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RSSArchive for the ‘the office’ CategoryBaseball GiveawayPosted July 7th, 2009 by Jen in giveaways, sports, the office0 Comments The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But, baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and could be again. ~Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) in Field of Dreams It’s time for another sports giveaway. I haven’t done one in a long time, but judging from the hundreds of hits I still get on my old sports contests, folks like them. And baseball is the theme, given the season is well underway and what is summer without baseball? What is America without baseball? Today in baseball history, Satchel Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1906. On his 42nd birthday, July 7, 1948, he was signed by the Cleveland Indians, a historic first for this amazing veteran Negro League pitcher. What a birthday gift. In honor of this great moment from the archives of baseball, TeamMASCOT.com is giving away a baseball. Visit the TeamMASCOT baseball page to pick your team, and leave a comment right here on this post by Saturday, June 11, including your team choice. Two winners will be randomly chosen. Be sure to leave an email for me to contact you. Your information is secure and is never shared.  June random stuff. Blogging, Ranching, Giving Away.Posted June 1st, 2008 by Jen in blog stuff, giveaways, the office, the ranch16 Comments » Yesterday was an interesting day of firsts. The kiddos found a chirping nest full of baby birds (children, do NOT touch!) and happened upon (cued by loud barking from the dog) a nest of wild baby bunnies jackrabbits (children, do NOT touch!). As we drove home late in the evening, I came within inches of smashing a great horned owl into my windshield, as it was concentrating on the baby field mouse it had snatched off the road. And finally I pulled into our house to see a yard full of little deer. It’s spring in the Oregon high desert. All of the childhood exploring was possible because my husband and I were busy breaking our backs trying to get the yard prepared to plant some grass. I snapped off my shovel handle just above the spade (is that a bad sign?) trying to pry up a boulder and I bent the prongs of my husband’s $50 rake. I’ll go soak my weary bones in a hot bath and try to focus on how green that grass will be in a few months. ****** Please be sure the item is in-stock (noted after the product description), because I’ll need to get this shipped by the end of the week to guarantee arrival for Father’s Day. CONTEST CLOSES Friday, June 6. TO ENTER, leave a comment on this post, letting me know which product you would like. Open to U.S. and APO addresses. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, so I can notify the winner and get this shipped to the correct address. Marriage Monday, hosted by Chrysalis blog coming tomorrow! Submit your post after today on any aspect of your wedding here. There are several blog carnivals that you may want to catch up on. Just topical collections of blog articles. Christian Carnival and up again Wednesday at Ancient Hebrew Poetry. Technorati Tags: blogging, family life, blog contest, giveaway, Father’s Day, outdoor play, outdoors, parenting, baby jackrabbits, ranch, sports business, spring Business 101 From an Eight-Year-OldPosted March 31st, 2008 by Jen in education, family life, the office11 Comments » Hello, and welcome to Business 101. Today, I share a story from my lovely family. I am Mom, Dad is my husband, Big L is our eight-year-old son and first-born genius. There is also Little L, the three-year-old who hangs around the fringes of this story, and not to be forgotten, the girls (in between the bookend boys), JJ and JoJo. Principle #1: Never Miss an Opportunity Big L doesn’t like candy. He just never has. He’ll eat an occasional Smarty, and perhaps a Skittle every blue moon. Give him a piece of bread, oh, he loves bread, but the candy he’ll pass. There IS an exception. We had the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Aunt & Uncle’s house, and Big L was caught up in the wild excitement. He collected 43 eggs, all brightly colored and filled with candy. The fact that candy is not one of his indulgences was no matter. Big L had a plan. Several days after Easter, he set up shop at our dining room table. He earned about $3.25 from his sisters who love candy, and were more than happy to buy his goods after they’d gobbled up their own baskets. “That will be 10 cents,” he’d say, eyeing the size of the candy. And “If you buy three, you get one free,” he would bargain. Even Mom and Dad bought some. (Some merchandise was eaten by Little L while he was “napping” one afternoon, else Big L would have earned much more.) Principle #2: Fill a Need This morning, Big L asked Dad a question: “Dad, what is something that every human needs?” I overheard the conversation, and thought perhaps Big L had a new joke, or a trick question. “I don’t know…why do you ask?” said Dad, not sure where the conversation was headed. “Well, I was thinking about inventing things, and figured I should make something that everyone would need, so they would buy it.” Dad was amazed at the eight-year-old’s business sense! He has a business degree in marketing and management and can spot good business principles (though, honestly, such common