Best Laid Plans

As they say, "the best laid plans..." I had all sorts of grand plans in mind for this week, which included: continuing conversations to secure some more sales reps, following up with other leads regarding new avenues for distribution, checking references, sending out pr pitches, fulfilling orders, communicating with every customer and all the other usual items that make up my weekly "to do" list. But, when one child is out of school and another is hurting from 4 wisdom teeth that were pulled out, it sort of derails my plans.

When my son broke his hand playing lacrosse, and was put in a cast for 4 weeks and told not to play until the cast was taken off, I had the brilliant idea that this would be a good moment to have his wisdom teeth pulled. After all, it needed to be done, and with all his sports and other activities, there were no openings looming in the future, so I figured as long as he was sidelined from sports, I might as well take advantage of this time. This can also be seen as adding insult to injury! It also threw a huge wrench into my normal work day and week. While I wouldn't give up being there for any of my children, I am aware that it means sidelining my "to do" list.

As I have mentioned before, there is a certain rhythm and momentum that builds, and often it is important "to strike while the iron is hot," as they say. However, I also feel very strongly, that I keep everything in perspective. This doesn't mean that the sudden change in schedule isn't frustrating, or that there isn't make up work that needs to be done at "off hours, " but it important to keep it all in perspective, so these changes don't totally throw me. This is another instance of going with the flow, instead of struggling to fight it. I know it will all get done, it just may take more time, or the timing might be different, and sometimes that needs to be good enough.

nomie baby car seat covers are now covered under US Patent 7,914,075

Its seems as if the big theme is patience patience patience. When I first had the idea for the car seat covers, I thought it was an "ah ha" moment, but after speaking with a few very trusted friends, and hearing their reactions, I truly thought I might have something. So, while I was looking into fabrics, pattern makers, etc, I also met with a patent lawyer, and started the ball rolling on what would turn out to be a very long process of trying to get a patent for the car seat covers. I first had to explain to my mid-50's plus male lawyer what my product was, why it really was necessary, and unique. Once he understood what the product idea was he agreed to work with me and help me file all the paperwork. There were drawings, a lot of legal babble and years of waiting. In order to receive a patent, the idea, or "intellectual property" must be deemed unique, or at least no other claims for such a product filed. After years of waiting, this is what the US Patent office decided, and they issued US Patent number 7,914,075 for the nomie baby car seat covers. I was thrilled! Not only did I feel that "ah ha" moment all over again, but I knew that this would open up many more possibilities. I am looking forward to seeing all the new doors this opens and the roads it takes me down. Again, this has always been an exciting education. Let's see what's ahead!