21 Days: My gift to myself

21 days...Isn't that what it takes to change habits? I think I read that somewhere...In just under a month, it will be my birthday and I'll be one step closer to 40, than 30 (ok, maybe 2 or 3 steps closer. crap.). Across the past 5 years, I've been feeling...tired. When I fully absorbed the fact I was talking about five whole years of my life, I was shocked. Then, to make myself feel better, I rationalized that I have two small children, one of whom is turning 5 this month. It's been a busy 5 years, after all! I thought about my (previously) stressful job. That, before that, it took my son a good year to sleep consistently. All good reasons. Yup. Good reasons until I realized that I'd been feeling this way longer than 5 years. Isn't that like cold water on your head? I can recall my regular weekend afternoon naps when Andrew and I were first dating...over 10 years ago.

I truly believe comparison is a root of evil. But, when I looked around, I could see that something was off with me. First thoughts: maybe I'm sick? Depressed? Bad habit?? nope. nope. ...maybe?

This summer, I was inspired by my old friend Marla Carter of Marla and Shane Photographers and the popular blog, Left on Amelia. She wrote about TheWhole30 and eating Paleo...as in Paleolithic. Think eating foods like nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats.

2-3 years ago, my husband bought a book called The Paleo Diet. So there I was reading Marla's blog, and I could see the good health in her pictures and hear it in the tone of her writing. Then I read about her mid-day bike rides b/c she was no longer tired in the afternoon. What the what?!

Andrew and I talked, and we did it. It wasn't always easy. But, that's the truth. It's not always easy. I LOVE a good muffin with my coffee, a little wine and dark chocolate, and I'm a comfort food girl at heart. But, the pay off was tremendous. Within a week, my troubled skin cleared up, I was no longer taking a siesta, my moods had evened out, I had loads of energy, and was thinking more clearly. I have no idea if those kinds of results were common, but they were mine.

Paleo Carrot Soup with ginger, cardamom, and coconut milk. Crazy good!

off-the-tree apple slices to saute in coconut oil, cinnamon and almonds

Then, enter our summer vacation to Nantucket. Hello ice cream cones, cocktails and Portuguese breads. Hello naps, moodiness and troubled skin. We got home, and we definitely had a great time, but we felt like garbage.

We've gone back on Paleo, (ahem) loosely. Some weeks more loosely than others.

Paleo-ish homemade oreo cookies

What beer? This is clearly a picture of me making a Paleo-ish Apple Pie!

All forms of denial and kidding aside, my bday is around the corner...and I'm thinking to myself, what do I want? A spa day, carte blanche at Anthropologie, jewelry, a vacation?? Ummm, yeah, ok yes I'd like all of the above. (Andrew, are you reading this?? Anthropologie, are YOU??)  But, really when I get down to it...What do I want?

I want to feel like a million bucks when I wake up on November 4th.

I want to open my eyes and smile bc I feel awake, rested, and aware. I want to look out at the autumn morning golden sunshine, and be totally psyched to start my day.

I want to give myself the gift of my good.

So, my reconnection with true Paleo is part of this gift of good health. But, really, there is more to the story than that. Good health is more than just food, it's about a balance of all things in my life. My first step and shift towards choosing my gift of good health, really started last year. For me, the logical next step was reconnecting with my husband, children and family. Career-wise, it has all been all about rediscovering with MY aesthetic, voice, and point-of-view.

I'm a working, designer mom with an amazing husband and two small children. I'm blessed with amazing friends and family...AND I'm starting my own business. YAY!!!! Budding and dreaming entrepreneurs, it's A LOT to balance. There are pockets of feeling overwhelmed and times of push and craziness, and it wont always work out like a feel-good tv show. But, it's also so totally awesome. There is always something else to do, and for the most part, I can't wait to do it! (no, I'm not talking about you dumb forms!!)  Just like my physical health, for my business to thrive, there needs to be good health within it.

