I should be in bed. Kamrynn is sleeping and I should be too. The only time I can get anything done is when she is sleeping though and I wanted to get a website somewhat designed. Here is what I have so far:
http://catchersdiaperco.weebly.com/
Once we get it going a little bit more, we'll get a better website with a more professional shopping cart than what weebly offers.
We are a Business according to the federal and state governements. We are approved to sell FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, California Baby and Charlie's Soap products. California Baby as a HUGE minimum first order of nearly $1000 so we wont be carying any of their products any time soon! It's going to be a while on the others too. After going to other online CD stores and adding quantities of diapers to a fake shopping cart to see how many of what I should carry in our store, I discovered that most stores have 30-100 of EACH COLOR in stock. Our $400 we scrounged together will barely get us 100 diapers, much less that number in each color!
We have decided to only sell my Perfect Diaper (whenever it gets perfected) and some wipes and see how those do before ordering diapers (unless someone wants to let me know exactly what they want and I'll order them for them!). : )
Ok, I'm off to call Trevor to tell him good night (he's working all night) and then to bed for some much needed sleep!
Good Night!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
A New Adventure
Kamrynn is finally napping, and I should be folding laundry and cleaning out the closet, but I need to get some thoughts down:
After trying several different types of diapers, I decided I wasn't going to pay $20 a diaper for something I didn't TOTALLY LOVE, and ordered about $35 in fabric to sew my own cloth diapers. I can handle a sewing machine, making quilts is super easy, but patterns are lost on me... zippers too now that I think about it. (Paula - that woombie I'm making for you might take several tries!) I decided I would design the Perfect Diaper, and sell it because it would be better than all the other dipers out there and everyone would want it. It would have velcro closures, be super easy to wash, not need stuffed, contain leaks and blowouts, keep her bottom dry, be trim, and inexpensive. I've made two so far. The first one was actually just a repair of one of the cheapies I bought that failed. The second one the leg holes are too big and did not contain poo. :( We even had a name for our diapers - Catchers. Trevor wanted them to be named Poo Catchers and our logo be a baseball mitt with a pile of poo in it. I figured out if I could sew one per hour and sell them for about $12 each I'd make just under minimum wage for our state. Could be worse...I could also have to pay for a sitter! Six dollars an hour to sew diapers and take care of my kid. Sounded good to me.
Unfortunately, it takes me an entire day to make one diaper. Yes. One. I did not realize exactly how much time is actually spent taking care of Kamrynn. So, scratch that idea.
Fast forward about 5 weeks:
Still thinking and wanting to create the Perfect Diaper. I finally have a pattern that I'm hoping will work. Waiting for some velcro fabric I ordered to get here so I can finish it.
As I was drafting my pattern, I was still thinking about selling diapers... and how expensive they are and that Kamrynn is going to be needing Mediums soon and it sure does take a long time for me to sew them and how can I get more diapers for less money. My solution: Wholesale! I sold Mary Kay for a while, and know there is a 50% mark up so I figure there's atleast a 20% markup on diapers. I talked to Trevor about it and we're currently looking into opening an online baby store. I know there are lots of those out there, but ours will be better.
We're going to start small. We have $400 to invest. I know it's not much, but I think it will be enough. I found a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) webhosting/eCommerce place that is reasonable, have emails in to Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius and GroVia and have a list of other companies to talk to. Once I know how much the mark-up is, I can do the math and see if our $400 is going to be enough to get this started and if this is even going to be worth while on such a small scale. We'll write up a business plan, purchase a federal business number, open a PayPal business account, order the diapers, pick up some flat rate shipping boxes, set up the website, and wait for the first order to come in.
I'm still going to design the Perfect Diaper. Kamrynn may be the only baby who will wear the Perfect Diaper, but it WILL exist. ;)
OK, off to the laundry and closet!
After trying several different types of diapers, I decided I wasn't going to pay $20 a diaper for something I didn't TOTALLY LOVE, and ordered about $35 in fabric to sew my own cloth diapers. I can handle a sewing machine, making quilts is super easy, but patterns are lost on me... zippers too now that I think about it. (Paula - that woombie I'm making for you might take several tries!) I decided I would design the Perfect Diaper, and sell it because it would be better than all the other dipers out there and everyone would want it. It would have velcro closures, be super easy to wash, not need stuffed, contain leaks and blowouts, keep her bottom dry, be trim, and inexpensive. I've made two so far. The first one was actually just a repair of one of the cheapies I bought that failed. The second one the leg holes are too big and did not contain poo. :( We even had a name for our diapers - Catchers. Trevor wanted them to be named Poo Catchers and our logo be a baseball mitt with a pile of poo in it. I figured out if I could sew one per hour and sell them for about $12 each I'd make just under minimum wage for our state. Could be worse...I could also have to pay for a sitter! Six dollars an hour to sew diapers and take care of my kid. Sounded good to me.
