Starting a business from home presents you with so many unique challenges and each day is different, making it very difficult to establish routines. When I began Silver Sky Designs, I had every intention of following through on everything in a particular order and I somehow had the idea that things would just flow along according to schedule. However, I am not good with schedules and I resist all forms of time management or constraints. I like to believe this is because I am a creative type, as it eases my guilt when I feel I'm not getting anything accomplished. I also, of course, give creativity the credit for my clutter and disorganization, as well as my absent-mindedness. My brain is simply so full of ideas that I can't be bothered with mundane details like where I laid the keys or where I put the ____ (insert latest missing item). There are times when I do not even want to look away from the computer screen or I may stay completely immersed in jewelry parts or other creative ventures without looking up simply because I just don't want to look at the house in such a mess. And, unlike working away from home, you can't just gather your things at the end of the day and leave the mess. I am beginning to consider that it may be helpful to me as a business owner to rent out a small place to live somewhere else and make my current home simply my workplace! I'm there most all the time anyway, so it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference to the kids. I would need to hire someone to stay with them while I was at "home", of course, but this seems like it could work out pretty well for me. And, the condition of the house would no longer concern me, just not my responsibility anymore. Ha!....Yeah, I know I'm dreaming. But, the idea is quite tempting!
The mention of kids brings to mind another unique challenge for many home business owners. Concentrating on anything with children around is difficult, as any parent can attest. My office area is in the middle of the house, open and accessible. Therefore, there are no barriers to keep out those pesky little annoyances (like children, for example). I always believed, though, that as children got older and became more independent, things got easier. Wrong!!! So wrong!!! I still remember waiting anxiously to hear both my daughters say the word "Mommy" for the first time, thinking the day would never come. How strange to think that now there are times when I wish I had never told them who I am! If they didn't have that title to call me, maybe it would be a little more difficult for them to approach me with the countless questions, comments and remarks daily, because every single one starts with the word "Mom".
I have come to the conclusion that non-routine is the only routine that will work for me and although there are many challenges to face in trying to work from home, and many things that will never be "caught up" (such as laundry, housework and yardwork), there are many rewards to make it all worthwhile. There is no commute back and forth to work, no one to squash my creativity or otherwise hold me back from being what I can be. I am my own boss and I can decide for myself just how I want to organize or disorganize things and I only have myself to blame for anything that goes wrong. I like being accountable only to and for myself. But, number one on that list of rewards is that I get to be here all the time for those kids that keep calling me "Mom". Regardless of the distractions they cause, they are my reason for living and breathing, not to mention my biggest source of inspiration and motivation. I am so thankful to be here for them and so grateful for the joy they have brought to my life.
So, for now, I've just decided to fully draft my "distractions" into service. After all, summer is here and the kids need something to keep them busy, so why not let it be working with Mom? Up until now, they've both been somewhat involved in the business, but they want more to do, so I will, of course, oblige. As I intend to add more product lines and open a couple more online shops over the summer, along with keeping up my Etsy shop and my ArtFire studio, not to mention getting more items out on consignment locally, I could certainly use the help! The one condition will be that they also have more household chores to do. Hey, I may end up with a spotless, well-organized house, after all!... Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming again. After all, these two girls are also creative types and their best creations sometimes are excuses!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Cruising the Internet in a Model T
Living in a rural area has many advantages and, in turn, there are disadvantages. One of those disadvantages for me is dial-up internet. Being on dial-up these days is like driving a Model T Ford on a modern day racetrack. While everybody else is barreling down the "information superhighway" at 4G speed (what does that mean?), I'm still creeping along at 5 MPH!
Cruising the internet on my computer is just like watching a race in slow motion, too. And, it's complete with me sitting in front of my monitor, cheering the bytes along the phone line with things like, "Come on...Come on...You can do it!" I'm on the edge of my seat, anxiously waiting to see if the page can actually cross the finish line and appear on the screen. And, in my mind I'm imagining all these folks who've already seen the page, read it and clicked on to something else as being the other cars in the race, leaving Henry Ford in their dust.