I've made the decision to cut back a bit on my freelance hours, to free up more for belle&beanzer.  My freelance work is definitely a good thing, it's fun, I looove NYC, but it  isn't where my excitement lies. I'm lucky to have it, to interact with SO many creative, talented and interesting people. It's actually put me in touch with some key people I've needed to play a role in my business. But, ultimately, it's really about the bigger picture. The big picture being belle&beanzer, and that I want to go live January 2012. 

Speaking of which, the latest and greatest is... my final prototypes will arrive at the end of the month. As will my final costing estimates, etc. I'll need to plug those numbers in and see where I land with everything. PS - run your numbers, folks. Seriously, hard core numbers. In a future blog, I'm going to be interviewing an truly amazing woman who wrote a book for people just like me. We've opened an email correspondence, and she's agreed to be a guest blogger here. More on that later...

As for the one-piece, I'm REALLY excited to do a reveal as soon as I get the protos back. I've been pulling together the pics and video from along the way. I've got some goood stuff in there. We'll get a glass of wine and have a good laugh together! 

In the meantime, I can't wait to post my mood board, logo, etc. It's all getting there, with the branding. I find it SO serendipitous in my venture adventure, that order to have a clear brand and point-of-view, I've had to really understand MY point-of-view, aesthetically. It's a simple concept. It's amazing how long it too me to get it!! I was too busy doubting and second guessing myself and comparing my ideas to others. GAH! Done with it! 

The less exciting news, but reality, is the surprising amount of paperwork and the appalling lack of information about how to fill out said paperwork. 

Oh yeah, heads up!...pretty soon, hopefully within the month, I'll be migrating my blog to my website. Therein lies the next piece, technology...migrating my blog, getting the website looking the way I envision it, setting up my email, linking up all my social technology. LEARNING. CURVE. 

So, there you have it. 21 days to better overall health. Finding a better balance in all aspects of my life and how they interweave. I'll keep you updated!

Grateful Dead Business 101

Date night + Grateful Dead Further Show = WAY FUN!

I'm not a jam band kind of girl, historically. Call me stuck in the 80s, I've preferred music I can sing along to. So, when A bought the tickets to see the Grateful Dead, I was...underwhelmed.
But, in a marriage sometimes you suck it up and make the best of it. So, I tried to
enthusiastically embrace the experience and have a good time. And I did!

me and A

A and I were transported back to a freer time in our lives, and our relationship.
I'd say we were about 28 yrs old. We'd lived a little in the real world, but were still innocent
and the path of life felt infinite. We laughed, we flirted, we listened, WE TALKED.
Anyone with kids knows that typically you get 2-3 words out before interruption.
As you tell your child to stop interrupting, you find the conversation is still...well, interrupted.

barefoot at the concert

As unexpected a good time as the concert was (PS - I no longer consider myself not a jam band girl), who could have guessed I'd leave the concert with some lessons in business?! What was really great about this is that it didn't feel business. It was about a connection with the audience.

As I watched and listened, here are some observations I had:

It's All about the Experience:
The Grateful Dead welcomes people recording their shows. At most other shows, there are no recording/ no picture rules. Not at a Dead show. You are expected to record your experience. Ever heard of the expression people don't remember what you said, they remember how you made them feel? I've never felt and seen it so true. Fans record the show, copy it and share it with their friends. The net effect is a giant conversation phenomenon. Holy word of mouth, Batman! Companies hire PR and Marketers by the millions to get the same effect.
Lesson Learned: Too much proprietary information is archaic. Open your business, and let everyone in on the experience and they will share it.
The belle&beanzer experience: I'm sharing my belle&beanzer venture adventure in this blog. I'm going to listen to you. I'm going to incorporate your voice in the line. It's truly a garment line made with supporting families in mind. Less struggles, and more snuggles!!