Unfortunately, it takes me an entire day to make one diaper. Yes. One. I did not realize exactly how much time is actually spent taking care of Kamrynn. So, scratch that idea.
Fast forward about 5 weeks:
Still thinking and wanting to create the Perfect Diaper. I finally have a pattern that I'm hoping will work. Waiting for some velcro fabric I ordered to get here so I can finish it.
As I was drafting my pattern, I was still thinking about selling diapers... and how expensive they are and that Kamrynn is going to be needing Mediums soon and it sure does take a long time for me to sew them and how can I get more diapers for less money. My solution: Wholesale! I sold Mary Kay for a while, and know there is a 50% mark up so I figure there's atleast a 20% markup on diapers. I talked to Trevor about it and we're currently looking into opening an online baby store. I know there are lots of those out there, but ours will be better.
We're going to start small. We have $400 to invest. I know it's not much, but I think it will be enough. I found a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) webhosting/eCommerce place that is reasonable, have emails in to Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius and GroVia and have a list of other companies to talk to. Once I know how much the mark-up is, I can do the math and see if our $400 is going to be enough to get this started and if this is even going to be worth while on such a small scale. We'll write up a business plan, purchase a federal business number, open a PayPal business account, order the diapers, pick up some flat rate shipping boxes, set up the website, and wait for the first order to come in.
I'm still going to design the Perfect Diaper. Kamrynn may be the only baby who will wear the Perfect Diaper, but it WILL exist. ;)
OK, off to the laundry and closet!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Excess Lipase
I pumped excess milk as I had it and began to build a small freezer stash so if I wanted to go somewhere for the day and leave Kamrynn with daddy, grandparents, or sitter, I could. The maximum ammount of time it is safe to store breastmilk in a standard kitchen freezer is 4 months. Our freezer's gasket doesn't completely seal, but still keeps ice cream hard, so I didn't feel comfortable letting the milk go much longer than 3 months.
I thawed a pouch of milk in a sink of cool water and poured it into a bottle. I smelled it and thought it smelled funny and had Trevor smell it. He thought it smelled funny also, so I dumped it out and nursed her, thinking it was bad and not wanting to mess with unthawing a second pouch.
The next pouch was the same.
The third pouch of milk was barely 2 months old, so thinking I was safe giving it to her, I proceeded to thaw, put in a bottle, warm and sat down with Kamrynn in my arms. Having never tasted breastmilk before, I tasted what I had tested for temperature on my wrist. It tasted gross! Kinda rubbery/plastic-ish. Trevor had tasted fresh breastmilk a few weeks after Kamrynn was born so I had him taste it to ensure THAT gross taste was what it was SUPPOSED to taste like. NO! He made a face, rubbed at his tongue with his shirt and finally brushed his teeth. I nursed Kamrynn. And did some research.
Certaintly the milk hadn't gone bad. I had done everything I was supposed to do to store it, and it was well within the storage time frame. I soon learned that spoiled breastmilk will taste and smell sour - similar to cows milk. This was not a sour taste or smell. After more research I determined I have Excess Lipase. You can read about it here.
The milk is not bad, nor will it harm Kamrynn. It is just as good for her as fresh milk. If she will drink it, it is fine to give her. If she wont, I'll consider donating it - where it will be mixed with many other mother's milk and diminish the taste. I know I wouldn't drink it. I haven't decided whether I'm going to try it with Kamrynn or just donate it. I have about 50oz frozen (most milk banks require a minimum amount of 150oz.).
I now know why I haven't been hired for any of the jobs I've applied for. If I worked, I would have to pump and scald the milk to prevent it from changing. Scalding ruins some of the good properties of the milk... still better than formula, but not as good as fresh. The milk has to be immediately scalded and frozen, something that is unlikely that I would be able to do in a classroom (although most science classrooms have hot plates, they dont usually have a freezer). My number one job is taking care of Kamrynn to the best of my abilities. I guess the answer to my prayers for a paying job is, "No."
So, here's to being a Stay at Home Mom!
