Crayon Writer

Somewhere in the blogosphere I read a post about the origin of blog names.

I thought I’d share with you how I came up with Crayon Writer.

It was pretty difficult at first, since so many good domains are taken. But I knew I wanted to talk about writing in the title, and I knew that my being a mother was important too.

Even though it was difficult to come up with, the concept is actually pretty simple.

I’m a writer who’s the mother of a toddler. When I need to write something in a hurry, I can never find a pen that works. So what do I reach for? A crayon. They’re everywhere. If I stick my hand in the couch, I’m sure to find one quickly.

So there you go. I write with crayons because my toddler uses crayons. I’m a crayon writer. And proud of it. The only problem is that my daughter gets upset when I use her crayons. “That’s MY crayon!”

Sigh…. Maybe I should change the name to Imaginary Pen Writer.

How did you come up with your blog’s name?

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Freelance writing is definitely still part of my life, and I’ve recently decided to add another business to my life.

I strongly want to have a flexible schedule so I can spend time with my daughter. So a home-based network marketing business is a great fit for me right now.

I might have to start another blog now, but the next few months are sure to be an adventure.

Without going into much detail about the business (I’ll save that for another post or another blog), I would like to direct my loyal readers to the Donation button in the left-most side panel. Starting a new business takes a little capital, and I don’t think I’ve ever directly asked for folks to take notice of it.

So if you’re so inclined, click on it and donate away! Any amount will be a great help so I can hit the ground running. If not, no worries.

Just keep reading Crayon Writer, comment when you feel the urge, and enjoy!

Have you ever worked in a network marketing/direct sales business?

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I’m moving to a bigger apartment, so I’m in the middle of a home makeover.

So it fits that I would find out about this cute home makeover contest (I wish I’d entered).

Now it’s down to the semi-finalists, and the public gets to vote on their favorite from the semi-finalist gallery.

My favorite is the one with a family of girls and their mother. They videotaped a little mini-movie, going from room to room talking about where to place their TriScents plugins. The “acting” is really cute, and I like how they edited the video. As a mother, I really enjoyed watching a family with children work together. They seemed to have a lot of fun.

Some of the others were interesting too, and a close second was the family with triplet babies and a 3-year-old. The only reason I didn’t vote for them is because the only person speaking was the preschooler. The entry I voted for seemed like it had more teamwork. Of course, you can choose your own favorite. Don’t let me sway you.

Here’s screenshot of the video I liked:

If they win, they’ll get a $20,000 home makeover with Tanya Memme. Whichever semi-finalist gets the most votes will be the winner, obviously, and you can vote everyday until June 7. So go vote for your favorite, and vote often.

Back to packing. I’ve got my own makeover to complete.

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In my quest to make freelance writing work for my family, I joined a freelance writers’ group on Yahoo. It’s a great resource for anyone wanting support and advice for their commercial writing business.

One of the members, Danny Thompson, started a Yahoo Group to help freelance writers survive. It’s completely free, it has tons of resources in the Files section, and it sends you daily reminders for your business. He acknowledges that it may not fit your particular situation perfectly, but there are definitely gems for any business owner.

Check out Danny’s free group, Freelance Survival Training. You won’t be disappointed. Remember to check out the Files section too.

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I can dream, can’t I?

A vacation would be wonderful, especially since the last time I went anywhere just for the fun of it was the Bahamas, and I won’t tell you how long ago that was (or how short my visit was). It was beautiful, though. The beach was amazing, with sand that was so white, and with ocean water that was so clear and blue. I’d love to go back one day.

Because I lived in Detroit, I often visited Canada. And thanks to Anne of Green Gables (one of my favorite non-fantasy/sci-fi book series), I’ve always wanted to go to Prince Edward Islands. One day I’ll have to check out the rates for flights to Canada from Arizona.

I just found out about a company called DialAFlight where you talk with someone over the phone to book your next vacation or holiday. If I’m ever in the market, I’ll definitely see how they compare to other travel agencies. It never hurts to shop around.

When was your last vacation? Where did you go?

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Well, it’s time for me and my daughter to move to a bigger apartment. The next couple of weeks should be–interesting.