sense does not come by degree). Being an entrepreneur himself, Dad was amused to see his son following in his footsteps. When Dad was not much older than Big L, he started a detective agency, a candy store, and a football league. These little adventures into industry were short lived and not exactly successful, but are great examples of a child’s business mind at work. Dad had a string of other businesses in his young life, and continues to this day with new ideas. He encourages this inventiveness in his sons and daughters. He sat Big L down and told him all about patents and the role of the patent in American life as a protection and encouragement for new ideas - new ideas which have shaped America’s amazing progressions in science and medicine and agriculture and other areas. Dad has promised Big L that if he comes up with a really useful and unique invention, he will help him obtain a patent. For real. Even eight-year-olds should be given the opportunity to be the next Thomas Edison. p.s. Lest you think our girls are any less business savvy or industrious, they melted down all the chocolate purchased from their big brother, and attempted to sell it at a much higher price to Mom and Dad. You should have seen the smooth division of labor: JoJo did the purchasing (as she just had a birthday and was the one with more money), while JJ made up the recipe for “Roasted Chocolate” with a fancy recipe card and all, and kept driving up the price.
Technorati Tags: children, home education, homeschool, business, Easter eggs Blog touringPosted March 19th, 2008 by Jen in blog stuff, carnivals, product review, sports, the office1 Comment » Oh, the places you’ll go. Dr. Seuss. I’ve been wandering all around. The Christian carnivals, Carnival of Family Life, food blogs, homeschooling blogs, homesteading blogs, BendBlogs. And principled government. Whew, I’ve been to a lot of places, and more to go! Puss ReBoots thinks I rock. Wow, what a compliment! I’m passing this blog award on to: Sometimes I’m Actually Coherent Check out these blogs that rock - I think you might agree. Announcing the winners of my sports products Giveaway: Living For God: New York Giants Rug Congratulations to these blogging winners! Hello Sports Fan, Doesn’t Anyone Want Free Stuff??Posted March 13th, 2008 by Jen in giveaways, the office4 Comments » I’ve had a dismal response to my Sports Giveaway, which ends tomorrow! (I’ll extend it if I have to). I shouldn’t complain, I’ve done next to nothing to promote it, and my main readers (Christian-women-moms-teachers-homeschoolers) are clearly not big sports fans. Ladies, I don’t blame you a bit, I just have a business to run. The products and information are posted HERE (read down past the “blog party” stuff). I’ve done several giveaways, but never including so many high quality products - check it out and support a family business. Technorati Tags: contest, Dallas Cowboys tire cover, giveaway, New York Giants rug, Pittsburgh Steelers thermos, prizes, Ohio State watch, Georgia Tech Trailer Hitch Cover, sports business My Ultimate Blog Party 2008 & A GiveawayPosted March 8th, 2008 by Jen in blog stuff, carnivals, sports, the office22 Comments »
Welcome, I’m so glad you stopped by! The 5 Minutes for Mom blog is hosting another Ultimate Blog Party, which is basically a “carnival” to meet other mom bloggers and surely win some prizes! The idea is to go to their sites and browse through the hundreds of mom-bloggers who’ve linked up there - get your own blog noticed and get acquainted with some you’ve never encountered. So, if you’ve come here through 5 Minutes for Mom and have never noticed me before, here is my introduction:
We changed my blog format last month, and I’m really excited to see where this goes. You’ll notice on my main page that I have a monthly topic, and each week I publish a “feature” article. Last month was famous artists, this month is vineyards, next month will be highlighting some of my industrious girlfriends who have their own businesses. This new endeavor has been a blast - sometimes, I just need a little direction and my features keep me focused as I explore topics that I want to learn more about. I still blog in between my features about the other issues that are very important to me, like education, faith, family life, and world news. Thank you, those of you who check in here regularly - I can’t tell you how enjoyable it’s been to meet people from all over the world, some of you even in real life! And are you ready for my prizes?? Of course, these all come from my business, which happens to be a sports-themed store, so if that’s up your alley, here’s the list of truly excellent products: 1. New York Giants Rug TO WIN, just go follow each link, browse around TeamMASCOT to see what other items you like, and come back here and leave me a comment, telling me which product you’d like to win. You will get special consideration if you mention this contest on your blog and link to TeamMASCOT! And that would just be really nice of you. Let me know if you link. But, you do not have to be a blogger to win. I’ll choose 5 winners (in honor of 5 Minutes for Mom) on March 14, the end of the Ultimate Blog Party. Be sure to fill in your email in the comment form so I can notify you if you’re a winner! Oh, and you don’t even have to be a mom to win! Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon!
