Really Serious

Wow. 2 weeks since I've posted anything - I'm so sorry to those of you that actually check here, and will try to step it up some!

Let's see - in the last two weeks, quite a few things have happened:
• I attempted to go to the dentist - just Wee One and me. Didn't go over well, and I learned to NEVER go to the dentist with a 2 year old without someone else there to watch her while they scrape your teeth. It wasn't a pretty picture.
• Dealt with Wee One getting sick and running 104 temp. Turns out it was a sinus infection (which I was pretty sure of anyway), and she's back at the baby sitters today.
• I had to put out fires on the message board that I "run." Nothing major, just some crazy things that lead to people getting upset about what was going on, and hopefully it's over now.
On a side note, I hate saying I "run" the board. It's technically mine - as in, my name is on the paperwork, and my bank account is attached to it - but it's not MY board. I have admin duties, but I don't feel like it's just mine - there are 140 women on there - it's their board, not mine.
• Found out that we'll be going to Disney World in Sept, and made the mistake of telling Wee One about it. Now all I hear is her asking if we're going to go eat with Cinna-elwa, Innie-A-Pooh, JoJo, Mickey Mouse and Sweeping Booty. Yes, honey, we will. But not for 5 more months!
• And have been dealing with lots of little crap - getting ready for my cousin's wedding, getting a portfolio online and trying to get freelance work (www.mldesigns.carbonmade.com), cleaning house so that my grandparents could watch Wee One while she was sick, etc.

However, the funniest thing started just a day or two ago. Wee One has watched way too much JoJo's Circus - specifically the episode where JoJo wants to be like her favorite super hero, Super Duper Girl. To look like Super Duper Girl, JoJo stands up straight, puts her hands on her hips and looks "Really Serious." My daughter has now perfected that look, and it has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen. And she's started using it if she gets in trouble. She's less than 3 feet tall, is on the smaller size for her age, but I swear, if looks could kill...

I haven't been able to get the really good look on film yet (furrowed eyebrows, puckered lips, etc), but this is close enough:

What a sucky day...

Today was just a crappy, sucky day. The message board I run has had a minor "event" that I spent most of the day working on, I found out I had to pay a ticket *today* or the price on it was going to jump up, then if it wasn't paid by the 15th there would be a $100 contempt of court charge, then if not paid by the 30th they'll suspend my license. Then I still have this stupid earache, and a package that I was told was sent out Sat *still* isn't here! It's from my Secret Sister, and it's for Easter, and I won't be here on Saturday if it happens to show up that day! I'm just cranky, and tired, and not really wanting (but kinda wanting) to send Wee One to my mom's for the night. I just feel like whining I guess.

Today Wee One did get to have her first party at the babysitters. She missed the one at Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day because she was sick each time. But today they had an Easter party and she was well! They said she had a blast hunting eggs, and we did it again after she got home. She was so cute walking around with her little basket and trying to find all those eggs. Sunday is going to be so much fun!

I know he didn't just say that...

My boss made a comment this morning that I found very offensive, especially in light of the post I made yesterday about wanting to hurry up and get this business off the ground.

He was mumbling under his breath about not getting this picture emailed in like it was supposed to have been, and I hear him say "well, that's what happens when you get these women trying to start up their own little business..."

WTF??? Has he lost his mind? I have news for him. It's going to be quite a shocker when I leave here because I have not one, but TWO "little businesses" flourishing, and it's going to be even better when he has to come to one of those "little businesses" to find someone to replace me. I just couldn't believe I heard that come out of his mouth. Yep, definitely working on getting this up and running asap.

Seems I might officially be a full-fledged freelancer! I’ve done a few little things here or there for people, and never really charged much, if anything. However, since Thanksgiving, ML Designs has seen quite a jump in orders. One friend of mine that lives in OK has sent me multiple jobs - both for the company she works for and for herself - and another friend from CT has sent me jobs that her company (a graphics design place) didn’t have time to finish, or just flat out didn’t want to tackle. Then there’s the ad and flyer I did for a friend in TX, invitations for a cousin’s wedding (however, those were her gift from Hubby and I), and I’m now scheduled to do wedding invitations for a guy I graduated high school with, and also the photographs for their wedding. I’m not quite sure what to think of all this. On one hand I’m VERY excited because I love doing this stuff much more than the newspaper design work.On the other, though, I’m scared to death about what’s going to happen when tax time comes around next year. Heck, I don’t even have a separate bank account set up for the business yet, because up until Thanksgiving I had never made enough to worry about it! It’s quickly becoming a real life “jump in head first and either sink or swim” situation.

Then, on top of all of this, the newspaper, having a 2 yr old and being a good wife, there is my dream. I so want to start my own business. Not ML Designs - that’s been in operation for awhile, just not full fledged. No, I want to go in with a friend and start a company called Design Placement. It wouldn’t take much to get us up and running - between $5,000 and $10,000. And I *know* it would work, and would be a success. I just know it. And the more my friend Anj and I talk about it, the more we’ve decided that we’ll actually have a variety of companies. We need one “Mother Company” name (we’re still clueless as to what that would be), but housed under that would be Design Placement (the bread winner), ML Designs (my freelance graphics stuff that I love doing) and then her photography studio. With us running all three companies, I’m pretty sure we’d be unstoppable. Now to just get the money to get it started, and my bills paid off so I can work on getting it flourishing...