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Conflicted: How a Second Child Changes You

3/29/2016

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​Every day I am both grateful for and resentful of having a second child.

The resent stems from tiredness. Why am I tired?  Lack of sleep due to all the interruptions that come at night from nursing a child who doesn't want to nurse during the day. Plus she's teething. 

Then there's the physical act of carrying a child and often an infant seat around. I try to convince myself that all the carrying counts as exercise--it's not 100% but it does help. 
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Mostly it's the sleep loss.

​What I'm grateful for far exceeds all the negatives. Little things like watching her eyes steadily change from blue to hazel like a father. Her sister's eyes did the same.

​Today the touch of golden brown that first appeared a week ago is brighter while the blue fades to a grey tint except for the dark ring at the edge that still looks nearly navy.

Part of the joy is simply in remembering.

There are other joys too. Seeing skills development. The day she learned to roll over. To sit up unassisted. I'm a huge fan of a kid sitting up by themselves. :-)

Her talking. As much talking as sounds that she thinks are words. Experiencing the act of communication. Hearing her big sister sing lullabies. 

My favorite is her smile. Opened mouth. Displaying still toothless gums that even in silence say, "I'm so very excited to see you." 


That combined with her obvious desire to jump into a hug delights me even when the day has been far too long. 

Children are the best; even as they work you over to a crazy degree. ​

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Inflation Reality

3/22/2016

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Our four-year-old will be attending full-day preschool next year (2016-17 school year). We received the admittance paperwork yesterday. And that's when the reality of inflation hit.
Damn. I don't know if that's depressing, horrifying, or a sign of the infinite growth of money. Either way, it was a shock.

Sigh.

Maybe another cup of coffee this morning will help...
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How I Started a Business for Free

3/16/2016

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Ever tried to start a business for free? I thought it would be easy with lots of info on the web. I was wrong. ​There's plenty of advice but it all starts with...
1) Get a Domain
2) Setup hosting
3) Build a website

Um, those ain't free!

$100+ was too high an initial cost. Seriously, I didn't want to put even a penny down until I was earning. I needed to start using only what I had or could access for free.

Here's what I did to build a business for free.

How I picked my business...

Typical Advice: Aim for something that utilizes a skill and materials you already have (or can access for free).

For me that meant knitting (and, to a lesser extent, crochet). Why?
1. I know how to knit and crochet
2. I own knitting needles and a few crochet hooks
3. Websites to sell knit/crochet stuff already exist
4. I could join those websites for free
The real hardship with my business idea came in two areas: yarn and final product.

Yarn can get expensive fast. I overcame the yarn obstacle by initially creating patterns based on what was in my stash and yarn donations. In total honesty, it was a large yarn donation to my knitting group that allowed me to start.

​As for the final product, well, due to time constraints (two young kids, remember), I decided to create patterns only. I focused on hats too. Hats are fast to knit up. Plus it was October when I started and that's the beginning of hat season in central Illinois.

The beauty of a pattern
as the final product really appealed to me.
  • No physical storage space needed.
  • Only an upfront investment of time.
  • Most appealing, an electronic pattern could sell in unlimited quantity.

I opted not to go with Etsy or BigCartel. Those sites are known for wearable finished products.

Instead I used existing memberships at Ravelry and Craftsy as my selling locations. My personal computer supplied the software to write out the patterns. My iPhone served as my camera.

It can be done.

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That's the barebones of how I started Ruth Designs and why I choose the business that I did. It was all done with ZERO DOLLARS upfront, including this website's original version (which was designed on Weebly).

​Just one example. What you choose will be based on you. Don't be afraid to try. Think about it long enough and you'll find something. I did. I only tried and failed 3 times beforehand!

You don't need to know it all. The more you do know, the better. Knowing the basics is enough to start.

Need some ideas to get you started?

Here are some links to pages that will help you brainstorm possible options.
No Money to Start a Business? Try These 5 Options
Business Idea Center 
Low Cost Business Ideas
1001 Business Ideas
​
50 Small Businesses You Can Start on Your Own
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Need some advice on starting?

Try START by Jon Acuff.

I've read it at least 3 times and return each time I need to restart my drive. I've got an ebook, but you can borrow the book from a library (hardcover, paperback, or ebook format)--keeping it FREE.

(Not an affiliate link)

​Image Source: Amazon

I'd love to hear from you.

Seriously, I would love to hear from you. Drop me a note in the comments if you have questions about starting and I'll do my best to help. If you've started a business, please share your story. Thanks for reading this post. I appreciate your time.
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