Yes, what does your keychain say about you? Does your key-ring look like you are a school janitor or do you feel like you need a few more on your chain? I have about 6 keys on my keyring but I ran into a problem. Which key goes to which door? I found myself getting frustrated and wondering "Does this key go to our new house or old house? Does it go to my husbands work or to my mom's house?" Ahhh, I drove myself crazy trying each key over and over everytime I needed to get into a house or storage unit. Why was this so hard? It really shouldn't be. There has to be a way to organize these 6 keys so I can see which one goes to which door. I tried the Sharpie method but almost as soon as I wrote a keyword on the key with it, it rubbed off. So, (yes, this seems so simple, why didn't I think of it earlier?) I brought out one of my best friends.... my label maker.

Wow, has this thing made a difference! I now can view my keys and recognize which one goes to which door. So, my tip for you today is to label each key with a keyword (Tip: DO NOT use words as "home" or your address as labels. If someone found your keys, this would be too easy for them to use.) See if it doesn't help and you feel more confident when looking for a key to unlock your door.

So, while this seems so simple and such a short (and meaningless) post, I am now excited to have an organized keyring. It's the little things in life...



{photo credits}

We love doing crafts here! As part of being The Home Engineer, I need to keep things fun, fresh, and exciting around here. :) So, this week we made these ghosts are they are super cute (and easy!)

Another great company with awesome products! I've been so blessed to review and try many different products over the past 18 months and it seems they keep getting better!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tommee Tippee products! Their stuff is just so chic and easy to use. So, when I decided to do a review for them, I was stoked. I have always wanted to try their products and finally got a chance to break down and do it. Which Tommee Tippee product is your favorite?

The newborn bottle feeding system, sippy cups, table wear or maybe you are interested in the pacifiers? Tommee Tippee has something for all parents. I got a chance to review the Explora Easy Roll Bibs and WOAH was I impressed.


Normally my son doesn't like bibs. He doesn't like the way they rub his neck and his neck ends up having a small rash after having one on. However, when we use our Tommee Tippee bib, there is no rash to be found! (enter "Hallelujah Chorus" here). By the looks of this picture, you can tell he's a sucker for Tommee Tippee already.

My challenge for you this week is to clean out your car. I think under the description of being a mom, we have the title of "Family Taxi Driver". Alot of us spend alot of times in our cars shuffling kids from place to place but don't give our cars the attention they need. You laugh, but honestly, when was the last time you cleaned out your car? I promise, just try this and you'll see that after its cleaned out and washed, it will run like a brand new car. :) 

Some people dread it, some love it. For those who dread it or have never traveled long distances with children, this post is for you. Or if you are needing fresh new ideas to keep your child(ren) busy during road trips or on planes, keep reading...

Do you encourage your car-rides and plane rides to be "tech free"? By "Tech-free" I mean, no technology. I know for us, usually we don't use technology in the car if its under 3 hours. Some ideas for "tech-free" road trips are:
- magna doodles
- coloring books
- license plate games
- ABC games
- reading

But, if the trip is longer than 3 hours, we are ok with using some technology in the car (sparingly). What do we bring out?
- Leapster
- Tag
-DVD's (Educational or their favorites)

It definitely is up to the individual/family. We dont let them sit in front of the tv or electronic game for the entire 10 hour road trip to FL. It's all about moderation.

We've just come back from a road trip to FL and we discovered books on tape. My 4 year old loved it and 18 month old laughed the whole time. Definitely something to check into.

Some helpful tips when traveling with young children.
1. Pack enough snacks. Mine are hungry the entire way so we pack healthy snacks (trailmix, puppy chow, fruit, water, juice, etc).
2. Leave the technology off as long as you can. Enjoy the trip  and scenery. Make up games, sing, have fun. When time has expired, yes, watching a movie or playing on the Leapster is fine.
3. Stop at fun places - get the wiggles out at rest stops and let them run around. (our favorite is Chick Fil A) Stop along the way at Childrens Museums, State Parks, etc.
4. Make sure you have or buy ahead of time a set of earphones or two. These come in handy when you have listened enough to The Backyardigans. :)

Most importantly, HAVE FUN and create memories!

Let's see it! Yep, you heard me right. I'm challenging you to take a before and after picture of the most unorganized cabinet or drawer.

Today, I have a challenge for you. Clean it out and organize it then post an after picture for us to check out. Might be embarrassing but something we all need to learn is accountability and I've found that the more I post things before and after, and ask for accountability, the more willing I am at keeping it organized.

So, its my turn (and ya'll have to promise me you'll do the same and link me to your post) :)

BEFORE




AFTER I went through my cabinet. It took me all of 15 minutes to do. Now, why didn't I do this sooner?

