Getting Personal

Lately it has occurred to me that I crave being with other people much more than I actually am with other people.  Loneliness seems to be an epidemic, but I think it is a symptom, not the problem itself.    But what is to be done about it?  We find ourselves "stuck" in our busy lifestyles and unable to break out of them to socialize.  I think that's part of the reason "social media" has done so well in our generation.  We don't have to break out of our routine in order to have some kind of social life.  But does this so-called social life meet our deep need to be with other people?

Some will claim that they are "just fine" with social media filling that void.  Others know that they still feel lonely after following, friending, updating, commenting, tweeting, retweeting, etc., for hours on end.  I find myself in that second camp.  Yes, I have a husband and children and even cats (3 of them), but somehow that doesn't seem to take care of it. 

So what to do about it?  Make time and make friends is my solution.  And that is what I've been trying to do.  Hubby and I have been having a couple over every week for "game night."  It is nice to spend time with another couple and really get to know them and get close.  I secretly hope that my children will grow up to call them "Aunt" and "Uncle."  I have also started spending time once a week with a good girlfriend of mine who lives one building over from mine and yet, for a while there, I saw only a few times a year.  We are reconnecting and I love it! 

All of this is wonderful but there is one type of person I realize I crave being around but don't have one close by.  Mothers.  When I speak with mothers at the park when our children are playing together I realize that I deeply desire a close relationship with a mother.  I know one mother right now that I would very much enjoy spending time with, but she lives a half-hours drive away.  I know that seems very little but when we are talking naptimes, feedings and fussy babies it seems like an eternity.  Even the 3 hour trip to see "Mammaw and Pappaw" takes 5 hours if we leave in the daytime.  Add to that the fact that she works and the time that we have to hang out is slim.  It would be difficult to start some kind of weekly meeting.  And so I wonder... would a phone call do it?  Would a phone call take care of it or would I still find myself craving the physical presence of another mother?  It is my aim to find out. 

To all of the busy mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and even singles out there please learn this lesson:  If you have any hope of enjoying life you must take care of yourself and not just let life happen to you.  While taking care of yourself please, please, please, do not exclude the social aspect of your life.  We were never meant to be alone but to enrich each others' lives while having our own life enriched by others. 

Do you like the new look?

Let me know what you think of my new look! It certainly isn't perfect and I will be tweaking it over the next few days, but I'm open to suggestions for improvements! Leave a comment to this post or email me at kayla@clothdiaperadventurer.com! Thanks!

I'm thinking of something... better

I have an idea. It's the first truly good idea I've had for a blog. The only trouble is that it isn't one that I can forsee having very many ads and therefore I don't forsee it making a lot of money. But then, perhaps the problem is that I don't forsee it.

I'm not going to tell you what this idea is... yet. Once said blog is up and running I will, of course, let you know. For now, just know that I've given it some thought and I have an idea. I do have some other ideas floating around and I'll keep pondering. I may end up running several blogs at once. As long as I can keep up with them, I'm okay with that. The second they start to fall behind because of each other I'll stop one.

The best thing about this blog is that I think it will help a lot of people and THAT is something I am very okay with.

I'm off to care for babies now.

Laptops and Notebooks and Netbooks, Oh My!

If I'm going to be blogging I certainly need a computer I can have access too. I get access to this one, but not as much as I really need. Not to mention the fact that it's easier to snuggle up with a baby on the couch with a laptop than a desktop. I'd heard about the new "netbooks" but didn't really know enough about them to know if one would suit my needs. So I "googled" the difference between notebooks and netbooks. I found a lot of articles that were little to no help or that contradicted each other. Then, I found the one I have put a link to below. It was by far the most straightforward and helpful article I found on the subject. If you are in the market for a laptop and aren't sure what kind you need, or if you are just curious, I highly recommend article liked below.


What is the Difference Between Notebook & Netbook Laptops? | eHow.com

Learning, Growing, Living...

Yes, I know, I've been slow. I've let down my blog and my business. I have a million and one excuses but I won't bore you with them. The fact of the matter is that I've been enjoying being a stay at home mom! As much as I'm enjoying it I think I'm ready to start bringing in a little money... which brings me to my next point.

Starting a business is tough, and the worst of it is trying to start it with NO MONEY! It's one of life's many catches... you often have to have money to make money. Years ago when I was on a job hunt I remember reading that employers often saw long hair as a sign that you were poor. If you were poor they didn't want you. I remember thinking to myself, "Then how on earth are you supposed to stop being poor?" It's a similar issue here. I need at least a couple of thousand dollars worth of inventory and a few hundred dollars to invest in a website. If only I had a few thousand sitting around in some bank account and more coming in. As is, hubby and I are both unemployed and, for reasons I will not delve into or discuss here, I am not going to get a job (hubby is looking) right now.

I wonder if starting a business is for me, right now, anyway. I don't need to spend 40-80 hours a week WORKING (by which I mean not with my babies or housework). I also live in a very small apartment in which there would be no room for inventory. I'm also not looking to make a fortune, but a little supplemental income (supplementing what I hope to find out soon. ;-)).

However, I could stand working 15-20 hours a week, at the computer, especially if I were able to acquire a laptop. I could work during naptimes and for an hour or two after the babies go to bed. I could handle making $100-$500 dollars a month. (Note: $500 would be an exceptionally good month I expect.) It is while working on this blog and learning about starting my own business I realized that this is all possible.

Have you guessed what I'm referring to? Blogging.

Some people make big claims about what you can do with blogging. They make it sound like you can work 5 hours a week and make thousands of dollars a month. While this may be possible, it is not, in the least, probable. More realistic estimates are $100-$500, maybe even up to $1000 a month for about 15-20 hours of work. It is real WORK. It requires TIME and EFFORT. The rewards are, for some, small. But it sounds just realistic enough to work.

Don't worry about me abandoning my post here, as I have for so many months now. While I may have a similar hiatus every now and again, I plan to keep updating this blog. I do not expect this blog to be my main money maker though. I will, slowly, take on new blogs and see how my attempts go. I will keep you updated on my progress and try to let you know what works and what doesn't work for me. I'm also open to suggestion! Any resources you know of I would be happy to hear about.

And if you know of anyone who is looking to give away a decent laptop I'd like to hear about that too. ;-)