Technorati Tags: blogging, children, giveaway, contest, prizes, sports business, ultimate blog party New York Giants Win Super Bowl; but my contest winner is a Patriots fan!Posted February 4th, 2008 by Jen in carnivals, giveaways, sports, the office3 Comments » Great big giant congratulations to the New York Giants on their stunning Super Bowl XLII win!! And huge congratulations to the WINNER of my Super Bowl Giveaway: Shannon Jordan at A Reforming Mom, who is a true blue New England Patriots fan (despite her husband not being). I hope this soothes the pain of the loss. Way to go Shannon, and if you can sneak this auto accessories package onto the family van, go for it! Shannon will be receiving a Patriots license plate frame, a Patriots auto emblem, and a Patriots sheet of removable decals. In the case of a house divided, it may be a good thing they are removable. Thanks to everyone who participated in my Super Bowl Giveaway! The items in my giveaway were all from my online store, TeamMASCOT.com, and if you are a sports fan, you might want to take a look. Keep an eye out, I’ll always have more contests! The winners of the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival (890 giveaways!) are being posted HERE-Rocks in My Dryer-, so if you’re not sure if you won something, take a peek! Super Bowl XLII Giveaway: Auto AccessoriesPosted January 28th, 2008 by Jen in carnivals, giveaways, product review, sports, the office58 Comments »
Super Bowl XLII is set for February 3, 2008 in Arizona, a showdown between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots!! Diary of 1 and TeamMASCOT are hosting another giveaway right here, right now, in honor of this great football tradition! This Super Bowl Giveaway is an auto accessories package for the team of your choice: The Patriots or the Giants of course — and I will even let you choose a different NFL team, because I know those team loyalties run very deep! The package will contain the following three items: 1. An auto emblem: an officially licensed auto emblem made of hard plastic with a metallic finish and adhesive on the back to stick to your car or truck, or any hard surface - refrigerator, RV, door, etc. Measures approximately 3×3 inches and 1/4 inch thick. 2. A sheet of static cling decals: Better than a sticker, remove and reuse these team logo window decorations whenever you like. Each sheet contains five decals with team logos and graphics, of various size and design. Removable and fade-resistent. The sizes of the static clings are: One is 2.5″x4.75″, one is 4.75″x6.5″, two are 5″x9″, and one is 3.75″x19″. 3. A plastic license plate frame: These team logo license plate frames attach easily to any vehicle and feature bright graphics and team colors. The license plate holders are 6.25″x12.25″ and meet the vehicle standards for display of registration tags. These auto tags are made of hard, sturdy plastic. How to win: Simply leave a comment below, and include the name of the NFL team you want for the auto accessories package, and I will randomly choose a winner on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008! I will notify the winner via email on Sunday, Feb. 3. If you are a blogger and would like to have an extra entry included in the drawing, just mention this contest on your blog with a link back to this post. You must have a U.S. mailing address to win this contest. For hundreds of NFL and other team-logo products (NCAA, MLB, NASCAR, NHL, and NBA), please visit my family business, TeamMASCOT.com - support America’s small businesses! This contest is part of the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival at Rocks in My Dryer. Head over there for literally hundreds of amazing giveaways all week!! I Really Like Homeschooling, I Just Want Someone Else to Do It For MePosted January 14th, 2008 by Jen in education, family life, parenting, religion, the office10 Comments » There are days, there are seasons to be sure, when a homeschooling parent has a tough spell. After spending a week investigating a local fine arts charter school, a private Christian