Dial-up makes it next to impossible to view pages with lots of graphics, flash, social media plug-ins or Google Ads. So, if I find that I've clicked on one of those sorts of sites, I've learned to immediately close it out as there's no point in waiting for the page to load because it just may not. Waiting for these pages to load has lead to me continually talking to my computer monitor sometimes in a very animated way and including lots of expletives. For instance, the message, "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page," usually brings me to say things like, "What do you mean you 'can't'?! You'll display what I tell you to display!" At times, the really slow-loading pages will cause me to end up on a search page because my requested page couldn't be found. This leaves me screaming at my monitor, "I didn't send you to search for anything, just go where I click to go!" But, I suppose my click gets lost out there in Cyberspace and veers off in the wrong direction, dizzied by all the other clicks whirring by at 4 G speed!
Twitter is becoming a huge problem for me, especially this "New Twitter". I have to keep operating with "Old Twitter", as the new version absolutely will not work with my slow connection. "What do you mean by 'oops, something went wrong...try again later'?! The whole point of Twitter is that I can let folks know what's on my mind right now! There may not be anything on my mind later!!! Geez!" So, when old Twitter is not around any longer, it will be impossible for me to tweet at all. Once that bluebird has flown, I'll be left behind. No one will ever get to hear about how I drank too much coffee this morning or how I'm loving/hating the weather and other important things. And, I won't be able to keep up with those folks who regularly let me know that things are going bad in their refrigerator or that they got new haircuts. Plus, I won't get those great tweets about how I can increase traffic to my site FREE, for just $19.95!
Yep, Cyberspace is no place for a Model T these days. Pull over, Henry, I'll crank her up this time!
Cruising the internet on my computer is just like watching a race in slow motion, too. And, it's complete with me sitting in front of my monitor, cheering the bytes along the phone line with things like, "Come on...Come on...You can do it!" I'm on the edge of my seat, anxiously waiting to see if the page can actually cross the finish line and appear on the screen. And, in my mind I'm imagining all these folks who've already seen the page, read it and clicked on to something else as being the other cars in the race, leaving Henry Ford in their dust.
Dial-up makes it next to impossible to view pages with lots of graphics, flash, social media plug-ins or Google Ads. So, if I find that I've clicked on one of those sorts of sites, I've learned to immediately close it out as there's no point in waiting for the page to load because it just may not. Waiting for these pages to load has lead to me continually talking to my computer monitor sometimes in a very animated way and including lots of expletives. For instance, the message, "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page," usually brings me to say things like, "What do you mean you 'can't'?! You'll display what I tell you to display!" At times, the really slow-loading pages will cause me to end up on a search page because my requested page couldn't be found. This leaves me screaming at my monitor, "I didn't send you to search for anything, just go where I click to go!" But, I suppose my click gets lost out there in Cyberspace and veers off in the wrong direction, dizzied by all the other clicks whirring by at 4 G speed!
Twitter is becoming a huge problem for me, especially this "New Twitter". I have to keep operating with "Old Twitter", as the new version absolutely will not work with my slow connection. "What do you mean by 'oops, something went wrong...try again later'?! The whole point of Twitter is that I can let folks know what's on my mind right now! There may not be anything on my mind later!!! Geez!" So, when old Twitter is not around any longer, it will be impossible for me to tweet at all. Once that bluebird has flown, I'll be left behind. No one will ever get to hear about how I drank too much coffee this morning or how I'm loving/hating the weather and other important things. And, I won't be able to keep up with those folks who regularly let me know that things are going bad in their refrigerator or that they got new haircuts. Plus, I won't get those great tweets about how I can increase traffic to my site FREE, for just $19.95!
Yep, Cyberspace is no place for a Model T these days. Pull over, Henry, I'll crank her up this time!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Count Your Blessings Every Day!
