How CPSIA Stole Our Livelihoods

Michelle’s Note:The following story was written by Heather Idoni, of The Homeschooler’s Notebook and BelovedBooks.com, along with help from a friend, Jodi Whisler of HomeGrownHearts.com. The story was written in the style of Dr. Suess, whose stories were often social commentaries as well as entertainment for kids. (My children loved the foot book!)

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I Need Slow Cooker Inspiration

It never fails. I plan to make beans and cornbread or chicken and salsa in the crockpot. And what do you know? I get started answering emails or helpdesk tickets and completely forget to add the ingredients until around 2 pm. By then, it’s way too late for slow cooking.

So, I’m thinking maybe I just need inspiration. And perhaps you can help me. What is your favorite crockpot recipe?

Got one I can setup the night before, pop it in the fridge and then “hopefully” remember to pull it out the next morning.

If nothing else, my mouth watering at the thought of your scrumptious recipe should have me bounding out of bed in the morning. We can hope, right?

How Does Your Family Handle Finances?

In our house, I pay myself monthly and that money either goes into my bank account or into the joint family account. I know other couples who pool all their funds into one account and some other couples who have two separate accounts.

How do you handle paying yourself?

My 5 Favorite Things Affected By The Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act

If you haven’t heard already, today is National Bankruptcy Day. If you have, chances are you’re one of the thousands of small and home-based business owners that are being affected by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. If you’d like to know more about this law, take a look at the related posts below.

In the meantime, I’d like to share with you a list of the items that I love, that my friends and clients will no longer be able to produce for their customers, friends and children.

1. Garage Sales. My son loves to spend his allowance buying toys at garage sales. He’s even generous and will buy his younger sister toys as well. But CPSIA will no longer allow this, as none of the used toys sold at garage sales will be legal to sell, since they have not been tested for lead levels. Even if the item obviously has no lead, like a stuffed bear.

2. Craft Shows. What will craft shows be without all the cute jewelry and hairbows for little girls. My daughter would squeal with delight at all the goodies. Not anymore.

3. Heirloom Children’s Clothing. One of my clients repaid me for a website design by sewing my daughter an adorable heirloom dress. She won’t be able to do that and at least two of my hosting clients who sell children’s clothes will be out of business by this law.

4. Trips to the Library. It is possible that this law will affect the library, too. Can you imagine not being able to take your children to the library?!

5. My local consignment shop. I love going to the store and buying a couple of armloads of clothes for each kid. Not anymore.

If you will miss these things to, take action!

It’s Official: We Are Moving

After some confusion earlier this month, it is now official that we’re moving. We’ve packed up books in my office that I don’t have to have and are going to move them into storage for now. Since we’re moving in town and have an entire month to carry out this move, we’ll be taking our time.

The first thing we did after we signed the papers, is get the electricity turned on at the new house. We have a well and the house is all electric, so that’s the only utility we needed to worry about.

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Should We Move, Or Should We Not

So, everything is still up in the air with The House.

I still love the inside, love the landscape, and can live with the shop.

My husband assured me back in May, when we first found The House, that he’d be able to make The Internet work out in The Boondocks. That we might need a 50-foot pole, but we could get the good service, as opposed to the terrible satellite service.

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We Might Be Moving — Again

So, we might be moving again. Yes, I said again.

Anyone who knows me for longer than a year, knows that we tend to move often. (Of course, thanks to the Internet, my business just packs up and moves with me.)

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You Have A Good Voice For TV And Radio

I found this “What American Accent Do You Have?” quiz on a colleague’s website and thought I’d give it a try.

Now, the funny thing about this is, I grew up in Oklahoma. We moved here when I was three and I have lived her since then for all but nine months. Those nine months were spent in Missouri. I’d just had a baby, so I didn’t spend much time getting out picking up other people’s accents.

One thing to consider though — my Mom is from Nebraska and I was around her the most during my early years of learning to talk. So perhaps this is what is influencing me. However, this still doesn’t account for an accent from Pennsylvania, Ohio or Illinois. LOL!
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Information In Cyberspace Lasts Forever

I just found a breastfeeding story I wrote in 2000, a few months after my son was born. Talk about bringing back memories…

BTW, I gave birth to Aimee three years later. She first nursed less than 30 minutes after she was born, like she’d done it all her life. hehe

No supplements, no pacifiers.

I nursed both kids until they were about two-and-a-half years old.

Finally Friday: It’ Ain’t Over Yet

Whew! What a week!

I redesigned my church’s website, started planning a couple of summer internship programs and started a project to consolidate two of my websites. I know there was more than that… ahhh…yes! I interviewed two new guests for Product Seller’s Talk Radio. One guest was Jennie Willis, and you can listen to her interview about a bad web hosting situation.

My guest for next week is Regina Baker from WAHMcart. We’re both excited about our interview and I can’t wait for you to hear our ideas!

Tonight, I will most likely go scrapbooking with friends from church and tomorrow I’m photographing a friend’s wedding. Church is all day Sunday and then CW has a double header for baseball Monday night.

I’m worn out just thinking about it!

So, how did your week go? Are you experiencing the end of school craziness?

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