Sling Use #5,245

If your shopping cart's seat belt is broken and you have a squirmy little munchkin in the seat, just put the sling around both them and the seat back and tighten and go. :) Voila! Seatbelt. Thank heavens for my sling!

I had my first market of the season on Saturday. It went fine, I suppose. A bit disappointing, but overall OK. It is so hard for me to remove myself from the product. I put so much of my time and energy and heart into these slings. I take time away from my babies or from the sleep my body needs to sew them and make them perfect. I pray over each sling while sewing it- praying for the mama and the baby that will get to use it and enjoy it together. Then when I am at the market and people don't respond as I feel they should to this product that I value and love, I feel personally rejected. I know that is a bit dysfunctional and probably says something profound about my character flaws or overall emotional health. But, mostly it just feels like a let down to have put so much in and get so little back. Looking over my numbers from the previous two years, the market in May has historical low sales. But I was hoping for more and felt a bit let down. I had the thought while I was there that maybe I should just buy some chickens and sell eggs. The egg people seemed to be having a good day. Or maybe I should learn how to make cheese. Or handbags. Both of those items seem to be big sellers. But my heart wouldn't be in selling cheddar or tote bags. My heart is in babywearing and teaching moms about how awesome it is. I love showing a mom how to put her baby in a sling instead of that dreadful "very popular carrier that will remain unmentioned." I love to hear her say how comfortable it is and how cozy baby looks in the sling. I love teaching people about how great (and convenient) it can be to have your baby close and nurture them in that way. That is my heart. That is why I do this and not sell cage-free chicken eggs. I have to remind myself of that when the sales disappoint me. So as to not paint myself as this altruistic saint, I do this to make extra money for my family too. Which is why I get bummed on days like yesterday. Oh well, just pick up and get ready for June. Right? One silver lining.... I won't have to sew as much to get ready for my next market. :) And I spent about 5hours staring at this hottie boy in the BBQ ribs booth just across the aisle in my line of sight. I am a mother of three... I should be ashamed of myself. But if you could have seen his cute little- um, smile. :)

Anyway, I hope y'all have a great Memorial Day and celebrate our great country. And the men and women who have fought to make it so great.


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Weekend Update

I had my second Wheaton French market of the season today and it was... GREAT!! My first attempt a month ago was a little less than stellar but today was a lot of fun. We even had a 15min. downpour in the morning but then the sun came out and I had my biggest selling day ever!! Praise God!! I have been getting a little down recently about the whole sling business thing but today was just the burst of energy I needed. I had a blast!

Other news...

I got my hair chopped...again!! I have been wanting to do it for awhile but decided to wait until after my sister-in-law's wedding. I found some gift cards (probably over 3yrs. old- but still good!) to this ritzy salon when cleaning out Lucas' closet recently. So Wednesday night, I made a last-minute appointment and got a super-fancy haircut. It was fun to feel pampered for an hour or so. (I am currently experiencing camera problems but will post pics as soon as they are resolved.)

Also, we have gone in with some friends on a subscription to a local CSA. We picked up our first vege box on Thursday and have been having fun thinking of new recipes using veges I have barely heard of. Anyone know of a good recipe using Rainbow Swiss Chard? I have heard it is kinda like spinach so I may try to use it in a lasagna or something this week. It is fun and something new. Plus, it makes me feel like I am actually doing the right thing for my family. The environment too, I guess. After picking up our box, I felt in such an "organic" kind of mood that Lucas and I went out to dinner at this awesome organic restaurant nearby. Hubby was working late so Lucas and I just sat and had an amazing meal complete with organic cinnamon toast muffins for dessert (and the next morning's breakfast). After dinner we walked around the downtown area and watched a few trains pass by. Lucas went to bed a little late but we were both having so much fun I just couldn't help it. It was a very cool evening.

This is a pic (using my video camera) of some salmon we grilled tonight using some of the fresh dill from our CSA box. SO yummy!!

So there you have it, my own little weekend update. :) Kinda random, huh?

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Peaceful evening, Busy day

Sorry that I have been MIA this week. My little fingers have been too busy sewing to type. I had my first French Market of the season today and spent almost every spare moment this week getting ready. It was a long, very full day which started with set up at 6am and ended with tear down around 3pm. A lot for my pregnant feet and legs to take. But a fun day none-the-less! I love getting to talk to other moms about babywearing and see how surprised they often are at how easy it is and how much their munchkins take to it right away. I had one mom love the sling so much when she tried it on today, that she didn't even take her daughter out. She bought the one she tried on and walked away with baby in sling and her produce bag in the stroller. Love it!!! I did not reach my sales goal for the day, but I did put some slings in the hands of some busy mamas in need of those hands free and that is what it is truly all about for me. Thanks to all who made it out today for moral support and to those I met that may be reading this. It is always a pleasure. :)

Lucas slept at Grandma's house last night so that hubby could help me set up this morning. We had also intended to go out for bowling and karaoke with some people from our church. But we both got home around 8:15 and the house was SO quiet. Even the dog was being super chill. Hubby and I looked at each other and decided this rare moment of total calm in our home was too good to pass up. We took the dog for an evening walk ('cuz it was still so warm out) and then curled up in bed with chocolate pudding for dessert and watched a movie. No hanky panky, which one might expect on an evening when the kid is at Grandma's. We just had a wonderfully peaceful evening of enjoying each other's company without the buzz of the baby monitor and sound machine in the background.

