Author: Allie P.

How I’ve embraced cheap child labor

by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

 

 

Oh that glorious moment when you realize your children are finally old enough to really help around the house…

 

 

Our sons are lucky enough to have a large extended family, many of whom happen to live close by. This is great when the hubby and I have found ourselves in need of a babysitter, but can be expensive during the birthday and holiday season. Especially as most of the cousins are now old enough to understand the concept of presents and note their lacking. As there are several of them, birthday season now spans from July until February.

 

Up until very recently our eldest son (now aged 5) had been paralyzed by shyness in social situations preferring to cling to either his father or I during non-family hosted parties. Whatever had been holding him back was suddenly switched off. This change has resulted in him being invited to more birthday parties, meaning more gifts.

 

My husband, ever our family’s jokester informed our son that he was going to have to give his friend one of the toys he received from Christmas in response to one of his latest invitations. Our son looked at me as if to say “HELP! Dad can’t be serious!” I decided to play along with his father offering our son a deal: If he could complete enough chores to earn ten points by the end of the week, he would be able to keep his gifts and pick out something for his friend.

 

kindergartener supervising infant labor - _MG_1339
kindergartener supervising infant labor – _MG_1339 (Photo credit: sean dreilinger)

 

We drew up one of those fundraising thermometer graphs marking all ten points needed to fill it to the top. He quickly embraced the idea doing all sorts of chores around the house like emptying out the dishwasher and dragging the garbage cans back to the house, but was still sort a few points short and losing interest in the game by the end of the week. We had to think up something and think up something fast!

 

Then my husband had an idea. A brilliant idea. The kiddo could scrub toilets! I just had to show him how much fun it could be. You would have thought we just gave him the keys to the city! Not only was he being given some crazy blue substance that squirted out of a bottle, but Mom and Dad were actually happy he was pouring it all over the sides. If that wasn’t the best part there was a secret brush that was just his size hidden in the back corner of the bathroom.

 

What started out as a joke turned into a fantastic experience for us all. The hubby and I probably earned a free hour or so in the process, but the benefits to our son were even greater. He worked hard for his points and was more excited to give his friend the gift he had earned and selected than had I just picked something out. He also was able to practice math, and took pride in his results. If he figures out how to outsource work to his little brother, we may well have another budding entrepreneur in the family.

 

Unfortunately ever since our game, our son has taken over the bathrooms as if they were his own personal fiefdom. Woe on you if you happen to leave it in a state of mess. He will make sure to tell everyone he knows how badly you left it and how important it is that he take care of it right away. We might consider working with him on tact next.

 

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On Art and Artists

by Allie P., posted in Indie book promotion

Every now and then I hear the comment from my friends and acquaintances that they read my book and while it wasn’t the genre they usually pick up they enjoyed it. I find this to be a rather odd compliment. I know that I have to maintain a thick skin in this business, but it occasionally sounds like they are saying something along the lines of you were great in spite of what you wrote. Because my book wasn’t in their preferred genre, if they did not know me personally, they might never have come across it, it definitely wasn’t due to its shelf placement.

I don’t know how to balance their feedback in future projects with feedback from readers who preferred genre. On one hand the genre reader is more familiar with comparable stories and so their feedback could make my work stronger in its category. On the other hand, the non-genre reader’s helps to support me as an author by expanding my market reach. So what is more important, the art or the artist?

In a World of Small TruthsLast week, I was lucky enough to meet with Ray Morrison, author of a short story collection, In a World of Small Truths. He made a point to state that he puts very little of himself into his stories, which is probably a good thing as his short stories tended to go a little dark. Had I never met him, I would never have guessed that he was an extremely funny and friendly man who also happens to be a vet. In short, he was completely different from what I would have expected.

He was very open about his process and gave those of us in the room some tips about how not to sound like a newbie. I knew about excessive use of adverbs, but apparently dialogue tags also give you away. For example you can’t gasp something and talk at the same time. Well I guess you could.. but not a long drawn out phrase.

I was also fascinated by the process in which he and his publisher selected the order in which the stories appeared. Hint – it’s all about variety. As a person who typically reads from one cover to cover, I was amused to learn that the majority of those in the room just pick a story to read based on its title and length rather than chronologic order rendering all that painstaking effort moot. All in all I was very happy to have been introduced to his work, but it was all I could do not to blurt out, I don’t typically read collections of short stories, but yours were great.

I guess in the long run it’s not important if you are inspired by the art or the artist. The important thing is finding a reason to expose yourself to new ideas or experiences. Oh – and don’t judge a book by its cover.

Snow days in the South

by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it
Snow on a Magnolia
Snow on a Magnolia (Photo credit: chucka_nc)

My day job office closed down promptly at five yesterday based on the mere threat of snow in the later portion of the evening. I received this announcement at the same time as I heard from my sister located in the northeast that she was leaving her office in white out conditions based on her own assessment of the situation rather than corporate mandate.

Empty shelves at a grocery storeA co-worker of mine advised that the local grocery stores had once again devolved into a state of lawless abandon as the hordes descended looking for that last loaf of bread or gallon of milk as if these two items were going to be the currency in the new economy. Many of these people are probably lactose intolerant or still trying for that carb free lifestyle, but that’s a minor detail. There could be an inch of snow on the ground. We must stock up!

Those of you reading this from your homes buried under feet of snow might be laughing at our over reaction, but you need to understand something about snow in the south – we don’t get it often, so its kind of a big deal. A number of years back, a dusting of snow hit the region which melted during the day only to refreeze again just as schools were letting out. The entire city came to a standstill. Kids were forced to sleep overnight in their schools as parents were unable to pick them up and buses couldn’t travel the roads. Of course this is nearly every child’s worst nightmare.

