A crazy little thing happened in August – I started my own business!
You may think only an insane person would take on something like that in addition to working full-time, blogging (a part-time job), raising a 3 year-old (another full-time job), and cooking all her family’s meals from scratch (arguably another part-time job), and to that I’ll say:
I have phone numbers for several excellent therapists.
Which I plan to use someday.
When I have time.
While my August mostly revolved around my 3 jobs, fun with my 3-year-old, and averaging 3 hours of sleep a night, I managed to find time to squeeze a few more things in – read on for the details!
August 1: The first “official” day of the Haven Conference in Atlanta for DIY and home decor bloggers. I helped the fabulous Haven Team with some behind-the-scenes, pre-conference tasks, enjoyed an afternoon with some blogging friends, and then the festivities officially kicked off with a fabulous cocktail party! (Check out all the details in my 2013 Haven Conference: Part 2)
August 2: More fun in Atlanta, with our first day of blogging and DIY classes, even more blogger friends, and yet another fabulous cocktail party! (Read all about it in my 2013 Haven Conference: Part 3)
August 3: Another fun-filled day of Haven Conference classes, meeting some fantastic vendors, even more blog friends, and a closing session that had me in tears. Thankfully, my dear friend and roommate Beth and I were soon joined by our local friend Kent and happy times were here again! (2013 Haven Conference: Part 4)
August 4: My time in Atlanta came to an end with a relaxing blogger’s brunch at my friend Heather’s beautiful new home, before catching a plane and heading back to my own. It was on this day that G and Kate gave me a wonderful surprise and a moment I’ll never forget! (2013 Haven Conference: Part 5)
August 5: This is right about the time when I should’ve crashed, coming down with a post-Haven hangover/cold sore/major illness, but crashing wasn’t an option for me this year – one day after returning from the Haven Conference, I hopped in my car and drove to my very first Wildtree Conference! Wildtree is an all-natural foods company offering the highest quality herbs, culinary blends, dressings, marinades, oils, and more – ALL free of GMOs, preservatives, artificial colors, additives, and fillers. At Wildtree, we believe in the value of making cooking quicker, easier, healthier and delicious – all at the same time. It’s been a goal of mine for years to help people find shortcuts in the kitchen and to show that ANYONE can make healthy meals from scratch, and now, as a representative for Wildtree, that goal is even easier! This conference was my “kick-off,” giving me tips and tools for launching a successful business, and getting starting on helping save people time, money, and stress in the kitchen!
August 10: Every year we try to get together with two of my girlfriends (Lisa and Kadi) from college and their husbands (children optional), and this year our annual summer get-together was a kid-friendly gathering at Jeff & Kadi’s house in southeastern Wisconsin. We were joined by Lisa and Jason and their three children (Jackson, Jessica, and Lia) and two of Jeff & Kadi’s sons (Will and Wyatt; baby Zachary spent the night at his grandma’s house). It was a fun-filled weekend with lots of kids activities including a treasure hunt and kiddie hot tub party. Once the sun went down the adults were ready to join the kids for bedtime, but we rallied and had some good ol’ grown-up fun as well!
August 13: My first Wildtree party! Back in June (before I decided to become a rep), I took my first step in sharing Wildtree with the world by inviting my readers to join me at my house for a Wildtree Freezer Meals party, and this was the night! I was so excited to have 9 local girls in attendance and 2 readers from out of state (Minnesota and Florida) appearing virtually. It was so much fun to meet so many new friends, and to stock our freezers with 10 restaurant-style meals!
August 15: My first step in starting my Wildtree business was to double launch with two Tasting Parties, and was my first one was on this night. I had five girls in attendance, lots of notes to reference, and very little idea of what I was doing! I’m still learning all the details of Wildtree’s products, but thankfully I have no problem talking about nutrition and the value of eating a chemical-free diet. I was so happy to have my first party (flying solo) under my belt, and even more excited to hear what an impact it had on my guests! One of the girls joined Wildtree that very night, another one booked a freezer meals workshop, and two more are interested in attending my next freezer meals workshop in October! One of the girls in attendance (who is pregnant with her first child) emailed me afterwards and said, “I’ve always thought about what kind of Mom I want to be and I want to start our child out with the best nutrition and I certainly need to set the example. Just since your party, I am finding myself reading more labels and putting things back and not buying them.” That is EXACTLY why I joined the Wildtree organization, so hearing this was music to my ears!
