Celebrate Dad this Father’s Day 2016

Celebrate Dad with His Own Dad Digest!!

tell dad how much you love him with his very own dad digest.

I am a big fan of letting the little ones get involved in showing their love for Dad as early as possible.  I always say parenting can be a thankless job, and everyone loves to be appreciated.  So let your babies get in on the action.  Not only is it something that Dad will always remember.  It is an opportunity to teach them not to take their loved ones for granted.  In the wake of the terrible Orlando tragedy, I am all about spreading love wherever and whenever I can.  So put on your party hats and lets Celebrate The Big Guy In Your Life.

Celebrate Dad with His Own Dad Digest!!

Make this Dad Digest Your Own!!

Download your Blank Copy here – Right Click  – Save – Print – Personalize and Frame.

Dad Digest Blank

To see the Other Father’s Day Printables that we have check out these posts from previous years here and here and here. And, to get a peak into our Simple but Dad Approved Father’s Day from last year follow this link here.

DAD’S ARE THE MOST ORDINARY MEN TURNED BY LOVE, INTO HEROES, ADVENTURERS, STORY-TELLERS AND SINGERS OF SONG. – PAM BROWN

“Pin-nable” AM Inspirational Quotes

START YOUR AM OFF THE RIGHT WAY WITH OUR INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES.

Pinnable Inspirational Quotes

Are you following us on Facebook and/or Instagram?  If not, there is no time like the present.  Every Morning, we kick off the day on FB and Instagram with our AM Inspirational Quotes.  Lately, we have been getting a lot of interest in these Posts.  I always like to start my day off by reading or hearing something positive and I guess I am not  alone.  But, unfortunately, you can’t Pin from Facebook and or Instagram.  So, users have been asking us about putting these quotes somewhere that they can save  and pin them .  Seems like a reasonable request, but, we are almost two years into our Positive AM Posts, that is a lot of content to post, all at once.

So we thought that we would gradually start to post them to the blog,  where you are free to pin away to your hearts content.

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A Lie

A River

AFool

In addition to sharing these AM Posts here, I will gradually start to add them to Our Pinterest Page as well, follow us here.

Looking for some more of my favorite quotes check out these posts here and here.  Coming soon… we will have a Header Page on the blog just for these.  Stay tuned for more information.

Things I learned in my 30’s

From Crayons to Perfume - Lessons Learned in my 30's

I can hardly believe that I’m 40 today.  I have battled with this more than a little bit.  I know that it beats all the alternatives ( i.e, not being alive).  But, still I am not sure I’m ready to accept it.   Each year has been a learning experience, teaching and un-teaching lessons.  And, with each day I become more and more comfortable in my own skin and I grow more confident in who I am and the things that I want and need. But, there have been some important things that I learned during my 30’s.

  • Being Called an Adult Doesn’t Make You One.  People will not always live up to your expectations, and you will not always live up to theirs.
  • Haste Makes Waste.  Take your time.  Think things through and be strategic whenever possible.
  • Love Yourself First… Warts and All.  Simply put, you can not expect others to love you if you do not love yourself and accept your own shortcomings.
  • You Probably Don’t Know More Than Your Parents.  Age affords you both experience and perspective.  I can admit today that I still don’t know as much as my mother does.  And her advice, unsolicited or not is usually sound.
  • Trust Your Gut.  I honestly believe for all intents and purposes you know a Lemon when you see one.
  • Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Achieving Your Goals.  I’ve done a lot of this.  It is something that I am still working on, but I feel like I have gotten better over time.
  • Struggle Builds Character.  NO ONE wants to struggle.  NO ONE wants to live in uncertainty.  But, who you come out being on the other side of that struggle.   Well, it can be amazing.
  • It’s Not Over Until It’s Over.  Whether you are 40 like I am today, or 70, if you have life and health and strength.  It Ain’t Over!!

Just for fun, I thought I would share some of my favorite/relevant/age approriate quotes with you.

