My husband and I have this thing that we've done forever. I have no idea where it all started, perhaps he started it in college with his Dewey Geek friends. But either way, we've done it for as long as I can remember.
Basically you just start singing a song. The dumber the song, the better. And once the other person starts singing it you say "Got ya singin' it!" It's awesome when you can get someone singing a song like "Karma Chameleon" or "Jimmy Crack Corn".
But last night I was singing a little ditty from one of my favorite bands of all time...Ratt. Do not judge me.
So, there I was singing "Round and Round" and pretty soon my 5 year old, Joshua, was singing it. Mark and I looked at each other and yelled..."Got ya singing it!". We both nearly peed ourselves laughing so hard. Joshua had no clue why we thought it was so funny.
Personally I think it's fantastic that my son clearly has great taste in music.
Showing posts with label mark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mark. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Field Trips, Fevers and Fast deliveries
Just another day in my house.
It began at 4 a.m. this morning. My son Jacob, who had gone to sleep early last night with a low grade fever, woke me up wanting to go downstairs. I didn't fight him on this, because I never win. We packed up a comfy blanky and a teddy bear and landed ourselves on the sofa in front of spongebob. We were both back to sleep in a matter of minutes.
Joshua woke up at 7 and then my day began again. He was very excited because his daddy was taking him on a field trip with his kindergarten class to the Dekalb County Fair. In between getting him ready for the field trip and keeping an eye on Jacob's fever, I was trying to get myself into some kind of decent appearance for my first meeting with the owner of our client the Espresso Gallery.
Mark usually delivers the pretzels to them, but I wanted to meet her, and he was going to be gone on the trip, so I had planned to drop the pretzels off myself this time.
Got a snack for Joshua, some kleenex just in case the farm animals triggered his allergies, and his back pack ready to go. Mark was just down the street when I realized they forgot his back pack. Thank God for cell phones! I rushed it out to them, said goodbye for the fifth time that morning, and two of my family members were on their way to having a nice day.
Back inside to check on Jacob...still practically comatose on the couch. He just kept saying, "I hurt." I was beginning to worry that it was something like appendicitis or a bladder infection, but then I realized that I was also coming down with a sore throat and aches, and seriously doubted the possibility that I'd caught a bladder infection from him. That made me feel a little better knowing that he just had the flu. But, neither Motrin nor Tylenol were making a difference. Usually one or the other gets them back to normal feeling within a few hours, but this had been over 12 hours and no change.
I managed to pull myself together with a quick, somewhat professional looking pony tail. I finished getting the order together for the 4 coffee shops and was ready to walk out the door when my cell phone rang.
It was one of our best clients, however, they are also our most spontaneous clients. It is not unusual for them to call on a Monday and want 200 pretzels by Tuesday afternoon. Today was no different. They wanted a quick order of about 24 pretzels and 4 bags of bark by today.
Thankfully I had just made up a bunch to have on hand just in case. I left the house with my 3 year old just in his diaper and a t-shirt...but wrapped in a comfy blanket. Swung by the shop to pick up the order for the 4 Espresso Galleries and gather the new last minute order. Realized I had no idea how to get to the Espresso Gallery corporate offices and no way to contact Mark on the field trip. The owner of the store was unavailable as well. I searched their name on my trusty iPhone web browser, mapped out the location, and found it within a few minutes. Then, headed to deliver my other order in record time.
By the time we got back home, I was feeling a little run down, but Jacob was starting to perk up. One sucker and a few gold fish crackers later and the boy is practically back to normal.
After weeks of driving me crazy, my craft area finally got my attention today, and I began organizing it. Jacob made his way to the table and started getting into everything and singing...I knew then that he was going to be just fine.
A very crazy start to a somewhat typical day. Being a business owner is certainly never boring.
It began at 4 a.m. this morning. My son Jacob, who had gone to sleep early last night with a low grade fever, woke me up wanting to go downstairs. I didn't fight him on this, because I never win. We packed up a comfy blanky and a teddy bear and landed ourselves on the sofa in front of spongebob. We were both back to sleep in a matter of minutes.
Joshua woke up at 7 and then my day began again. He was very excited because his daddy was taking him on a field trip with his kindergarten class to the Dekalb County Fair. In between getting him ready for the field trip and keeping an eye on Jacob's fever, I was trying to get myself into some kind of decent appearance for my first meeting with the owner of our client the Espresso Gallery.
