Welcome to Momma's Rambles #001
Hey there! Thanks for stopping in to checkout my blog!
"Momma's Rambles" will be a series of blog posts that will give you a peek into my life (Tabitha). I'd like to fill this blog with relatable stories, fun projects & crafts, tutorials and walk-throughs, easy recipes, and beginner (Urban) homesteading projects that anyone can try at home. I hope that my posts will be a place you come to get a giggle or two! My sister Samantha is the Author, and I won't claim the same title. I'll do my best to include proper grammar and punctuation- but I'll be honest with you too... If you're looking for a well-formatted story with no errors, you came to the wrong place! I hope you'll chose to stick around and share these ideas with your friends and family.
Where to start....
Well, I'll be upfront with you guys. I've never had a blog, or honestly ever done anything close. I have NO CLUE what I'm doing, but that's okay! If you've read this far already, I'm sure my best efforts will be adequate haha.
I'll start with a little intro
Hey there, I'm Tabitha! Welcome to my little slice of the web.
I'm a lucky momma to two beautiful little babes. My son is a little over 2 and my daughter just had her first birthday.
As a young momma, I've done what I thought was best- that included devoting my whole self to my children and letting myself disappear. I love my family above all else, but how can I raise them to be strong & happy little humans if I can't use myself as an example. I'd lost sense of who I was as a person, but my new business has helped me find her!
In April 2020 Midwest Momma Boutique started as just small crafts from friends that I'd do in my spare time (AKA naptime). Each day I spent more and more time crafting. I worked with my little baby boy in the strap-on carrier, slowly creeping closer to my due date for our second child.
That hot day in June arrived sooner than I'd planned. I went into labor with weeks' worth of craft orders for folks all over the country!... fast forward to a year later, and here I am with Midwest Momma Boutique as an official LLC, a semi-stable source of income for my family.
I've built my website from the ground up and stocked it with items made by myself only! That means each & every item purchased from Midwest Momma Boutique was created, stitched, or designed by yours truly, Tabitha (me). All of my crafting is done at home while my babies are scooting across the floor or bouncing on my back. I wouldn't have my life any other way!
No one's marriage is as perfect as it seems, but we need to remember that the idea of "perfect" is most definitely unattainable and unrealistic.
I'm proud to say that I'm married to my life-partner & husband, Layton. He is the level-headed side of our couple. He is the rock of our family and my best friend. Every day, he shows me how a person can change and grow. He's the prime example of a supportive partner who can be there to hold you up when things get heavy. Each day we work on improving who we are as separate people- which moves us one step closer to our new life as a stronger couple & even stronger parents.
Okay, I'll stop being all mushy for now. Let's move onto the topics for this post-
- Where my creativity has been & where it's moving to
- Physically relocating and what it means for our family
- What this Momma is struggling with & what has helped
Here comes the Ramble...
Creativity
MMB (Midwest Momma Boutique) has acted as an outlet for my over-flowing creativity.... which is broad area to cover.
Since 2021, I've been focusing on customized shoes & little accessories that allow my mind to relax (because it's SO NOISEY UP THERE).
The customized Hey Dudes have been a hit- It's safe to say that I've hand-Stitched, beaded or painted over 100+ pairs of shoes since starting my business. They're a best-seller. But they're also quite a bit time-consuming. I've been customizing about 4-5 pairs per week for the last couple months, but there doesn't seem to be a noticeable pattern which makes it difficult to rely on them as a steady source of revenue. I will continue spicing up shoes, but I've been making plans to divert some of my creativity elsewhere in hopes of reaching steady & reliable income.
I've been researching & brainstorming for a while... and I have decided to create a line of digital products to be listed on my website. I plan to make designs that highlight the "western" themes that have boldly shown up in my life. Becoming a momma & wife, business owner, Cattle, hunting, western fashion, turquoise, and honestly anything that makes me happy while I create it!
Just a funny note-I spent all morning typing the blog post out while my babes interjected about every 2 minutes, ran the dog to the vet for shots, responded to customer messages, dropped packages at the post office, skipped nap-time, cleaned up the new messes around the house, and I got up to change a diaper and came back to a dead laptop... which means all of the paragraphs I had typed up to this point had been lost....... BBBBAAAAAHHHH! Deep breaths Tabitha, take your day one sentence and mess at a time... also remember to save the draft after every section.... *Insert facepalm*
Items, products and serves I plan to add to my website in the near future:
- Custom Decals & Stickers
- Leatherwork & Cowhide Products
- Hand-made Fishing Lures (specifically designed for ND region)
- Sublimination Printing & Products
- Art Supplies & Materials
- Small Business essentials & materials
- Artwork painted by yours truly
- Downloadable Graphics
My major focus will be the downloadable graphics (SVGs, JPEGs, Sublimation Patterns, Cut Files, Editable stationary) geared towards small businesses in hopes of sharing my artwork with as many folks as possible!
Relocating
Struggling with..
The hardest part of my day is balancing all of the tasks! I'm probably the worst homemaker you'll ever meet- my husband can attest. Don't get me wrong, I've made leaps and bounds when it comes to skills like cooking, we went from Hamburger Helper NIGHTLY to about 4 home-cooked meals a week, but there's still plenty of progress to be made. Keeping up with a one-year-old and two-year-old, running a business, cleaning a home, making healthy and well-balanced meals from scratch 3x per day, keep myself well-rested and physically active, being a supportive and reliable partner, sister, mother, friend, daughter....
How am I, as one woman with two babies and a herd of dogs, supposed to get everything done??
Here's the secret solution... I... am... not... There is no physical way for one person to get all of these tasks completed each day alone. I've spent months letting myself drown in the constant worry of not being and doing "enough"... but I'm done holding myself to these impossible standards.
Now, I've started taking my days 1 task, 1 load of laundry, 1 sentence, and 1 glass of water at a time (H2O is probably the most difficult part haha!).
Checkout this book- it's been on replay all week and I will continue to listen every chance I get. It has helped me open my eyes and realize that my babies are just that- Babies... and all I can do is help them grow and parent with the most understanding and responsive mindset that I can.
I can't get a break long enough to read, so Audiobooks are my go-to!
1 comment
I’m so proud of the young woman you are transforming into. And it warms my heart you have chosen your art and craft skills for you journey. Love you baby girl.