Need something flexible. either full or part-time?  Promotional marketing may be for you.  Never heard of promotional marketing?  Have no marketing background?  Have never seen anyone in this position?  Actually, you don't need any training and you've seen people in these positions all over the place.  
Ever gotten a sample of a new product at a fair, gotten to try a new liquor from branded  representatives at a bar or club, or visited a booth to enter for a prize?  The people working these events likely have no affiliation with the brand they are representing.  They are simply hired for the shift of for the length of the event.
Promotional or event marketing companies hire people to work on a short term basis to represent a product or service.  There are many different job titles out there that have slightly different job descriptions, but fall under the promo gig umbrella.  The basic position entails wearing a specific uniform, learning brand information to share with consumers, and often helping the the set up and teardown of the event.  Here are just a few brands that I have worked with and titles I have had.

Promo Gig F.A.Q.s
How much should I make?
This depends on the position.  If you are working a single event, you could make between $16 and $40 per hour.  Depending on the client and location, you may also be reimbursed for parking, receive gas money or drive time, or be provided with lodging.  It all depends on the client. Make sure to read all the details before accepting a position.
On a long term position as a tour manager?  Expect to make $800-$1200 a week on average.  These positions often come with added benefits and of course, travel!

What types of brands are hiring?
Did you see my list?  All of them!!!

How do I get hired for these positions?
Seek out staffing companies and start creating profiles with each of them.  You can also look for these types of positions on job boards or even in Facebook groups.  I found my first one on Craigslist (yes, really.).  Make sure you have a great, recent, natural headshot and full-body shot to submit to clients.

What will get me fired or blacklisted?
​Not following instructions, taking unschedule breaks, smoking in uniform, discussing pay, and bad attitude can all be factors in not asking you to return.  Most importantly, always show up.  The best way to get ousted from the promo business is to miss a scheduled event and not let your contact know.  This is known as a "no call/no show."

​How often can I work?
This is totally up to you.  These positions are available year-round all over the country, so the amount you work is up to you.  Be courteous, work hard, and follow directions and local managers will be more likely to refer you for future work.  Just make sure you are organized.  Keep an accurate calendar of your work and the sky is the limit.

Most everyone has experienced having a substitute teacher, but what do they actually do and what makes a good one?  One of the worst situations for both students and teachers happens when the sub doesn't know what is going on, but how do you combat that?  While substitute teaching can seem like a glorified babysitting position, to do it well you need to be prepared and ask the right questions.  As always, this blog is based on my real experiences in this position.
First, know what you are teaching.  When you get a call, you will be asked if you are available on a certain date, if it is a full or half day, and, usually, you will be told the grade level and sometimes the subject that you are being requested for.  As one colleague wisely pointed out, "If you are subbing for a gym teacher, dress like a gym teacher."  Keep in mind, if you are working with younger students, you need to be sure to be able to crouch down to help with assignments, take on recess duty, or be prepared to complete a messy art project.  Likewise, if you will be in a lab make sure to wear closed-toed shoes and long pants.  Layers are also helpful to adjust to room temperatures which can fluctuate throughout a building.
Next, get all the information that you can.  When you arrive at the office to check in for your assignment, you will usually get a name tag, directions to your room, and, possibly, keys.  Check to see if there are any forms to fill out (like a sub log) and if it should be left for the teacher or brought to the office at the end of the day (I always make sure to leave a note for the teacher with specific details about absences and behavior for each class period.).  This is a good time to ask about cellphone policy.  Sometimes it is teacher specific, but it is good to have a general idea, because this is one of the first things students will try to get away with.  Also find out if there is a substitute log in for the school computers.  Another great thing to ask is if there are any special events in the building that day.
After checking in, head to your room.  Hopefully, the regular teacher has left you specific notes about the day. Take this time to read through the day, locate your teaching resources, find out if you switch rooms throughout the day or have extra duties (before or after school, or at lunch), and get organized for the morning.  Morning tasks generally include reporting attendance,  taking a lunch count, and showing the announcements.  Often, if you cannot do one of these things, there will be a note about where to send students or a student that can be put in charge of the task.  If there are no classroom instructions, check with the office or neighboring teachers.  In a worse case scenario, you will run a study hall all day.  Write your name on the board and be prepared for constant monitoring.  Finally, take a few moments to check out the posted emergency procedures.  You never know if there will be a last minute tornado drill or evacuation.
Throughout the day, try to move through the room as much as possible.  Students know they are less likely to get away with misbehaviors if you are not sitting like a lump in the corner.  Also be consistent.  If there are no specific instructions, be upfront with your students and let them know what you expect.  Can they work with a partner?  What is an acceptable noise level?  What activities can they do if they are done with their assignment?  If the classroom teacher has left a way to reward their students, tell them exactly what you expect to be able to reward them.  Unless otherwise stated, I always limit people leaving the classroom for bathroom breaks or locker runs to one guy and one gal and I keep an eye on the clock to let the teacher know if they were gone for an extended period.
Normally, a substitute will have two breaks throughout the day.  One is a plan period.  This is a great time to run to the bathroom (You should not leave the room while you are supervising students.), check your phone for messages (You should not have your phone out while supervising students.), and relax (Bring a book.).  The other is a lunch break.  Depending on your  school, you may be able to head to the cafeteria and pay cash for lunch.  Some schools require you to have an account set up to purchase lunches and may not set one up for the casual sub.  This is something you might inquire about with the office.  I always found it easiest to simply bring something cold for lunch.  Most schools will invite you to use the teachers lounge, but lunch periods are usually very short and taking time to find the lounge and participate in a microwaving cue will eat into your break.
Remember, safety is the most important thing.  You want to get all your students through their day safely.  Follow your teacher's instructions as closely as possible.  If in doubt, call the office for backup.   Good luck!