Mark usually delivers the pretzels to them, but I wanted to meet her, and he was going to be gone on the trip, so I had planned to drop the pretzels off myself this time.
Got a snack for Joshua, some kleenex just in case the farm animals triggered his allergies, and his back pack ready to go. Mark was just down the street when I realized they forgot his back pack. Thank God for cell phones! I rushed it out to them, said goodbye for the fifth time that morning, and two of my family members were on their way to having a nice day.
Back inside to check on Jacob...still practically comatose on the couch. He just kept saying, "I hurt." I was beginning to worry that it was something like appendicitis or a bladder infection, but then I realized that I was also coming down with a sore throat and aches, and seriously doubted the possibility that I'd caught a bladder infection from him. That made me feel a little better knowing that he just had the flu. But, neither Motrin nor Tylenol were making a difference. Usually one or the other gets them back to normal feeling within a few hours, but this had been over 12 hours and no change.
I managed to pull myself together with a quick, somewhat professional looking pony tail. I finished getting the order together for the 4 coffee shops and was ready to walk out the door when my cell phone rang.
It was one of our best clients, however, they are also our most spontaneous clients. It is not unusual for them to call on a Monday and want 200 pretzels by Tuesday afternoon. Today was no different. They wanted a quick order of about 24 pretzels and 4 bags of bark by today.
Thankfully I had just made up a bunch to have on hand just in case. I left the house with my 3 year old just in his diaper and a t-shirt...but wrapped in a comfy blanket. Swung by the shop to pick up the order for the 4 Espresso Galleries and gather the new last minute order. Realized I had no idea how to get to the Espresso Gallery corporate offices and no way to contact Mark on the field trip. The owner of the store was unavailable as well. I searched their name on my trusty iPhone web browser, mapped out the location, and found it within a few minutes. Then, headed to deliver my other order in record time.
By the time we got back home, I was feeling a little run down, but Jacob was starting to perk up. One sucker and a few gold fish crackers later and the boy is practically back to normal.
After weeks of driving me crazy, my craft area finally got my attention today, and I began organizing it. Jacob made his way to the table and started getting into everything and singing...I knew then that he was going to be just fine.
A very crazy start to a somewhat typical day. Being a business owner is certainly never boring.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Top Ten reasons to get an iPhone for your business.
My husband and I purchased iPhones back in November, and I practically sleep with mine now. No, seriously. I'm not kidding. My husband is jealous and threatening to leave me for his iPhone. On any given night we either have dueling laptop dates or tandem iPhone moments. So romantic.
But truly, they are unbelievably handy to have as a business owner, and I'm amazed that I made it that far without one.
I've compiled a short list of ten reasons to run out today to get yours...for a small business they are the perfect tool, and can even be installed with a program that can read your files from your laptop wirelessly, from anywhere. I'd totally do that, but it's another fee per month that just didn't seem as important as my starbucks tall two pump white mocha that is currently duking it out with a gallon of gas.
So, here they are in no specific order. If you have an iPhone and see a glaring omission, please let me know in the comments!
1. Check email while on the road, please refrain from attempting this while driving. Trust me, this is very tempting to do. It can only lead to disaster. Wait until red lights to check. The honking angry man behind you will let you know when it's time to go again.
2. Map button allows you to look up address for business or delivery locations. I've delivered pretzels several times to a location only to find out they moved, or that I had the wrong address. I was able to search the net for the new location without missing a beat.
3. Search internet for phone numbers and hours of operation for businesses. Good for when you have to pick a package up, or drop one off. Also very important when ordering sushi to go. You don't have to wait for the rolling, just pop in and grab. But, as is stated in number 1, eating sushi...not good while driving. I've also used this when in another city to look up where the nearest Thai restaurant is. I am not obsessed with food. Stop looking at me.
4. Check voice mail without anyone knowing with earphones in. This may sound trivial, but while on the treadmill at the gym, or in a waiting room, this can come in very handy.
5. Listen to music and still accept calls with the special iPhone earphones. If you enjoy exercising, or just listening to music while you work, this little gadget is indispensable. When a call is coming in the music dims and the phone starts ringing. (no one else can hear this) You click a button on your earphones and Viola! you can talk and work with headphones in. When the phone call is done, the music resumes.