There was one other thing worthy of mention that happened at the Market today....
Hubby had helped me unload and brought me a carmel decaf mocha from Starbucks and then went home to get a bit more sleep. As I set up my tables, I was feeling nervous about the day. Afraid to fail. I had pictures of Lucas in the sling all around me and I couldn't help but think about how fun it will be to get to start all over with Baby Next in the sling. Around 7am, the people in the booth next to me finally arrived and began to set up their stuff. There was a little boy with them, probably about 5 or 6, who had the most adorable blonde hair and brown eyes (just like my little Lucas). He was asking a million questions and wanting explanantions for all he was seeing. "Why is that lady pushing a wagon?" "Will mommy have to stay here past time for lunch?" It was really cute. I felt like I was seeing my future, a precocious and very verbal little boy who was is just so curious about the world around. Then I heard them say his name. Micah. All of a sudden my nerves and anticipation turned into tears. I couldn't contain the emotion of it all. I sat and watched this little guy play. He is so much like what I think Lucas will be at that age. Is this what my Micah would have been like? This wound still feels so deep at times. I go on with life, 'cuz you have to, but moments like this come along when I feel caught in time. Like I am re-living years of time all in a second and maybe even getting a glimpse of what I have lost missed. I sat and watched for what seemed like minutes but was probably less than a minute. Micah's dad said, "thanks for being such a helper buddy. Let's leave mommy to sell her things now." And with that they left. And I got back to my slings, feeling emotional but somehow blessed. Maybe my Micah would have been like this little boy. And maybe Lucas will grow up to be like that too. But on a day when I was feeling unsure of myself, it was a reminder of the things that are deeply true in my life. My boys and how grateful I am for all three. Kinda puts a sub-par sales day all in perspective.

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When it rains, it pours

Life can be so overwhelming... I am in the midst of a funk... too much circling my mind...

I had my final Wheaton French Market of the season yesterday and it did not go as I had hoped. Most of my other Markets have been such a huge success. Lots of slings sold and lots of opportunities to meet local moms and share with them the awesome-ness of babywearing. Yesterday was no such day. I sold a few and meet a couple moms, but the Market was comparatively dead and I came home totally bummed. All that work for so little gain. I have already been feeling kinda stuck in this little business venture lately so having an off day didn't help matters any. I don't know how to make it take off. Do I learn to be content with what it is or do I need to find ways to build and find the time to do it?

On top of that, my son is sick...again. He had pneumonia on his first birthday last March and since then every little virus or bug or if the wind blows the wrong way brings us to the point of coughing and vomiting and nebulizers and then diarrhea and HORRIBLE diaper rash that doesn't respond to ANYTHING. It is almost more than I can take at times. Everyone has an opinion. Pediatrician: "Kids get colds. Use this cream." Chiropractor who had a table next to mine at the Market: "It's because he was immunized. Your home probably has mold. He needs extensive chiropractic adjustments probably not covered by insurance." Any number of people: "He has allergies. He has...." You get the point. I think there are shreds of truth in everyone's opinion but how do I sort it all and make sense enough to do what is right for my son? He is getting better now. But how long until we are here again, asking the same questions and crying the same tears of frustration? That chiropractor made me feel like the worst mom in the universe. It didn't take a lot of convincing.

I feel like I am struggling to be an entrepreneur and struggling to be a mom and struggling to be a good sister to mine who needs me right now and struggling to ... I could go on but shouldn't. I am trying to find the cheerful way to wrap this up and nothing is coming. I am not seeing the "big-picture" lesson in this particular funk.

At least my Gators won a big game yesterday. There's my silver lining...

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Another successful market...

Despite the brutal wind on Saturday, I had another fun day at the French Market. This time I was in Lisle so there were a lot of new faces, new moms to talk to and introduce to the concept of babywearing. There were the cutest little Hawaiian dancers there for an exhibition and I met several like-minded babywearers including a very sweet dad wearing his daughter around the market. Thanks to everyone I met on Saturday. I love getting out and meeting everyone and spreading the word about the many benefits of babywearing. :)

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Wheaton French Market

Yesterday was my first experience selling my slings at the Wheaton French Market. Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by whether to lend moral support or learn more about baby-wearing. It was fun to get to meet so many moms with their babies and connect with new people. I had a blast!!
If you are reading this and are interested in learning more about baby-wearing or purchasing a BabyLove sling, please e-mail me at babyloveslings@gmail.com or just reply to this post including your name and phone number and/or e-mail and I will contact you as soon as I hear from you. Here again is the link to all my current fabrics. I am adding fabrics all the time so check with me if you have a specific request or don't see what you are looking for. I will do my best to get you the sling that is PERFECT for you! It is also best to give me your first and second choice of fabrics in case someone else fell in love with your favorite.
If you bought a sling, I would love to hear feedback from you on how it's going. Thanks again everyone who made my French Market experience so wonderful!!

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