a peek inside the fishbowl

Everyone should get to know a bird, because what you find out would surprise you and change your outlook on the whole animal kingdom.

–

Dear B.B.,

You made us all laugh. You were an avian comedian.

When you were a baby you liked to hunker down under my hair.

You knew you name and liked to say things like PRETTY BIRD PRETTY PRETTY B.B.

You had your moments of vanity.

You liked to visit your friend in the mirror.

You liked to sit on my finger.

We had a special song.

You took baths in a big glass pie plate and liked to make a huge mess.

You always bit Mark on the neck. We called you ATTACK BIRD. It’s like you were pretending to be a hawk.

We still chuckle over the time that you tossed a plastic clothespin on Piper’s head.

You did something we called The KLING KLANG.

You like to play repeated games of I Will Drop The Ball And You Will Pick It Up.

You were a good friend.

You got sick. We brought you to the bird hospital yesterday but the outlook was not good. The vet didn’t know what was up, only that you had lost of lot of weight. We guessed at digestive issues. We think you ate too much grit, which, interestingly enough, is sold at all pet stores even though domestic budgies don’t actually need any grit.

I shouldn’t have complained about the $168 dollars we spent on your health care yesterday, because you were a good and valued member of our family. This expenditure was an unwritten part of our contract with you.

I held you in my hands and fed you baby bird formula all morning. You looked like you were on the mend, and then you started to fret. I brought you over to the window so you could see the sunshine. You gave a few weak flaps and quietly died in my hands.

Strangely, Piper had come over and had lain at my feet, watching, maybe even understanding.

I have shed tears over your death my little friend. Some may say that you were just a bird, but you were much more than that to us.

SavvyMom subcribers may remember a recent article I wrote about Woman Divine.

What spurred that article was this: I went there for a facial a few months ago and wasn’t able to stop thinking about it.

Woman Divine is a great little place tucked away on the second floor of a little building along Churchilll Avenue in Westboro. I was thrilled when the owner, a lovely lady named Magdalena, asked me about advertising here at the Fishbowl.

If you know me at all you may know that I have never really been into the stereotypical girly beauty scene. Sure, I like clothes, shoes, and things like haircuts and facials well enough, but I’ve never been the type to go overboard on any of it. Well, that may have just changed.

I had the organic beauty facial treatment. I have to confess that I was worried about redness and skin irritation. My skin is very sensitive. In fact, I would categorize it as the kind of skin that is Generally Unhappy With Everything. But I needn’t have worried. By the time I left I wasn’t red, just glowing. (I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true!)

The whole experience was pretty darn awesome, but I was really impressed by Magdalena herself. The emphasis here is on more than just nice-smelling (albeit organic) products. Magdalena’s philosophy on beauty and aging won me over from the start. Her take on skin, beauty and health is more uplifting (haha, pun not intended) than any stuff she can use on my skin.

We need to love ourselves and take care of ourselves. End of story.

This is especially true for moms. If we don’t take time for ourselves – whether it’s something as small as a soak in the tub or a healthy lunch, or something as big as a weekend getaway with girlfriends (or something in-between like a facial or a haircut or a massage!)… if we don’t take care of ourselves, after awhile we won’t have anything left to give our family.

And that’s not the kind of place we want to be. Trust me on that.

ANYWAY. Thank you Woman Divine, not just for your support and patronage, but for making moms like me feel great.

Woman Divine is offering SavvyMoms 10% off all beauty treatments for the month of June. Please mention SavvyMom at the time of booking.

I used to print my own business cards but I was never totally satisfied with the quality. They always looked homemade. I blame the card stock. It was flimsy. And sometimes, even … perforated! Gack!

I decided that if I wanted to be taken seriously as a professional, I had to look professional. And that’s why I am now having my business cards professionally printed.

How important is a business card?

Well, I don’t know how to quantify it other than with a resounding OF COURSE IT IS.

If you receive a well-designed card you immediately think THIS PERSON IS SMART or WOW THIS PERSON IS CREATIVE (or whatever) and immediately follow it up with I WANT TO WORK WITH or CHAT WITH or MAKE OUT WITH or HIRE THIS PERSON.

Am I right or am I right?

Many years ago I had an interview with an NGO for a position of web content manager. I interviewed with a panel of people. They offered me the job, although I didn’t end up taking it because I realized it wasn’t quite right for me. Fast forward five years. I got a phone call from one of the women who interviewed me. She liked my card and had kept it. And was calling me about some design work.

Anyway, yes. Business cards are key. They provide people with crucial contact information AND have the ability to make a lasting impression. I use them for work purposes (“here’s my number and email”) as well as for networking purposes. I use them to promote my blog as well as my “real” work.

A couple weeks ago I ordered a whole bunch of business cards from moo.com. They arrived yesterday. I am thrilled with the quality. They are really great.

I ordered some “mini moo” cards (sorry for the soft photos, but you get the idea). The card with the text shows what’s on the back of all of these cards:

I also ordered cards for the photography side of things:

… as well as regular business cards.

It was Mark’s idea to start punching holes in them, but now a question has arisen re: size of the hole. What do you think? Bigger or smaller? Mark thinks the smaller hole is interesting and more discreet. But I like the large one because I can stick my finger through it and point at people. :)

What do you think?