very real and tell you that it's taken me more than a few tries to find the right photographers for my line, but these guys are IT. They are the very best photographers I have ever worked with, and have taken the most amazing pictures I have ever seen (yep, and I'm talking in general, not just my line). They take the type of pictures that really make you sit back and say, "WOW.", as opposed to "Ooooh, that's cute". I, personally, am looking for that "WOW", not the cutie-patootie shots that I can do at home with my SLR and its handy-dandy quick-shot guide. So, if you want some amazing photos of your children/family/whatevs, click here for their website, or here for their Facebook! Here are a few of my favs that they have done for us...
7.31.2011
Why no posts, you ask?
Because I've been busy. Seriously, no lie, crazy, terribly, non-stop busy. And, I'm working SO much at this point, that I just can't bring work home (even blogging) with me anymore or I'd be working around the clock. I've officially moved my entire "creative" work station to the store. I had a work counter installed, just like the one I have at home, but now the one at home is bare and a little lonely looking (weird). All of the tulle, and fabric, and scissors, and ribbon, and sparkles, and flowers, and even my sewing machine.....at the store now. So, now I can work on my tutus and sewing projects in between customers and a bazillion other things during my 12 hour stints at the store. Sweet, I say. Having all of that stuff out of the house kind of took a major load off - I don't feel as stressed when I'm at home. I don't always feel like there is a "project beckoning".
I've worked at least five open to closes since the store opened, and haven't had a day off in 10 days. I'm up late doing laundry now because I have tomorrow off completely - no store at all - and I want to spend it with the kids, not doing laundry. I'd rather stay up until 4am doing laundry and only get a few hours of sleep than have to do it tomorrow. To just be honest, I miss my kids. Being that I used to be home full-time, this has been a major switch for all of us. I want to concentrate on them tomorrow, not the mountain of laundry in the basement.
Well, here's the DL on the store. It's been good. We've surpassed our expectations by quite a bit. I placed more orders earlier in the week, so among other things we will have an entire new stock of aden+anais by Wednesday. This time I also ordered some of the towel sets which I think are absolutely adorable. We are also getting in some really cute toddler boy outfits by an Etsy designer - pants with matching long sleeve t's in sizes 2T-4T. And...the birthday hats will be in soon. If you want one of these, I'd pop in quick because I only ordered a few - a few with the number 1 and a few with the number 2. I'm SO excited to get these - they are beyond-words cute. We have more knit hats coming in by two different designers, and more rocker t's. There are a few other possible orders I'm wavering on, and a few more that will be ordered closer to September and October, but I think everyone will be happy with what's coming this week for now. Hopefully these shipments will last longer than a week. :)
So, obviously there is no more stay-at-home-Mama in the house. Jaxie had his first day at daycare a week and a half ago and is...well, not quite adjusted yet. His teacher is amazing - very motherly and loving with the kids which is great. Every time I walk in the room she always has them cuddled around her reading books or doing some sort of art project that they need a LOT of help with. She's very patient. Anywho, he's fine in the car on the way there, fine walking through the main door, fine down the hallway, but the second I put my hand on that doorknob to his classroom the wailing starts. And I'm talking full tears, screaming at the top of his lungs, clinging to me with his legs, and pleading "Mommy" (the worst). However, I did wait outside the door on Friday and noticed that pretty much as soon as I left he stopped, so that made me feel a little better. I don't think he's napping well because he always looks exhausted when I pick him up. And of course, the first thing he does when he gets home is run to the fridge, yank on it and say "ba-ba"? And....I give him one. Oh yes I do. Guilt works wonders.
I've worked at least five open to closes since the store opened, and haven't had a day off in 10 days. I'm up late doing laundry now because I have tomorrow off completely - no store at all - and I want to spend it with the kids, not doing laundry. I'd rather stay up until 4am doing laundry and only get a few hours of sleep than have to do it tomorrow. To just be honest, I miss my kids. Being that I used to be home full-time, this has been a major switch for all of us. I want to concentrate on them tomorrow, not the mountain of laundry in the basement.
