Stack's Snack: Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
It’s a food blog! At least five people have told me I should include recipes so watch out folks! I’m turning into a food blogger where the recipe is tucked beneath 32 stories of why my grandma is the best at making meatballs!
The Recipe: Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction for these delightful muffins. Okay, so technically this recipe is for banana bread. BUT she tells you how to make them into muffins. Let me tell ya... your girl cannot be trusted with a full loaf of banana bread. These babies are pre portioned and freeze well. So, when you make them it's like an investment into future you who wants a little chocolate chippie muffin and then just has to go to the freezer and pop it in the microwave. Hot tip!
Oh! AND if you missed it… on Instagram Gourmia (worlds greatest air fryer) shared my story about a tuna sandwich. So, I’m famous now. Follow me for more tips on becoming an influencer (this is a joke people).
On My Desk: Hearts in Pink and Red
Valentine’s Day is upon us (shop the collection) and I haven’t stopped printing pink and red in what feels like one million days.
If your thought is - Katie, can’t you just print more at one time and then not run into this issue? A great question. Yes, that would be the easier solve to this issue. But, I panic every year that maybe nobody will buy my seasonal Valentine and then I’ll be stuck with a boatload (technical term) of inventory and immense sadness. So in order to not feel the blues I keep running out of cards and then I print them again.
Here is an example of a card I have printed numerous times that has four colors:
Snackable Story: The Momtrepenuer
When I grew up I wanted to be:
- A Chef (that only cooked what I wanted and didn’t work restaurant hours)
- A Singer/Songwriter (that didn’t have to be on a stage or know the right lyrics)
- A Crafter (who makes a slew of different things with all different materials)
- A Lawn Mower (mowing the lawn is fun and you can’t convince me it isn’t)
Well, it turns out that’s called being a mom. Moms do a lot of stuff. What a wild profession.
I joined Club Mom one year ago. Which means I really don’t have a lot of experience but I do get a lot of questions:
How do you manage a schedule where you work full-time and stay-at-home-mom full-time?
I’m a one woman show at Stack Paper Press. Which is great and also sometimes not great.
I am lucky to have a baby dude that knows when it’s time for a snooze. For now, I’m on a schedule where I get to work during his 4 hours of nap and I work after he goes to bed at night. When I have too much work and not enough hours I sprinkle work into my weekends.
I get that schedule probably isn't going to work for every new mom and that I am a lucky duck.
When my little guy is awake… I am momming.
Are you worried about that schedule changing?
Anybody with a little tot will tell you once you have things figured out... it changes. Will I have to change my schedule? Yeah. I’ll figure it out when I need to. Honestly, it will probably just make me more focused and more efficient.
For example… I could more efficiently print my Valentine’s Day Collection and monitor my inventory. I could also follow the rule when I sell out of a card - I sell out. Right now, I don't do that. Because I don't have to.
What will you do if you have another one?
Yesh…. pushy! Can’t believe you even asked that. But since we are on the topic. Yeah, I don’t know - seems hard. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. How good of a non-answer was that?!
What I can say is when I had a baby I made some changes in my business. It gave me a greater focus. I cut down drastically on any custom work and focused on my greeting card line. Custom work is fun. But, it takes hours and hours and hours of work… and those hours are just not something I have right now. If I were Taylor Swift I would be in my I Don’t Have A Lot of Time Era.
Do you get tired?
I do. Yep.
Instead of drowning in the sleepies I have learned it is a good idea to ask for some help. My advice: if you have people near by that are willing to lend a helping hand to you - take it (hi dad).
Does Liam help in the studio?
Child labor laws! Lol. But still no. The press is pretty dangerous. By pretty I mean super dangerous for a one year old.
What would you say to another small business girl starting a family?
Sometimes maybe you won’t feel like you fit in with any mom group. Like you don’t fit in the ‘stay-at-home box’ or the ‘working-mom box’. So, create your own hybrid box. Try and not listen to the voice in your head that says “people think your business is silly because it is small”.
Some other unhelpful things that I will also say:
- It’s a lot of work but it is doable!
- Calm down you’re doing fine.
How come laundry isn’t on the list of things you want to be when you grow up?
Great question. Yeah, so I didn’t want to be a laundromat. Seems like it is part of the mom thing. BUT really cool idea - if you have a partner… see where I am going here? I am lucky to have a cool Vol 1 Colin who is very supportive about businessing and who also does the laundry. Thank goodness.
Okay this is where I think I am supposed say something controversial so that I gain 200,000 followers and people write thousands of comments. There seems to be a lot of judgement about work-from-home mom, stay-at-home mom, work-from-work mom, mom-whateverness. It all seems cool. Whatever you’re comfortable with. And for the new moms - if it takes you a minute to figure that out... that’s cool too. What I’m saying is people should just mind their own business and you pick whatever works for you and your fambam.