What the?

Where the heck did my comments box go? Ok, granted I don't get a thousand comments per post or anything like that but, um... I would like it to at least be an option... I know that most of my 5 million+ readers a day don't leave comments because they are very busy, important people. They all call me though so it's nice to hear from you all, but please, I need to get back to work and you should SEE my cell phone bill! So text me from now on, ok?

I thought it was about time for a picture. More graphics! Give me more graphics!!!
Here is a rental property we own in Traverse City, Michigan. It's a sweet little victorian home that had at one point been turned into a duplex. One+ bedroom apartment upstairs and a two bedroom apt. downstairs. It JUST happens to be for sale if you are looking for a terrific investment property or an owner-occupied situation. It's listed at $235,000. A steal! Do you like the colors? That was me. :-)



And here is Traverse City in the fall...

Strange Holidays

Around this neighborhood today there was much flag waving and car-hood-banner wearing. A lady asked, rather annoyed, why the Persian market on the corner was closed. She couldn't get the stuff she wanted. Someone told her that is was not a Persian market, it was an Armenian market and it was closed because today was Armenian Genocide Day... An unofficial "holiday". The woman replied, "What Armenian genocide?"

So goes the virtually unknown fact that Armenia went through one of history's worst genocides ever, during WWI between 1915-1917. Around 1 million Armenians were systematically eliminated by the government of the Young Turks. The lack of a public prosecution of the organizers behind the Armenian Genocide by the Allied powers was said to have largely influenced Nazi Germany and Hitler.

When I moved here to L.A. in December I looked up info on Armenians because I wasn't sure what the heck it was. Was it the middle east? Was there actually a country called Armenia and why are there so many Armenians here in LA? Why did they want to leave their country?

Armenia is a fascinating and tragic place.

What I couldn't figure out is why on earth they wanted to create a holiday about such a horrible thing? None of my Japanese friends celebrate "Hiroshima Day" with a day off from work (that I know of)... I don't remember the post office being closed every year on the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. So I really didn't get it.

Then a young girl passed me on the sidewalk this morning and the back of her shirt said "We demand global recognition of the Armenian Genocide"

And I thought, "Oh, ok. That's fair. I get it now."

So to the Armenians I say, "I'm sorry for what happened to your culture. It's unthinkable. Now, could your young men please stop drag-racing their Mercedes sedans up and down the street at 500 mph? And would you please turn your music down after 9pm so my kids can sleep? You are welcome here but please respect your neighbors."

I'm glad the market on the corner will be open again tomorrow. They have great baked goods and lots of neat foodstuffs you can't get anywhere else.

The trouble of a Tool Room girl

I took the liberty of retyping the following prose because I thought it was just a piece of history that needed to be shared. My husband Rob and I came across these words typed from a very old typewriter, on very old, yellowed aged paper, so light from exposure, you could hardly read it. It was in a display case at the railroad museum in Griffith Park near Los Angeles. I retyped it exactly as the writer had written it. What war she is talking about at the end, I don't know. Most likely World War II. At the time, women took men's jobs as they headed off to war and this young lass apparently worked in the tool crib at a rail yard. There was no name on it or date but we thought it was very entertaining. She seems slightly ahead of her time. And I give you,

“T R O U B L E S”