The good news is we’re moving from a tiny one-bedroom to a roomy two-bedroom with a cute backyard (with our own cacti). My daughter doesn’t know she’s really a Georgia peach. She just adores cactus. I’ll be happy because a natural backyard will have lots of bird life. There’s a honeysuckle plant (which will attract hummingbirds), and a neighbor has a feeder with quail and other visitors.

The bad news is that I’ll have to be without an Internet connection for 3 days! Gasp! That’s an eternity. I’ll be frequenting the local coffee shops with free wi-fi, but it’ll be a pain. Then again, moving is a pain anyway.

I’m considering getting a wireless provider so I can use the Internet anywhere I go with my laptop. It would come in handy for working while I’m watching my daughter play at a park or whatever. If you have this type of service, what do you recommend?

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Every child is different, no matter how child care centers try to spin it. My daughter simply doesn’t like daycare in the large center environment, or at least not the one we tried. After going for 3 days, she got a terrible cold. But even before the cold hit, by the 3rd day she was crying when talking about school.

After recovering from the cold, we tried again. As soon as she saw the teacher she burst into tears. “I don’t want to take a nap!” she yelled at the teacher. We went for two more days anyway, no more than 3 hours each time, and she was miserable.

My inquisitive, happy, energetic toddler was a crying mess. At home she told me, “Don’t leave me! Mommy stay with me. I don’t want to take a nap!”

On the other hand, her best friend just started there and simply loves it.

They’re all different.

Now I’m looking into a smaller daycare situation, or one where the main teacher stays in the room 95% of the time at least. This place had 13 two-year-olds in the classroom, so it was chaos. Oh, and did I mention that we came down with the stomach flu after taking her back for just 2 days? Yuck!

Back to the drawing board.

What daycare situations have worked for you, especially if you kept your children at home for several years before attempting child care?

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I think that one of the most important parts of a freelancing business is generating viable leads. I’ve done my share of cold emailing and cold calling, and that’s definitely one way to get leads. Perusing the classifieds for companies that are looking to hire permanent people with my skills is another.

Recently I found a web site that offers to find leads for your business to business telemarketing needs. It might be worth it to take a look at their services if you’re looking to build your business.

Have you tried a lead generating service like The Lead Dogs? If you haven’t, would you? Why or why not?

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Crayon Writer is more than one year old, and I don’t think I’ve ever participated in a “meme.” I’ve always wanted to, though, and I’ve finally gotten my chance. Thanks for thinking of me Mrs. M. from New York Renovator!

This meme is supposed to be 7 useful things about me. Here goes!

1. I have a degree in biology, but my first job after college was as an assistant editor.

2. My favorite books to read are fantasy/sci-fi, and I love those kinds of movies too.

3. I am a single mother by choice, and I am an attachment parent for the most part.

4. I went to law school for almost a year (the year I was pregnant, actually).

5. I can identify more than 100 bird species by sight and/or sound. Comes in handy when I’m watching a TV show and they claim to be in city X and I know the bird call in the distance doesn’t live anywhere near that part of the country or in that habitat.

6. I am passionate and knowledgeable about preventing domestic violence and changing laws to more strongly prosecute the criminals who commit domestic violence crimes.

7. This probably isn’t news to anyone who reads my blog regularly, but I want to homeschool my daughter as long as she wants me to.

Well, that’s all I could think of. Hopefully you learned something new and interesting about me.

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Mother’s Day is around the corner, and with it might come a unique marketing opportunity. If any of your clients are mothers, it might not hurt to wish them a happy day. But be careful. Only wish them a happy mother’s day if they are a mother. I remember being nowhere near motherhood, not even pregnant, and cringing whenever someone said it to me. I desperately wanted to be a mother, and hearing that was hard.

This Mother’s Day I’m going to spend time with my daughter, (the best present I could wish for…as long as she’s in a good mood). For my own mother, who makes everything I do possible, I want to give her the world to show her my gratitude. Instead, I’ll make sure she gets to visit with her granddaughter, and I’ll give her a day of rest and relaxation. I can’t say too much here (since she’s a devoted reader of my blog).

When I wasn’t living down the street from my mother I sent her gifts via companies like 1-800-Flowers. They always had great gift ideas, including flowers for mothers, spa sets, and more.

What are you doing for your mother, or for your clients that are mothers, on Mother’s Day?

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