I receive an email from a potential wholesaler in another country asking for line sheets and an order form. This is very common, so I send them. A few days later he emails that he would like to place a large order and pay by credit card to ship immediately--oh, and by the way, could I use a shipper he always works with? Sure.
I email the shipper--which is a gmail address, by the way, so at this point I already know it's bad news. The shipper emails back the shipping quote of $800. Hee hee. AND he only takes Western Union, is that a problem? Nah, why should it be? Everyone knows that all above-board business exchanges happen with Western Union. Standard Practice here in the USA. So I let the "store owner" know that he'll have to pay credit card for the entire amount, and I'll then pay the shipper...here's an invoice. An invoice in which the shipping is actually more than the product ordered. No prob.
Soon after the email comes with 2 card numbers--again, TOTALLY legit. The "store owner" asks me to run each card twice for different amounts to "break it up." Sure. OH--and "please keep all credit card info private." Of course. Why wouldn't I?
This is where it gets really annoying. I call the credit cards to report that their "owner" is a weirdo, only to discover that neither card has "a department" or "protocol" to deal with someone calling to report this. I simply ask them to call the card holder and find out if they are trying to purchase a large wholesale order of children's products--because I bet they aren't. "We'll take care of it. Thanks for calling."
That's what I get for trying to be a crime fighter. I tried. I'd like to think someone would do it for me.
Funny, though. When I emailed him to apologize for his cards declining, and give him another option for payment, he never responded. Huh.
Mindless Television
Has anyone else noticed that the more complex your life gets, and the less sleep you have to cope with it, the simpler your television watching becomes?
I found myself watching "Wife Swap" the other night. Not that it's a bad show, on the contrary I found it to have a profound meaning...and yes, that is what I am talking about.
I have a friend who is in a book club, belongs to movie groups who view independent movies and discuss them afterwards over a glass of wine...I read "Real Simple" magazine at the dentist's office last week and learned how to clean my kid's humidifier. Oh, and I found out that Angelina and Brad are "so happy" with their family of 8. Good for them.
I know it won't last forever. And when it's gone I'll long for the days when all my kids want is to play crazy eights for HOURS and have me chase them around the house pretending to be a cheetah. A day will come when I can return to HBO series and Netflix.
It's good to have goals.
I found myself watching "Wife Swap" the other night. Not that it's a bad show, on the contrary I found it to have a profound meaning...and yes, that is what I am talking about.
I have a friend who is in a book club, belongs to movie groups who view independent movies and discuss them afterwards over a glass of wine...I read "Real Simple" magazine at the dentist's office last week and learned how to clean my kid's humidifier. Oh, and I found out that Angelina and Brad are "so happy" with their family of 8. Good for them.
I know it won't last forever. And when it's gone I'll long for the days when all my kids want is to play crazy eights for HOURS and have me chase them around the house pretending to be a cheetah. A day will come when I can return to HBO series and Netflix.
It's good to have goals.
Shipping to Canada?
Starting a new company is like having a baby. Every day someone asks you something you don't know the answer to, and you then spend entirely too much time researching the right answer, so that the next time someone asks you, you know.
"What's the most time efficient and inexpensive say to ship a 14 pound box to Canada?"
"What's your MOQ for direct delivery from China to New Zealand?"
"You are taking omega 3's and calcium, right? You know it's crucial when the baby is developing kidneys..."
"uh..."
Luckily I enjoy troubleshooting. I think that's why having my own company, as well as having children, seems to work for me. You have to be willing to NOT know. Put on your game face, and find out the answer. Or make it up.
"Mom, if the Earth implodes because the sun turns off, will we get on a spaceship to mars to live? Can we pack snacks?"
"Were unicorns and dinosaurs friends?"
"Can you make 3000 custom pantone purple Carabeans and have them in Las Vegas by next week?"
I like my jobs. They freak me out, but the challenge keeps me moving. Thank heavens for Google.
"What's the most time efficient and inexpensive say to ship a 14 pound box to Canada?"