My job is full of troubles and now I will tell you a few of the unpleasant things that I’m forced to do.
Now if I wasn’t naturally a virtuous young miss, I wouldn’t hold my job down long enough to tell you this. A dozen times a day my modesty is shocked and I’m a very thankful girl the tool room door is locked.
Now I don’t mind such decent tools as wrenches, drills and shears but some of the tools they ask for make me red behind the ears.
A man fixing a bearing comes and asked to see my balls and before recovering from the shock, another fellow calls. He asked for cocks to put on pipes; for counterbores and tits. But when they ask me for a screw it scares me into fits.
They want reamers to enlarge their holes. At least that’s what they say. And then they ask if I have a nut, a dozen times a day.
They ask me for a ratchet drill and for a bastard file.
One day a fellow come to me as I had returned from lunch, and asked me through the window if I’d seen his big prick punch. Such things as that annoy me but what I won’t forget, is when the cashier asked me if I’d had my monthly yet.
The foreman looked one day for some tools to gut a slot – said to me “open up my drawers, and show him what I got.”
They ask me for a bitch dog, which makes my temper wild. One asked me for a female gauge, which almost made me wail, because I had to ask the difference between a female and male.
One man complained, “My tool’s too short” Another “It’s too long” Another says – his tool’s too weak, another – it’s too strong.
One asked me if I could put him wise as to where he could find some tailstock. Another wants a bunch of waste to wipe off a plumber’s cock.
Another old machinist who had one half a jag, asked me at the window for a handful of my rag.
Now this all goes to show you that on all working days, a tool room girl must take it in a dozen different ways. But when this war is over and we all start life anew, I guess I’ll miss that window and the boys who need a screw.

The trouble of a Tool Room girl.

And then there was this time...

when I was in the spice isle looking for dry white wine...

I kid you not. This recipe called for dry white wine and I thought, hu powdered wine. I don't think I've ever seen that before. I must have spent 15 minutes searching the spices. Searching and searching. A woman asked what I was looking for and when I told her, and I heard myself say it... I felt like an absolute idiot. There I was in the spice isle, laughing my butt off.

I can't even call it a senior moment...

HOOZAH!!!!

The F$%^&(@#$%&^#%$$#%#^ING catalog is done!

And due to a warehouse error, there is a typo. Grrrr. I had marked a size of one style out of stock but the warehouse had switched sizes by accident and in fact I have plenty of the "out-of-stock" in stock but the 6-12 month size listed in the catalog doesn't exist.

Oh for Pete sake!

And who the heck is Pete anyway? Is it Pete's sake? Like, as in St. Peter? One time I was writing a paper and I wrote "...the boy next store" I knew it didn't look right but it took me a while to figure out what was wrong. Oooooh. Next DOOR.

And I love it when people use "of" when they mean "have". I worked with a management level employee (Eric, you know who I mean) who constantly put out broad reaching e-mails and memos and ALWAYS used phrases involving "of"... "I would of done it myself, but I ran out of time..." Holy grammar Batman!

My mom and grandmother were teachers and I do pride myself on my proper grammar but I do still say, "Me and so and so" Instead of "So and so and I"

I guess I just think I'm worth putting first. Yea, that's it, I have a good self image...

Are you buying this at all?

Here is the cover of the new catalog. I'm so happy I'm done.

This Week's Weather

Now, I don't mean to brag or anything. But Southern California is not a bad place to spend the winter and spring... Normally we would be at the midwest office in Michigan.
Next year the school schedule will actually allow me to get some work done. But for now I will upload my new catalog to the printer with sick kids in tow. Both are home sick from school today.
So goes the balancing act of the mompreneur.

Happy spring. I'm thinking of you wherever you are.

Happy Anniversary

To me.
It's my 13th wedding anniversary today. I say "mine" not ours because my hubby is not here. :-( He is in Michigan in the snow. Ha Ha. His Disney vacation and the kids spring break didn't line up so we took our vacation and he worked. Now the kids are back at school and he is on vacation without us. Sigh. Too bad Disney (the FAMILY company) scheduled the production break so that it would not line up with ANY spring break with the employee's kids.

Morons.

Well, better to have a 13th anniversary with the significant other MIA than to not to be having an anniversary and having the schlub live down the block... I don't think that came out as positive as it was intended...

Oh well. Maybe the girls and I will go out to dinner to celebrate. Woohoo Chuck E Cheese for my anniversary!

Party on!

This picture has nothing to do with this post, I just think it's funny. This is the one designated smoking area at Disneyland. You can't walk around outside and smoke. You have to go to this lousy little corner by some dumpsters and stand there (not even any benches) to get your fix before continuing to enjoy the "happiest place on earth" with your off-spring.

