I grew up as an only child in a small town in Northern NJ and spent most of my life there. I lived upstate NY for a few years during and after college but am now back in NJ – not necessarily by choice – I can think of many other places I’d like to live, but my family is here so here is where I’ll stay.
I spent a few years of my adult life teaching pre-k and soon found that it really wasn’t the career I wanted. I morphed my educational background into the corporate training world and spent 11 years developing curriculum for different businesses. My last job before mommyhood was as Education Director for a high end hair product company. I spent over 7 years writing curriculum and developing classes that helped Salon Owners and Managers improve their businesses. I worked in NYC, loved my job and the people I worked with.
I met my lovely husband on Match.com in 2001, back when computer dating services were a bit taboo. Now it is the norm, but back then it was embarrassing to tell people you were using it! John and I clicked immediately and our relationship quickly grew. Within 2 years we were engaged, a year later married and a year later pregnant.
With that pregnancy came the most difficult decision of my life. During the pregnancy I was convinced I would go back to work after my maternity leave was up – that changed almost immediately after Nicole was born. I struggled with the decision because I just couldn’t imagine leaving this little baby in daycare while I commuted back and forth to NYC and worked long hours but I also couldn’t imagine giving up my job. Handing in my resignation was extremely difficult, but I knew it was right for me. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss it – there is something to be said for having a demanding and fulfilling career, but as demanding as that job was, I’ve found being a stay-at-home Mom just as demanding.
Another thing I was sure of was that Nicole would be our only child. My husband and I were in our mid-late 30s and we didn’t think we wanted to have another child later in life. After Nicole’s 2nd birthday we couldn’t help but want a sibling for her. For me growing up as an only child was fine, but it is now that I find myself wishing I had a sister or brother to share my life with….I didn’t want Natalie to feel the same way. Ten months later Marie was born.
So how did Sewplicity happen? Well, for about 3 years after having Nicole I continued to work as an education consultant for Bb. I commuted to NYC 2x per week and found that those two days were just enough for me to give my brain a much appreciated and needed challenge. It also gave me the satisfaction of contributing financially to the family.
After Marie was born, heading back into the city, even for 2 days /week was not as appealing. I didn’t want to put her in daycare until she was at least 1 yr old, and at that point the company had made some major changes, many of the people I worked with for years were no longer there, and the feel of the place changed. I just didn’t have the desire to go back. But I did have the desire to do something for myself….I could feel my vocabulary slowly dwindling and my brain struggling. As much as I love my kids – I knew I needed something more.
I started sewing (which I have done on and off my entire life) as a way to escape into my own head and relax. I highly recommend that every Mom have something that they do for themselves….as important as our kids are, we need to pay attention to our own needs or we will never be the parents we wish or hope to be.
Sewplicity started as a blog. I thought I would write about patterns I have completed, offer suggestions and reviews and throw in some tips and techniques.
A few friends suggested I sell some of my things on eBay so I tried it out and found that my things were selling. Soon I was talking to my husband about opening a small business with the idea that it wouldn’t really do anything for a while with the hope that I could build it up over the next 2 years so I could work from home when the kids went to school.
Sewplicity picked up a lot quicker than expected. It took both of us by surprise when after six months I decided to put Marie into daycare 2x/week to allow me time to fulfill orders. I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard in my life. Aside from sewing, there is the whole part of “running the business”. I sew a minimum of 30 hrs/week (2 full days and most nights and weekends) and then another 6-10 hours of administrative work. There is rarely a day that I go to bed before 11:30, and I haven’t watched TV in about 6 months.
At times I get a bit overwhelmed, but the self-satisfaction of running a business is
worth it, and hopefully I can keep it up and maintain my dream of picking my girls up from school and spending the afternoon with them.So I invite you to come along on my journey of life, business and family.
Where in NJ did you grow up?
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