I was one of the lucky ones. It only took me two hours that day to drive two miles on the highway. The entire event made us realize that we as a city really were not prepared for mass evacuations. Zombie Apocalypse? Yeah, we’re in a lot of trouble. You probably should go ahead and write us off.

So today I write this cozy in my home after drinking a nice hot cup of coffee, my milk and bread levels just a fraction lower than they were yesterday. Thanks to the near 70 degree F temps we saw over last weekend, the winter weather we saw last night has kept itself nearly off the streets, and yet the office is on a two hour delay. Maybe there will be pizza there later? (A staple around here for any weather related emergency). It is expected to remain below freezing for the balance of the week, which should keep the grass covered by the little bit of snow we received, but life should return to normal tomorrow.

Yes, you non-southerners might laugh at us for how we react to snow fall, just like the westerners laughed at us for how we reacted to the earthquake a few years back. That’s ok with me. There are somethings I am glad we don’t have to be used to. You are more than welcome to become more acquainted with hurricanes sometime.

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Mompreneur Monday – On Fear and Failing

by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

As I pondered what I should blog about today, I came across this inspirational piece. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Happy Mompreneur Monday everyone! Let’s start this off with a bang. By talking about the Big Fs. Fear and Failing.

I was humbled and overwhelmed (in a good way) by your positive response to this whole Mompreneur Monday idea. And as I listened to my friends and read the comments on facebook and on my last post, it became pretty clear that the biggest thing holding us back from starting our dreams is fear. And more specifically, fear of failing.

Olivia and I were building the tallest tower the other day. Our goal is to build a tower from the floor to the ceiling. And we’ve come really close, but it keeps falling. So the other day, we were building and building and without warning, it toppled over. I was disappointed. Frustrated that our hard work was sitting in a pile of rubble in front of us. Pondering the…

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Living with an Entrepreneur

by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it, Personal Favorites

When I first meet people we touch on many of the same topics – you are a parent? Why so am I! How many kids do you have? What are their ages? What does your spouse do?

The answers to the questions on kids usually net the same responses “aww…, you must have your hands full… or, I remember when mine where that same age.” But the responses I receive when I tell people that my husband owns his own business can be quite varied. I can always tell when I’ve met another supportive other-half based on his or her sympathetic sigh, and I’ve found there are a lot of pre-conceived misconceptions out there on what it means to be married to an entrepreneur.

1. There are no weekends or PTO days.

This truth comes home each and every time one of our children bring home one of those fun viruses they grow in daycare. Or even worse – if he comes down with an illness himself. He risks our children’s future each time he misses, or is forced to reschedule, a meeting as his competition can easily fill up that opening on the potential customer’s calendar. This means that sick days are stay home with mommy days. Not 50% stay home with mommy and 50% stay home with daddy days. Of course this puts me at higher risk of developing daycare plague myself, and I don’t handle being sick well. Even when he is at home, he is never far from his work. One day, he will be able to turn these meetings over to someone else, but that day isn’t today.

2. Just because he is the boss, doesn’t mean he controls the schedule.

Not too long ago, one of my colleagues was considering hiring a new staffer. As we compared notes about the candidate, she mentioned that the potential new staffer’s husband was in business for himself. She thought this was a selling point for the candidate as she believed it would allow the candidate additional flexibility in working hours.

It doesn’t. See truth #1. I have to leave my day job at close of normal business hours on the dot to pick up our children as the husband could be in any number of places within the state. I am lucky to have my day job with a family friendly organization that understands how quickly the meter runs at a daycare for every minute you are late for pick-up. But there are a number of organizations out there less sympathetic and I know my boss would prefer to see me around the office longer.

An aside – we still hired the candidate, because she was a great fit, but I had to laugh at my colleague’s rationale.

3. The checks coming in are made out to his company – not to us.

Profits are spent on labor, overhead, supplies, and re-investment in the company. Yes, some of that labor number does come back to us in terms of salary, but that number is no where close to the number reported for chief operating officers in publically traded companies.

Never, ever, think outside the box
Never, ever, think outside the box (Photo credit: Mrs eNil)

When employees make careless mistakes, that comes out of company profits, and if the company isn’t profitable, then our family’s financial security is as much at risk, or even more so, than the employee’s. On a more selfish note – I don’t mind working a day job and writing on the side if its something I choose to do. I do not appreciate having the choice taken away from me over something that could have been prevented.

4. The overnight success takes at least five years of work.

Unless you live in Dr. Seuss world and sell Thneeds, growing a business from start-up (or writing a book) takes long hours, hard work, sacrifice and a measure of insanity. If you and or your significant other can’t accommodate truths 1 – 3 over the long run, you really shouldn’t try.  It will ruin your relationship along with your finances.

Expectant mothers, people with heart conditions, or those who experience motion sickness a/or seasickness should also proceed into first time entrepreneurship with caution. There are a ton of rapid up and downs. Rollercoasters pale in comparison. You may lose your lunch.

5. There is a big difference between being self employed and being an entrepreneur.

To be a successful entrepreneur means finding a team of people who can help support your vision and who can build on the company’s momentum in their own way without you. I may not receive a paycheck from my husband’s company, but I am just as vested in its success.

Entrepreneurship (or being the supportive other-half of an entrepreneur) isn’t for everyone, and there should be no shame in admitting that about yourself, preferably before you file any paperwork with your local city or bank and find out the hard way.

If our kids had already been born, we may never have started this journey together, but even now I don’t regret it. I doubt either of us could go back. When writing a book, I found the blank page at times to be overwhelming. Much like when he started his business. I was thankful to have him in my corner supporting me throughout this process, urging me on, and helping to sell my books when he can. Together we found in business and in authorship, you must first start with a letter.

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