WAHM-Part 1

Oh, did I say a while back that I was going to be sure to post at least once a week from now on?  And it's been 21 days since I last darkened the door of my blog?  Oops.  Well, here I am.

I'm a WAHM mom.  Sort of.  I also babysit outside the home, but I take my kidlets with me so I'm not giving up any time with them.

I used to work part-time at a B&B and the library, but I was miserable dropping my precious little girl off at my sister's house everyday instead of being with her myself.  My sister would send me text and picture messages throughout the day to tell/show me what Princess was up to, but it wasn't the same. 

I was getting more and more depressed about working outside the home because I've always felt that my place was at home caring for my children and husband.  Sounds 50's, I know, but that's what I wanted.  For those of you who think that staying at home to be a wife and mother mean you're not accomplishing anything with your life...I happen to believe that raising future functioning mature responsible adults is a HUGE deal.  And a LOT of work.  I have hobbies, but at this season of my life, my family is my life and I wouldn't want it any other way.  Someday when the kidlets are grown and moved out *sob* I'll be able to focus on those hobbies more and cultivate new ones.

Oooookay.  Back on track here.  One day I went to talk to my Pastor's wife because I was so depressed about my job situation.
I said, "If God really loves me and wants what's best for me, why isn't He enabling me to stay home with the baby that HE blessed me with?!?"
She said, "Maybe God is trying to teach you to be content no matter what."
I said, *Gulp* "Wow."

Because it had just hit me like a ton of bricks.  I'm one of those pessimistic, the world hates me, my life kinda stinks people.  I'm never quite happy with what I have and being thankful is something I really need to work on.  I went home, did some serious time on my knees and came up realizing that she was right.  And somehow, admitting my lack of thankfulness to God and asking forgiveness changed my outlook.  I still wasn't crazy about the job situation and my boss wasn't any nicer, but it didn't bother me like before.  Less than two weeks later, I got a call from someone I knew from an ECFE class I took Princess to.  She was looking for someone to babysit her two children in her home and was willing to pay enough that I would be able to quit my job at the B&B.  I told her I'd talk to Hubby about it and let her know.  When I hung up the phone, I started crying because I couldn't believe how quickly God had provided for me when I changed my attitude.  Hubby was all for the change and so, I called her back and said "YES!" 

I've always been crafty (in more ways than one, my siblings would say).  When I was little, I designed and made clothes for my dolls and once, for my little sister.  Since my mom doesn't like sewing or crafts, I was self-taught (aka used the wrong techniques, end product didn't turn out well, etc.) But it was a start and that desire to create things never left me.  After Princess was born, I found myself drooling over custom made baby things that you couldn't buy at wal-mart and thinking, "I could make this."  But I wanted to do more than just make a few things for my own baby, I wanted to make enough to sell!  I wanted to make unique baby items that other mommies could enjoy and use too.  But I didn't have a sewing machine and I had no idea how I could market my products.  Then, one day, everything changed.  I clicked on a sidebar ad on Facebook for Listia.  While browsing the auctions there, I came across a taggie blanket made with adorable blue and brown guitar print flannel.  I fell in love with it and...lost the auction.  Which led me to follow the link to the seller's website to see if I could buy one directly from her.  I was surprised to be directed to her Facebook page and was really surprised when I realized that one could actually operate an online store of sorts on Facebook (disclaimer: Facebook rules state that an individual or business cannot actually sell products on Facebook due to liability issues, but can post products and direct potential customers to a website to purchase.)

I'm going to stop now before this post gets too long.  Check back for WAHM-Part 2 to hear the rest of my story and to get tips on how to start your own WAHM business!