Quotes on Life

Photo Source: MediaWebApps

Quotes on Women

And, if you got this far, as a special thanks for celebrating my birthday with me, I am offering a 15% off coupon for my birthday. Coupon Code: thebig40  Today Only.  So run by our Etsy Shop and save!!

A Salute to International Women’s Day!!

Happy International Women’s Day!!  I am always excited about any day that celebrates women and their greatness!!

A Salute to International Women's Day

“THE LIVES, SACRIFICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE THE FOUNDATION OF A PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY.” SHEREE THOMAS

Here are some of my favorite quotes from some awe inspiring women.

International Women's Day Quotes - Oprah Winfrey

Photo Source: PopSugar

International Women's Day Quotes - Elizabeth Gilbert

Photo Source: Levo.com

International Women's Day Quotes - Mother Teresa

Photo Source: Pinterest

International Women's Day Quotes - Madonna

Photo Source: Pinterest

This year’s IWD campaign is #BeBoldForChange .  Last year, organizations and individuals around the world supported the #PledgeForParity campaign and committed to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men’s contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures. From awareness raising to concrete action, organizations rallied their people to pledge support to help forge gender parity on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond.  But the World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won’t close entirely until 2186. This is too long to wait. Around the world, IWD can be an important catalyst and vehicle for driving greater change for women and moving closer to gender parity.  Source: IWD For more information on the fight for Gender Equality , visit the International Women’s Day website here.

What are some of your favorite quotes from formidable women?

Being A Morning Mom….

WHEN YOU’RE NOT A MORNING PERSON.

Being A Morning Mom - When You Are Not A Morning Person? Tips for Surviving the Morning Rush - stage-presents.com

I can recall more AM breakdowns and temper tantrums than I care to admit.  And, it’s not necessarily that my children aren’t morning people, it’s that I am not.  I don’t have a problem waking up in the morning,  I just really have no desire to interact with humans until after 10am.  Unfortunately, when you take on the title of Mommy that really isn’t a choice you get to make anymore.  So, what’s the solution.  It’s easy, FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT, right?  That sounds good, but the thing about pretending, is that the real emotions tend to bubble to the surface in a scary, scary way.

The real secret lies in knowing yourself, having a routine and planning for chaos.  Here’s what works for me. ( … on most days.)

  1.  Do as much as you can do the night before.  Pick Out Their Clothes from Head to Toe. (leave nothing to chance).  If you have a super picky child, you might want to include them in this process, to avoid the early morning melt downs.
  2. Get up a Little Earlier than they do.   Since, I don’t really want to be up anyway.  A little time alone tends to help settle my spirit.  This is a great time to read your devotion, get in a chapter or two of a book you are reading. Grab your first cup of coffee and prepare for what comes next.
  3. Waking Them Up/Getting Them Dressed.  If your little ones are like mine, this process doesn’t happen all at once.  You may have to wake them up a second and a third time, before they actually get out the bed.    Give yourself enough time that if this occurs you still are not rushing to get them out of the house on time.  I get up, wake up my 10 year old (this part is a joke).  I go back in my room, go through my morning routine and then go back and wake her up again.  Go downstairs pack the lunches, and sometimes she’s up, this is the last wake up call. (before Moms head starts spinning)  The little one is easier to wake up but she has her days too. Once they are awake this part generally runs smoothly aside from the fact that I sometimes have to redirect them back to the task at hand.  They are little girls, there is always something to giggle about, and they get easily distracted. Ultimately, if there’s enough time allotted here, even if I feel like a song on repeat, it gets done.
  4. [Enter Breakfast Here] My kids eat breakfast at school, so I luck out here.
  5. Do We Have What We Need?  You know the drill.  Binders, Folders, Homework, Projects.  Then the Run Through.  Did you remember to brush your teeth, put on Deodorant, Lip Gloss, Body Spray, Lotion?  Do have your Watch,  Scarf, Gloves, Cell Phone …etc…etc..?
  6. And Then Repeat.  Even Though You Already Asked.  Ask Again.  After all, you don’t want to get the call on your way home that you have to go back to the school to deliver whatever it is they forgot.