Let's Talk Bible Studies. What are some that you have just loved? What are some that you just haven't been impressed. This post is short and sweet but I wanted to include it in The Home Engineer series. Below is a list of bible studies I would highly recommend and LOVE. These are for women as well as families. One of my favorite times of day is my devo time with my children, as well as my quiet time with the Lord, alone. I cannot wait to hear what you all suggest as some of your favorites!



Women Of the Bible

Becoming A Titus 2 Woman

Breaking Free

Stepping Up

Walking By Faith

Esther

When Godly People Do Ungodly Things

One Year Of Dinner Table Discussions

Veggie Tales Devotional

Gotta Have God

5 Minute Devotionals For Children


   

Watch this short video about Dad's.


Why We Love Dad from Igniter Media on Vimeo.


As we just celebrated Fathers Day, I noticed something. Fathers Day isn't as big of a "hoop-la" as Mothers Day is. A couple examples include: (1) At church on Mothers Day, when we went to pick up my kids from their class, they had oodles of things they had made to give me for Mothers Day. Fathers Day rolls around, we go to pick up our children, and nothing was made or said. (2) We go to lunch on Mothers Day at one of our favorite places, The Cheesecake Factory and there is an 1.5 hour wait at 10:30am. For Fathers Day, we go back since it's one of Joe's favorites too, and at 10:30am, we walk right in, no wait, and we're literally opening the place.

I dont get it. Fathers play just as big of a roll in our lives (whether we are younger or older children) as Mothers.

So, today, I want to encourage you to thank your Father for everything he's done for you. Get detailed and descriptive. Think back on memories you have of the two of you. If you aren't in a relationship with your Father or he has passed away, let your "Father figure" know how much you appreciate him.

As a Mom, I try to make it clear to my children just how important our dad is. He provides for us, he works hard to make sure we have food, clothes, a home, and fun things to do and have. He loves us no matter what. I think mothers need to do a better job at building their child's father up instead of tearing him down. I've seen (and heard) of so many families where the mom just trash talks their Father. And yes, vice versa, but I wanted to focus on Dad's today. The important roles they have, and how we need to take the time to notice and appreciate them more.

The best thing we as mom's can do for our kids, is to love their dad.

(continued from last week).

Describe your item:  Major importance here! What do you want to tell a shopper about you item?  

Most importantly, you need to list the brand, size, color or pattern and in some cases, the line name (esp. for Gymboree and Janie and Jack)  You will also want to include item condition, describing any flaws or details.  Also, include measurements. It keeps the questions from buyers down. Keep the description short, but sweet. 

If you use a photo hosting service, you will then copy and paste the html tags (provided by your host) for as many photos as you wish into the description. You will need to click on “html view” and make sure you paste the codes after the item description text.  Also, type

before each html code so that the pictures center in your listing page.  You should be able to see what you listing looks like by clicking on preview.

Price your item:   Are you going to send your item to auction?  Are you listing it as Store Inventory?  Either way, you can search current auctions and inventory on ebay.com to see what others are going for and where you should price your item or start your auction.

For auctions, I will often send items out at .99.  This brings a lot of traffic and more bids.  

Another way to determine a starting bid for auctions is to figure what would be the least amount you would be willing to let it go for.  

As for Store Inventory, I love the “Best Offer” option.  I offer it on most all of my Store items. I price the item a few dollars more that I hope to get for it, and will generally accept 20-25% less than the asking price.  If the offer is much lower, I can simply counter with an acceptable price!  Best Offer (BO) is great!  

Shipping:  Many sellers use calculated shipping.  This is very easy to do. You simply enter the weight of your item (round up for the weight of packaging and a handling fee) and the buyer will see what the item will cost to ship to them.  I use First Class Parcel for all items 13 oz. and under and Priority for anything over 13 oz. The USPS will provide free Priority shipping supplies.  They can only be used for Priority Mail.  

I recommend printing your postage through eBay/Paypal. You can print on plain paper and tape the labels to your packages or invest in half-sheet labels that are self-adhesive.  By printing your labels at home, you receive Delivery Confirmation for less than .20 per item as opposed to .65 if you buy it at the PO.  And DC is free on Priority packages!   Having the DC number is a wonderful tool in case a buyer ever claims not to have received an item.  You can track and confirm using the DC number! 

Payment:  You will also need to decide how you would like to be paid.   I recommend accepting Paypal.  I only accept Paypal. That way both buyer and seller are covered if there is an incident and it needs to be worked out. 

5. Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get those great graphic and borders I have seen on others sellers’ listings?

You can brighten up your listings using a listing template.  You can buy one right on eBay, usually for under $10.  They come with instructions for adding text and photos.  They aren’t necessary, but once you get in the selling swing, they are a fun thing to add pizzazz to your listings.  You can also spend more money and buy a custom made Storefront for your eBay store.  Again, they aren’t necessary, but make a nice presentation. iSale is another great option. Yes, you pay a little for it, but there are TONS of templates in there for you to use.