school, and homeschool co-op options, I’m back to where I started. At home. My many conflicting commitments have sent me into a tailspin. With pressing financial obligations that require me to leave Homeschool Fantasy Land, I’ve seriously looked at my options. How can I homeschool and run a business? When I can’t afford outside tutors, how do I teach my kids in the disciplines in which I’m not equipped, like music, but which are very important to me? Can’t someone else do this for me? I did what I have to do in cases of extreme distress: I called Catherine. I look upon her as my Homeschool Mentor-Mom Mentor-Wife Mentor, and she’s always the one to help me readjust my perspective. She gave me a real talkin’ to this time. She’s not one to say, “Oh, honey, you poor thing, I feel for you.” It’s more like, “Are you even thankful for what you have? You are where you are, now work with it.” I complained about not being able to afford private music lessons, and how, unlike her, I don’t have 10 years of music training in the French conservatories. “You can listen to CDs of classical music, can’t you?” I grumbled about having to work at our family business. “Do you know how many people would die to have a family business? To have that opportunity to teach their kids a life skill at their side?” I groused about feeling inadequate. “Jennifer, I would say that about some people, but never you. You’re intelligent, educated, and love the Lord.” However, she maintained that all my education and degrees may actually hinder me, as I’m tempted to reproduce an educational institution in my home. Her main point, as she talked, and I humbly listened, was that God has our family where He has our family. She is adamant about just living life with your children, and learning as you go. Her style is much more un-schooling than mine, and her children are so bright and lovely and competent. “You just need to ask the Lord, how do I accomplish this? will You please provide what I need?” she asserted. Nothing has changed about my situation. I still have to find a way to spend several hours a day working on the business; I still have to buckle down and really stretch myself on the music education; I still don’t have anybody to pass my kids off to; I still don’t have any more money than I did a week ago. However, I’ve regained a little bit of the mind of Christ, which was lost over the past month of holiday insanity. The mind of Christ seems to be telling me to chill out. Chill out and educate my children one day at a time. “Why do you homeschool?” Catherine had pointedly asked me. Oh, yeah. It affords us the opportunity to bring up our kids as children of God. It empowers our family to grow together in ways that we can direct. It enables me to take advantage of those daily moments where training happens, moments I can even set up in advance to teach my children life lessons on character and friendship. And homeschooling, perhaps most importantly, ensures that my children are not trapped in an artificial construct, but are learning to live a real life in the real world. Okay, I’ll do it. Works for Me Wednesday: Superfood on the GoPosted December 12th, 2007 by Jen in carnivals, health/cooking/food, the office9 Comments » Be sure to visit the Rocks in my Dryer Works for Me Wednesday master list. Here’s what works for me: Odwalla Superfood Micronutrient Fruit Juice Drink. It’s been my meal in a bottle many times over the past several weeks, as my business is at the height of the Christmas frenzy, and I’m working long hours to meet the demands of those half-crazed sports fanatics. And who has time to eat a decent meal in these conditions? Life will be back to normal in another week, but for now, Superfood is keeping me alive! Here’s the scoop on this energy giving, vitamin packed drink:
The best part is that it tastes GREAT! So, what works for you? Thursday Thirteen: Holiday Giveaway of Sports StuffPosted November 29th, 2007 by Jen in giveaways, product review, the office48 Comments »
