Tag: mom entrepreneur

  • How I Balance The 3 B’s: Baby, Boo, And Business

    How I Balance The 3 B’s: Baby, Boo, And Business

    Life is a balancing act. No matter what you have going on. Work, family, friends, the pandemic…there’s just so much that we all deal with on a daily basis. Balance is a must. Don’t you think? 🤔

    Life work balance

    Without balance, I don’t know what rock I would be hiding under right now. To be honest. Balancing all of the aspects with my business, my 15 month old son, and my amazing boo hasn’t been easy. But I try to put my best effort towards it everyday.

    Here are some of the tips I use to try to make it all happen…

    Making a schedule

    Create a schedule.

    Everything is on a schedule from the time I read and reply to emails, blogging, sewing, even time with family. For Monday – Friday, at least. I take advantage of my sons nap times and plan my schedule around it. That way, I don’t have to stress about whether or not it will get done. Scheduling is sooo important!

    Vocalize what I want or need.

    On the days that my husband is home from work. I always tell him what I want to do while he’s there. That way he knows what to expect. And if I need him to take the baby, or get clothes out of the dryer…I speak up. Speak up about what you need. It helps to let myself get overwhelmed.

    Prioritize what’s important.

    Daily lists can pile up but I make sure the important stuff is out of the way first. If there is something terribly important, I make sure to handle it as soon as I start my day. Rather it’s getting a newsletter done or creating a blog post, taking my baby to the doctor or making breakfast for my husband. If there is something terribly important, I make sure to handle it as soon as I start my day. Getting something accomplished is better than working on a bunch of different things and not completing any of them.

    Coffee and late nights.

    This one isn’t for everyone. But late nights are when I am the most productive. After I’ve made sure everyone is feed and the house is tidy. Once my husband and baby go to bed, I go to work. Sewing, planning, creating, whatever I can get done. No distractions. I really burn the “midnight oil” as the saying goes. There are nights that I stay up until the wee hours of the morning. But things get done and I wake up not feeling so much pressure about my daily to do list. I know that sleep is needed for good health so I try to limit this to every other day. Or just listen to my body. If I need sleep, I go to bed!

    Plan ahead

    There are some things that will remain the same, so it’s easy to plan for. For instance, my son will need breakfast, lunch, and dinner around the same time. So, I prepare his food before I start my day. Or I know that I’m going to need to post on social media so I grab one of the photos I took earlier in this week, create a caption and hashtags so I can post it quickly at IGs recommended time.

    Take it easy on myself.

    If something doesn’t get done. It just doesn’t and I put it on the to do list for the next day. There was a time when I’d stress if I didn’t get a chance to post something or respond to an email. Now, I’m quite the opposite. Life is too short and it isn’t worth the stress. Plus, I want to soak up every opportunity I have to share with those I love. It’s damn near impossible to do that when you stressed about everything.

    Check-in

    It’s not all about me. My son and husbands’ happiness is just as important a mine (if not more!). So, it’s important that I check in with them to see what they need too. It helps to make sure everyone feels equally important and more important than anything else I have going on. It definitely makes for a happy household.

    Self Care

    Taking time for myself is essential. It could be working out, taking a bath, painting nails, or sipping wine on the patio. Whatever you need to feel good about yourself and feel rejuvenated. You are no good to anyone if you don’t feel good about yourself.

    Hope these help if you are struggling with balance. What tips would you add?? Let me know in the comments…

    Stay Fearless 💋

  • What I’ve Learned About Going From Entrepreneur To Mompreneur

    What I’ve Learned About Going From Entrepreneur To Mompreneur

    As you might already know, I became a mom to my first baby in May. Having my baby boy has truly been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I completely understand now, what a mothers love really is. His happiness consumes me. It’s one of my main goals in life. I never thought I’d be the type of mom to pull out my phone and shows his pictures to any and everyone. Im that Mom times 10. The bad part of it since we are in quarantine is that I only come in contact with the same group of people. My mom, brother, 2 nieces, and nephew. Which means they are the lucky ones who get to view 100 new pics a day!

    Although, Im loving motherhood. I must admit that it presents some challenges when it comes to being an entrepreneur. Right now, Im literally holding him while he sleeps on my left arm and typing this on my laptop with my right hand.

    Before my son arrived, I didn’t feel pressure like I do now. In my mind, I had an endless amount of time to post, blog, sew, do pop ups…whatever. I was (and still am) a night owl so burning the midnight oil hustling was nothing to me. But now. Oh, hell no…Mama had to make some serious changes. Here is what I’ve learned and how I maneuver since going from entrepreneur to mompreneur.

    Take advantage of nap time.

    One piece of advice I heard more often than others was, “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” This sounds like great advice. But since Ive never been one to nap in the middle of the day. I found it super, difficult to take a full on nap at 2 in the afternoon. I make his nap time, my hustling time. My baby is a lil’ over 3 months so I hold him…alot. Which means I don’t have much free arm time. So, while I’m holding him, I do as much as I can that requires me to sit in one position. From writing as many blog posts as possible, creating content for newsletters and social media, shopping online for new fabric, etc.

    Patience really is a virtue.

    Baby boy doesn’t care what I want to accomplish for the day. He could care less if I’m on a business or Zoom call. Not to mention how much sewing I have to do. I throw any frustration out of the window when he needs to be fed, changed, or wants to eat or play when I’m working. I always remember he will only be this small for a short amount of time. Be patient and take full advantage of the precious moments we can share.

