As if...

As if raising 2 kiddos, being a contented wife, teaching 6 hours of fitness at the Y/wk, cooking, cleaning, and learning kids computer games, (oh! and keeping up on Facebook!) isn't enough, I am setting out on a new venture. I have been trying to think of some way I can make a little money to help with the household expenses (the Y doesn't pay very well...). I thought of house cleaning, but nixed that because I'd have to find and pay for childcare which would significantly decrease any profit. I stink at home-based businesses like Creative Memories. So, what to do?

Well, one day, while folding my weeks worth of laundry...yes, a whole weeks worth, washed, dried, laid out on the bed until it's all done then a marathon folding...I thought, "You know, I actually kind of enjoy this. I wonder if I could do a business of this?" I talked it over with a friend who occasionally uses the laundromat drop off service and she said, "I'd use you!" I talked it over with Michael and he told me to go for it. So, tomorrow, my friend is dropping off her laundry. Here we go!

Any advice? Do I ask people how they normally do their laundry? Like,

1. "Do you dry your jeans? Do you dry your button down shirts?" We don't. I hang all that to dry...then I don't need to press Michael's shirts! Or do I just do theirs like I do mine?
   
2. Is there such a thing as asking too many questions? Or is it good form to make sure they're going to be happy? I have pondered through all these things for about 3 weeks, until Michael said, "Just get going and get the cash flowing!" So, I am flying by the seat of my pants.
   
3. I am charging the same price as the laundromat, $1.25/lb. Should I charge slightly less, like $.05-$.10/lb less, making a weeks laundry, about $5 cheaper then the laundromat charges? Michael is suggesting I offer more, like pick up and drop off service and charge more like $1.50/lb for the extra work of p/u and d/o. I need ideas here.
   
4. What would you pay if you needed the service? This friend of mine and her husband both work demanding jobs, so family time is important when they can get it. For them, having someone else do their laundry is good.

Leave a comment...

Are you an exercise addict?

OK. I'm back. Sort of. I did go and tackle that silly Midnight Mansion game...taa daa! Mommy is not so lame after all!! Then, I was done. And I didn't come back here. My bad...

So! I read an article in Fitness magazine that has stuck with me. The title was something along the lines of "Are you addicted to exercise?" It was an interesting article...gladly I can say "NO!" Especially today, when all I really want to do is sit and whine about my sore bum, sore hamstrings and quads, sore deltoids (!) (exclamation point! ~ because I usually can't work my delts long enough to get them sore as my shoulder joint tends to whine before I reach the point of muscle fatigue.) AnyHoo!! Where was I? Oh, yes...I. am. sore.

I enjoy exercise. I teach BootCamp 3x a week...really the name just sounds tough. I do a variety of lighter weight, higher rep exercises, usually hitting most muscle groups with occasional cardio bursts. It's not a cake walk, but not like the Army, I dare say. And I lead a group cycle class 2x a week. We all sit on special bikes made for group cycling and do whatever circuit I have come up with...like stand on a hill (resistance turned up), sit with a sprint, jumps...whatever I decide goes with the group of songs I have put together on a CD. Then, on Monday, I got a call from the Y. Could I take the TTh pm BootCamp class too? Uh...NO! Michael said not both, one would be OK. I guess he really doesn't want to see me grouchy because I am totally exhausted! So, for the next 6 weeks, I have added Tues eve BootCamp from 5:30-6:30pm...followed by Wed morning BootCamp from 6-7am. Do the math...less than 12 hours apart...woe is me...;-)

So this article talked about some women who would get up early and go for a run, you know, 6 miles or something, before going to work. Oh, and they'd walk or bike to work. Then they'd grab a quick Yoga class at lunch, and they'd pop into the gym after work to swim a couple miles. I'm thinking, "Do you have a life? Like, when do you get your laundry done? Must not have kids?" I don't know...One lady said she was ashamed to admit she turned her husband (maybe boyfriend, can't remember) down on a weekend he had planned out of town because she didn't want to miss her planned workouts. WOW! Now, these ladies are addicts! The article told of some of these people actually getting help, counseling, for the addiction. It's a real problem...

Me? I can skip it if I want. That said, I like that I lead the exercise groups. Otherwise I wouldn't be at the Y at 6am, and then I have to drag my kids into daycare, and out...(sometimes that's harder!). I like my exercise. It's helped me lose 25#, give or take depending on the week. I hope to lose up to 60#...a lofty goal, but achievable. I have lost, thanks to exercise, over 25 inches too! And that's exciting! Still, I am glad to know I am NOT an exercise addict. If I can find someone to sub my class, I'll gladly go away for the weekend...

Mommy's new challenge...

Well, something new here in our home. Mommy learning how to play computer games other than word games. Games like Go, Ollie! and Midnight Mansion. It's all in the name of research, you see. If I am allowing Jonathan to play either game for some prescribed amount of time, I need to know how to get from place to place, advance to the next level, how not to fall into the hot lava, how to jump over the spiders and scorpions, how to jump and get the coins or fruit, or whatever you have to jump to get. It's all research, I tell you. So, go on, don't expect any blog posts for a little bit while I "do my time" learning these games. Go on, now, go on...