To win, just leave a comment below, letting me know which item you’d like to win. You have until next Wednesday, December 5, at midnight, to post your comment. U.S. and Canada bloggers only, please. I’ll have a random drawing and announce the thirteen winners in next week’s Thursday Thirteen! I’m offering free shipping and delivery guaranteed before Christmas. Links back to TeamMASCOT and this Diary of 1 post would be appreciated. Merry Christmas to all, and let your blogger friends know about the Diary of 1/TeamMASCOT Holiday Giveaway! 1. Boston Red Sox Wall Clock 2. Detroit Red Wings 3×5 Flag 3. Detroit Lions Blanket: Woven Tapestry Throw 4. North Carolina Tarheels Stainless Steel License plate 5. New York Yankees 27×37 Vertical Hanging Flag 6. Chicago Cubs Glow Pen 7. Atlanta Hawks Pennant 8. Michigan State Lapel Pin 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 Trash Can 10. Dallas Cowboys Stainless Steel Water Bottle 11. Texas Longhorns Stainless Steel Travel Mug
12. Oregon Ducks Chrome License Plate Frame 13. New Orleans Saints Auto Emblem Thanks for visiting the Diary of 1 Holiday Giveaway of Sports Stuff! You can visit the Thursday Thirteen meme hub here. Rockies, I Have Hope; and a Giveaway!Posted October 26th, 2007 by Jen in sports, the office5 Comments »
I haven’t told my readers this yet, but I have a sports blog I started recently, and you can read my first post on the Rockies here, before they won the National League Championship, then here after sweeping the NL Series. You’ll read about a series of unlikely events that propelled the nearly unknown Rockies to the world stage; now the start of the World Series looks instead like a series of unfortunate events. But I have hope, speculative as it may be! There’s the Coors Field advantage and the Colorado Rockies magic, and that’s what I hang my hope on. The advantage is not the beer, it’s the altitude, and the magic is a club that’s played together with one of the greatest team spirits in the leagues, doing the impossible at every turn. While the thin air in Coors Field makes for long hits for both the Rockies and the Red Sox, it’s the seasoned Colorado pitcher who knows that his ball won’t get the same break who will most benefit in the next three games. And then I keep hearing about the spacious outfield - apparently it’s big? So, maybe lots of running for those non-acclimatized Red Sox who will be huffing and puffing. And, oh, just to be home! I quoted another stanza of John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High in my previous post, but this time, the first four lines seem most appropriate:
Let’s watch the Colorado Rockies be born again, and while I wrote earlier about the spiritual sense of that, I believe a new team will emerge back at Coors Field. The Rockies surely are coming home to a place they know well, but have absolutely never been before. I just read an article by Howard Bryant at ESPN, and I got another giant boost of optimism when I came across this bit of history about the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Oh, yes, it can be done! Stay tuned for Game 3 of the 2007 World Series on Saturday night. ***** Do I have any Rockies fans out there?? For you bloggers who can’t get enough of the Colorado Rockies, here’s a free giveaway for you!
You must have a blog or website and write a piece (doesn’t have to be long) about the Colorado Rockies. Anything - funny, serious, satirical, or how you think I’m a nut to believe the Rockies have a chance in this Series. Be sure to include a link to this blog post, as well as a link to the Colorado Rockies stainless steel coffee mug at TeamMASCOT.com. This is our family business and I’ll pack it up myself for you! Leave me a comment here as well so I don’t miss your post, and so I can reply to you when you win. I’ll keep this contest open until Friday, November 2, by which point the Colorado Rockies will have won the 2007 World Series! I’ll do a drawing for the winning entry on that date. UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOSTON RED SOX - IF YOU WOULD INSTEAD LIKE A BOSTON RED SOX STAINLESS STEEL COFFEE MUG, I’M HAPPY TO OFFER THAT AS WELL!