Having recently heard of some tragic events in the lives of some folks I know, I've been thinking a lot the past couple of days about how easily we can get caught up in our problems and forget all we have to be thankful for. I am always grateful for what I have and I don't envy others who may have more than I do, but at times when you hear of something traumatic happening to other people, it tends to make you think a little more about what's really important and how small our problems may be in comparison.
There are lots of stresses just living day to day in today's world that I could not have imagined when I was just a kid. There's always so much bad news and so much to worry about that it becomes difficult to stay focused on what is good. In fact, the worries are so great sometimes that we may even wonder if there is any good left for us. That is the time we need to give ourselves a good talking-to. There's always plenty to be grateful for and looking around you at those suffering more than you can really open your eyes.
The important thing is to really focus on what is good and cherish every moment. The worries will be there tomorrow if we're fortunate enough to be here to face them. But, we never know when some good thing we have may be gone in an instant. So, count your blessings every day and live your life with those blessings foremost in your mind. Take the time to enjoy the good things you have and don't let the stresses of life make you forget to live.
There are lots of stresses just living day to day in today's world that I could not have imagined when I was just a kid. There's always so much bad news and so much to worry about that it becomes difficult to stay focused on what is good. In fact, the worries are so great sometimes that we may even wonder if there is any good left for us. That is the time we need to give ourselves a good talking-to. There's always plenty to be grateful for and looking around you at those suffering more than you can really open your eyes.
The important thing is to really focus on what is good and cherish every moment. The worries will be there tomorrow if we're fortunate enough to be here to face them. But, we never know when some good thing we have may be gone in an instant. So, count your blessings every day and live your life with those blessings foremost in your mind. Take the time to enjoy the good things you have and don't let the stresses of life make you forget to live.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Two Days Without Power Can Change Your Life!
Okay, it may not change your life drastically, but it does make an impact in more ways than having to clean out your freezer. The feeling of relief when those lights turn back on, the new appreciation you have for the convenience of electricity and the respect you have for those who lived before the time of electrical power is humbling. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking of so many people across the country who are dealing with power outages due to the huge storm sweeping across the United States right now. In our little neck of the woods, we are not being affected by that storm, but experienced our own bout with mother nature just last week when She took our power away for a couple of days.
The first few hours of a power outage are entirely tolerable, and it can even be exciting, especially if you have kids who think it's a great adventure. This is an ideal time for some survival lessons like how to build a fire or use the old-fashioned means of fire to cook, or at least heat, things. (Fortunately for me, there was plenty of food in the house because I would not have wanted to have to teach my kids how to hunt down their food in the middle of winter, since I really don't know how to do that myself!) It's also a great time for some safety lessons on candle and oil lamp usage and how to "feel" your way through your house in complete darkness without breaking your neck. This lesson can be a little tricky if you've recently rearranged furniture or someone has left something out in the middle of the floor, as sometimes happens at our house! And, a power outage is also the perfect time for a history lesson and a lesson in respect and appreciation of what we have in today's world that so many people who came before us lived their entire lives without. It's a great chance to throw out little remarks like, "You know, until the last hundred years or so, there was no such thing as electricity," and "Imagine what it would've been like to have been Laura Ingalls and have to do your homework by candlelight every night." Of course, this last remark will only make sense if your kids already know who Laura Ingalls was. Then, there's also the fun of playing board games or card games, reading aloud by candlelight and such. Since the Wii entered our home, board games and card games became obsolete and reading by candlelight is not so much fun anyway, so it should be saved only for special occasions such as a power outage! And, best of all, roasting marshmallows on chopsticks over the open fire in the fireplace. Now, that's fun!
However, about six hours into a power outage, the fun and excitement begin to dwindle away and those feelings are replaced by frustration, irritation and boredom. The sense of adventure fades quickly and becomes the thought of "How much longer?" Everyone becomes a little quieter and a little irritable. As a mother, I began to worry about the food in the freezer and how long the batteries in the radio and flashlights would last.
