The Crocheting Mom

I have kids, hence the Mom Blog.  With kids, comes messes.  I have a few stains on my carpets, that regular cleaner has not been able to get out.  They have been there for a couple months, and I have not wanted to fork over $100 to have someone come in and professionally clean my carpets. So when I was offered a free bottle of STAINMASTER Carpet Cleaner , for my honest review, I was eager to try it.  I hate paying for stuff that I don't know is going to really work or not,  so it's hard for me to find something that I can have as a go-to.  I'm writing this review to hopefully help others out there with the same problem.   Kids .  Oops, I mean, the MESSES that kids leave!

Where I grew up, we didn't go back to school until AFTER Labor Day.  Now, living in a different state, my children go back to school in beginning of August.  That's crazy right?  I feel like it's still summer until at least the end of September. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm am definitely ready for school to start, but I just feel bad for the kids because it's still hot out, and perfect weather for playing outside!  The kids do get out of school in the end of May, though, so they are still at least getting 2 and half months off.  I feel like when I was a kid though, summer lasted so much longer.  I guess as a parent, days just go by a lot faster because we have so many more worries.

I've done a post like this before, but I loved it so much so I had to do another.  There are so many creative people out there and sometimes, I'm just amazed at what they come up with.  I love to crochet, and I love all things that are crocheted.  Some people may not agree, and just think "What the heck?" Not, me though, I see these awesome creations, and I'm impressed that someone could come up with the idea.  Crocheting is becoming more and more popular, which is fantastic.  It's not just for the older people anymore, but young as well.  With it's increased popularity, though, you see a lot of the same things, over and over, just made a little bit different.  So when you see something that's new, it takes you by surprise, and it's amazing.  

I've been really trying to learn everything I can about blogging.  It really is a business, and the best way to succeed with a business, is to read and learn everything you can about said business. I may exaggerate a bit when I labeled this post, The BEST books about blogging.  Maybe a more accurate title would have been, The books that I could get from the library, about blogging!

I love writing crochet patterns for other people to enjoy.  I have been crocheting for many years now, and have had my "The Crocheting Mom" business for about 5 years.  About a year and a half ago, I really started getting into pattern writing and I absolutely love it.  It's a great passive income, and you can share your designs with people who need a pattern to create something, because we've all been there.  I know there are people out there wondering, though, "How can I start writing a pattern?"  So I have written this post to help you figure out the whole process.  It's really quite simple, and once you've done it a few times, it will come naturally.

Money is a big part of life.  As much as some of us may try to say it isn't, that money doesn't rule our lives, it does.  You either are trying to figure out how to get more or trying to figure out what to do with what you have, or most likely, both! From a young age, when children start to get an allowance, birthday money or even just finding change on the street, they want to spend it.  They don't care how much they have, or even if they have enough, the second that glorious money hits their possession, they want to use it.  I'm not sure if its because it makes them feel older, being able to buy something by themselves, or just the adrenaline that they receive from getting a new item, but they want to spend it as quick as possible.  This is why it is so important to teach them at a young age the importance of saving money.

Pinterest boards are great!  When I first started Pinterest , I just thought it was all about pinning things you found useful, and following people.  I mean, that is basically the main take away from it.  Pinterest is so much more than that though.  It can help you if your a blogger, a designer, a business person, or just the ever day person looking to get the most of it.  I've realized that becoming part of group boards are essential to getting everything you can out of Pinterest.  When you become part of a group board, you are exposed to so many more people and followers.  Your pins that come up are going to multiply, AND so will the amount of people who see yours.

There are so many different ways that you can price your crocheted items (or other crafty creation).  In the many crochet FB groups that I'm a part of, I see it almost daily "How much should I charge for this?"  "Is this too cheap/expensive?"  It's hard to know what to charge.  We don't want to sell something to cheap, where we could have gotten more money, but we also don't want to price it too high and then we get no bites on our products.

I've written before about my children during chores in my home, but it's such an important topic I wanted to give some more tips.  I won't say it's easy, but my husband and I are trying to make it second nature for our kids. We want them to understand that having chores is just a part of being a family.  We all need to help out in the house, and as a family, we can keep the house clean.  I have created a list of different ways you can help acheive this goal.

I LOVE making children's animal purses!  Every time I make a new one, my children go crazy over them!  And I can see why!  I keep coming up with new animals that would be great as a purse, and they keep going gaga over them. It's not just my children either!  Last year I started selling them at my craft fairs, and I sold out!  They are easy to make, so I can make up quite a few before said craft fairs.  The kids love coming to my booth because they see so much color.  When they lay their eyes on the purses, they give their parents those pleading eyes.  Basically, they are great sellers!

You've spent hours, even weeks, working on those patterns.  You've put your heart and soul into them.  Now you're ready to share them with the world, and maybe even make some money from them.  There are many places where you could place those patterns, but where are the best ones, and what are the differences?  Each site has different requirements and cost different amounts.

My husband and I are both the baby of our families, each with three children.  So when we decided to have our third child, we though things would be easy peasy.  Or second child, wasn't even two when we got pregnant so things seemed normal to us.  We had no idea what we were in for. I always heard that about "the middle child syndrome" but never though it held any weight.  I used to think that it was just something parents said to give an excuse for that child's behavior.  Boy was I wrong.  They were right on all accounts.

Crocheters, like myself, love patterns because you can create an item without really having to think.  If you've been crocheting, for at least a little while, you'll be able to understand most patterns, and they will help you create beautiful pieces.  Whether its for selling at a craft fair, a baby shower, or even just to keep to yourself, there are many reasons that us crazy crocheters just can't seem to put that darn hook down.