The Bump Maternity Boutique.

I am so glad to have met Clair.  She's a great, patient, thoughtful mom and a smart, organized, creative business woman.  She knows what she's looking for and is great at making things happen to achieve her goals.  I've been impressed with her love for her family and her passion for being a small business owner.  I knew she was doing great things but when she answered the following questions I was in even more awe of the way she makes time for the people that matter most to her and at the same time can juggle with graciousness and ease the 1st anniversary of her shop, The Bump Maternity Boutique, and all of the other unexpected hurdles there are to jump every day when you have an increasingly successful, hip, chic, beautiful shop.

The Bump Maternity Boutique offers women the opportunity to look beautiful and stylish while they are pregnant.  The latest in fashion for a day at the office, jetting downtown for a day of shopping, or going to dinner on the town are some of the lovely pieces you'll find in Clair's shop.  You won't want to miss The Bump Maternity Boutique whether you just found out you're going to have your own little bump or if you're just weeks away from actually seeing your little one. 

I had the chance to photograph Clair and her family and ask her some questions:

What does an average day and week look like for you between home and business as far as what time you get up, getting your family ready for the day, what days you are at the shop, scheduling time for what is important in business and family, etc.?

Balancing a brand new store and two young children is nothing short of challenging.  When we began to really pursue the shop I was pregnant with Macy and Caroline was just over a year old.  Looking back at that time, that was easy :) I was working full-time, shopping for the store in my spare time, enjoying my baby girl and pregnant with the second.  Macy was born in January '10; while on maternity leave form my full-time job, I spent my days in the store setting up and receiving stock, supplies, equipment and such.  We opened our doors in April and I went back to work for a few months.  I made The Bump my full time job in June and that is when my time management skills became important.  One of my personal goals for owning my own business was to have more time to spend with my family.  So it was important for me to schedule my days off to coincide with my husbands time off and to get as much time with the girls as possible.  I remember some very rocky mornings where everything felt rushed and hectic, getting my self, a newborn and a sassy 19 month old ready to leave the house.  My husband and I took a weekend away, and as we normally do during our alone time, we re-evalute our priorities, goals and overall life.  It was then that I decided to find a way 'enjoy' my morning time with my girls and get some true balance.  

So my typical day starts around 7am, by this time Carolina has usually climbed into our bed and gone back to sleep, Macy is still sleeping and I jump in the shower before they wake up.  Caroline likes to stay in bed after she wakes up so we lay there and talk and snuggle.  Then we start to hear babbles from Macy's bed and Caroline gets a big grin on her face and says 'Listen, I hear Macy!'  We go in their room and see Macy (usually bouncing and smiling) eager to get out an play.   Macy gets out and the girls play in there room while I finish getting ready for my day, usually have to get them snacks and juice because Macy is hungry every minute of the day!  So this is the time of my day that use to be stressful and rushed, because the girls go to a day school that serves breakfast from 8:30-9am and I used to rush to get them there.  Now we play and take our time (while snacking).  Caroline picks out her clothes, which can be quite amusing and I just let her wear what she likes.  We have gone to school with big girl panties on the outside of our pants or with a princess dress over our clothes, but she is happy and that makes me happy.  I get Macy dressed and we head out the door.  The interesting thing is that my relaxed and enjoyable way usually has us arriving at school at 8:45 (same time as the stressful/rushed way) so they get breakfast with their friends and I get a fun morning with my babies!  I usually schedule myself to be in the store Monday - Friday 10am-4pm, with an occasional weekend out of town for market.  I usually schedule day time coverage at the store on Tuesday so that I can run personal errands, pay bills and manage the house.  Tuesdays are also the day that I do office work for my husband's cleaning business.  My day in the store can be challenging as I work with customers, receive product, merchandise the store, plan for the next seasons.  In between all of that, I am searching for the cutest and latest things in maternity & baby.  I have a handful of local, creative crafters that I am always sending pictures of new ideas for products.  I LOVE having my own 'esty-esque' shop inside my store, showcasing local talent and providing one-of-a-kind gifts!  After my day at the store is done, I pick up the girls from school and we meet 'Daddy' at home for his turn to play!  I cook dinner (or attempt to cook dinner, I make no promises) and we all eat dinner together.  Because my Macy is a one year old messy monster we go straight from the table to bath time - Macy loves it and 9 out of 10 times Caroline really enjoys it too!  They play and splash and laugh and spit water on each other.  After baths, we start to have some quite time.  We turn off some lights, read books, and rest before going to bed.  If we are lucky, Chris and I get an hour to talk and prepare for tomorrow before we are off to sleep.  