And There You Have It,  Now You’re A Morning Mom.  And, everybody is thankful for the change.   Do you struggle with your morning routine as well?  What do you do to make the send off or drop off easier for everyone?

Being A Morning Mom

A Year In Review: Building Our Empire Brick by Brick

2015 A Year In Review - Building Our Empire Brick By Brick - The Stage Presents Story

Every body loves an overnight success story, myself included.  It speaks to our fascination with the Rags to Riches Story.  But, I am sure that you know that those stories are few and far between. What you rarely hear about is the route or the journey that is taken in order to get to where you want to be.  Our 2015 Year In Review, is just a small piece of that story, Our story.

My love affair with blogging has always stemmed from the fact, that I stand in awe, at the transparency of bloggers.  The ability to let people into the deepest recesses of your soul, thoughts, and even your home is still mind blowing to me. I have been blogging since the early 2000’s, long before it was a trendy thing to do. That being said, moving from personal blogging to a blog that was associated with my brand, was a very different experience for me.  I felt like every word that I wrote, every opinion that I gave or every picture that I posted was now up for interpretation.  That was and still is a scary feeling.  So finding my voice in this particular blog is a continuous work in in progress.  While the opinions that I give are as honest and as true to myself as I can possibly be, I make an effort to be politically correct. (If that makes sense.)

Background Story: [For those of you who only joined us in 2015.] After working for the same company for over a decade, I was laid off.  My youngest daughter was only 2 at the time and had more food allergies than I could count on one hand. and my oldest daughter had challenges of her own.  So I opted to stay home and focus on my family for a while.  While that sounds grand, it didn’t feel grand.  It felt like I was drowning.  But, more than anything I was scared.  Out of that fear and  frustration, a dream was born.  We named it Stage Presents.  It was supposed to be a way for me to feel like I was still a financially contributing part of my household.  I would be lying if I told you that either of us expected great things.  We simply had no idea what to expect.  So for the first year (2014), we flew by the seat of our pants.  I read everything that I could on being a small business owner.  Took as many online classes as I could manage and implemented as many changes as I could, on the fly.  And, at the end of the year, we had established a foot hold and made 80 sales and were feeling like maybe we were on to something.  The greatest feeling an entrepreneur can experience is when people see, understand and support your vision, and if that earns you money, even better.

We were determined that 2015 was going to yield an even greater return.  So we started off the year by defining the things that we deemed necessary to keep progressing on this journey.  I won’t bore you with the whole list.  But, these were the main points.

  1. Build an Online Community.  Form Valuable Relationships with Other Bloggers and Small Business Owners.  Network and Collaborate.  Invest in the Visions of Others.  ✓
  2. Increase my Blog Readership and Subscriptions and Monetize My Blog ✓
  3. Develop a Formidable Online and Social Media Presence ✓
  4. Increase Both Views and Sales in Our Etsy Store ✓
  5. Maintain Our 5 Star Review Rating and continue to provide excellent Customer Service ✓

And, guess what, we did all of that this year.  Are we any closer to where we want to be?  Absolutely.  Do we feel like this journey is anywhere close to its completion? Nope, not at all.  But, we are committed to the process and invested in our dream.

Here are some of the Highlights from Our Year:  We offered Exclusive Content to our Subscribers and the List Soared to over 100 Monthly Subscribers.  Our Lake Eufaula poster was purchased and featured in an episode of NCIS – New Orleans.  What an amazing way to start out the year!!  We threw our hats into the ring and began to offer Invitations, Save The Dates, and other Stationery for “Brides to Be”.  Our Digital Library Card Invitations were a big hit with several authors.  Our Restaurant Meat Cut prints were and continue to be a best seller.  We invited you into our home as we decorated for Easter, Fall and eventually Christmas.  We shared some of our favorite recipes.  Helped you get your little ones ready for Back to School and added Printable Posters to Our Shop. Whew!! That was a mouthful.