Humidifying Secrets From Coors Field Harvest/Halloween Giveaway for Cheerleader or Football Costumes!Posted September 13th, 2007 by Jen in product review, the office2 Comments » Tomorrow is the start of another Diary of 1 giveaway, in partnership with my online business, TeamMASCOT.com. I’m very excited and so thankful to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer who is hosting this bloggy giveaway for me! Tell your friends and run on over there tomorrow, the contest runs from Sept. 14-18. I told Shannon I wanted to give away two youth College Cheerleader Uniforms, since Halloween is coming up. Then several days later I said to her, wait, I forgot about the little boys! So, I added the youth Football and Helmet uniform sets, which we carry in both College and NFL teams. Shannon and I ended up deciding to choose FOUR WINNERS, and they can choose from either the cheerleader or football costumes. These always sell out, so I chose the earliest blog giveaway date that Shannon offered…good luck to you all! We don’t actually celebrate Halloween at my house, but we do go to a church Harvest Party, so our kids still get to dress up and have a ton of fun. I tell you, the one time I took my kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, the people who opened their doors to give out candy were often scarier than the children dressed up like a bleeding brain. My kiddos will all be decked out in these fun uniforms this year. My 6 year old girl wants to be an Oregon Ducks cheerleader, since we live in Oregon, and my husband and I both went to the University of Oregon. My 4 year old girl wants to be a Michigan Wolverines cheerleader, since I’m from Michigan and nearly my entire family still lives there, including my awesome cousin who’s right in Ann Arbor, the heart of Wolverine country! My 8 year old and 3 year old boys want to be Dallas Cowboys football players because that’s Daddy’s team! I promise I will post pictures of them all dressed up! Okay, folks, have fun playing over at the Rocks in My Dryer Bloggy Giveaway! I’ll be in touch with the winners to make shipping arrangements. Wrap up that contest and other loose endsPosted July 24th, 2007 by Jen in the office5 Comments » The Diary of 1/TeamMASCOT Give Away was fun; thanks to those who participated! You may want to take a look at the winners…
TeamMASCOT will continue to partner with Diary of 1, and if one of you wonderful bloggers out there ever writes about your team and includes a link to TeamMASCOT, YOU WILL GET A PRIZE! Same deal, anything on TeamMASCOT.com up to $20 in value, with free shipping. Ongoing. Even a past sports post, with an update to include the TeamMASCOT link, will be just fine. Other loose ends: I’ve missed so many great carnivals lately; July has been a whirlwind of activity with hosting my French exchange student, along with my 15 year old niece…and still trying to maintain sanity in the home. So, here’s a reading list for you: The Expatriate’s Kitchen hosted the Carnival of Family Life a few weeks back. While you’re there, be sure to read about the Strange Baby Gear. I’m sorry if you own any of these items and actually paid money for them. If someone gifted you with the Baby Safe Feeder, The Baby Care Timer, or the Designer Potty Stool, maybe I can understand, it’s not your fault. The So Called Me hosts the current edition of Carnival of Family Life. Principled Discovery hosted the Teacher-in Service edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. And Tami host this week’s State Flower edition. Mere Orthodoxy hosts the current poetry-themed Christian Carnival. (poetry courtesy of the host; while Mere O claims “bad poetry,” it’s all good!) I’m sure I have more loose ends to gather, but that’s all for the moment. TeamMASCOT and Diary of 1 Independence Day Give Away!Posted June 28th, 2007 by Jen in the office16 Comments » Drum roll, Diary of 1, in partnership with TeamMASCOT, is hosting the first-ever contest/give away! I wrote once before about TeamMASCOT.com, the business my husband and I run. Mostly he programs/designs and I pack/track orders/keep customers happy. It’s part of what I do every day. I’ve been thinking for a while about this, and was inspired when I saw that Crimson Wife is a 3rd generation Red Sox fan! It put to rest my fears that my readers would have no interest in receiving sports merchandise! Why the contest? I want links to my business, of course. TeamMASCOT is in need of links - it’s a competitive industry, and we’ve been lazy about marketing, to be honest. So, without further ado, here is how it works:
I walked through my eclectic house this morning and took some pictures of the random sports merchandise items I’ve collected. Samples from vendors, returns, slightly damaged merchandise, but all useful things I needed in my home. Here’s a peek at a few things I found: Under my kitchen sink: In my kitchen cupboards: On my son’s bed: In my living area: The funny thing is, we’re really not die-hard sports fans, but touring our house you’d really think so! And teams you see on display here we may not even care for, so don’t be fooled. We are however, Cowboys fans. :-) Let the sporting begin! Kids at workPosted March 2nd, 2007 by Jen in family life, the office3 Comments » A family business can blend well with homeschooling, as many have discovered.