"What's your MOQ for direct delivery from China to New Zealand?"
"You are taking omega 3's and calcium, right? You know it's crucial when the baby is developing kidneys..."
"uh..."
Luckily I enjoy troubleshooting. I think that's why having my own company, as well as having children, seems to work for me. You have to be willing to NOT know. Put on your game face, and find out the answer. Or make it up.
"Mom, if the Earth implodes because the sun turns off, will we get on a spaceship to mars to live? Can we pack snacks?"
"Were unicorns and dinosaurs friends?"
"Can you make 3000 custom pantone purple Carabeans and have them in Las Vegas by next week?"
I like my jobs. They freak me out, but the challenge keeps me moving. Thank heavens for Google.
Does it count?
As a parent, one of the things I have found in common with other parents is the new found doubt in our appeal to those who are not married to us, or conceived by us. I don't even remember the last time someone held a door for me, or asked me...well, asked me anything other than "oh, how old is she?" or "Wow, expecting another?" The last one, by the way, was asked by a woman two aisles over in Trader Joe's to which I bitterly replied, "No, I'm just fat." That was a great day.
Today, however was different. I was out for a nap time walk with my little one, dressed in a lovely ensemble of capri sweat pants, dirty tank top and MBTs. (MBTs, by the way, are simply delightful. People will ask you why you are wearing such "interesting" shoes, but your back will feel fantastic. So treat yourself.)
It happened.
"Woo hoo! Yeah Baby! Nice one!"
I look up to see a white van with a man hanging out the window. A paper bag in one hand, and a long flowing mullet blowing behind him, he gave me the thumbs up and blew me a kiss.
Most women would be immediately horrified and disgusted, but all I could think about was, "does this count as being whistled at?"
I decided it did, but still felt the need to ask everyone I talked to for their opinion. So far everyone agrees that I can count it, and that's good enough for me.
Today, however was different. I was out for a nap time walk with my little one, dressed in a lovely ensemble of capri sweat pants, dirty tank top and MBTs. (MBTs, by the way, are simply delightful. People will ask you why you are wearing such "interesting" shoes, but your back will feel fantastic. So treat yourself.)
It happened.
"Woo hoo! Yeah Baby! Nice one!"
I look up to see a white van with a man hanging out the window. A paper bag in one hand, and a long flowing mullet blowing behind him, he gave me the thumbs up and blew me a kiss.
Most women would be immediately horrified and disgusted, but all I could think about was, "does this count as being whistled at?"
I decided it did, but still felt the need to ask everyone I talked to for their opinion. So far everyone agrees that I can count it, and that's good enough for me.
Awkward?
I would imagine we have all been there as parents...you are at the park, your kid starts playing with another kid and you strike up a conversation with the parent. Two hours later, you and your new mommy buddy are laughing and having a great time while your kids play together beautifully. Then it happens. One of you has to leave, and there is that moment. The "wow I had a really great time on our first date" moment. The "I'm not sure if I should give you my number so we can have a playdate" moment. So you both just stand there and go through as many goodbyes as you can before one of you has to break away and throw in the towel. Driving home, you wonder if you made the right decision...
The only thing MORE awkward than this is when the parent is a dad.
I had this happen yesterday. At the beach, kids playing together and having such a great time, Dad and I talking about hybrid cars and minivans..."wow, you live right in our neighborhood!"..."Oh, your wife sounds great!" Blah, blah, blah...then it was time for him to head out for his youngest to take her nap.
We stood there.
"Well..."
"So nice to meet you..."
"Yeah..."
Then he left. Awkward.
I have decided that we should create a code word for other parents so that everyone can know that it's ok to ask the other parent for a playdate, but if one isn't interested, they can just ignore the signal and leave. Hmmmm...it would have to be something subtle, but obvious enough that we would get it. "I really like Cracker Jacks," or "wasn't the Electric Company a great show?"
I'll work on this one, I think it's worthy...let's save ourselves from this.
The only thing MORE awkward than this is when the parent is a dad.
