All summer long I was counting the days until the first day of school. When that day arrived, I welcomed it with open arms. I did my happy dance all day that first day. I embraced the new school year. You see, I've come to realize that my children cannot be in each other's presence for any length of time without getting the urge to pummel each other. I don't like this but I accept this. It is what it is. Therefor, I viewed the new school year as a bit of a reprieve from the bickering and sibling rivalry. This year Zoe started full day kindergarten which left me with only 1 at home. I must admit, my days are much quieter now, at least until the older 2 get home. You'd think I'd gets lots done between housework and the jewelry biz. Not so.
Since school started I've been busier than ever, both personally and professionally. With Zach and Caitlyn at school all day, I've lost my helpers. I've trained them well when it comes to helping around the house. When the day comes that they go out into the world they'll do just fine. I, on the other hand, am feeling the pain. Laundry seems to multiply exponentially on a daily basis. And with the kids constantly running in and out, from school to sports, they drop their stuff and run. Speaking of running, thank god that hubby is so hands on and willing to do the running. But, with 3 kids who are very active and always in a different location, hubby and I are outnumbered. Again, time management is key. My goal has been to get as much work done prior to 4pm as possible. Easier said than done when the littlest munchkin has had her playmates taken away. Aeryn is now 21 months old and has officially entered the infamous terrible twos. She's into everything and good lord is that child fast! There are moments during the day that she is content to play on her own and then there's nap time (thank god). It is during those times that I am busily preparing for jewelry shows, keeping up with office tasks and creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
Thankfully, even in this economy, I have been very busy with craft shows, in-home jewelry shows and custom orders. Since September I have had back to back events which requires me to keep my stock full. Since I refuse to be a cookie cutter jewelry designer, this means constantly coming up with new designs. I have found the hour during Zoe's ballet class is a good time to brainstorm w/ my pen and paper. And I have found this to be almost as good of a creative outlet as actually making the jewelry, although nothing compares to seeing a happy customer proudly wearing a finished piece.
Aside from making jewelry, I was very excited to organize my first walking team in the American Heart Association's 2008 Heart Walk. I was able to gather enough walkers to exceed my participant goal as well as my team goal for monies collected. Team Hillcrest Jewelry Design raised over $1,000! Not bad for my first year, right? What a great day we had. Beautiful weather, great friends and a great DJ played music over the PA system while we walked (and danced). Next year I've challenged the team to bring a friend to double our numbers. Some team members are missing and/or hiding from the pictures.
All summer long I was counting the days until the first day of school. When that day arrived, I welcomed it with open arms. I did my happy dance all day that first day. I embraced the new school year. You see, I've come to realize that my children cannot be in each other's presence for any length of time without getting the urge to pummel each other. I don't like this but I accept this. It is what it is. Therefor, I viewed the new school year as a bit of a reprieve from the bickering and sibling rivalry. This year Zoe started full day kindergarten which left me with only 1 at home. I must admit, my days are much quieter now, at least until the older 2 get home. You'd think I'd gets lots done between housework and the jewelry biz. Not so.
Since school started I've been busier than ever, both personally and professionally. With Zach and Caitlyn at school all day, I've lost my helpers. I've trained them well when it comes to helping around the house. When the day comes that they go out into the world they'll do just fine. I, on the other hand, am feeling the pain. Laundry seems to multiply exponentially on a daily basis. And with the kids constantly running in and out, from school to sports, they drop their stuff and run. Speaking of running, thank god that hubby is so hands on and willing to do the running. But, with 3 kids who are very active and always in a different location, hubby and I are outnumbered. Again, time management is key. My goal has been to get as much work done prior to 4pm as possible. Easier said than done when the littlest munchkin has had her playmates taken away. Aeryn is now 21 months old and has officially entered the infamous terrible twos. She's into everything and good lord is that child fast! There are moments during the day that she is content to play on her own and then there's nap time (thank god). It is during those times that I am busily preparing for jewelry shows, keeping up with office tasks and creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
Thankfully, even in this economy, I have been very busy with craft shows, in-home jewelry shows and custom orders. Since September I have had back to back events which requires me to keep my stock full. Since I refuse to be a cookie cutter jewelry designer, this means constantly coming up with new designs. I have found the hour during Zoe's ballet class is a good time to brainstorm w/ my pen and paper. And I have found this to be almost as good of a creative outlet as actually making the jewelry, although nothing compares to seeing a happy customer proudly wearing a finished piece.
Aside from making jewelry, I was very excited to organize my first walking team in the American Heart Association's 2008 Heart Walk. I was able to gather enough walkers to exceed my participant goal as well as my team goal for monies collected. Team Hillcrest Jewelry Design raised over $1,000! Not bad for my first year, right? What a great day we had. Beautiful weather, great friends and a great DJ played music over the PA system while we walked (and danced). Next year I've challenged the team to bring a friend to double our numbers. Some team members are missing and/or hiding from the pictures.
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