    Don’t be afraid to ask for an extra hand.

    Like most mothers, I want to do it all. Run a business, change every diaper, do every feeding, and not miss one moment. But asking for a helping hand doesn’t mean you aren’t killing it at motherhood. I mean…I just realized that its okay for my husband to take care of him while I’m sewing. He loves him too!

    Don’t forget about you.

    Speaking of asking for an extra hand. Don’t forget about your own self care. This doesn’t mean you have to leave the house without the baby for hours. I’m certainly not there. Self-care could be having Dad sit with him while you take a bath or do a face mask. Such a small act can reap big benefits in making you feel like you!

    Strategize as much as possible.

    Create a list of your goals for the day, week, or month. Then knock the items off your list as you get free time. All of your tasks will be accomplished before you know it.

    Set realistic goals.

    This has been a huge one for me! Before the baby, I could cut fabric and completely sew a dress within 2 days. Now?! Well, it takes about that long to gather the fabric and cut the pieces. Maybe a day or two longer?? Two days to complete a look is no longer realistic. Its a joke really. Now, I set a more realistic timeframe to finish a garment. And I adjust the time, if needed. No use in putting extra stress in myself.

    Invest in a blanket carrier.

    When all else fails, put your baby in the carrier to keep him/her close to you and keep it moving. I received one during my baby shower. But only planned on using it while we were out. Until one day, I ran across thread in a Facebook group where the women were talking about how they were able to get so much done while their baby was in a carrier. I finally decided to give it a try and let me tell you…it’s a life saver!

    I recently read an article about a mother who was successfully running her own business. She despised being labeled as Mompreneur. She felt like it discredited her as a business women. I feel the exact opposite. I find that being a Mom while running a business is a great accomplishment. Back in the day, it was thought that once you become a Mom, you pretty much gave up on your dream. Being a mom while running a business is such a great way to show everyone that this idea is soooo far from the truth. We can do it all now!

    Are you juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship? Thoughts on the tips or using the term mompreneur?? Drop your thoughts in the comments…

    Stay Fearless 💋

  • Back Like I Never Left, Meet My Son

    Back Like I Never Left, Meet My Son

    If you haven’t noticed, Ive been on a hiatus for a lil’ bit over a month now.  I’ve missed keeping you all posted so much.  I hope that you have missed reading Fashion Not Fear as much as I’ve missed writing it.

    Now, that Ive gotten that out of the way.  Let’s get to the reason why I’ve been missing in action.  Well, because I had my baby boy!!!!  He was born about one month ago.  And it has been the best time of my life!!  

    Although…it started out as the scariest time of my life.

    You see, I had a c-section scheduled because he was breech.  So, I felt comfort in knowing the day and approximate time that he’s supposed to be born.  Per my doctors request, I went to the hospital about 1 week before the scheduled date to take a COVID-19 test.  Then left, with a long list in my head off all of the things I had to do before he was born.  

    Unfortunately, that list didn’t last long.

    Two days after taking the test, I’m laying in the bed with my fiancé and my water broke.  It literally woke me out of my sleep.  “My water broke!”   I tell him.  He jumps out of bed, completely disregards the hospital bag we already packed, and starts running around the room.  While I’m standing in the hallway, leaking, he’s looking of clothes, shoes, calling my Mom…this is the first time I’ve seen him shook.  But it won’t be the last time.  

    We finally make it to the hospital sans pants.  Yep, I rode all the way to the hospital wearing only a t-shirt while sitting on a towel.  So I found myself trying to put on a pair of my fiancé sweatpants quickly before the nurse that was bringing out a wheelchair made it to the car.  Not to mention that my mom, nephew, brother, and sister-in-law beat us to the hospital.  So,  they were there with their cameras out as we pulled up.  They were not allowed inside due to COVID-19 so that was the most they could be involved.    

    After that, things happened so fast or so it seemed.

    I was so anxious about the pain to come.  Thankfully, I didn’t feel any contractions.  The nurses told me that I was having some but I didn’t feel a thing.  A couple of hours after we arrived, my doctor came in the room, gave me an exam and said, “Okay, we are going to get you ready for a c-section.”

    Heading to get a c-section

    They walk me into the operating room for an epidural.  The last thing I remember before the baby arrived was holding my fiance hand asking, “Am I holding onto your hand too tight?”  The next thing I know,  I wake up with the baby laying in a bassinet beside me while my fiancé was sleeping on the couch.  Once he woke up he gave me all of the ghory details about my surgery and what he saw.  He was shook.  Yet again.  

    Im not gonna lie, healing through a c-section has been hard.  Simple things like getting up from a chair and picking up the baby has been difficult because Im so independent.  But my fiancé has been amazing and very patient.  My mother has been a great help, too.

    We are just so grateful that he’s here.  The pain from surgery, sleepless nights, trying to decode his crying spells, constantly wondering if he’s okay, figuring out breastfeeding…its all worth it!  None of it matters when I look at him.  I just want to love on him all day.   He really is the best thing I’ve ever made!

    So, today starts my first day back from maternity leave.  Im back to creating content, sewing, building up Blue Labels Boutique and my fashion brand.  All of that while being a top notch mother to my son.  I know it won’t be easy but nothing ever is and I love a challenge.

    Now, without further ado…meet my son, Aayan.

    Aayan baby pic
    4 Days Old!

    Any tips on balancing it all?  Let me know in the comments…

    Stay Fearless 💋