What are the best times to start and end listings?

Well, that depends.  For Store Inventory, it really doesn’t matter.  But for auctions, I like to have mine end between 7:30 and 10 pm on Sun-Thursday evenings.  I also try to run a long enough auctions that I get weekend exposure. Auctions that end on Friday and Saturday nights don’t do as well.  You can choose 3, 5 and 7-day listings.  

Is Feedback important?  

YES! MAJORLY IMPORANT! As a seller, it is the only indication a buyer has of your reputation.  In most cases you will receive positive feedback just by offering items as described, fair and speedy shipping and good communication.  In rare cases you get the hard-to-please customer.  If they are not making unreasonable demands (i.e. threatening to leave negative feedback if you don’t give them a refund), it is in your interest to find out what the issue is an attempt to resolve it fairly. 

It is also important for you to leave timely feedback for your buyers. 

What do I sell when?

For children’s clothing, here is a general rule of thumb I use when planning my year:

January:  Start listing Spring items!  Christmas is over, buyers are looking to stock up those Spring wardrobes, including Easter outfits.  Get you Valentine’s Day items out, too!

February:  Keep on listing Spring!   After Valentine’s Day, start getting some Summer items listed!

March:  Summer in full swing!  Bathing suits, cruise wear, etc.  Sell out the rest of your Spring items.

April:  Big month for Summer, but it will wind down by the end of the month!

May:  Pretty slow month for children’s clothing.  Work on stocking  Back-To-School items for late June and July!

June:  List and July Fourth items and keep listing BTS!  You will start getting hits at the end of this month!

July:  BTS in full swing!  Mid-to late month should be very busy!  Don’t forget school shoes, jackets, jeans, dress and legging sets, etc.!

August:  Continue with Fall and BTS.  Will slow down a bit by the end of the month and school actually starts. 

September:  Get those Halloween costumes listed!  Keep selling Fall. 

October:  Send out the last of your Halloween stuff and introduce Christmas.  Parents have portraits made early!  Still sell Fall. 

November:  Very slow month.  Some sellers try toys for Christmas. 

December:  Slow month except for toys.  Use this time to list Spring inventory!  Get stocked up.

**Having an eBay Store means you can list anything at any time of year and have it accessible all year long!  

What brands sell best? 

There are tons of boutique and better children’s clothing brands out there, but these are some of the best selling brands on eBay:

Amanda Remembered

Anita G                                                

Anavini                                                 

Aster (shoes

Austin & Ashley                                    

                                                               

Baby Gassy Gooma                                

Baby Lulu                                            

Babymini (Catimini)                              

Baby Nay                                               

Bailey Boys                                            

Bear Feet (shoes)                                  

Beaux et Belles                                     

Bella Bliss                                        

Berlingot                                               

Best Friends                                          

Boden                                                           

                                                              

Cach Cach

Cakewalk                                              

Chabre                                                   

Chez Ami                                              

Chicken Noodle                            

Chocolate Soup                                                                   

Clayeux                                                 

Cornelloki

Cottontail Originals

Cow & Lizard

Deux par Deux

DPAM

Elefanten (shoes)

Fast Friends

Feltman Bros.

Flapdoodles

Flap Happy

Florence Eiseman

Fresh Produce

Funtasia! TOO

Gap

Greggy Girl                                          

Gymboree

Hanna Andersson

Hartstrings

House of Hatten

Icky Baby

IMP Originals

Indygo

Jacadi

Janie & Jack

Kash Ten                                                

Kate Mack

KC Parker                                              

Kelly’s Kids                                              

Kenzo Jungle                                      

Kitestrings                                         

                                                               

Laura Ashley                                                                                                         

Lavender Blue                                        

Le Top                                                    

Lilly Pulitzer                                           

Lipstik                                                     

Little Mass                                             

Lulu & Me                                              

                                                                                                             

Malina                                                  

Magi

Marimekko                                              

Melissa Jackson

Michael Simon

MiniBoden                                              

Monday’s Child                                       

Mulberribush                                          

Mulberry St.                                            

Munki Munki

                                         

Naartjie

New Potatoes

Nick Nack Patty Wack

Oink! Baby

Orient Expressed

Painting Red Rhinos  

Petit Ami

Petit Bateau

Plum Pudding

Psketti

Rags Land

Ralph Lauren/Polo

Robeez (shoes)

Rosalina

Skivvydoodles

Storybook Heirlooms

Strasburg

Sweet Potatoes

Tea Collection

Trish Scully                                 

Two Turtle Doves

Vive la Fete

Widgeon

Will’ Beth

Zackali

Zoodles

Zutano

Zyno

I got my tips and help from my husbands aunt who used to be a big seller on eBay. She was a huge help to me when I started off and I hope I can pass that along to you. Was this guide helpful to you?