Interview With Karen From Simply Fun Families, Part Two!

We are back with Part Two of our interview with Karen from Simply Fun Families, a wonderful website that offers some terrific suggestions on things to with your family, your kiddos especially, to make lasting memories.  If you haven’t already you can check out Part One here!

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 4) What sort of challenges did you face/ anticipate with becoming a mompreneur? How did you overcome these?

This past year has been a big juggling act and a huge learning curve for me. I knew right out of the gate that with my perfectionist personality that it would be a big adjustment to my and my family’s life to take on something as significant as starting my own business. I am a person who thrives on routine and scheduling ahead, and once this new venture commenced, it was a continuous stream of new endeavours and working hard to keep my priorities straight.

As a stay-at-home mother for all these years, one of my top priorities had always been to get my “to-do’s” done while my husband was at work and my kids were at school or napping.   This was important to the big picture that I dreamed of for my family… the dream that we would spend our evenings and weekends together enjoying one another and living life rather than busily doing chores. I really value the time we have to share every day. From the start I knew that I was going to face a big challenge to add building a business from the ground up into the mix, and still keep our family time clear to be enjoyed together.

How did I overcome this obstacle? To be perfectly honest, I’m still trying hard to figure it out. What I do know is that my family, especially my husband, has been incredibly supportive. I know he doesn’t care how the house looks or whether we have a full fridge of groceries. He has been very patient and pitched in on countless occasions when I just couldn’t fit everything in. Over the past year, I have developed the habit of rising early to take a little time each morning for quiet prayer and to centre myself on the blessings in my life. Starting the day with an inspirational book or blog post to read along with that prayer time have certainly helped me to set the tone for many days.

But inevitably I still have days when the overloaded schedule I had feared does get the best of me. I have dropped some balls on the home front. I have learned how to manage in a much more spontaneous and last minute fashion than I had become accustomed to (granted, this is a good life skill to build!). I am learning day by day to let go of perfection and my strong desire to complete every project I begin.

And what’s more, I’m also learning that it’s OKAY FOR THE KIDS to see me juggling and asking for their cooperation and patience at times too. I have always told them that we are a family, and each one of us is important – including the parents. Now, when they see me struggling or overloaded, they are so compassionate, and they genuinely want to offer a helping hand with some of the chores. I am so proud of them and also so grateful for the love and care they take of me. That is one of the great things that has happened as a result of the challenges I have taken on with this new venture.

 

5) What does Simply Fun Families offer to moms and dads? What reasons would we have to visit your site?

I love this question! As I mentioned earlier in the interview, Simply Fun Families has developed into a place where parents can find all sorts of ideas and inspiration for simple family fun. There are 4 different ways that I share new things with my community, and typically these offerings follow the seasons and holidays that are approaching.

On an ongoing basis you can find BLOG POSTS featuring ideas and inspiration pertaining to:

1. *Activities and adventures to share as a family
2. *Recipes & meals that my kids love PLUS fun ways to share meals together
3. *Organizing tips and tricks that I have put to use
4. *Crafts that I have enjoyed doing with my own kids

Over the past 6 months, I have found myself offering more FREE PRINTABLES that make it easy to connect with kids. It seems that as each new season or holiday approaches, I remember a family tradition or I come up with a new idea that I want to try with my own children which would make a great offering to share with Simply Fun Families.  I have had a very warm response to this particular kind of offering. One example is…

1. **The week before the kids went back to school, I offered a free printable. It was a one-page template using pretty blue script within a nice border that said “I am so grateful for the summer we shared.” “Here are some of my favourite things we did together.” Then the page was broken down into 3 sections… “I liked”, “I loved”, and “I will always remember”. This one page letter was so simple an idea with such a huge impact for each of the children receiving it. I suggested parents leave this letter on their children’s pillows to be found and read on the last night of summer.

Simply Fun Families also hosts BOOK GIVEAWAYS from time to time. This is my way of sharing some of the inspiration I have found in great reads over the years. All of my book giveaways fall into one of two types:

1. *Books for parents in which I’ve found wonderful parenting inspiration
2. *Books for children … these are books my children have loved over the years

And of course, Simply Fun Families has several unique PRODUCT OFFERINGS which I created based on some of my own family’s most treasured family traditions. These are available at different times of the year through Simply Fun Families’ online store. These offerings fall into two general types:

1. *Seasonal Products that offer unique ideas for festive family fun and are EASY for parents to deliver such as my Countdown to Christmas Activity Kit… find out more below!
2. *Anytime Products focused on sharing time together and making memories throughout the year like my Ebook “50 Amazing Ways to Steal Time With Your Kids – a parent’s journal” … find out more below!

I hope you will visit us at www.simplyfunfamilies.com to see what we currently have available.

And while you’re there, please join our Simply Fun Families community by subscribing to our newsletter. This will keep you up to date so you’ll be the first to know when we have new offerings available for you to enjoy!

 

6) MapleMouseMama is very familiar with your Countdown to Christmas Kit. Can you tell our readers a little about this great activity please?

I would love to! The whole idea behind this family activity kit is twofold:  it helps busy parents to foster the SPIRIT OF THE SEASON in our homes as Christmas approaches AND it makes it SUPER EASY to add a little burst of festive fun to each day leading up to Christmas.

