Today is my daughter’s fifth birthday. She is happy and excited when you talk to her about her birthday. She was most happy about picking out what food we all ate today – a fun treat I plan to continue forever.

Her brother was having a sort of hard time because his birthday is next week and he wanted it to be today. It’s hard to have their birthdays so close together as everyone says “oh a combined birthday party will be easy” – and granted I have been doing combined parties the past few years, but I know that won’t last too long.

This is her first birthday away from friends and family. I consider the neighbor kids to be her friends, but since we don’t really talk to their parents, I admit I feel wierd inviting them to something. My plan at this point is to have a cake and a bunch of snacks and eat outside and have the kids invite the other kids. Then again, I better talk to the parents so the kids actually come over!

It sucks being away from friends and family, especially on birthdays!

But she is 5! I am amazed that she was this tiny baby who was too small to fit into her coming home outfit, but now she is a tall five year old. Strong willed, chatterbox, loves to craft (yay!), first born girl. The baby that her dad would call a smidgen of a person, he nicknamed her smidge for a while, but it never stuck. The little girl who I wonder if I am doing a good job parenting and I wonder who she will grow up to be.

In all her dancing glory, being a techie child and listening to Mom’s iPod.

Helen has a great post about neighbors – which got me thinking (again) about my neighbors. We live in a new development with construction going on behind the people across the street from us. When we moved in, there were still a handful of houses being finished or just getting started, but now everything is done and from what I can tell, there are people living in all of them.

I grew up surrounded by family: Grandma next door, Aunt next door to her, etc. The rest of my family lived in the same town or another town 10 minutes away. Having great neighbors was just a given – and I wonder if that’s because of being in a small town?

Here, not so small townish. When we moved in, one side of our neighbors was also moving in – the same day! We said hi and that was about it. Until summer came and our kids started playing together. But an 8 year old (neighbor) doesn’t always like playing with toddlers (mine) – so that didn’t last too long.

On the other side of us we have neighbors with kids. And the kids are our age! But they aren’t the most social people. When they moved in, they happened to be outside one of the times when I was leaving – so I stopped, introduced myself and said welcome to the neighborhood. We’ve talked to a handful of others, but not everyday.

Considering we live on a street that ends in a cul-de-sac, I was so excited to think of the neighborhood parties, the kids playing in the street together, the in general fun times to be had by all.

And so I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that the people taking walks at night don’t glance at us while we are cleaning the garage or watching our kids ride bike. I’m disappointed that neighbors don’t stop by to welcome you to the neighborhood. I’m disappointed that there are not whole flocks of kids running around together, going house to house because they are all friends and hey that’s what kids do. Granted, we aren’t out there going up to everyone and trying to get them involved so I wonder, is it true that it just takes one person?

It’s the south and it’s hot – we are generally inside with the ac blasting. Sitting out front yesterday, I debated putting a fan out there to hit me. LOL Plus my chairs are too low for anyone to really see me sitting there! Ruins the point of visiting with neighbors.

And tying this into crafting 😉 I remember when I was crafting as a child, living next door to my grandma, I could run 40 feet and ask her a question about it. I long to find a crafty partner here!

I have a lot more thoughts on this, but Helen’s post spurned that. 🙂

Please! Crafters – if you are selling in a webstore, please set up an affiliate program!

An affiliate program means other people bring visitors – and thus buyers! – to your website. As in I would promote your product/store, my visitors would visit you and when they buy, I would get a percentage of the sale. Not a huge %, not 90 or 80 or even 70. Not even 60! I have no idea what typical commissions are – 10%-40% I would guess – but considering it’s traffic (and sales!) you would not have received before, why don’t you have an affiliate program already!

I emailed a handful of crafters asking if they had affiliate programs and if so, where could I sign up. At least a few wrote back asking what an affiliate program was. After I explained it, they never wrote back. I wonder if they think I am trying to steal sales? Or did I do a bad job explaining what it is?

Internet marketing is sometimes not something crafters think about – but I beg you, please set up an affiliate program for your website. I want to send buyers to you! I have websites where I recommend products (not this one, this one is for fun!) and I want to recommend YOU! I love crafting and thus crafters – I want to see you succeed!

Please don’t look at affiliate marketing as me wanting money for your hard work. Look at it as a way to get more people to see your items and more sales and more money for you. If someone consistantly sent you a couple hundred (or more!) visitors a day, and maybe not all of them buy but some of them do, isn’t paying 25% commission a nice thank you? Doesn’t it make the one doing the sending want to work harder for you?

Yes it does! I am tired of recommending big companies. Help me help you. Okay that’s a lame line from a movie, but please help me help you.

Please feel free to reference this in your posting or tell a friend, etc. I really want more crafters to have affiliate programs and don’t understand why they don’t. Thanks. 🙂