Those darn kids!

I had planned to work in the sewing cave all morning and well into the afternoon. I have several monster pant orders to fill (hooray!) and I wanted to fill the holes in the ol' inventory. But did I get to do all of that? Oh no. I did not. And why, you might ask? Well, if you're at all observant, the title of this entry might clue you in. No? Well, I'll wait while you catch up...

Yes! That's right! The kids! I think the public schools need to address summer brain leak. It is a huge problem in this household. And I think the older they get, the larger the leak. We need to invest in corks or something. I need resources, people.

One would think the instructions "clean up the kitchen after breakfast" might include doing something about the entire box of Raisin Bran that somehow made its way to the kitchen floor. Jumped out of the box? Hmm... However, "clean up the kitchen after breakfast" appears to mean "just leave your bowl there on the table while you wander around the house, making sure to step on the pile of Raisin Bran while yelling bossy things at your brother." See, brain leak. The words went in and then they oozed out, leaving behind the default message built into most teenage boys - I'M INVINCIBLE! I SHOULD DO WHATEVER I WANT. I had to leave the sewing cave about three gazillion times due to the DO WHATEVER I WANT piece of all of that. Unfortunately, my youngest was wanting to assert his power over his brother by creating all sorts of trouble. And not the I-can-ignore-it-if-I-can't-see-it kind. Nope. The I-hope-the-house-isn't-on-fire-by -the-time-I-get-upstairs kind.

I escaped to the library by 10:30 and not much got done after that. Sigh... There are people out there who work in a studio outside their home. On days like this I have to stop to remind myself of the benefits of my in-home studio. And believe it or not, being home with my boys is on the top of the list. I must be insane.

In the beginning...

Orange Fishy Design was an accident. I had not planned to design, build and sell one-of-a-kind children's and women's clothing. It just sort of happened and I'm so very glad it did.

It goes like this:

My mom needed "something crafty" for a craft bazaar she was heading up. I had, in previous years, sent along painted flower pots and other not-so-fabulous contributions. But for some reason, I thought baby and toddler dresses were the way to go that particular year. I made them, sent them and she sold only a few. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the three she sent back, since I had no children of my own. I ended up donating them to a silent auction held by a child care center I was working for at the time. Well, heavens to Betsy! The response to those dresses was overwhelming and my ego was hooked! I've been Orange Fishy since.

My name is Mary and I work about a million jobs at any one given time. Currently, I am a pre-school teacher and clown coach (not at the same time), I do bits of office work for an aerial arts studio, sing with a close-harmony trio, and am planning my summer arts day camp. I also do the family thing with my very understanding husband and my two teen boys who moved into our home three and a half years ago. Orange Fishy usually comes last. And it shows. Combine the time I don't have with the marketing skills I also don't have, throw in the fact that I don't like to play by the rules and you'll find it creates a bit of a struggle. But that's OK with me. I inch forward bit by bit and am happy to admit my mistakes and share my triumphs. I suppose that's why a blog. Well, that and I will have a venue in which to shamelessly plug my wares.


-The Fishy Mama