Managing a Home, a Business and a BABY!

As a homeschooling mom who is also trying to run a business, there are days when I feel like I'm constantly busy, yet never get anything done. It can be discouraging. I'm not going to pretend I have all the answers. I'm not even going to pretend to be an organized person. I just thought I'd share a little tip that's been helping me get things accomplished (therefore feel sane) recently.

Having a schedule is great, except for the fact that I have a baby, and babies can't tell time. So I decided to make his schedule work for me. I made a list of his usual activities and used them as categories that I could fit my daily tasks into. Here's what it looks like:

Baby Napping:
clean
cook
dishes
sew
laundry
phone calls
homeschool

Baby Happily Playing

clean
cook
dishes
sew
laundry

Baby On My Back in Ergo
clean
laundry

Baby Nursing

any business-related computer work

I have a loose routine that I follow, but I was very easily sidetracked whenever I had to stop what I was doing to take care of the baby. Having this list makes it easier to move from one task to the next more seamlessly. You can see that some tasks fit into more than one place. I work on whichever is the highest priority. These exact categories might not work for anybody else, but hopefully they will provide you with a basic framework to help you get organized and get stuff done.

Spring Flowers and Baby Showers

I just wanted to share some of my favorite baby items from other EtsyKids Team Shops! Aren't they adorable? Keep these in mind the next time you are invited to a baby shower, and give the gift that everybody remembers!

Baby Guessing Pool and Easter Outfit Giveaway!

What better way to celebrate the new addition to the Sweet Child of Mine family than with a giveaway? Instead of a boring old drawing, you can enter to win this adorable prize by making a guess in the Baby Pool! Whoever guesses the closest to our baby's birth date, weight, length and gender wins!

Up for grabs is one of our most popular items. This is going to be the baby's Easter outfit, but the fabrics are so versatile, they can be worn for other occasions. Since I don't anticipate having much time to sew with a newborn, I'm making the outfit ahead of time. I don't know the baby's gender, so I'm making one of each in a size 0-3 months. The winner of the Baby Pool will win either the dress or vest-whichever one our baby doesn't need. 

To Enter:

Step 1: Follow the Sweet Child of Mine Blog

Step 2: Enter your guess in the Baby Pool.

The winner will be announced after the baby's arrival. If you want to be notified in the event that you are the winner, please enter your e-mail address in the box where it asks how you know the parents (it will be visible to all who view the pool). Otherwise, I will post the name of the winner here on the blog and on the Sweet Child of Mine Facebook page. "Liking" the fan page is not required, but would be helpful in the case that you win but don't provide an e-mail address. If the winner does not claim the prize within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

I'm open to answering questions if anybody needs more information to make an educated guess. Post them here.

Here are the stats from my first two children:

Sweet Child #1: Girl, 8lbs 5oz 21.75 inches, born 5 days after due date

Sweet Child #2: Boy, 8lbs 7oz 20.5 inches, born 5 days after due date

Have fun and happy guessing!