How it works:

The Countdown to Christmas Kit includes 35 activity cards, each created with lovely vintage graphics and offering a unique idea for adding a little something special to the days leading up to Christmas. These activities include:

1. *Quick bursts of fun for your busiest days
2. *Traditional Christmas activities
3. *Activities in a spirit of gratitude
4. *Activities that inspire acts of kindness toward family members and others
5. *Ideas for charitable giving

In addition to the 35 cards described above, each kit contains 5 blank cards which can be personalized for your own family traditions.

When you begin your family’s Countdown to Christmas, each day holds a surprise which the children discover by opening an envelope containing that day’s special activity card. Parents select the activities that suit their own family’s calendar, so this Countdown is easily customized to fit each family’s commitments and schedule.

Some of the activities you’ll find in Countdown to Christmas are:

1. *It’s a great night for a picnic dinner under the Christmas tree!
2. *Tonight we’ll jump in the car, turn up the holiday tunes, and tour the Christmas lights around town!
3. *Choose a Secret Santa and do acts of kindness for that family member all month long!!

We run my family’s Countdown from December 1st – 25th (believe it or not!). Other parents choose to do it for the last 12 days leading up to Christmas. Whatever works for your family is great!!

This year I am offering 2 versions of this great family activity :

1. *The Limited Edition Countdown to Christmas Activity Kit which will be available at Mastermind Toys Retail Store throughout Canada and also through my online store at simplyfunfamilies.com (while quantities last)
2. *All new for 2014…a Printable Card Set which offers all of the activities included in the Limited Edition Kit, and is available for families to download immediately. This version makes the kit available to parents worldwide with ease, so it’s a great option for those beyond Canadian borders.

Countdown to Christmas is my family’s favourite tradition of all.  Follow our original kit or add in your own ideas to make it your family’s favourite tradition to.

 

7)  When should it be ordered to maximize it’s use?  Where does Simply Fun Families ship to?     

I like to plan my countdown activities in advance and then sit back and enjoy when the countdown gets going. For parents like me, I suggest getting your kit at least one week before you plan to start your family’s countdown. This way, you have time to look through all of my tips and tricks to get organized ahead of your start day. For me, each day’s activity is really a breeze to deliver to the kids, and it adds no stress to my day to deliver a whole lot of fun!

If you are ordering the Printable Card Set, then you will receive your printable in your email immediately after completing your online purchase.

You have 2 options if you are ordering the Limited Edition Countdown to Christmas Activity Kit.  You can purchase your Kit in store at Mastermind Toys across Canada or you can order the kit from Simply Fun Families’ online store at www.simplyfunfamilies.com .

Here is a guideline for my shipping times :

1. *Within Ontario 3 – 5 business days
2. *Within Canada outside Ontario 7 – 10 business days
3. *To the USA – 7 – 12 business days
4. *Beyond Canada & USA 10 – 15 business days.

Remember, as we get closer to Christmas, shipping times will be longer.

 

8) Are there any new products or ideas in the works for Simply Fun Families that you care to share?

I would love to share what’s new with you! I have been working on another product offering that is very dear to my heart. The idea came to me after I shared some very special 1-on-1 adventures with my daughter and then later my son in 2013. These experiences turned out to be something we will remember forever, a very special opportunity I stole to connect with each of them separately, and I wanted to find a way to inspire and help other parents to make similar experiences happen with their own children. And that is how my first Ebook came to be. Here’s what it’s all about…

For just a moment, imagine your future self looking back on your young family… say during the years when your children were in the range of 6 – 14 years old and busy accommodating school, social, sports, family, and recreational activities.

Now, imagine how it feels to have some unique, 1-on-1 memories added into the mix.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous to have at your fingertips (and available for use time and time again) JUST ONE BOOK… a collection of 50 unique ideas for one-on-one experiences with your own children?  Now imagine it’s actually a journal in which you can record all those memories that you dream of looking back on in 10 or 15 years from now, when the house has become a bit quieter, and the kids have started making their own way in the world.

In 50 Amazing Ways to Steal Time With Your Kids – A Parent’s Journal
You will receive:

1. *A collection of 50 unique ideas for sharing one-on-one experiences with your children
2. *Space to record your memories and experiences from each of your adventures
3. *An editable feature which will enable you to journalize your experiences right into your Ebook, keeping it in an entirely digital format
4. *A printable feature offering the opportunity to hand-write your experiences and add photos or other mementos from your day
5. *A keepsake to look back on or to share with your children in years to come

This Ebook will be available in 2015. It is one of the offerings that I will be making available between the seasonal offerings that Simply Fun Families is pleased to share over holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

Don’t miss out on this Ebook offer! Join the Simply Fun Families community and stay up to date with our monthly newsletters here…

 

9) What do you see for the future of Simply Fun Families Karen? 

I really LOVE the years I am experiencing right now… my family is healthy, happy, and together with just a handful of years before my kids start heading off to university. My goals for Simply Fun Families include

1. *connecting with many more bloggers, entrepreneurs, and of course PARENTS all over the world
2. *sharing many more products in the coming years that help families to connect and add a bit of fun to their everyday lives with ease

I am so happy to be a blogger who is connecting with parents through this amazing journey. I am not only sharing myself and my family traditions, but creating ways for parents to add simple family fun to their own lives through printables, giveaways of inspirational books, product offerings and ebooks, as well as little tips and tricks I’ve found and loved along the way.

Learning, growing, and sharing…. That’s what I’m looking forward to!

 

If you have enjoyed reading about Karen and her wonderful website Simply Fun Families, why not pay her a visit!  You can find Simply Fun Families on Facebook and Pinterest.

FT&PD

Suz