Having a sick child is stressful and most people, thankfully, have not had to experience having their child in the hospital for an extended period of time.  When my little one was in the hospital, we also had big sister at home.  On top of that, I was working remotely and my husband worked a combination of from the office, remotely, or while traveling.  We were grateful that things were as flexible as they could be so that we could spend as much time at the hospital as possible.  We knew it was going to be a long haul because, though no one knows for sure, the best guess for babies in the NICU is that they will be there until their due date.  Our mini miracle came into the world at 25 weeks and 1 day, so the estimated length of stay was fifteen weeks.  Remember, I am not a medical professional, simply a mom that has been through it and hopes that my shared experience might assist or enlighten others.
What do you do at the NICU?  There are a lot of little things you can do to help support your preemie and our hospital staff was very supportive.  First, they gave us two Snoedels (snoedel.com).  These are little dolls designed to hold your scent so that it will be comforting to your preemie.  There were two so that we could swap them our and she would always have one while I would wear the other one.  Next, I was pumping to feed our wee one and to maintain a supply until she was strong enough to breastfeed (We are still working on this.).  All the staff also encourage you to get as involved as possible with things like diaper changes, baths, and belly massages.  Finally, as long as baby can tolerate it, mom and dad are encourage to participate in kangaroo care.
Kangaroo care is stripping baby down and holding them skin to skin on your chest.  This encourages bonding and helps to stimulate the growth that baby missed out on in the womb.  It can also help with brain development.
There are lots of things that can change baby's schedule.  This could be medical procedures, types of feedings, length of feedings, and more. Usually, the schedule calls for feedings and assessments every three hours or every four hours.  This is an example of what a typical day looked like while we were in the NICU and baby still had a feeding tube.  We would try to go to the hospital six days a week, but this all happened in the winter, so we did have to take a few snow days.

It is absolutely exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Take each day and each new bit of news one at a time and utilize your support system.  Talk it out and ask for help, most people want to do something and are waiting for an opportunity.  You've got this!

