What a Long Day

Sigh. It's been a long day, y'all. The good news is that Micah slept for 11 and a half hours last night. The bad news is that I did not. I didn't go back to sleep during Micah's morning nap, either. I've been productive today, adding new invitations and cards to Senojal Designs and filling orders. All of that's good, but it sure does wear me out. And I don't feel like cooking supper. But I didn't feel like cooking supper last night either, so tonight, I really ought to cook something, even if it's just hot dogs. But wait, we're out of hot dogs. Cheese & crackers, anyone?

Do you ever have days like these? Days where you get all sorts of things accomplished, but you're so worn out by the end of them that you can't enjoy your work.

That's today for me.

Which is why this post is so short and pointless. I am fulfilling my duty to post, per the challenge, but this time, I just lack meaningful content.

Sorry about that.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Everyone Needs Their Beauty Sleep

Parenting is such a difficult job. We always try to do what's best for Micah, but sometimes what's best is no fun at all. Micah slept through the night at two months old. By the time she was three months old, she slept between 11 and 12 hours every night. Without fail. It was glorious. Then she turned four months old and started getting restless. Then she hit a growth spurt and I nursed her twice during the night. Then she started sleeping again. That lasted for about two weeks. Then she got her first tooth. And the night waking began again. It's not good for those of us who like to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. Over the weekend, we began Operation Cry It Out {OCIO}, and it was purely awful. The first night, Micah woke up at 11:32 p.m. and cried until 12:23 a.m. She woke up twice more before 6 a.m. and cried for about 30 minutes each time. The next night, Micah woke up at 1:31 a.m. and cried until just after 2 a.m. Last night, we also began weaning Micah from the swaddle that she loves so dearly. When I wrapped her up for the night, I left one arm out. It's a dangerous move, because she's fully capable of removing the pacifier from her mouth, but she's not yet mastered the art of reinserting it. She fell asleep without any problems, and we rejoiced {silently, of course} in the den. She slept well - only waking up once around 4:30 a.m. But apparently her free hand did some damage during the night; her little eye has a scratch underneath it. Poor thing.

My point in all of this is that I know we're not alone. Parents everywhere finally resort to letting their child cry it out. It's a painful step to take. Heartwrenching, even, when your child cries and you don't answer.

But let me just say this.

My body appreciates the sleep. I think Micah's does too. Everyone needs their beauty sleep, right? And let's face it: everyone has to learn how to put themselves back to sleep sometime. Now is Micah's time. Next step? Releasing her other arm from the swaddle. We'll see how it goes.

Contributing

In October, Dennis and I will celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary. In the four and a half years that we've been married, I haven't contributed much to our financial situation. Granted, I was working on my MDiv and writing an occasional article, but for the most part, I was better at draining our resources than replenishing them. When I graduated, I thought that I'd finally be able to contribute financially, but it turns out that it's really difficult to make much money as a freelance writer in a collapsed economy. At least, it was difficult for me. The only assignments I got came from contacts I already had, and most of my queries merited no response at all. It hasn't been much fun.

I know that it takes time to build a reputation as a writer, but it's disheartening when it takes longer than expected. That said, I'm not sure I could handle lots of writing assignments right now. Micah takes up a great deal of my time and attention day in and day out, and until she gets out of the baby stage, I'm sure that it will continue to be difficult to set time aside to write.

I'm not giving up on writing. When I'm offered assignments from myMISSIONfulfilled, ec, and Clarity Publishers, I take them, and I'm grateful for them. But I'm also not actively seeking new assignments these days. I've finally learned that I have limits.

When I decided to let writing take a backseat, I was disappointed that I still wouldn't be able to contribute to our financial situation. Then I started considering other ways I may bring money into the household without ever leaving the house. I've always enjoyed design, and I have a fetish for pretty paper, so I began designing notecards and invitations in my free moments. Before long, I'd built up a pretty good catalog of designs, and I'd even sold some cards to friends around town. I'm lucky to have a good friend who offered to carry my cards in her store, and I took the plunge to open a store on etsy called Senojal Designs.  In the past month, I've made 17 sales on etsy and brought in several hundred dollars.  I'm surprised and excited all at the same time.

If people continue to buy my stationery at this rate, I will be able to pay off my student loans from Beeson in less than two years.  It's thrilling to finally be able to contribute financially: it gives my days a sense of purpose and helps me feel like I have a life outside of mommyhood.

All of this to say, this probably won't be the last time you hear me talk about Senojal Designs.  The name is simply LA Jones spelled backwards, and my tagline is "simply designed custom stationery."  I've loved working within the etsy community, and the custom projects I've worked on have allowed me to stretch my creative muscles and design some really pretty paper.  If you're a paper freak like me, stop by my store and check it out.  If you're really serious about pretty paper, you can follow Senojal Designs on facebook.  Then come back here and let me know which designs are your favorite.  I'd love some feedback.  I wouldn't complain if you decided to purchase some cards either :).

Hope you're all doing well out there.  Thursday marks the beginning of my month-long write 1,000 words a day challenge.  Are you excited?  I am.

Until next time, grace and peace.