A diary of our family's house building project in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. Also my ponderings on family life, living with Asperger's Syndrome, running an ebay business & a place to share my photography.

Thursday 22 November 2007

the long hard haul

things are hard. really hard. it keeps on raining. It's very hard to build a house when it's raining. I know I shouldn't complain about rain but I want my house. I am so tired. The kids are hard too. They are so gorgeous & of course so very loved, but they need so much of our time. And yet I still feel like they are neglected due to our work. They watch about 4 times the amount of TV that I would be comfortable with. Just the Wiggles, Playschool, Postman Pat & the like, we're very selective on what they can watch, but they are addicted. especially ivy. She loves to watch TV. I think they love the fact that someone sings & dances for them for at least half an hour, often more! Mum & Dad never do that! They'd be lucky to get 15 of our time in a stretch. Sad but true.
My work is going well. We have moved Brody out to a Kombi in the driveway for the summer, so I got the big bedroom as a workroom. It's amazing. I have already filled it with all my stock & it's already looking like organised chaos but I am so much more efficient. We have taken on a nanny 2 days a week, Lucy, one of Chelsea's best friend's older sister (but also Chelsea's friend). She's 18 & has just finished her HSC. She's fabulous, the kids love her & she's so patient, even in the trying times. And she gets trying times. Like Finn insisting he eats the mango IN the supermarket, not in 10 minutes time at the park. When Finn insists he really insists. You couldn't believe it til you see it. Lately he's clenching his teeth & nearly hyperventilating when things aren't working out for him. He's waking too early & needs to sleep in the afternoon but if he does, which is rare, he doesn't go to sleep at night until 10pm. So we tolerate him, just. It's hard. He's a very intense little boy. Gee, I wonder where he gets that from??
I said work is good but I've just had an awful experience with a buyer who was just YUK!! I wish I could let those things jut wash over me but I am human & I am sensitive! I work so hard, I try & do the best thing by my customers & we barely make ends meet, so when someone calls me greedy for trying to the best of my ability to harmoniously finalise a sale it actually really hurts! She deserved negative feedback which she got from me, she then followed up with outrageous lies, so ridiculous that they didn't actually bother me. She then left me negative feedback which was very insulting but it was automatically removed because she didn't respond to my non paying bidder alert. But the ugly comments still stay & that hurts. Today I had a buyer want a refund for a Baby gap Pj they bought that was new but she expected it t be in a sealed plastic bag & it wasn't. I photographed it as it was, no bag, but because the previous Gap PJ's she'd bought on eBay were in bags she expected this to be. What do you do!?? I agreed to a refund.
What I really hate is when people aren't polite. They ask something of you as though it's their God given right but can't seem to take the time to be friendly & polite. What's going on in our world?! MOST people are great, thank goodness. But I'm sure the percentage that are rude & demanding is increasing. i have some wonderful regular customers who I feel like I know even though I have never met them & I love that. I really enjoy those relationships. But the bad eggs just do my head in. it's not that hard to be nice is it?? Apparently for some people it is.
Anyway, enough griping. Although I don't feel like doing much else these days. I'm pretty miserable to be around. I do wish I could manage a bit better, I should be pretty happy really. I have a wonderful partner who I love to death, 4 gorgeous, intelligent quirky kids, half an acre of the most beautiful bush land with the makings of a home to die for. But I work my butt off, from 6.30am to midnight 5 days a week every spare moment is spent on my computer, taking photos or packaging things. I breastfeed & address envelopes at the same time. I have my morning cup of tea & toast while I answer emails. I create listings while I talk on the phone. I constantly find distractions for the kids so I can keep on working. I sell about $1000 worth of clothing every week. I'd be proud of that if I did it while my kids are at school. But 2 of them are at home with me. I don't feel proud of what I'm doing to them. If only we could get some help to get this house up.

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