In today's world, at least by Day Two of a power outage most everyone will be suffering from technological withdrawal symptoms. Let's face it, computers, internet, television and video games have become a major part of our daily lives. The kids and I were feeling this compulsive need to click and type and scroll, to see a screen light up and to interact with it in some way. Depression and boredom were really set in by this time and when we got that first momentary flicker of electricity, about forty-six hours into the power outage, my heart skipped a beat. Of course, it was about three hours later before we actually had our power back on for real, but that little flicker lightened everybody's mood and made those next few hours bearable.
So, how did that change my life? Well, I've been reminded of just how much convenience we have in the modern world we live in and humbled by the thought of how difficult life used to be for the generations who came before this time of technology. And, there were no easy buttons back then! I've also been reminded that there are many people around the world who still don't have these modern conveniences and many who still live on the outside of what we would call civilization. And yet, I look around and see all the constant stresses everyone I know seems to be living under and I have to wonder just how much better off we are, or is life actually more difficult for us?
Personally, I've come to the conclusion that this whole technology thing has gone a little too far and we would all be better off to take a few steps back in time, not so far back that we are truly roughing it, but at least back to a time before our lives became so hurried that we no longer write full words or take the time to smile and say hello to a stranger. Back to a time before people walked around with phones in their ears while shopping, talked on the phone while driving; back to when people actually watched where they were walking, instead of texting as they did so; back to when people believed there was a time and place for everything, a time for work and a time for play, and not everything had to be done at once. Folks just seemed a lot happier when they were satisfied with what they had, instead of always needing more. Maybe it's just time we slowed down a bit and took a look around at what we're missing as we're trying to have it all.
The first few hours of a power outage are entirely tolerable, and it can even be exciting, especially if you have kids who think it's a great adventure. This is an ideal time for some survival lessons like how to build a fire or use the old-fashioned means of fire to cook, or at least heat, things. (Fortunately for me, there was plenty of food in the house because I would not have wanted to have to teach my kids how to hunt down their food in the middle of winter, since I really don't know how to do that myself!) It's also a great time for some safety lessons on candle and oil lamp usage and how to "feel" your way through your house in complete darkness without breaking your neck. This lesson can be a little tricky if you've recently rearranged furniture or someone has left something out in the middle of the floor, as sometimes happens at our house! And, a power outage is also the perfect time for a history lesson and a lesson in respect and appreciation of what we have in today's world that so many people who came before us lived their entire lives without. It's a great chance to throw out little remarks like, "You know, until the last hundred years or so, there was no such thing as electricity," and "Imagine what it would've been like to have been Laura Ingalls and have to do your homework by candlelight every night." Of course, this last remark will only make sense if your kids already know who Laura Ingalls was. Then, there's also the fun of playing board games or card games, reading aloud by candlelight and such. Since the Wii entered our home, board games and card games became obsolete and reading by candlelight is not so much fun anyway, so it should be saved only for special occasions such as a power outage! And, best of all, roasting marshmallows on chopsticks over the open fire in the fireplace. Now, that's fun!
However, about six hours into a power outage, the fun and excitement begin to dwindle away and those feelings are replaced by frustration, irritation and boredom. The sense of adventure fades quickly and becomes the thought of "How much longer?" Everyone becomes a little quieter and a little irritable. As a mother, I began to worry about the food in the freezer and how long the batteries in the radio and flashlights would last.
In today's world, at least by Day Two of a power outage most everyone will be suffering from technological withdrawal symptoms. Let's face it, computers, internet, television and video games have become a major part of our daily lives. The kids and I were feeling this compulsive need to click and type and scroll, to see a screen light up and to interact with it in some way. Depression and boredom were really set in by this time and when we got that first momentary flicker of electricity, about forty-six hours into the power outage, my heart skipped a beat. Of course, it was about three hours later before we actually had our power back on for real, but that little flicker lightened everybody's mood and made those next few hours bearable.