6. Check weather in California or Texas, or anywhere in the world, before sending a package to determine if you need ice packs or not. If you're not sending a perishable item, you can skip this one. But it is nice to see what weather Paris is having when you're deep in the middle of the frozen Midwest. A girl can dream.
7. Keeps your outlook calendar synced for easy access. I have used this for doctor appointments as well as meetings.
8. Notes option allows you to jot things down easily if you don't have a pen and paper handy. I use this all the time. Mostly to write down cool songs from my Sirius radio that I've never heard before so that I can download them on iTunes later, but have also used it for business things like grocery items for DipSticks, or marketing ideas, phone numbers of sign companies, etc.
9. World Clock shows any time anywhere, if you need to make call to the west coast, but aren't sure what time it is, or use the timer function for keeping track of your schedule.
10. Take photos of ideas or products to review later. I've taken photos, while in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart, of booths to give me ideas on decorations. Or, I've taken pics of my displays at stores to have on record. Comes in handy when your child falls asleep while licking an ice cream cone too.
The one single downside to this thing is that it's not cheap. The first time you drop yours, it's like your life passing before your eyes, and you pick it up and hug it and then take it out to dinner to apologize.
Or is that just me?
But truly, they are unbelievably handy to have as a business owner, and I'm amazed that I made it that far without one.
I've compiled a short list of ten reasons to run out today to get yours...for a small business they are the perfect tool, and can even be installed with a program that can read your files from your laptop wirelessly, from anywhere. I'd totally do that, but it's another fee per month that just didn't seem as important as my starbucks tall two pump white mocha that is currently duking it out with a gallon of gas.
So, here they are in no specific order. If you have an iPhone and see a glaring omission, please let me know in the comments!
1. Check email while on the road, please refrain from attempting this while driving. Trust me, this is very tempting to do. It can only lead to disaster. Wait until red lights to check. The honking angry man behind you will let you know when it's time to go again.
2. Map button allows you to look up address for business or delivery locations. I've delivered pretzels several times to a location only to find out they moved, or that I had the wrong address. I was able to search the net for the new location without missing a beat.
3. Search internet for phone numbers and hours of operation for businesses. Good for when you have to pick a package up, or drop one off. Also very important when ordering sushi to go. You don't have to wait for the rolling, just pop in and grab. But, as is stated in number 1, eating sushi...not good while driving. I've also used this when in another city to look up where the nearest Thai restaurant is. I am not obsessed with food. Stop looking at me.
4. Check voice mail without anyone knowing with earphones in. This may sound trivial, but while on the treadmill at the gym, or in a waiting room, this can come in very handy.
5. Listen to music and still accept calls with the special iPhone earphones. If you enjoy exercising, or just listening to music while you work, this little gadget is indispensable. When a call is coming in the music dims and the phone starts ringing. (no one else can hear this) You click a button on your earphones and Viola! you can talk and work with headphones in. When the phone call is done, the music resumes.
6. Check weather in California or Texas, or anywhere in the world, before sending a package to determine if you need ice packs or not. If you're not sending a perishable item, you can skip this one. But it is nice to see what weather Paris is having when you're deep in the middle of the frozen Midwest. A girl can dream.
7. Keeps your outlook calendar synced for easy access. I have used this for doctor appointments as well as meetings.
8. Notes option allows you to jot things down easily if you don't have a pen and paper handy. I use this all the time. Mostly to write down cool songs from my Sirius radio that I've never heard before so that I can download them on iTunes later, but have also used it for business things like grocery items for DipSticks, or marketing ideas, phone numbers of sign companies, etc.
9. World Clock shows any time anywhere, if you need to make call to the west coast, but aren't sure what time it is, or use the timer function for keeping track of your schedule.
10. Take photos of ideas or products to review later. I've taken photos, while in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart, of booths to give me ideas on decorations. Or, I've taken pics of my displays at stores to have on record. Comes in handy when your child falls asleep while licking an ice cream cone too.
The one single downside to this thing is that it's not cheap. The first time you drop yours, it's like your life passing before your eyes, and you pick it up and hug it and then take it out to dinner to apologize.
Or is that just me?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
A Mother's Day
I sit down to type this post on Mother's Day. For those of you with children, I hope you are enjoying the day in any way you want.
I have heard women say that on Mother's Day they like to get away from their kids. A friend of mine once said, "It's MY day. Why would I want to be home?"