Childhood Diseases

Like Chicken Pox

Getting them as an adult...
I don't recommend it. Though granted, it generally isn't one's choice to contract these things. So at 40 years of age, why did it not dawn on me earlier to protect myself against it?

I have no good answer. Except to say that I simply wasn't paying attention.

PAY ATTENTION! IF YOU ARE AN ADULT WHO HAS NOT HAD CHICKEN POX AS A CHILD AND WERE NEVER VACCINATED AGAINST IT (which you were NOT prior to 1995, when it was licensed) THEN GET YOUR BUTT TO A DOCTOR AND GET A SHOT!

Have I managed to express the sense of urgency that I intended?

I have the chicken pox. It is most unpleasant. And that is a gross understatement. Is it really worse as an adult like they say or are adults merely more dramatic and not as stoic about pain as small children? I don't know but man, it stinks! And the lovely appearance, like that of an escaped leper or the unfortunate target of a swarm of killer bees, is its own reward.

I feel compelled to quietly explain myself, defend myself, to people as they avert their eyes, trying not to stare.
"Chicken pox." I say with a shrug and roll of the eyes. A comment to which I am assured much "Ohhing and Ahhing" which is not why I say it. Honest. I pull myself together in the morning, you see, so I have a certain level of vanity that is pretty much shattered with my recent 'good' fortune. sigh. I'm glad I'm not single and in the dating game this week.

So all things happen for a reason hu? Still looking for the hidden meaning in this one.

Happy spring!

So true, So true!

The following excerpt is from an article that Andrew Field, president of Printing For Less (.com) wrote for SmartBiz. I use printingforless.com and their customer service and product are top notch. I really like the comment below. It really sums up how I think about things. Good advice!!

Mix Optimism with Pragmatism:
Through an unlikely marriage of optimism and pragmatism, you can accomplish the impossible.

As an optimist, ignore the naysayers. As a pragmatist, tread carefully. Take one step at a time with hard work and patience. Stay focused on your vision of what’s possible while staying grounded in the needs of the hour. Try to reflect this mindset in every area of your organization.

Keep your eyes on the prize while staying realistic on how you’re going to win it. Most importantly, know why you want what you’re striving for. If your business truly reflects your ideals, your optimistic goals are within reach.

Saying No...

What is it about people who have trouble saying No?

Is it a fear of offending someone?
Are they afraid of making an enemy?

This is more a parenting post than business related, but it does have merit in business too.

I was behind a lady in line at a store here in LA. She was shopping with her daughter and trying, almost successfully, to keep up with her physically. The daughter was maybe 20 or could have been one of those 5'11" 14 year olds who have been drinking hormone laden milk all their lives and just looked 20, but anyway... The mom had the same long straight dyed blond hair and size 0 jeans but mom had big fake boobs and the skin under her make-up didn't have that youthful glow of the daughter but rather the chemically skin-peeled, botoxed hell-of-an-effort shine of someone trying to keep up with their 14-20 year old beautiful-but-too-thin daughter.

ANYWAY...

The daughter was loudly "in LOVE" with this little vest but "it's expensive". Mom says no way but daughter is "SO in LOVE" with it and would wear it a lot, she didn't know where, but she would, honest she would wear it "ALL the time" she swore! But mom would then have to put something of hers back (said mom in an exchange with the daughter that somehow volunteered me in the show since I was receiving smiles from Mom as if including me in the conversation.) I said quietly as if to myself, but directed at the mom since I was in some strange way, now part of the family, "Don't put something back, just tell her no."

The mom looked at me like I was from Mars.

I don't think the concept had ever occurred to her. After all her and her daughter were no doubt "Best friends" "Pals" "buddies who do EVERYTHING together" BFF.

