
Before I began this new adventure, I knew it would be a LOT
of work! Thankfully, I’m no stranger to
hard work and have spent the majority of the past 20 years working 2+ jobs
(full + half+ mom, full + full, full + full-time grad student, or full + half +
full time student) at a time! Plus, I have found since I was making materials
anyways to meet the special needs of the students on my caseload, I am just
putting an extra twist on it to make it more commercial (and meet all copyright
requirements). Since I had finally
settled down to just 2 enjoyable jobs (school based SLP at one school site and
mom to a special little miracle!), I had to ask myself a few questions prior to
jumping in. First, what is it that I
want to happen from joining the TpT Seller Community? Second, how can I make this work for my family
and how will I go about finding the time? This challenge is ALL about the first question that I had to
entertain when setting up the blog and shop.
FAMILY- There is a lot I want to give my family. Here are examples of two such things.
- A Childhood Home for My Daughter: I grew up in a house that my father built for us. It was a home literally filled with my daddy’s love for his family. Some of my earliest memories are walking up to the property our home would be built on and having my daddy lay it out and walk me around the framework to tell me what room would be where and sharing his vision of our families future. I even remember helping him while he was working on the plumbing or electrical by holding the flashlight for him as we crawled under the house. I grew up in that house. I played with the same children my whole life and established friendships that over 30 years later are still in place. I want that for my daughter! She has always lived in a rental (and not necessarily the best parts of town, either). She is getting to the age where she wants to have sleep overs, and I want to be able to give her those cherished childhood memories in a home that is safe to do so in (neighborhood, space to play, etc...)
- Family Vacations: Time spent together exploring new places would be a dream come true! First on that list is taking my daughter to Disneyland or Disney World while it is still the most magical place on the Earth for her! However, I love to travel so I would like my daughter to see different parts of the world also. I want her to see all the beauty that the world possesses and learn from different cultures and experiences. As an added bonus, it would be nice to take a romantic stroll with my husband in an exotic location, or laugh with him over some crazy adventure we have as family.
FUTURE-
I have to plan ahead for all of our
futures. My daughter will need college
funds, we need retirement, and I would like to help do that by opening a
private practice one day so that I can determine my own hours, spend more time
with my family, and volunteer in her classes as she grows
DEBT- We all have it and although I never expect to be
fully out of debt, I would appreciate if I could pay off my student loans,
husband’s student loans, and daughter’s medical expenses. Those
would be great places to start! I do not
need to live an extravagant life. I
would just like to live a simple life with the people I love.
GROWTH- I
feel that as I create more products and expand beyond my current comfort zone,
I grow as a professional. This allows me
to give more to the kiddos on my caseload and their families also! Since this adventure started 3 months ago, I
have also been corresponding, collaborating, and building friendships with some
amazing ladies within my professional field.
They have been helpful, insightful, and encouraging. I look forward to meeting several at the
upcoming 2015 TpT conference next month!
GIVE- I want to give, give, and give! Yes, I have
typed a lot about giving to my immediate family (daughter, husband, self). However, I also want to give to others. I want to give back to my parents,
grandmother, and in-laws who have all helped our family over the years. I want to give back to the students’ on my
caseload and their families that have taught me so much, and I want to give
back to my profession. My hope is that the materials I create are able to reach out and help so many others within my field, their students, and the families they serve.
I LOVE what I do! I LOVE being a Speech-Language Pathologist! I think it is an amazing thing when a child
is able to tell their parents that they love them for the first time or an
adolescent who still had his needs anticipated is able to independently have
his wants/needs known and expressed with the use of alternative-augmentative
communication. This profession does so
much to change the lives of others and I love that I can be a small part of
helping to make a difference!
Love your dreams!! Family and Future were my first two, as well!! I totally get the family home thing.... we lived in apartments and rented townhomes until my oldest daughter was 9, and I remember how excited she was to finally get to have sleepovers at her own house!! Good luck with the Seller Challenge!!
ReplyDeleteHi Tami! Returning the visit. Your dreams are great, as well! I completely relate to feeling the need to plan for the future… Every little bit of extra cash flow really does make a difference! I hope you achieve all of your goals! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Tally Tales
Excellent dreams! Isn't being an SLP the BEST JOB EVER??? :)
ReplyDelete