Well, here's the DL on the store. It's been good. We've surpassed our expectations by quite a bit. I placed more orders earlier in the week, so among other things we will have an entire new stock of aden+anais by Wednesday. This time I also ordered some of the towel sets which I think are absolutely adorable. We are also getting in some really cute toddler boy outfits by an Etsy designer - pants with matching long sleeve t's in sizes 2T-4T. And...the birthday hats will be in soon. If you want one of these, I'd pop in quick because I only ordered a few - a few with the number 1 and a few with the number 2. I'm SO excited to get these - they are beyond-words cute. We have more knit hats coming in by two different designers, and more rocker t's. There are a few other possible orders I'm wavering on, and a few more that will be ordered closer to September and October, but I think everyone will be happy with what's coming this week for now. Hopefully these shipments will last longer than a week. :)
So, obviously there is no more stay-at-home-Mama in the house. Jaxie had his first day at daycare a week and a half ago and is...well, not quite adjusted yet. His teacher is amazing - very motherly and loving with the kids which is great. Every time I walk in the room she always has them cuddled around her reading books or doing some sort of art project that they need a LOT of help with. She's very patient. Anywho, he's fine in the car on the way there, fine walking through the main door, fine down the hallway, but the second I put my hand on that doorknob to his classroom the wailing starts. And I'm talking full tears, screaming at the top of his lungs, clinging to me with his legs, and pleading "Mommy" (the worst). However, I did wait outside the door on Friday and noticed that pretty much as soon as I left he stopped, so that made me feel a little better. I don't think he's napping well because he always looks exhausted when I pick him up. And of course, the first thing he does when he gets home is run to the fridge, yank on it and say "ba-ba"? And....I give him one. Oh yes I do. Guilt works wonders.
7.17.2011
Five Days.
Five days. Five days. Five days.
Five days to enter in inventory. Five days for final touches. Five days to finish up appliques on the t-shirts. Five days to make 10 more tutus. Five days to figure out our POS system. Five days to finish the fitting rooms. Five days to tie up the window displays. Five days. Five days.
That's just about all that I can't think about. Five days.
I'm doing a segment on KARE 11 tomorrow at 4:00. That makes me feel a little pukey, but I'll take one for the team and get 'er done. It'll be cool to showcase a bunch of our product, not so cool that I have to do TV. TV makes me nervous - way nervous. So, if you want a good laugh, and to see me trip over my words, feel free to watch. It should be a good time.
I'm stoked for the Grand Opening party - but what do I wear? Like I have time to go shopping - with all my free time. I don't even have time to go get a mani/pedi. I feel like I'll have to do my best JUST to look presentable.
I'm also excited to listen to Tim sing - I loooooove his voice. We're also going to have my cousin's husband Travis do some acoustic from 4-5, and he has an amazing voice as well. Lots of good music...
Ninja mode today.
Five days to enter in inventory. Five days for final touches. Five days to finish up appliques on the t-shirts. Five days to make 10 more tutus. Five days to figure out our POS system. Five days to finish the fitting rooms. Five days to tie up the window displays. Five days. Five days.
That's just about all that I can't think about. Five days.
I'm doing a segment on KARE 11 tomorrow at 4:00. That makes me feel a little pukey, but I'll take one for the team and get 'er done. It'll be cool to showcase a bunch of our product, not so cool that I have to do TV. TV makes me nervous - way nervous. So, if you want a good laugh, and to see me trip over my words, feel free to watch. It should be a good time.
I'm stoked for the Grand Opening party - but what do I wear? Like I have time to go shopping - with all my free time. I don't even have time to go get a mani/pedi. I feel like I'll have to do my best JUST to look presentable.
I'm also excited to listen to Tim sing - I loooooove his voice. We're also going to have my cousin's husband Travis do some acoustic from 4-5, and he has an amazing voice as well. Lots of good music...
Ninja mode today.
7.15.2011
Here we go...
So folks, it starts to get a little crazy now. Our Zulily.com sale is tomorrow. The store is down to the final pieces being put together. Market is one month away, and we are in a mad rush to get everything put together. I'm swamped to say the least.
I've decided not to release any more pictures of the store until we open...I want the rest to be somewhat of a surprise.
I spent last night at the ER with Jaxie - he had a fever of 104.4 most of the day and I couldn't get it down, even with a couple double doses of Tylenol and Motrin. We got home around 2:30am, and I had some work to finish up, so I didn't get to bed until 5am. Needless to say I'm pretty exhausted, but have to head to the store shortly to do some POS training on our new system...
Hence, this is a short post. I'm killer tired. I can't wait for the opening - mostly so I can sleep again.
I've decided not to release any more pictures of the store until we open...I want the rest to be somewhat of a surprise.
I spent last night at the ER with Jaxie - he had a fever of 104.4 most of the day and I couldn't get it down, even with a couple double doses of Tylenol and Motrin. We got home around 2:30am, and I had some work to finish up, so I didn't get to bed until 5am. Needless to say I'm pretty exhausted, but have to head to the store shortly to do some POS training on our new system...
Hence, this is a short post. I'm killer tired. I can't wait for the opening - mostly so I can sleep again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)