Snapshot 03.12.14
- We’re in a tight spot. As you know, my husband was laid off almost a year ago and in that time I became unexpectedly pregnant and he sustained a severe injury and had to have an invasive shoulder surgery and has spent a long time in recovery. Recently we’ve had another financial setback that has really taken us by surprise. I’ve been trying to brainstorm some ideas of how to raise revenue from Little Big that still fell within guidelines I felt comfortable with. For example, I don’t do sponsored posts, nor do I let guests post on Little Big for a fee. I get at least dozen email offers for these kinds of things a day and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve just stopped responding because they don’t take no for an answer. I sell vintage, photography, sidebar ads I’ve added an Amazon Affiliate shop (which, frankly, I’m still learning how to use). Up to this point I’ve only offered one kind of ad, but I think it’s time to diversify. I think I’m going to bite the bullet and sign up for Passionfruit ads in order to sell inexpensive ($10!) sidebar ads in hopes of raising funds without adding to my workload. (Update: I did it! And I’m excited about it!) Passionfruit automates the process so hopefully I can increase my revenue in the easiest way possible while I’m spending the vast majority of my time caring for a newborn. Several generous blog friends have already volunteered to sign up (I love you guys – you are the best) but you don’t have to run a blog to advertise. Maybe you have a small business and you sell things on the side, or maybe there’s a cause or a charity you’d like to call attention to for a month – whatever it is, we can work it out. (As long as I don’t find it morally reprehensible, like an Eat The Kittens Foundation, or something).
- I’m living the duality of feeling so excited and ready to meet Baby Elias while simultaneously feeling not ready to have a newborn in the house again. The nursery and our baby gear is still not organized to my satisfaction, and cupboards around the house are not significantly organized and I am not where I want to be in regards to some of my work. Our dryer is pretty much dead at this point, which is particularly awful since we plan on using cloth diapers again. I feel the opposite of prepared on the practical home front, but so ready on the emotional one.
- As I mentioned earlier, we took Isobel to the Rock and Mineral show this weekend and I got to employ one of the best parenting tips I’ve ever heard. I really don’t want to be That Lady offering unsolicited parenting tips because I’m the Awesomest Parent Ever, but I feel like I need to pass this on because it’s so useful. I can’t remember where I first heard about this, but before you go to any sort of gathering where there will be a crowd, be it a fair or a festival or a theme park or whatever, take a full-body photo of your kid with your phone. If you get separated you can show police and staff not only an up-to-the-minute photo of what your kid looks like but it will include the exact outfit your child is wearing that day. Isobel stays pretty close to me whenever we go anywhere but I still took the photo because I’m anxious like that. Thus ends the educational portion of this post. Thank you for your patience.
- The very best part about going to the Rock and Mineral show is that I felt like the parent I used to be a few months ago, active and involved and very close to my daughter. I’m such a pathetic lump these days I hardly feel like a partner to Anthony or a mother to Isobel. This is entering severe pity party territory so I’ll keep it short and just mention how much I loved spending time being out and about with Isobel, just like old times, talking with her and sharing new experiences. I know this will end eventually and I’ll be back to the person I was before I was taken over by her little brother. I just have to hang on a little bit longer.
- I wanted to talk about the recent Bossy article that has been going around because Isobel inevitably gets called bossy by someone on a daily basis. Hilariously, the last time my brother-in-law came down for a visit (which was probably two years ago, they lived in Hawai’i then and D.C. now) he actually said, “She has fantastic managerial skills!” Isobel has always spoken her mind freely and has no problem directing other people whether they are older or younger than herself. While we haven’t always given in to this part of her personality, we’ve always encouraged it and have been careful not to discourage it. “Bossy” is so much of who she is when she was two years old she started telling everyone, “I am the boss. I make the rules.” It’s still a popular inside joke for our group of friends. She hates being told she is younger, and therefore, not the boss, of any one, and her largest conflict with another child happened when one of the neighbor kids (who is at least 12) kindly referred to her as a “little girl.” In her mind, she’s not a little girl. She’s a big girl, and she’s the boss. She came home sobbing so hard after that it took us a very long time to figure out what was wrong, and in the meantime, the poor kid who said that to her (in a very kind way, of course) was so confused as to what he had done wrong. All of this is to say, I think the article above makes some fantastic points that we all need to be aware of and talk about, but I personally don’t think we need to ban the word itself. I think there’s definitely space for the word to transform in meaning as we transform our behavior. I think awareness of the issue is much more important than banning a certain word. We need to pay attention to the messages and influences are children are exposed to, and eliminating one word is not enough. We need to change our behavior, not just our language. When people we don’t know point out her bossiness in a way that is less than flattering my response is always the same: Hell yes my daughter is bossy, and we are damn proud of it.
Sponsor Spotlight: Little Big Bazaar. All of the awesome.
Follow Friday: Sweet Tree House. One dollar for the best tree house toy ever and hilarious tweets, natch.
Snapshot 03.05.14. I shall make dozens of weird little hand cookies.
Thrifted Maternity Closet: Week 35. I looked perkier a week ago.
Home Life: One-Hit Wonder. Just one photo, but it’s a good photo.
Jazz Wolf. The smooth sounds of jazz and also a wolf. Via KevinCore
Corpus Libris. Book lovers pose to complete scenes from book covers. Like Sleevefacing, but with books.
“In case you’ve ever wondered if ‘quirkiness’ is an inherited trait.” Via Journalgirl
The New Kansas City Library. Wow. Via sarahdrinkwater
Douglas Adams, Technology Theorist. Agree! Via emerbeamer
Jurassic Park… With Cats. No need to reboot, Hollywood. Just add cats. Anthony and I almost hurt ourselves watching this. Via “Come to my house I’m allergic to your fifteen cats” Ellen.
Speaking of Douglas Adams, Play the BBC’s 30th Anniversary Hitchhiker’s Guide Adventure Game. Via oodja
Awesome Book Dedication. How I love this. Via IrisBlasi
CAT ATTACK. Best. Via mitdasein
Cacti Cupcake. And succulent. These are works of art. Via stevesilberman
Second Bill of Rights.Roosevelt’s proposed Second Bill of Rights. Sounds pretty great to me. Via stevesilberman
The Amazing Anne. Let’s use the internet for Good.
Book Lust: Fabric Blooms: 42 Blooms to Make, Wear, and Adorn Your Life. One of my favorite bloggers, Megan, wrote a book and it’s ready for pre-order! I’m going to reserve a copy at the library and purchase my own once things start to turn around.
Beginner’s Guide to Seasonal Eating. This guide is a great start! Via booklovercook
What it will take for SF to reach normal rainfall by the end of the season? In most parts of the Valley, we need 8 or 9 storms of the same strength as the one we just had, according to NPR. Via NWSBayArea
Little Big Kitchen: Lunch, Menu Planning, and Eating Healthy. Back in the day, when I had to pack lunches for work.
Little Big Links: Fabric & Sewing. Fun projects and links.
Scrapbook: The Streets of San Francisco. I love this city. I’d never want to live there, but I love it all the same.
Little Big Kitchen: Easy Cheddar WTF Biscuits. A delicious riff on a four-letter standard.
Follow Friday: Blossom Time. Hilarious tweets and photos from the blossom-decked branches of the orchards near my house.
Snapshot 03.20.13. Isobel is given her first cone of cotton candy and her expression is priceless.