That really stung me, and I actually changed my view of that person after she said that. I feel like Mother's Day is a day to be with the ones who made you a mother. A day to be appreciated and to appreciate. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be the mother of two beautiful children, that to think of being away from them today is the last thing I would do.
In my house the rules change a bit on Mother's Day. I don't have to clean or change diapers, and my husband usually cooks and has some kind special treat in store for me.
That hasn't always been the case, however. On my very first Mother's Day ever, things went horribly wrong. I had Joshua in March, after a very stressful pregnancy that resulted in an emergency c-section 5 weeks too early. Mother's Day was just a few short months later and the trauma that I endured, not to mention the difficulty in getting him to latch on, and the insecurity of caring for a tiny 5 pound baby were fresh in my mind. So, I kind of looked forward to a good day of honoring me and all that I went through and a moment to bond over this beloved new being in our home.
First thing in the morning my husband handed me a card. I read the card, and it was "from" Joshua. It said things like "thanks for all the things you've done" and "I'll always remember" and other wording that sounded more from a college student than an 8 week old baby. Probably should not bother me, right? Then, by about 3:00 that afternoon, there was nothing else. No flowers, no nothing. (and please don't get me wrong...it didn't need to be material items, he could've just told me to do nothing all day, or just offered to make me tea...any gesture like that is worth more than anything money can buy)
I know some of you are saying, "What's the big deal? My husband didn't even get me a card." But Mark has set the bar pretty high for himself. This is the guy who on my first birthday with him, took me to a park, dug holes in the ground to place candles in, and had a cake, champagne and flowers all in a big picnic basket. It was lovely, and he continued to out do himself each birthday, valentine's day and Christmas thereafter. So, on my first mother's day ever, it kind of seemed like a no brainer.
My mom and dad were coming over for dinner, but before they got there, we had a huge argument over this, and the card, resulting in the card being destroyed by my husband. (not our finest day, let me tell ya!) Of course then, I immediately started crying because even though that card did not fit the occasion, it was still the very first card I had ever gotten as a mother. (must have been the hormones)
He ran out and got me a new, more fitting card with Snoopy on the front, just in the nick of time for my parents to arrive. We made it through dinner, and the next following 5 years with only minor cuts and bruises.
I don't think I overreacted. I think Mother's work damn hard, with little to no acknowledgement sometimes, and if there's just one day out the whole year that we can have someone bow down to us and make us feel like queens, then I am going to take it. Mother's technically should get a whole month in my opinion.
Of course I will need to make Father's Day special for him too, he did have a little something to do with the whole baby making process after all.
But that's why Mother's Day comes first in the year, so you can do for them, how they do for you. If he forgets Mother's Day, you forget Father's Day, tit for tat.
Although, our first Father's Day, I actually did the opposite of what he did, and made a stepping stone with Joshua's foot and hand prints. I could have done what he did back to me out of spite, but it was more important to give him the kind of Father's Day I felt he deserved.
A story to remember, but hopefully one not to be repeated. So, enjoy your Mother's Day in any way you can, and make sure you take some time to remember what being a mother means.
I have heard women say that on Mother's Day they like to get away from their kids. A friend of mine once said, "It's MY day. Why would I want to be home?"
That really stung me, and I actually changed my view of that person after she said that. I feel like Mother's Day is a day to be with the ones who made you a mother. A day to be appreciated and to appreciate. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be the mother of two beautiful children, that to think of being away from them today is the last thing I would do.
In my house the rules change a bit on Mother's Day. I don't have to clean or change diapers, and my husband usually cooks and has some kind special treat in store for me.
That hasn't always been the case, however. On my very first Mother's Day ever, things went horribly wrong. I had Joshua in March, after a very stressful pregnancy that resulted in an emergency c-section 5 weeks too early. Mother's Day was just a few short months later and the trauma that I endured, not to mention the difficulty in getting him to latch on, and the insecurity of caring for a tiny 5 pound baby were fresh in my mind. So, I kind of looked forward to a good day of honoring me and all that I went through and a moment to bond over this beloved new being in our home.