I had this happen yesterday. At the beach, kids playing together and having such a great time, Dad and I talking about hybrid cars and minivans..."wow, you live right in our neighborhood!"..."Oh, your wife sounds great!" Blah, blah, blah...then it was time for him to head out for his youngest to take her nap.
We stood there.
"Well..."
"So nice to meet you..."
"Yeah..."
Then he left. Awkward.
I have decided that we should create a code word for other parents so that everyone can know that it's ok to ask the other parent for a playdate, but if one isn't interested, they can just ignore the signal and leave. Hmmmm...it would have to be something subtle, but obvious enough that we would get it. "I really like Cracker Jacks," or "wasn't the Electric Company a great show?"
I'll work on this one, I think it's worthy...let's save ourselves from this.
Amazon.com
Everyone told me to list my products on Amazon, so I did. I read the millions of confusing pages of catagories, listing ideas, photo uploads...and finally I did it! I felt a great sense of accomplishment at clearing the hurdles of yet another online store. The products looked great, page seemed as comprehensive as an Amazon page can get, and I was on my way.
Until I received the email about $39.95 being charged to my account this morning.
"Huh?" I said out loud as I read it. Then I went into my Amazon account and searched around about this fee. Couldn't find it. So I called...
Turns out the "30 day fee trial" was for a web store, and I was merely selling items. Confusing? Yes.
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"The icon you clicked to enter the area where you set up the store."
Crap.
So I explained my stupidity and hoped she would feel sorry for me and reverse the charge and make me happy about my account. Instead, she directed me to the page I somehow skipped that explains the fee.
Crap.
Now I'm in a back and forth email conversation with a robot to try and get the account cancelled. As if the phone conversation with the robot wasn't enough.
The worst part is that I'm outraged not only at them, but at myself for somehow missing this! I hate surprise fees, hidden charges...who doesn't? Lesson learned. I'll chalk it up to being naive and try to make it up to myself. Hmmmm, chocolate? Yes.
Until I received the email about $39.95 being charged to my account this morning.
"Huh?" I said out loud as I read it. Then I went into my Amazon account and searched around about this fee. Couldn't find it. So I called...
Turns out the "30 day fee trial" was for a web store, and I was merely selling items. Confusing? Yes.
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"The icon you clicked to enter the area where you set up the store."
Crap.
So I explained my stupidity and hoped she would feel sorry for me and reverse the charge and make me happy about my account. Instead, she directed me to the page I somehow skipped that explains the fee.
Crap.
Now I'm in a back and forth email conversation with a robot to try and get the account cancelled. As if the phone conversation with the robot wasn't enough.
The worst part is that I'm outraged not only at them, but at myself for somehow missing this! I hate surprise fees, hidden charges...who doesn't? Lesson learned. I'll chalk it up to being naive and try to make it up to myself. Hmmmm, chocolate? Yes.
Batman
I saw Batman this weekend. I love Batman movies, all of them. Val Kilmer is hot. Clooney, well, he's Clooney. Bale, smokin' hot too.
I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Carabeans? Other than the fact that the Black Licorice would be a fabulous accessory on the Bat Bike, and it would give me an excuse to snuggle up to the Batsuit, nothing. OH-and the Pumpkin Orange would have been a great grenade pull for the Joker, right?
I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Carabeans? Other than the fact that the Black Licorice would be a fabulous accessory on the Bat Bike, and it would give me an excuse to snuggle up to the Batsuit, nothing. OH-and the Pumpkin Orange would have been a great grenade pull for the Joker, right?
My Brain
One thing I did not anticipate when starting a new company was the constant spinning of the monkey brain. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night wondering if Carabeans will fit onto bicycle handle bars, or if people really do like having the option of 6 colors...is it too many choices? Should I keep it simple? Silly, silly, silly...but I'm totally obsessed. And loving it.
Day One
Today is the day I start the soon famous "Mommy Toolbox Blog." I'm sure people from all over the world are fantasizing about it, and now it's here.
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