R&R

Revisiting, reinventing and repurposing my blog is quite a task. Quite a bit has happened in the past few years. I had a new baby, I have straddled life between two cities, NYC and Boston. Finally realizing my dream of becoming a MOMtrepreneur, mom entrepreneur, Savvy Mom, Smart Momma what ever you want to call it and have lots to share. I am teaching Baby Sign Language classes now and well, I want to share some insights and topics that come up from time to time.

Sincerely,

baby pistachio

www.babypistachio.com is LIVE!
Ok! There are a few things we need to straighten out here and there, but the content is up and I am very excited.

SAMPLE's Completed

Starting a business is hard work. It has taken a lot longer than I would have liked, but it's worth it! I finally received my last samples yesterday. My site should be up by February 1, 2008. If there is anyone out there who wants to offer up some feedback, please do!

I am not a seamstress

I imagined being a SAHM making slip covers while my baby napped. Late at night I would be fulfilling orders while everyone slept. The truth is my prototype was not what I envisioned. I am not a seamstress! I found myself in a rut. For a few months I wondered if this was a viable idea. When I had to go back to work I realised how important it was to resuscitate my idea and see it through to the end.

The universe kindly intervened. There was an upholsterer right around the corner from my house. I went there one day and asked for some advice. I went back to Purl Soho, selected more fabrics. Less than two weeks later I had the product I could manufacture.

Funny Little Pictures

I dusted off my sewing machine. I searched the net for appealing fabrics. I discovered Amy Butler and Purl Soho. I bought some fabric and materials, i.e, scissors, thread and zippers. Then I went to Babies "R" Us in Union Square and BuyBuy Baby in Chelsea to see which chairs were popular. I took measurements and drew funny little pictures. My mom helped me sew my first prototype.

The Perfect Rocking Chair

When I was pregnant there were about six other people at my job who were expecting as well. We were often talking about strollers and cribs, emailing links for shops, i.e., sparkability, urbanbaby and giggle. I was not big on shopping for baby at the time. I just wanted the basics. My Papas was the one shopping for cribs, bassinets and rocking chairs. I was totally fine with this. I just had to say yea or nay.

One day my partner asked me to check out this rocking chair on my way back from Cake Man Raven (the best red velvet cake in Brooklyn)…So, I stepped into Yu, a brilliant furniture shop in Fort Greene Brooklyn to check out this chair when I bumped into a wonderful woman from work who was expecting as well. She was there with her husband to see the same rocker. It was a low cowhide rocker mid century design, very narrow and sleek. Although I loved the design it was not functional for breastfeeding or rocking a baby. We started discussing how hard it was to find a nice modern rocker with form and function.

After our conversation my search for the ultimate rocking chair became expansive. Some chairs are ridiculously expensive and some of them are not very functional at all. The Collins Rocker is one of my favorites but at $1,300 is a bit too much. The Sleepytime Rocker looks great in the nursery online, but in actuality it is stiff and wabbles forward and back.

I went to giggle to try the Monarch Nursery Chair with lumbar support, it has no arms, you feel like your sitting on a thrown, not nestling to breastfeed. So the next stop was buybuy baby where my reluctant Papas agreed to sit in a Dutalier Glider B.U.G. he calls them for short(Big Ugly Glider). After a few minutes,“…we are going to have to get one of these” he sighed.

Well in the end a good friend gave us their rocking chair and saved us the expense.

I decided to make a cover for my glider and give it an upgrade. I said to Papas, "I think I could sell my covers so other people can bridge the gap between form function and modernity until the perfect affordable rocker comes on the market!"

Working 9 to 5

Finally! I have caught up to the right month. It was difficult getting to this point. I was not expecting to go back to work before the end of the year. With the stock market on the decline Papas worried that our future plans could be deferred.

I had to find a job, interview, find a Nanny and transition from SAHM to 9 to5 mom. The good news was after being at home for fifteen months I knew what I was looking for in the workforce. I felt confident of what I was worth, the type of schedule I wanted to keep and how much I wanted to earn.

Trying to find a job that would allow me to have some flex time was not very easy, but definitely worth the try. As an Interactive Producer it was hard to imagine a new employer would allow me to work from home 1 or 2 days a week, even though I think it is possible. I interviewed with 3 companies including my former agency. In every interview I laid down my cards, but only one employer was willing to negotiate and finally accept my flex time proposal. We settled on hard stop time at 5:00pm. Not so bad considering one can stay in the office until 7:00pm or even 9:00pm easily these days.

We decided Nanny care would be best for Marley. I had to search, call and interview again, this time for the right caregiver. At first I considered a Nanny finding agency like Absolute Best Care. One of the owners was kind enough to walk me through the entire process and his experience finding a Nanny. The bottom line was this option was too expensive a one tine payment of 15% of the Nanny’s annual income + application fee. Following the recommendation of another mom, I posted an ad on craigslist.com. In the end I found taking the time to read through the postings of various Nanny’s was the best way for me to find possible candidates. I met 6 to 8 people who were all wonderful. When I found the right person, I cried. I just knew in my heart I had found the person I could leave Marley with.

Since our Nanny was not available to start until the 1st of the month, Marley’s grandmother came to visit the week prior to our Nanny’s official start date. Leaving Marley with her Abuela my first week back to work also made the transition smoother for both us.

I was able to transition myself and Marley into a new routine, but there was one thing I could not get off of my mind. What about my blog, my photos, my dream to being a Momtrepreneur. Everyday I walked to the train I would daydream of what I thought I wanted for myself, my family and how I could get it. Going back to work gave me an urgent desire to follow through.