What keeps you organized?

My iPhone, I update my calendar and set everything to alert me.  I have a calendar at home, at the store and on my phone.  And thank goodness for emails, I don't usually delete emails because I am constantly searching through old ones for contacts and such.  I also make lists!  I end up with scraps of paper filled with things to do for the store, ideas I see while I'm driving around or things I need to buy to cook dinner.

How do you make time for your family and also grow your business?

 Besides scheduling myself to be home in the evenings and weekends with my family, I love to bring my kids to work.  Macy is almost old enough to come to work without another person to help me, which is exciting.  Caroline loves to come to the store and help out.  I keep her backpack in the car packed with essentials in case she has a rough morning.  There have been a few days that she has wanted some extra mommy time and asked to go work with me, and I LOVE that I have the option to say 'yes'.   As for growing the business, my business partner is my mom, so it has definitely created a stronger and new bond between us.  We talk on the phone multiple times a day, exchanging ideas, thoughts and to-do's and we send a lot of emails late night after the kids have gone to bed.  I am lucky to have her believe in my dream and help me get it off the ground.  She handles all the marketing, advertising and book-keeping.  So that frees up my time to focus on product assortment, generating sales, and training our great staff!  Without her I would not have the ability to do all that I do with my children!

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

I am so proud to show my girls that there are so many opportunities out there for women.  Also, I proud of the store as a whole.  I usually drive around the store looking at it as a customer and am filled with happiness to know that I had a part in creating it.

What five suggestions do you have for women who are business owners and trying to have a more whole, content, and blissful life?

1-Prioritize and re-evalute your situation regularly.  Things change and what worked yesterday may not be true tomorrow.
2-Don't let the little things get to you.  I have always been able to move past obstacles and create a new plan
3-Set goals! and write them down!  We (my husband and I) set goals for business growth, future plans, and personal things too.
4-Get away. (without the kids)  Take a day trip, weekend trip or a hour to yourself.  I think it is important for us and it always inspires us to come up with new ideas.
5-Have fun!  "In the end its not the years in your life that count, its the life in your years" Abe Lincoln

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apple picking.

We worked hard to make this shoot happen and we were so glad that we did; especially when we arrived at the apple orchard to find out that it would be the last day fof apple picking for the season.

Looking for apples from top to bottom and picking up plenty of apples that were long past their prime was fun.  We added in some book reading and bubbles for good measure...more to come later.

happy. LIFE.

love affair family.

This is such a sweet family.  I talked to Nina before our session and asked her what they all liked to do together.  Hanging out together, snuggling on a couch, laughing were all favorites. 

The thing that's amazing about them is this...Nina and Marq have only been married for two years.  You wouldn't know it from the way these kids absolutely adore Marq.  The safety and love that they've created in their home is so apparent when you spend time with them.

Thank you all for being so lovely and so much fun to photograph!

beautiful. LIFE.

the sweet moments.

I adore the first few days of having a baby at home.  We're all safe in our cocoon of warmth, safety, and newness.  If feels a little off kilter and at the same time there's a serenity and loveliness about the first days of having a newborn.  You've completely stepped out of the world and for now your entire world exists within the confines of the walls of your home.  And in those days it just feels right.

Usually, it's before your brand new little baby realizes that she doesn't have to sleep 22 out of 24 hours.  She sleeps well while she recovers from her birth day...it's peaceful even in its chaos.

I'm so grateful that this beautiful little family welcomed me into the sacred first few days of their blissfull unknown.  After being at the birth and then getting to see them all as a whole family brought back all of those happy feelings of a new baby...their sweetness with each other, big sister testing out the big sister waters, the scent of a newborn, and beauty of family life and the love it holds.

deeper. LOVE.