News flash Mom... your best-friend-forever-mini-me was working you pretty good. Without further incident the vest was in the pile to be purchased while Mom decided what, of hers to put back...

No effort was made by the adult daughter to offer to pay for any of the clothes that she obviously expected mom, who made a few comments indicating how "strapped" she was, to fork over whatever funds she had. The vest and other items were things Blondie was clearly entitled too under the "BFF with a parent" clause, section 4D.

And I didn't hear a "thank you" either after the transaction... but people sometimes forget to say thank you for things that are merely an expected result.

It's your call

Cell phones:
"On the plus side, they've made us instantly available anyplace, anytime. On the the minus side, they've made us instantly available anyplace, anytime." says Nina Cooper of Las Vegas (Parade Magazine March 11, 2007)

So says Bill James of Austin Texas, from the same article: "They ruin our personal time. Both your boss and your client want you to be reachable. A quiet dinner with the family? A movie? Fuhgetaboutit!"

News flash Bill... Um, try turning the phone off. Is this guy one of those parents who doesn't say "No" to his 3 year old because "he doesn't understand what it means." Oy vey Bill! It IS in your control. It's just a phone. If I am in a meeting I turn the ringer off. If I'm at a lunch date where I don't want to be disturbed, I turn the ringer off. Even if I'm at lunch or in a meeting and I'm expecting an important call, out of respect for the people I'm with, I put the phone on vibrate so I can decide exactly when the call comes in, if it's appropriate to take it at that moment. It's a matter of tact Bill. Does your family rate in the number one position at all or is work always always in the forefront. Maybe because I'm a mom, I will always put my kids first. But then, I'm the boss of the company too, so I don't have to be worried about getting fired for not taking a call but please people, everything in moderation.

If it's a Saturday night and you get to sleep in Sunday morning, try turning off your phone. There will be a little button that allows you to do that. Consult the manual if you can't find it... I'll bet you a hundred bucks, whoever is calling can wait a minute or two to have their incredibly important issue addressed.

Take control of your life! And have a lovely day.

Funny kids

Mom: What should we have for dinner?
Lil: I KNOW, I KNOW!!!!!
Mom: What?!?
Lil: You decide.

Why I oughta... Lil has been full of them lately. I'm glad too because up til now the contributions to the "Kid comment" book have been mostly Phoebe. Lil is the quiet one. Well, at a certain point, they turn the corner and it starts.

Life in LA is good. Probably because the sun shines most of the time and how bad can life be when the sun is shining? I still haven't finished my catalog, which is the first step in updating our stores with new information before we can call them to see if they would like to order. My new rep in Dallas is having fun with the line and has been faxing orders. I miss not doing the shows. NY is right around the corner... hope they don't miss me. :-) I know they will. There are over 1,000 booths at the ENK Children's Club show and every buyer, all 25,000 or so of them takes time out of their busy show schedule to come see me. So I'm sure my lack of presence will be a blinding omission from their visit to NY. I hope they find the rest of the show worth the trip.

Well... back to work on the catalog and my April Ad for Earnshaws.
I love that trade mag. It's the best of the bunch as far as I'm concerned. And my ad rep David is a peach.

Ta for now -

New Stuff Coming

I'm always so excited when a new season of styles is ready to get on the boat and find it's way to our warehouse. That means I get to ship them to our waiting customers. The Spring items will ship on Feb. 13, right before the Chinese New Year, when the whole country closes down for two weeks. The fabulous manufacturer I use busted their kiesters (sp?) to get my stuff out before the holiday. And I sent them new hang tag designs too that needed to be printed and proofed. So that added another step. I needed tags that explain the product a little better.





But they came through for me, like they always do. It is very important to have a good partner of that magnitude.

I received what I thought was a funny e-mail today. It was an unsolicited mail advertising the services of a company that acts as a liaison for America trying to deal with China. In one sentence they said they can solve communication problems. Later in the e-mail they used the following phrases:

How you will pay for us?