Highlights of 2015 - The Stage Presents Story

2015 has been an amazing year, both for the business and for the blog and we look forward to what 2016 has to offer.  We are humbled by the support of our readers, our customers, and our community.  We acknowledge that without you we couldn’t have come this far.  As we end this year, and venture into the new one keep these words in mind.

“We are at our very best and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey towards the goal, we’ve established for ourselves.  It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep.     It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.”

-Earl Nightingale

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for a Bountiful New Year from your Stage Presents Family!! Adios 2015!!

Keeping Up with the Changing Tides

Keeping up With the Changing Tides - Returning to the Work Force

As most of my regular readers know, I have been home with my babies for the past three years.  I swear it doesn’t seem that long.  In August, the little one started Kindergarten, and I wasn’t sure what I would do with all my free time.  I decided that I would use this extra time to figure out a way to really monetize my blog and increase my Social Media presence for my Etsy Shop.  And, if you have ever done this or if you are in the process of doing that you know  … it is no easy feat.  I had my plan and I was working my way down my list.  Add more items to the Shop, Increase the Number of Daily Posts for Twitter and Instagram. Clean up My SEO on older posts, Re-write my About Me Page.  Just to give you the general idea.

Fast forward three weeks and I get a call from the School System where I used to work at, asking if I was interested in being a sub for a few days.   I wasn’t sure honestly what to think of it.  I was not sure if I would be able to keep up with the blog and my Social Media postings.  (More on that in another blog to post later this week.) But, I knew that it would be a way to stack away some extra money for Christmas.  Two days turned into one week and then two.  Turns out I forgot more than I thought about the balancing act that comes with being in the office all day and then having to come home to Job #2 (Mommy).  If it sounds like I am complaining honestly, I am not.  I was super grateful for the opportunity.  I just had to readjust thankfully on a learning curve.

Lucky for me,  I have a pretty amazing husband, who never misses a beat.  I have to be to work by 7:30,  which means Dad had to be on duty for the drop off and lunch detail.  I tried the first couple of days to make the lunches the night before, but that was short lived.  I get off at 3:45, which means I was leaving the office just as the girls were getting off the school bus.  So by the time I got home they had been there for about a half an hour.   It is a little harder to extract details about their day, but I pulled it out of them.  On their news front, baby girl was the line leader, and our oldest daughter, is loving Math right now.

When I get in the house, I have about 30 minutes to unwind and then its homework time.  I am normally wrapped up in that for a good hour.  Then its time to make dinner.  On a good day I can cook and get out of the kitchen by 7:30.  And, then its TV time.. bed time.. and prep for the next day.

When I was a full time working mom, I couldn’t  imagine how full time stay at home mom’s filled their days and after being at work for a couple of days, I cant imagine how working mom’s balance it all.  its a catch 22.  I guess the point of it is all is that, no matter where you fall on the spectrum the Mom Job is no joke and we adjust as needed to make it work.

Conquering Day One – First Day of School 2015-2016

Conquering Day One - First Day of School - How to Talk to Your Kids About School - stage-presents.com