August 17: Check out this enormous backyard slip & slide! G, Kate and I attended our friends Sean and Keeley’s backyard party where they had this set up, and it was absolutely incredible! G and Kate had so much fun going down this…while I stood in the shade and drank beer. (Basically a perfect day.)
August 24: A fun-in-the-sun family day at G’s parent’s house on the lake! We were joined by our friends Andy and Deb and their boys Anthony and Carter, and our friends Todd and Robyn and their daughter Marit. We spent the day on the boat, tubing, playing on the sandbar and relaxing at the beach. Every weekend should be like this.
August 30: We welcomed my younger sister Brittny back from her summer of advanced training with the Army, and what better way to celebrate than with her favorite chocolate cake? (This time topped with strawberries – her favorite!)
August 31: G, Kate and I spent the day at my mom’s horse ranch with my sisters and Kate’s cousins. Kate had a blast swimming in the pool, playing on the swing set, driving my mom’s electronic vehicles all around the yard, jumping on the trampoline, and, of course, riding a horse with her Aunt Amanda! This year she also sat up on a horse all by herself while Aunt Apryl led her and Aunt Amanda spotted – she loved it!
I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful start to your September!
Wow! I would love to know how you manage your time in order to get all of that done. It seems like I do good to shower most days.
Honestly? It seems as if you’re trying to fill up your time with whatever imaginable thing you can find. I’m all for socializing, I work full time, volunteer, and cook a very clean diet for my family. It just seems in reading your posts that you can’t stand any alone time, down time, quiet time. It used to not seem that way and I wonder if you’re frantically searching for something and haven’t found it yet, or you’ve convinced yourself you have? I’m no psychologist, so whatever floats your boat. But no, working 4 days a week is not full time (I’d LOVE to have a third day off!), having one kid (definitely not a full time job), and convincing us you make your meals from scratch is the real kicker – all I’ve read on here in the last few months is beer, appetizers, splurges, etc. This blog used to be kick @ss and real, definitely not a schmooze Fest with Katie Bower and the Petersiks (I mean really??). No clue as to where your blog is headed, but good luck. There will always be readers out there for you.
^ that was mean.
I still enjoy your blog and am impressed by your drive and energy. I work 5 days a week and have one kid, and that is ALL I do
I agree with Sarah…. I used to love this blog because you were so real and honest. Now you’re sales pitching your readers, have sponsor posts,and your writing has completely changed. It all feels so fake and pretentious to me now. But, its your blog,so whatever floats your boat.
I have to say I agree with Sarah and Erin as well. I’ve read your blog for a while, mostly for the fun self depricating writing, now you write down to your readers like we couldn’t imagine how you do it all. I only feel the need to write because it seems clear that you are trying to make something out of your blog and all these new little endeavors and I fear you are in great danger of losing most of your readership if you continue on this path.
p.s. I’m a stay at home mom of three who sews most of my kids clothes, cooks everything from scratch and manages a very tight budget with a husband who has been in school for 5 years earning his phd.
We all have our stories, no need to make others feel like theirs are less important than our own.
I’m the last one to be giving advice about time management these days, Amber. Trust me – you don’t want to see my bathrooms right now! (Or my bedroom, or my closet…)
That’s more than enough, Ginger! #high5
Thank you for your feedback, ladies. I’ll be sure to bring up your points when I meet with my therapist.
Cool! Maybe he/she will have some ideas/advice for you? Although I’m not sure how you fit a therapist in with everything else, I believe you left that off your list.
Look…I’m catching the sarcasm, and yes, you can write about whatever you want. I’m just saying that your blog has REALLY changed, and I’m surprised. To each her own…if you want to hawk your Wildtree pyramid scheme, go nuts. I just liked it better when you were witty, and not trying to impress everyone so darn much.
And you’re not cooking all your meals from scratch if you’re using boxed products, no matter how organic, HMO free, etc, etc they are.
Agreed…..a shame, since her blog used to rock. I see no meals made from scratch unless they’re frantically put together during her “whole Challenge” and nothing else of substance except manic behavior. And I believe that’s another huge change – the constant need to impress when really it’s a turn off. No hater here, just speaking the truth….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-watson/you-are-supermom-and-so-are-you_b_3780104.html
“…just embrace the fact that we are all doing the best we can, motherhood will get a whole lot easier for everyone…”
Enough of the judging, ladies.