We have an online sports merchandise company, TeamMASCOT.com, that I have to juggle along with the needs of the family every day. But as far as jobs go, this isn’t too bad. It’s online only, so no need to keep store hours or tend to walk-in customers. I thought I’d give you a little glimpse into this part of our life. First, a few FAQs: 1. Are you big sports fans? No, we just have a sports store because, well, other people (lots of them) are sports fans. The sports marketing industry is enormous and rapidly growing. My husband just came up with the idea, along with another buddy of his, and he built the website (it helps to be a computer programming genius). 2. Where do you keep all your products? Well, up until a year ago, it was the home office, the hallway, the bedroom (yes, my bedroom full of NFL trashcans…very romantic), the garage. You can imagine the tripping that occurred, so we now have a warehouse in town where we keep it all. 3. What’s your role in the business? My job is mostly product management. We carry various items, from bumper stickers to wall clocks, with team logos (NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, and NASCAR). I order products to maintain our inventory, look for new vendors, manage customer service, and pack orders on the days our part-time help is out. There was quite a learning curve when I came on to help my husband over two years ago, since I didn’t know whether the Steelers belonged to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, or whether they played football or baseball. I’ve learned a thing or two since then, and can now fairly accurately predict the contenders for the Superbowl, the World Series, the Bowl Championships, etc. 4. How do you fit your business in with homeschooling? This is a question that some days I ask myself as I’m ready to throw that Indianapolis Colts hammer out the window. I have to spend an average of 2-3 hours a day on TeamMASCOT, depending on the season. Less during the offseason, much more during the Christmas rush. I have a computer set up at home that is remotely connected to the warehouse, allowing me to order products from my vendors, add new products, reply to customer inquiries - really anything except pack up the order. So, I try to work very early hours and very late hours and save the bulk of the day for the family. OK, there’s a little run-down. The kids sometimes come to the warehouse on the days I have to go in, for a few hours, and I get to teach them some business skills. My son pictured above, who is 7, is very capable of learning the various teams and their logos, and can pick orders for me. He’s learning about buying and selling - wholesale, retail, and profit margins. Even my five year old daughter is eager to help:
Is this the Steelers, Mom? And right down to my three year old, who LOVES to put the labels on the packages (I won’t even go into the large packages that require packing peanuts, such fun for a three year old): Some customers might get a crooked postage tag! There are actually a lot of skills to teach, and I think that figuring out what size box to use for what product is a great math lesson. Then there’s the matter of weighing and deciding on the postage amount.
Overall, a family business/homeschool model can be a great tool for teaching your children about responsibility, life skills, and money matters. And just like any family chores, kids’ involvement increases their self-confidence and happiness, because they are an integral, important part of your life, and they know it. “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.” Winston Churchill |
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It’s 
I’m 
My husband got me into blogging one year ago, as an experiment in marketing. He designed my lovely site and enjoys tinkering with it - myself, I have NO clue how to program and have trouble placing simple icons in my sidebar. Well, I discovered to my amazement that I loved to write and now I can’t stop! My husband and I have always made a nice business partnership - he creates businesses, I manage them; he programs, I write. Except for that one day early on when he fired me and I quit all in the same breath. Oh, we’ve come a long way, baby.
The World Series 2007 is underway, pitting the unlikely 
I have a gorgeous (free) Colorado Rockies stainless steel coffee mug for you! Here is how you can enter this Blog Give Away:
It’s Colorado Rocky Mountain High…I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky…