Engage your audience with a new twist on familiar theme
If you've been to a Dead show, you know that a reason fans record the show is because they cant wait to anticipate what's next, and they want to remember/relive this later themselves and with others. The three guitarists lead the listeners on a journey. They drop hints in the transitional jams for what is to come. In doing so, they create a joyful expectant anticipation and they are right there with their audience. One plays the song now, one plays pieces of the song next, and one bridges the two melodically. As I understand it, each show is different, but the same. Not all the same songs are played, but it's all songs you know linked together in new creative ways. As I listened to this, I was actually amazed at the skill and talent it took. It was beautiful.
Lesson Learned: There is comfort and security in a familiar experience, but the surprises are key.
The belle&beanzer theme: We've taken all your baby basics and redesigned them for simplicity. When things are simpler, there is a natural grace and ease that follows. And that opens the door for more humor and connection.


What's old isn't always old, it can be awesome again.
After the show, I was way intrigued by The Dead. So, I started listening to The Dead channel on XM. The station replays shows from across the years, at different venues. Guess what? People remembered where they were, what they were doing, who they were with, how they felt...just like A and I felt transported. They're there again right along with the music.
Lesson learned: Amazing experiences are timeless.
The belle&beanzer legacy: All our clothes are high quality fabric and construction. They will be able to be passed down and passed on. They are soft, snuggly and utterly huggable. You will remember the closeness you've had with your little one in our clothes. How it felt to hold your baby, and have had time laugh and connect, rather than distract and hurry through a dressing or changing.

I'm so proud that we're creating quality garments that have real intention to support and connect families.

The update: I'm going through the process of deciding on a factory, picking the final fabric and updating the garment design. Not to mention, my logo, business cards and website features. All this busy-ness is why it's been so long since my last post. Staying true to sharing the experience, as soon as the garment updates are done, I'll do a fun post about the prototyping process with pics and video. I'm so grateful that my baby model moms have been so willing to share a pic of their little one. Also, I'm thinking through the tithing aspect of my business. I've known that I want the business to stand for something, to give back. My friend, and AMAZING marketing consultant, Deb, connected the dots for me. She clearly pointed out that if a key value of the business is to support families, why not contribute to a charity that does just that. LOVE THAT! It is so simple, and directly aligned with the simplicity and family support business values. I'm looking into ones that exist, and what it would take to create my own if it doesn't exist. Any ideas?? Please comment, send links, let me know!

What do you think about my Grateful Dead business lessons? Can you relate?

What are some business lessons you've learned in unexpected places?

What are your top three business lessons you've learned in general?

5 people want to know...

So, my blog is up and running. BIG milestone for me! As my husband cheered me on,
"That's great, babe! What's on your mind? Five people want to know!!" (wink, wink)
Well, you five fabulous people, than you for following me. I hope I keep it interesting for you!

Once upon a time...I was a full-time working mom and wife. I commuted almost 4 hours a day. I worked about 12 hours a day. I skipped my lunch break to try and get out at a reasonable time, and it wasn't enough...for anyone. Truth be told, I was distracted at work. I was unfulfilled. I was missing my children, my husband, a life. I had so much to do, to juggle, I had to multi-task and cram my personal life into the cracks and crevices of my work life. Sound familiar?

The whole thing became impossible. It was a broken routine. We knew it, we talked about it, and yet what to do about it? We HAD to keep going like that... Didn't we? We had no choices...Did we? This what what people HAVE to do...Don't they?

We all have those moments of clarity, right? When all the waffling, confusion, and areas of gray are no longer. Your instincts are like a tuning fork, and the message is a buzz in your head that is loud and clear. You crumble your pro and con list, toss it in the garbage. You know what you have to do. You know what is next. The fear is gone. It's going to work out.

I had that moment. I remember I walked down to the loud busy street in NYC. I looked around. I watched all the people headed to their next destination. I thought about the mornings I'd rushed through those door. I called my husband and said, "This is over. This whole thing we've been struggling with. It's over." I could feel a ball of excitement forming in my stomach. I was totally sure this was the right thing to do. So, was Andrew.  Quick thoughts about Andrew...For anything we've ever disagreed about along the way, he's NEVER held me back from change. He's been my support, my cheerleader, and my voice telling me that it'll all work out.

From there it was a series of conversations, and 4.5 years of my life was over. It's amazing how much time you invest in your job, and how quickly your paperwork can be wrapped up in the end.

I. Never. Looked. Back.

Ava, Me and Jonah - August 2010