Random thoughts at this crazy hour!

Okay, it is now 1:15AM Thursday night (or really Friday morning, depending on how you look at it) and this is what I am thinking about.

Why in G-d’s name am I still up? Am I tired? Hell, yeah! But I always go to sleep late. So, I guess I feel that I am “obligated” to stay up these crazy hours every single night, regardless of what I have to or don’t have to do the next morning.  Truth is, I cherish this time ALONE. I am a busy WAHM to 3 great children, but also 3 very active, high energy children all with their own needs and wants and at times it can get very harrowing though I adore my children to no end!  That is why, when my husband beckons me to come to bed with him, one part of me is saying “I know I really should” while the other half of me is longing to find just that right product online for my baby gift business or to email a friend who has called me twice, written me emails and I don’t want her to think I am dead…OR, it could be as simple as looking at that new perfect sandal that I want or better yet, NEED.

Then, I also get thinking about… and don’t hate me bloggers, but maybe I spend too much time on the internet? I mean my business is solely an online baby gifts company, www.startingoutsmall.com and knowing how competitive online shopping is, unless I network, blog and basically know all the ins and outs of what to do and what not to do to promote my business, I am in trouble! Yet, I still often think, if I spent less time, I would be more readily available to play that extra game of Monopoly with my two older children or that new card game that my daughter loves so much, “Perpetual Commotion”. Or, perhaps, I would have more time to go to the park with my young 2 1/2 year old daughter in the mornings instead of surfing or checking my emails in the early morning. Am I blogging for my business or for my own sanity? I think we, bloggers enjoy expressing our thoughts and having people comment or show interest. It makes us all feel good.

Especially for ME, since I left teaching so long ago when I had my first child. My whole focus was on my career when I first graduated college with a Bachelor’s in Education. I was ready to jump into teaching so much, that I did not go on to get my Master’s degree…which now in retrospect, probably I should have, but can’t change the past, so I am not going to dwell on it. My students were my “loves”, but once I became a Mom and a wife, I was ready to be home with my children and I don’t regret that for one second. The love a mother has for her child is so beautiful and different than any other kind of love…it is hard to fully express in words! But, now…to have the power to use words to make a difference, explain something, be helpful to others, connect with others and share triumphs is not something to take lightly. I TOTALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE QUIET EVENINGS when all is on the low…no screaming children, no fighting or arguing, no phones ringing, no running upstairs, clanking of toys, dishes being washed, door bells ringing, lawn mowers going, cars driving by, etc. I love the peacefulness of it all! I don’t mind if I hear the crickets, but with the hot summer we have had, I have the AC running and all the windows at night are usually closed, so…but, even if I heard them or cicadas, I wouldn’t mind….

I would love to hear from all of you bloggers! What are your comments to what I have written? What is your main reason for blogging? Is it to make money on your sites? An outlet? You enjoy writing? etc. I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading my blog.

Have a super weekend!

BTW, if any companies out there reading this would like me to test out their products and do a review, I would be more than happy, simply contact me at: info@startingoutsmall.com and add in the subject heading: REVIEW MY PRODUCT!

Thanks!

Rebecca

Life’s challenges and my thought for the day!

Okay, so I was thinking last night, I enjoy blogging, but find that since this is a “business blog” I tend to get bogged down on writing about the business. So, I want to try now to just write about my life and intersperse it with some of my boutique’s products at www.startingoutsmall.com when I feel like it. Does that sound cool with you all? Good, (not that I find many people ever answer, so I just answered for you)

I have come to realize being a SAHM mom, who recently started her own business, that you just can’t be good at everything by yourself. What do I mean by this? Let me explain. If you have two children who need to go on the bus by 7:45am and have a baby who needs her bottle and wants to be picked up, on top of that you need to get breakfast ready, make their lunches and possibly for your hubby (which I like to, but haven’t had much time lately) as well as brush your own teeth, get dressed and eat yourself (yeah, right?!), find time to exercise, shower, do grocery shopping, make lunch for you and the baby, dinner for everyone, homework and still find time to run a business and take a breath, not an easy feat! (this is just part of one day every day!)

That is why it is nice to have some help. I recently got a babysitter for 1X a week and I so look forward to that time for myself (of course, most of the time, I spend it running errands and returning things to different stores, etc. but at least I can do it BY MYSELF! :).

What can I tell you? Well, I am enjoying running my online boutique for baby gifts and accessories and I am also enjoying my sweet little baby girl who is now 15 months old. So, what is she up to these days? She keeps me super busy. Her favorite thing to say every morning around 7am usually is: “OUTSIDE”, she loves to be outdoors now, this started probably around the time she became a walker, so a little after she turned 1 years old. She also repeats a lot of words now, if I say, “oh there is a spider!” she will say “Spider” it is really cute and most of the time very clear as well.

My daughter is also extremely curious about EVERYTHING. One of her favorite rituals, which I am trying to put a stop to (because I am afraid she will get hurt) is she stands on the wipes boxes in the bathroom to see all the toothbrushes. She has this “obsession” with toothbrushes, she always wants to grab my other two childrens or my hubby’s and my toothbrushes. It may sound funny, but after she drags it around, sweeps the floor with it, gathering all kinds of dirt, etc, we don’t want to put them in our mouths anymore. I thought I took care of this little problem when I bought her her own, but oh, no it is more fun to have everyone else’s! :) All to brush her 6 little teeth, four on top and two on bottom. My children get their teeth late. She was our earliest, actually, at 11 months. My oldest daughter had none until she was 16 months!

So, I end with this….take each day as a blessing and pray that you will have tomorrow to do all the same things you did the previous day, plus one more thing.

Rebecca Barkai/CEO

www.startingoutsmall.com

info@startingoutsmall.com