· We will charge you on order basis only. We will demand a small percent of the total amount of the goods which we can discuss (be sure that what you will not pay us more than a quarter of your own office here)

· We will demand the sample charges if you need us to provide

It totally cracked me up the way they used "demand" which is a little strong when you are trying to gain business. So these guys are going to solve my communication problems hu?

So you hire them and they kindly "threaten" facilities into "forking over" the goods while "demanding" sample charges... sounds a little like Ming "the knife" Cabrese and his "friend" Chang "Baby Face" Manicotti are gonna "take care of tings..."

I bet they'll do well, actually.

Thankfully, I don't need their services.

Smoldering snows

Now there is this discussion of global warming going on and while we were in Singapore earlier this year, I would swear the sun was just there on that spot, never leaving for any other part of the world. Even at night it was a billion degrees. But I see from my little weathercam that it has been snowing in Michigan for, like, a month straight. Lots-o-snow. So there is that. However, I do believe we are to blame for screwing things up here on this lovely planet with all our "ingenuity" so we bought a hybrid anyway. LOVE IT!

I like seeing all the beautiful snow drifts ON THE WEBCAM and hear from my friends THROUGH E-MAIL all about the lovely snow.

Don't miss it.

Nope.

I don't.

I was raised in it, I ski in it. Take the girls sledding in it... but I walked them to school today while wearing a short sleeved shirt. I'm ok with that. Of course, what comes with nice weather in the winter, is all the gajillion other people who also want nice warm winters too. Lot's of them. People. In this town.

Oodles. And only one out of about 15 people I encountered today even smiled back. Most avoided making eye contact. It's worse than NY. At least there they yell something at you or glare at you. I don't remember people being so grumpy.

I love the fact you can look up a word like gajillion and get an answer.

I was chatting with some moms today, one of whom was 26 as it turned out, and the subject of age came up. They said in a shocked tone, "You look so great for 40!!"

Um... thanks? Yea, not, "You look great!" But, "You look great for FORTY" I can't wait until I look good for 50 and 60. Geez, I hope I look good for dead.

Ya know, when I'm a gajillion.

Didn't this post start out about global warming? What the?

Turned out more like global whining. :-)

Have a great evening.

Here is How it Works

Here is a little stop motion demonstration I did to show the functionality of Stylease.
Enjoy!

Promos

Publicity is a strange thing. It's very difficult to predict.
I haven't mastered it yet. Things I think will kill, bring in virtually no traffic and things I think will tank land huge response.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not a publicist!

This little movie was made back at the begining of this journey of mine. It is on a CD-ROM that I send to new stores.

Enjoy.



Click on the little play icon at the bottom of the movie window to view it here. If you click the middle of the movie window, it will take you to YouTube. Which is great fun by the way.

The Gift of Language

I witnessed an interesting thing while waiting to pick up my kids at school.

Now that we are in LA, the cultural diversity is so extreme, compared to Northern Michigan, it takes a little getting used to. In the area we live, there are as many Armenians as there are Hispanics, so the sounds around you in a group of people and the patterns of the spoken word that are swirling around all at the same time, take on a bit of a Minestrone Soup quality.

I bet you thought I was going to get all poetic hu? Ha! So the thing I witnessed, that I thought was so cool was this little second grade boy. He came out of the school gate, quite excited about an issue with some books. He was speaking in that delightful, excited kid voice, in perfect English. His mother, who greeted him warmly, responded in Armenian seeming to show interest in what he was saying. As he responded to her, either positively or by correcting her, he continued to speak in English while his mom spoke in their native tongue. Then, as the conversation evolved into a more level tone, the mom started to speak English, saying, "Well, we ARE waiting for you, so you don't need to pass the time on the playground." Then as the boy became a little agitated he started speaking in Armenian and his mom was making her point in English. As they both started talking at the same time and the conversation became elevated, every other sentance or so was in English and another in Armenian.

