I always wanted my own business, but I never wanted to start one. To be honest, it never occurred to me that having a business actually meant starting it yourself…!
A few months ago a dear friend of mine saw some activities that I had made for my eldest son, who was 3 years old at the time. I had started making these “Busy Bags” for him when I noticed he was lagging behind with his fine motor skills. As a baby, he had been ahead of the pack with fine motor skills but at the age of 3 he did everything to avoid holding a crayon or pencil or doing something with his fingers that worked those little muscles. Instead, all he wanted was to play with his cars and trains (which isn’t a bad thing).
With my teaching background I knew that doing things that didn’t seem like work but instead looked fun and used exciting everyday materials, or something that was not a typical toy would catch his attention and engage him. So I started making these “Busy bags” which I had noticed on Pinterest were becoming the new thing for kids to do. I set aside a time each day, while my baby slept, and did a few of the Busy Bag activities with my eldest. I was amazed how he loved them! He started asking for them during other times of the day. I also then discovered I could use them when we were out and about and I needed him to sit quietly and they would keep him occupied!
“Where had these been all my mothering life?”
An added bonus was that he was learning something at the same time, way better than shoving my phone in his hand to watch Paw Patrol! It also turned out that other mums really like them too and wanted to know where to get them.
Anyway, moving on, back to my friend...she saw these busy bags and seemed to think they were a great idea. So she started nagging me about the two of us setting up a business together, making Busy Bags for pre-schoolers like our own children. We both have energetic boys that require constant supervision but loved the Busy Bags and they kept them quiet, so we could have a few moments peace to drink a cup of coffee or talk to the doctor about the latest bug that was making our families sick.
So our journey began and My Busy Bots was born…
I have discovered that trying to start a business, as a stay at home mum to 2 young boys, a wife and a part time Maths tutor is hard and sometimes times feels a little crazy. Some days everything seems like a whirlwind of washing, cooking, tidying, housework (what’s that?), finding time to work on the business while also being attentive to my husband and kids. Mostly, I have been completely distracted with coming up with new ideas for our business or thinking about how to do Social Media and a website, getting printing quotes or sourcing the right stock. And somehow, in between all of that, still giving hugs and cuddles and being present in the here and now.
Even though chaos has reigned in my household, my boys constantly trying to play with our business materials and my husband complaining that he doesn’t see me anymore, I have really enjoyed the journey! I miss the extra time I used to have with my family but I know the rewards will pay off in the long run. It’s been refreshing to do something other than wiping a snotty nose or making a bed or packing the dishwasher (again)... But instead having a vision of something that could be… and now is!