You would think that as a VETERAN PARENT, (meaning I have a 19 year old son), that the First Day of School wouldn’t be so daunting for me.  But, every year I get anxiety and don’t get much sleep for the days leading up to it.  This year was probably a little worst than the past years, because it was my baby’s First Day of Kindergarten.   I kept watching her all morning to see signs of fear, but it wasn’t until we were already in the classroom that she showed her hand.  I could see the tears right on the brink, and as I put my hand on her little chest in an attempt to calm her, I could feel her heart beating soo fast.   For a moment, I wanted to grab her hand and run down the length of the hallway, throw her in the car and take her home with me, where I knew she would be safe.  But, I steadied myself and diverted my eyes, so as not to burst into tears myself.  Lucky for me, hubby took the day off to go with, and he was his usual Cool as a Cucumber self.  After I dropped her off,  I walked my oldest daughter to her fifth grade class with her supplies.  Shes an old pro, so she was fine.  Then, I immediately doubled back to check on baby girl, and even though she was a bit withdrawn and quiet, she was ok.  The hours seemed to creep by today.  I kept looking at my phone and my watch, even though I am not sure why.  She made it through the day, and rode the bus home with her sister, as if she had been doing this all her life.   So, I suppose all is well that ends well.  There’s something about your last baby.  It makes the firsts also the lasts, and, I suppose that can be a little somber.  Now, that we have gotten past that part, I pray that the girls both have an amazing year, and wish the same for you and your little people.  Let’s Get It!!

Looking for some tips on How to Talk to Your Kids About School check out this great blog on Scholastic.com.  First Days are always filled with lots of emotion, consider sharing your first day stories with us in the comments below.

Education - Learning - First Day of School - Quote - stage-presents.com

 

Fun Friday – A Favorite Poem + Freebie Friday (Printable)

It’s been a busy week for us here.  So this week’s Fun Friday Post is Gonna be Quick and Easy.  I wanted to share one of my Favorite Poems by Veronica A. Shoffstall (plus) this week’s #FreebieFriday.
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Photo Source:

Free Friday Baby Elephant Printable Baby Elephant Nursery Print

Download Print and Frame and Voila!!

What is your favorite poem?  Consider sharing your favorites with us.

10 Lessons I learned in my 30’s

Lessons I Learned in my 30's

 

I am pretty sure that at 16, I thought I knew all there was to know about life.  At 21, I was sure that I knew so much more than I did at 16.  And, at 30 well…. I felt like I was already old and set in my ways.  This being the last year of my 30’s….. tears…sighs… and sniffles, I must acknowledge that I am still constantly learning more than I knew the day before, and that some of these lessons that I learned in my 30’s I probably should have learned in my 20’s.  Oh well, hindsight being 20/20 and all…  Here are the 10 most important lessons I learned in my 30’s.

1.  You Are Enough.  I spent a good portion of my life wanting to be MORE or LESS.  I can’t say that it is not something that I still battle with daily.  But, there will always be someone better and someone worst than you, in all aspects of life.  If you keep trying to keep up or measure up, you fail to see the amazing things about yourself.

2.  Roll with it.  NO matter how much control you think you have, some things are outside of your control.  Even the most intense Control Freak, has to acknowledge that they don’t wield as much power as they think.  Hence, The Serenity Prayer“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

3.  Don’t fight your feelings and trust your instincts.  If you feel sad, cry.  If you feel happy, smile.  Embrace what your feeling and don’t try to hide it.  Let it out.  My first impression is almost always the one I should go with.  More often than not, if I don’t trust my instincts. I regret it.

4.  A square block is NOT fitting into a round hole.  Stop FORCING things to be that are not meant to be.

5.  Just cause it feels good or it tastes good, doesn’t make it good.  This one is self explanatory, right??  Calories… and … some pleasure, lol.

6.  All relationships require communication, loyalty, commitment and effort.  All relationships, friendships, parent child, employer employee….

7.  Don’t be afraid to make changes.  “If you don’t like where you are MOVE.  You are not a tree.”

8.  Identify FEAR.  I have let FEAR stop me from doing a lot in my life.  I had excuse after excuse about why I couldn’t or didn’t do XYZ.  I never identified it as FEAR.  But, once I did it helped me to begin to work towards conquering it.  And move on.  FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real.

9.  No one owes you anything.  Except maybe you… you owe yourself THE VERY BEST.

10.  Gratitude and Attitude will get you EVERYWHERE.

What Lessons are you learning in your 30’s?