It's not like they were using some hybrid version of Amen-glish or Englenian. Each complete thought or sentence was being expressed entirely in either English or Armenian. I thought, how cool to be so comfortable with a language that it is interchangable with your own.

It was pretty neat.

It made me want to take up my French lessons again.

Resolution

Well I guess I should have made a resolution to post more often. I can't tell you how often I think I just posted and it turns out that 2 weeks have passed.

So the LA office is shaping up, the kids are in school and a new groove is being forged into the sunny skies of Southern California.

I had two calls today asking me if it was ok if the caller send someone to me who is trying to start up their own thing. That was the worst sentence EVER but I'm not going to bother to fix it. Six months ago I was entertaining the thought of starting another company to help other Mompreneures get started and facilitate their manufacturing needs, for a fee. But I thought it would be a good idea to actually get one company off the ground before I try to start another one.

Being an entrepreneur is addicting though. Like they say tatoos are addicting. Both are painful and ugly for a while until things heal, then hopefully you have something beautiful that you wanted or planned for, and will last forever. Unless it involves getting whammed and waking up with "Betty" scrawled across your forearm... then the analogy kinda gets a little murky...

Aaaanywho...

Jenservation: Sunshine makes it hard to get any work done and makes it easy to procrastinate.

What the heck is THAT all about?! I have been in the land of clouds for so long I forgot what it's like to live where it is sunny all the time. It is a different place now than when we left 6 years ago. And I don't mean just because real estate is hilariously unreasonable.

No, I mean it is a completely different city for me because when I left, there were no school issues for me. Our one daughter was 14 months old and I was a stay at home mom with little else to do but make sure our daughter would grow up to be a fabulous person.

Upon my return I am a mom of two school-aged kids, a 5 year old and a 7 year old who need to go to the BEST school and have all the support they need to flourish, while protecting them from the harsh realities of this particular city. That, and I am now doing the company thing, trying to juggle the mom and wife job with the business world of manufacturing and importing. Manage cash flow and projections, trade shows and catalog updates, buyers and customers - while planning dinner and packing lunches. And trying to do it all fabulously well and still look fresh as a daisy. Oh yea, and it's tax season too. y e a h o k . I'll be right with you. So don't EVEN comment on my housekeeping.

Who am I kidding, I pay for hot lunches for them at their school. Sorry kids, I'm drawing the line there. The report today, the first day at the new school, "Lunch was good!"

Whew!

Happy new year to all. Here's to a fabulous 2007.

We've arrived!!

Any claims or half cocked beliefs that I might posess psychic abilities are now completely unfounded.

If I was psychic I would not have scheduled our flight(s) during a massive snowstorm that closed the Denver airport and stranded tens of thousands of holiday travelers.

I'm very sorry I have not updated since the 18th!!! I've been busy getting the new office and apartment into a working/living space. Hey, It's 70 degrees and sunny so anything is possible. Something more interesting coming soon.

In the meantime, here is how we celebrated Christmas day. The girls were up at 6:00 am so we were done with the traditional festivities by 8:30am then we decided to take in the local climate. Hope all your holidays were fabulous!

Happy New Year!

Puting things off

So during the day I think, "Well, I'll have time to do that tonight after the girls go to bed."
It's a grand thought, and used to be a valid procrastination technique... but I'll tell you what, when I lay down to read with them when it's bed time, it takes every ounce of my being to lift my can off the floor and get back to work. At LEASE 50% of the time I don't...

It's not like it's 11:00 pm people. My kids go to bed at 8:00.

Pitiful.

I think I'm in pretty good shape for the move. I shipped 5 boxes and a guitar today.
You didn't know I played guitar? Oh yes, well no it's my husband's. So I waved goodbye to it at the FedEx place, hoping that the next time I saw it, it wouldn't resemble a set of link-n-logs.

I received my size set of new spring styles from China today. They look so good. I'm lucky to have such a talented group of people making my product. They do such good work!
Here are some cuties modeling the styles.