Dusty, you do you! Only you know what’s best for you and your family, and I commend you for not sensoring readers (as hard as that may be!) by blocking their comments. Make sure to let your therapist know that comment, too. 😉
I loved that article, Carla – thank you so much for sharing! My favorite line was about how we should “lift each other up through this mom-gig.” That’s something I’ve reflected on a lot in recent years – but not just as “moms.” As WOMEN, I believe we should lift each other up, celebrate each other’s successes, cheer on ambitions. We are bombarded every day by messages that try to rip us down – do we really need to do it to each other, too? My success is not your failure. My happiness does not detract from yours. I am not competing with you or anyone. I am just being, and sharing, and learning. Aren’t we all?
Don’t mistake our comments for failures or unhappiness, unless that makes you feel better. You make your choices known and public on a blog, where you talk about all aspects of your personal life. That’s what people read and have to go on, and what they comment about. Your happiness does not seem real, it seems very manufactured and forced. Nothing whatsoever about competition. Just our honest opinion, no “haters” (I think we’re a bit old for this word), and no competitiveness. None of us wrote to you about our own lives so not sure where that’s coming from. And this has nothing to do with woman-on-woman cheering each other on. Supportiveness is great, but the fact still remains that your blog is not the same and some of us just don’t like it. It is what it is. I believe we’re moving on.
Agreed with Sarah. I’m happy,and successful. You’re picking through the comments and not even addressing the common theme…this blog has turned a 180,and now just seems to be an avenue to sell your products and promote yourself and get free stuff via sponsor posts. You have to see that at least a little.
I love your blog and have been a reader for several years now. Keep on keep on…haters gonna hate…people this is Dusty’s blog and she can write about whatever she wants!
A
therowdyroberts.blogspot.com
Thank you so much, Andrea!
I have been reading your blog for awhile now..I think you are hilarious and a good writer! Keep it up
Thank you, Sue – that’s a lovely compliment to hear!
Well, for what it is worth (and believe me a stranger’s opinion isn’t worth much to me)…I like reading your blog. I mean, you put it out there for public consumption, obviously not every single aspect of your life, but quite a bit and I really enjoy it. You are one of my fave bloggers. I don’t have to agree with every thing you do as I wouldn’t expect anyone to do with me. We are all individuals. I think you are funny and interesting, you write well, and your family is adorable. I hope you continue to write and don’t take any of the negative comments to heart. A blog like facebook is a facade, you put out there what you want people to see. No one knows what goes on in your real life, people need to get a grip.
Thank you so much, Liz. I appreciate your kind words and understanding.
I am also finding myself turned off by your blog. I feel like your blog has changed drastically, and it is not even about your readers–it’s about impressing other bloggers. You used to be genuine, real, honest….unfortunately, everything seems so fake. I will no longer be reading your posts.
I’ve been a fan since the beginning and then before that via TheNest. I do miss the fashion posts, house DIY projects and just fun random stuff. I enjoyed the pregnancy blogging and all of that. I still enjoy your blog. I can see where other readers are coming from but we all change. I’m not in the same “place” as I was 5 years ago. I now have two kids, different priorities and different career responsibilities. So blogging will change as our lives change.
Amen. This is something I too have become acutely more aware of since becoming a mom in the past 3 years, but it definitely stems overall from how we treat each other as women. It’s a shame, really, and I hope (pray!) that my daughter has enough respect for herself as she grows and matures to not feel like she has to bring others down to make her life better.
Thank you, Carla! I’m sure your daughter will grow up to be a woman you will be proud of, considering she has such a wonderful role model.
Call it what you want, Sarah, but your comments have been nothing but full of harsh, judgments:
“…working 4 days a week is not full time (I’d LOVE to have a third day off!), having one kid (definitely not a full time job), and convincing us you make your meals from scratch is the real kicker – all I’ve read on here in the last few months is beer, appetizers, splurges, etc…”
” I see no meals made from scratch unless they’re frantically put together during her ‘whole Challenge’ and nothing else of substance except manic behavior.”
A comment regarding blog content is one thing; cruel conclusions about how Dusty lives her life is another!
If they’re harsh, so be it. They’re my opinions based on her statements and blog content. Her words. My opinions are straight from that. You put your life out in the public sector, you should expect differing opinions. I appreciate you sticking up for her, but I’m sure she’s a big girl and can handle it.
I think Sarah needs a hug!