I thawed a pouch of milk in a sink of cool water and poured it into a bottle. I smelled it and thought it smelled funny and had Trevor smell it. He thought it smelled funny also, so I dumped it out and nursed her, thinking it was bad and not wanting to mess with unthawing a second pouch.
The next pouch was the same.
The third pouch of milk was barely 2 months old, so thinking I was safe giving it to her, I proceeded to thaw, put in a bottle, warm and sat down with Kamrynn in my arms. Having never tasted breastmilk before, I tasted what I had tested for temperature on my wrist. It tasted gross! Kinda rubbery/plastic-ish. Trevor had tasted fresh breastmilk a few weeks after Kamrynn was born so I had him taste it to ensure THAT gross taste was what it was SUPPOSED to taste like. NO! He made a face, rubbed at his tongue with his shirt and finally brushed his teeth. I nursed Kamrynn. And did some research.
Certaintly the milk hadn't gone bad. I had done everything I was supposed to do to store it, and it was well within the storage time frame. I soon learned that spoiled breastmilk will taste and smell sour - similar to cows milk. This was not a sour taste or smell. After more research I determined I have Excess Lipase. You can read about it here.
The milk is not bad, nor will it harm Kamrynn. It is just as good for her as fresh milk. If she will drink it, it is fine to give her. If she wont, I'll consider donating it - where it will be mixed with many other mother's milk and diminish the taste. I know I wouldn't drink it. I haven't decided whether I'm going to try it with Kamrynn or just donate it. I have about 50oz frozen (most milk banks require a minimum amount of 150oz.).
I now know why I haven't been hired for any of the jobs I've applied for. If I worked, I would have to pump and scald the milk to prevent it from changing. Scalding ruins some of the good properties of the milk... still better than formula, but not as good as fresh. The milk has to be immediately scalded and frozen, something that is unlikely that I would be able to do in a classroom (although most science classrooms have hot plates, they dont usually have a freezer). My number one job is taking care of Kamrynn to the best of my abilities. I guess the answer to my prayers for a paying job is, "No."
So, here's to being a Stay at Home Mom!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Years Resolutions
I figure if I make a ton of Resolutions, I should be able to keep atleast one, right? Well, here they are:
- Not make Spaghetti more than once per week (three nights a week was getting a little much).
- Eat a healthy diet according to the food pyramid.
- Drink two (or more) tall glasses of water each day.'
- Keep the inside of my car clean.
- Keep the living room picked up (been doing good with the bathroom and kitchen, but the living room is a mess).
- Remember to return any pop bottles when I go to the grocery store.
- Buy a house.
- Find a good church and go.
- Think/Talk/Be positive.
- Exercise 2-3 times a week.
- Get a Job.
- Potty Learn Kamrynn.
Monday, January 3, 2011
A Day at Our House
I've had many people express shock that Kamrynn sleeps through the night. I really dont think it is anything we're doing, God just blessed us with a great little girl! Anyway, here's what our day looks like:
8am - Kamrynn usually wakes around eight (occasionally she wakes around six to eat, and after feeding and changing, we reswaddle and place her back in her bed where she falls asleep very quickly), ready for the day! I feed her, change her diaper and dress her. Then I put her back in her bed, and wheel the whole thing into the bathroom where I shower. She may or may not fuss, but if she does I just talk to her or we sing Old McDonald, and she is happy. I try to eat some breakfast. Kamrynn is usually happy in the mornings as long as you're interacting with her.
11am - Some time between ten and eleven, she becomes unpleasant and needs a nap. Sometimes we really have to work at it to get her to sleep.
Noon - Wakes from nap to eat some lunch. Goes back to sleep very easily.
3pm - Wakes to eat and is happy for several more hours.
5pm - Becomes unpleasant if not interacting with her.
6pm - Dinner Time
7pm - nap
9pm - After the feeding closest to 9pm we start our bedtime routine. We eat, take and play in the bath, put PJ's on, chatter for about 20 minutes. As soon as we become unpleasant, we swaddle and place her in her bed. She normally falls asleep within 10 minues without fussing.
If she stirs in the night enough to wake me up, I gently rest my hand on her or jiggle her until she stops moving about. If I dont catch her in time and she comes unswaddled, I reswaddle her.
I let her fuss, but I dont let her cry. I see no point in leaving her to cry all alone in her bed. It is not her fault we dont undersand what she is trying to tell us... so I hold her and try to comfort her. I change positions I'm holding her until something works. Sometimes I can just talk her out of crying by smileing really big and talking super happy to her.
Kamrynn is a great baby!
First Swim Meet (Willamette Alumni Meet) - and she slept through it!
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