I like this background

After perusing and playing with some different blog backgrounds, I have decided on this one...for today! "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" seems appropriate, as the snow lightly falls (and melts ;-). We're hoping for more, more, more! Even though I don't like skiing in powder, Michael and Jonathan do. Annisia seems to like face planting in it. We went up to our little ski area up in the mountains here last Sunday. Annisia scares the willies out of me. She gets off the lift, gets a little push up the tiny hill to the top of the hill, points her skis and goes. No looking back! Scares the willies...I post and turn down the bunny slope, vainly attempting to catch her, yelling, "You MUST go across the hill. Push your buttons..." (That's something the ski instructor told her. That she had special buttons on the bottom of her rental skis. She needed to take turn pushing down on them. Then she'd go across the mountain, working her way down in a controlled manner.) Oh, where, Oh, where is that ski instructor again? Maybe she'd listen to him...She plowed down one time, veered off into some powder and face planted. BOOM! She landed so hard, she didn't just lose a ski, she lost the ski AND boot! Popped her little SmartWool stockinged foot right out of her boot! Joy.

Blog changes...

OK, so today, I had three different comments posted from "Anonymous". The last one really bothered me. The first two were something benign like some link to something on Amazon.com or something. The 3rd one was disturbing. Info on meth ingredients and other links of a sexual nature. SO! These are my latest changes. You need to have an ID to comment on my blog. No more "Anonymous" comments. This is easy if you have a Google account. I am also moderating all comments. They will be reviewed by me before they are posted. Sorry if the changes affect you too greatly, but I cannot have this garbage on my blog. Thanks for understanding!

Changing backgrounds...

I have discovered several free blog background sites. I am enjoying them! One is Shabby Blogs, another is Hot Bliggity Blog. My original was The Cutest Blog on the Block. So, Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy the "lovely" background. I'll be changing it again soon to reflect the great winter weather. What backgrounds have you liked the most?

Jonathan starts school!!

So, in May, I brought Jonathan into this GREAT school and talked to one of the teachers about whether he should start school, ie. Kindergarten, this fall. She took him into her office and kind of interviewed him. I stayed in the preschool area with Annisia. She had a great time playing in the indoor sand box (!) ( I was thankful I don't have clean up duty!!) When Mrs. U came out from the office with Jonathan, she said, "Wow! He has a great vocabulary! That's proof you read a lot and talk with him." But her verdict was he wasn't ready for kindergarten because of his pen to paper skills, or lack thereof! She asked him to draw a triangle. Instead, he told her it was a triangle, and did she know that a triangle looked like a sail on a boat, and, know what? Uncle Jon has a boat and we went out on the lake in it, and...(ahem! clearing throat) "Can you draw me a triangle, Jonathan?" You get the picture...that's my son!! She also highly recommends starting kids a little later to give them a better start and a better finish in school. With Jonathan's late summer birthday, she recommended starting him in pre-K this year and Kindergarten next year. This means he'll be older in his class hopefully increasing his maturity in decision-making skills. I like it all. Michael hesitated, but changed his mind once HE had an interview with Mrs. U!
Here's Jonathan by the journal box. Isn't he cute?! I was amazed! They "journal" every day. They have a sheet of paper with their name printed across the top. They are supposed to write their name on the line below that. Then they draw a picture in the empty space below that. Then there are more lines on the bottom of the page. They write whatever other words they want down there. It's really great to see the progress. At first, Jonathan was just writing "Jon" on his papers he brought home. Now he is writing his whole name and he can spell it off the top of his head too!
I made some homemade Koolaid playdoh for the school. Here's Jonathan giving the bag to Mrs. U. (and telling her all about it!! (refer to first paragraph!!))
Then both kids promptly sat down on the bean bags and started reading. Mrs. U was amazed! I don't know why? Don't all kids love books? Or are they all too busy watching TV? I am SO glad we don't have TV...the kids have a great appreciation for books. It's all good.
Rug time! Mrs. U (and Mrs. J) is SO enthusiastic. They have jobs every week. One kiddo says the day and date and places it on the calendar, another does the weather report including finding the word that says the weather (snowy, sunny, raining, hot, cold), another checks the foyer to see if all the coats are hung up and the shoes or boots are neatly arranged, another dusts the computers, another picks up debris on the floor and displays it to the class (!). One of the kids checks the check in area and tells the teacher who is absent from school, another pushes in all the chairs and reports where chairs were left out. One kiddo has the responsibility to hold the flag and lead the kids in the "Pledge of Allegiance". Yes! They can say it at this school!! WooHoo! (sad to think of all the public schools where it seems they don't have the "right" to say the Pledge. It's all very sweet to watch. The kiddos learn responsibility, accountability, respect, care. It's all good...
Then they have a prayer time. All the kiddos can say a prayer out loud or silently. Praying children! It's so sweet. I have listened to some of the prayers if I am still there at this time. Some prayers have the natural things like "thank you for the dolly I got at Christmas." But some show the love these kiddos have for each other like "be with Susie because she's sick today." Since this is a christian school, and they don't seek funding from the government, they can do that. The downside? Tuition. But! Jonathan is happily learning a lot.