First thing in the morning my husband handed me a card. I read the card, and it was "from" Joshua. It said things like "thanks for all the things you've done" and "I'll always remember" and other wording that sounded more from a college student than an 8 week old baby. Probably should not bother me, right? Then, by about 3:00 that afternoon, there was nothing else. No flowers, no nothing. (and please don't get me wrong...it didn't need to be material items, he could've just told me to do nothing all day, or just offered to make me tea...any gesture like that is worth more than anything money can buy)
I know some of you are saying, "What's the big deal? My husband didn't even get me a card." But Mark has set the bar pretty high for himself. This is the guy who on my first birthday with him, took me to a park, dug holes in the ground to place candles in, and had a cake, champagne and flowers all in a big picnic basket. It was lovely, and he continued to out do himself each birthday, valentine's day and Christmas thereafter. So, on my first mother's day ever, it kind of seemed like a no brainer.
My mom and dad were coming over for dinner, but before they got there, we had a huge argument over this, and the card, resulting in the card being destroyed by my husband. (not our finest day, let me tell ya!) Of course then, I immediately started crying because even though that card did not fit the occasion, it was still the very first card I had ever gotten as a mother. (must have been the hormones)
He ran out and got me a new, more fitting card with Snoopy on the front, just in the nick of time for my parents to arrive. We made it through dinner, and the next following 5 years with only minor cuts and bruises.
I don't think I overreacted. I think Mother's work damn hard, with little to no acknowledgement sometimes, and if there's just one day out the whole year that we can have someone bow down to us and make us feel like queens, then I am going to take it. Mother's technically should get a whole month in my opinion.
Of course I will need to make Father's Day special for him too, he did have a little something to do with the whole baby making process after all.
But that's why Mother's Day comes first in the year, so you can do for them, how they do for you. If he forgets Mother's Day, you forget Father's Day, tit for tat.
Although, our first Father's Day, I actually did the opposite of what he did, and made a stepping stone with Joshua's foot and hand prints. I could have done what he did back to me out of spite, but it was more important to give him the kind of Father's Day I felt he deserved.
A story to remember, but hopefully one not to be repeated. So, enjoy your Mother's Day in any way you can, and make sure you take some time to remember what being a mother means.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Busy weekend
I have more pretzels to make today, so I won't be adding any major posts. Sorry to disappoint.
However, I have created a very cute hang tag for a baby pretzel that I'm dying to share. I will hopefully get time to take the picture and get it up online later.
Saturday we start Joshua in soccer, then I have a moms meeting, then to the shop for some cleaning for the Board of Health inspection (yippee!) and then to the Big Eyed Fish for dinner to celebrate Mother's Day with my mommy.
Apparently this place is awesome. They have a clown who walks around doing tricks and making balloon animals. It's sure to scare the crap out of Jacob, landing us back in our car for the long, whiny road home before we even order. Should be fun!
Mother's day is Sunday, and I seriously plan to do zilch. Tea. Chocolate. Book. My idea of a good time.
I am going to post about my very first mother's day though...check back cuz you will feel so thankful you weren't me on that day....my husband should hide about now.
However, I have created a very cute hang tag for a baby pretzel that I'm dying to share. I will hopefully get time to take the picture and get it up online later.
Saturday we start Joshua in soccer, then I have a moms meeting, then to the shop for some cleaning for the Board of Health inspection (yippee!) and then to the Big Eyed Fish for dinner to celebrate Mother's Day with my mommy.
Apparently this place is awesome. They have a clown who walks around doing tricks and making balloon animals. It's sure to scare the crap out of Jacob, landing us back in our car for the long, whiny road home before we even order. Should be fun!
Mother's day is Sunday, and I seriously plan to do zilch. Tea. Chocolate. Book. My idea of a good time.
I am going to post about my very first mother's day though...check back cuz you will feel so thankful you weren't me on that day....my husband should hide about now.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Our Photo Studio
So, you may be wondering what hi-tech equipment we're using to take such great photos of our product. Or maybe you'd like to see what professional photo studio we take our stuff to?
Well, today we are taking you behind the scenes for a very special look at our professional set-up.
Yep, that's right. We do all the photography out of our own home. This is what you do when you're a small business trying to save a buck or two. I don't think the photos turn out too bad though. We're still tweaking some things and reading the manual, but so far I'm happy with them.
Our camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18. My dream camera is a Canon EF 24-70mm L USM 2, but it's like $4000, so I need to sell a few more pretzels before I can justify that!
For the record, I don't even know how to take pictures with this camera yet. Mark takes all the pictures and I just make sure he gets the shot I'm looking for, but mostly he does all the hard work. I guess that college degree in theater/telecommunications is paying off, honey!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