So, how did that change my life? Well, I've been reminded of just how much convenience we have in the modern world we live in and humbled by the thought of how difficult life used to be for the generations who came before this time of technology. And, there were no easy buttons back then! I've also been reminded that there are many people around the world who still don't have these modern conveniences and many who still live on the outside of what we would call civilization. And yet, I look around and see all the constant stresses everyone I know seems to be living under and I have to wonder just how much better off we are, or is life actually more difficult for us?
Personally, I've come to the conclusion that this whole technology thing has gone a little too far and we would all be better off to take a few steps back in time, not so far back that we are truly roughing it, but at least back to a time before our lives became so hurried that we no longer write full words or take the time to smile and say hello to a stranger. Back to a time before people walked around with phones in their ears while shopping, talked on the phone while driving; back to when people actually watched where they were walking, instead of texting as they did so; back to when people believed there was a time and place for everything, a time for work and a time for play, and not everything had to be done at once. Folks just seemed a lot happier when they were satisfied with what they had, instead of always needing more. Maybe it's just time we slowed down a bit and took a look around at what we're missing as we're trying to have it all.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
New Year's Resolutions?-Really? In the Dead of Winter?!
How are those New Year's resolutions coming along? It's nearly the end of January. Are you sticking to your resolutions, or are they already forgotten? How many of your resolutions have ever lasted past January? How many times have you continued to make the same resolutions year after year, only to find yourself at the end of the year doing the same thing yet again? Do you even bother with making resolutions anymore? Or, have you finally resigned yourself to the fact that there's really no use?
I think I know why so many New Year's resolutions get dropped so quickly, at least for us folks in the northern hemisphere of the globe. It's really very simple: We make these resolutions in the dead of winter. When the weather is at it's very gloomiest and everything in nature is dormant, we make these commitments to improving ourselves and our lives during the new year. We're all geared up to exercise more, lose weight, stay on a healthy diet, learn something new, complete some projects we've been putting off, maybe even start a new career. Knowing the way we humans are inevitably affected by our surroundings, is it any wonder these resolutions usually never last the first month of the year?
Maybe it's time we changed the tradition just a little. Sure, we can still use New Year's Eve to have a great party because it is the start of a new year, but let's save the resolutions for spring! When the sun is warming the ground and the grass is turning green, new leaves are beginning on the trees, the birds are singing and the world just looks a little brighter, it seems like that would be the perfect time to focus on new ways to improve our lives, doesn't it? Not to mention, it could be a whole new excuse for celebrating every year!
Yep, as you may have guessed, I'm one of those people whose resolutions usually don't last through the first week of the year and this year I didn't even bother to disappoint myself! Well, at least not yet; I'm waiting for spring to arrive!
I think I know why so many New Year's resolutions get dropped so quickly, at least for us folks in the northern hemisphere of the globe. It's really very simple: We make these resolutions in the dead of winter. When the weather is at it's very gloomiest and everything in nature is dormant, we make these commitments to improving ourselves and our lives during the new year. We're all geared up to exercise more, lose weight, stay on a healthy diet, learn something new, complete some projects we've been putting off, maybe even start a new career. Knowing the way we humans are inevitably affected by our surroundings, is it any wonder these resolutions usually never last the first month of the year?
Maybe it's time we changed the tradition just a little. Sure, we can still use New Year's Eve to have a great party because it is the start of a new year, but let's save the resolutions for spring! When the sun is warming the ground and the grass is turning green, new leaves are beginning on the trees, the birds are singing and the world just looks a little brighter, it seems like that would be the perfect time to focus on new ways to improve our lives, doesn't it? Not to mention, it could be a whole new excuse for celebrating every year!
Yep, as you may have guessed, I'm one of those people whose resolutions usually don't last through the first week of the year and this year I didn't even bother to disappoint myself! Well, at least not yet; I'm waiting for spring to arrive!
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