This Sleeping Business Is Frustrating

It is so frustrating how I get to a point by mid-afternoon where I'm in enough pain that I have to lie down for a little bit to get my back, neck, arms, etc. to calm down.   My children probably think their mother is lazy because I'm in bed sometimes, well, more times than I would like to be when they get home from school.  

The thing is, the position I can get out of pain in, is lying on my left side with my head propped up at a very specific height.   I need a pillow between my knees and then I'm finally comfortable and can relax.   I think I just hold on to a lot of stress, trying to fight against the pain.   This sounds terribly dire, and it isn't really, but sometimes the pain is omnipresent in my life so when I can take that time to get a break from the pain is tends to be such a great relief that I fall asleep.  

Add to that the fact that we're working hard on so many things.   This Filament Stories venture is quickly turning into a potentially profitable business—something I never thought would happen.  We've been hired for the entire year of 2022 to create social media content for one company.  And then based on conversations we had with the very popular content creator during our trip, we might be able to be even more profitable.  

He said, "you have something companies can't buy, and they will pay you for it.  You have well-produced content and a great presence as a female in an industry where females are in the minority."   He told us the range of fees he's getting for just a simple sponsorship spot in one of his unboxing live streams and that amount was staggering.   Far more than I would have ever thought a company would pay for being mentioned with product placement/usage.   He said we need to start looking at everything from a profitability perspective. 

We don't have his reach or audience and we haven't been doing this for nearly as long.   But we are focusing on filament, and there are companies who want their filament showcased.   So for now, I'm going to think on it while we grow and consider what to do going forward and how to think of us as a business and not just a fun venture into filament and 3D printing. 

I'm sidetracked, but while I'm typing and on a roll, I'll keep going.  He said, "You are the brand," pointing to me.   He said that yes, my husband and I were doing this together, but the brand was me, regardless of if I wanted it to be that way or not.   He and his camera person have been together for six years, but most people don't know much or anything about Shaun who behind the scenes makes everything look great.   My husband is much of the same.   He is the reason we're so professional looking.   I just come in, say some things and make sure my hair is brushed and my clothes don't have stains on them.   In that way, I have the easier job.   I'm minimizing things, because I work very hard all the time to get us to the point where we do the recording and I manage all the customer contacts and communication with people, but my husband does do an awful lot.

I was concerned my husband was okay with being the behind the scenes person.  But he completely is.   He doesn't want to be on screen. He prefers to do the film and editing work.   We each have our roles and we work well together.   We get along, even when we're together for long stretches of time.   We do disagree, but it's minor and quickly resolved and compromises are made.   

So back to the sleeping in the middle of the day.  I hate it.  I hate that I have to do it.   I try to, "just push through" as my son tells me.   I want to, I really do.   But sometimes if I don't lie down, well, it's just too much some days.   I'm still looking into other ways to combat the need to lie down.   So many things are better now, but some things are worse, and it's those worse things that are taking a bigger toll than I'd like them to.

The Big Boy Update:  My son pulled out all the Paw Patrol characters and toys from the back closet and had them all over the place in his room today.  Lack of friends outside to play with and no screen time and he's been doing different things in his room.   I need to get his sister in there to play with him tomorrow.  She gets so bored. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  I got some cookie decorations as a set at Wal*Mart today.   It's everything to make a snowman face and all the pieces are tactile and different shaped.   She will be able to be successful making sugar cookies and decorating them.  I love making sugar cookies.   Hopefully we can make them this weekend.