When you think of birth and babies, breastfeeding seems like it comes naturally, but it is not always as easy as you would think.  My two pregnancies were as different as can be, like ice and fire.  The first was a vaginal delivery after almost 60 hours of labor at 40 weeks and one day with a 10lb 14oz girl.  The second was an emergency c-section at 25 weeks and one day where we lost one daughter (1lb 15oz) and our second daughter (1lb 8oz) was headed for a long stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
I have degrees in science, but for some reason it never occurred to me that the milk doesn't necessarily just flow.  The medical staff was nervous that my first might be losing weight and had an infection from an extended labor, so she was whisked away to the NICU and I was left with a pump to try and get the milk flowing.  I felt very lucky that while I "primed the pumps," my daughter was able to consume donated milk, and it was a good thing!  That big baby was gulping down four ounces at a feeding!  She was born on a Saturday and it took me pumping eight times a day for fifteen minutes at a time, four days (which felt like a lifetime) before I finally produced my first drops of milk.  After that, we still had a few days before she would latch.  Finally, after her round of antibiotics, she was released to go home and though the week had seemed like a struggle, I felt confident that I would be able to breastfeed her successfully.
I fed her eight times a day til she started skipping one night feeding and would pump a couple times a day so that I would have a supply for a few times that I knew I would have to be away and for when I went back to work.  I pumped enough to use breast milk in her baby cereal for beyond the first year and she finally had her last latch (a bittersweet moment) at just over two years and three months.
After struggles the first time, I had done research about how to best accomplish breastfeeding with twins.  Unfortunately, the struggle here was going to be much more emotionally, physically, and mentally intense than I could have anticipated.
Due to medical complications, it was two month before I could even try nonnutritive breastfeeding.  This means you pump all the milk out of your breasts and just attempt to get the baby to latch for practice.  On this date, Baby B was 2lbs 8oz.  Can you imagine the difference in this minute miracle and her sizable sister?  
Then, we worked our way to actually attempting breastfeeding.  It's natural.  It should come easy.  Right?  Not so much.  It takes a lot of energy and coordination to breastfeed, which our preemie just didn't have.  When the baby is breastfeeding, it also means that the milk can't be fortified with extra calories, vitamins, and supplements.
Today, we are at just over six months of chronological age, Baby B is 8lbs 2oz, and she successfully latches and transfers(actually gets milk to flow and consumes it) every morning.  Until we get on the growth curve, it is unwise to breastfeed more than once or twice a day.  Baby just needs all those extras that she can get from adding to the breast milk and we save her a few calories by letting her bottle-feed. I am still hopeful that we will reach a point where we can spend more mealtimes bonding, but for now it's the pump for me.

Were you excited or disappointed to see a substitute teacher when you were in school?  Did you think you were going to get away with things, have less work, or be bored by busy work?  Maybe you had no idea what to expect because it was a random person that you'd never seen before.  Perhaps you were thrilled to see that someone you knew was taking charge for the day.  All this may have gone through your head, but did you ever consider becoming a sub (Yes, the teacher, not the sandwich.)?
Substitute teaching has many pros and cons.  Depending on your situation (Eh hmm, you moms trying to have it all), it could be a great option to help support your family.  Let's take a deeper dive.

Think you have what it takes to sub?  Check out your state's Department of Education and contact your local school districts.  Schools are in need of great subs and often will help you navigate the process.  Make sure schools know you are available, be prepared to walk into anything from seven fully prepped teaching periods to a day of study halls(bring a book), and if you are willing to sub for P.E., be sure to have a whistle!

"Yes, just tell me,"  I repeated.
"Are you sure?  We could email it or put it in a sealed envelope to have picked up or mail it to you."
"Just tell me."
"It's girls!" the nurse reported cheerfully.
This was the last bit she revealed after our genetics testing came back.  All normal and identical twin girls! How exciting!  I had been doing my research and I knew we weren't out of the woods yet, but oh what a relief!  I was thrilled to be able to call my husband who was ecstatic at the news and wanted to know when we could tell people.  At about eight weeks we had told our parents the good news and we were bursting to tell about the twins as soon as we got out of our ultrasound appointment, but something was keeping me from making a formal announcement.
I think most people realize that with any multiple pregnancy there are added risks, but until I was faced with our special circumstances, I had no idea how many issues there could be.  As a Girl Scout from kindergarten to high school graduation, I abide by the motto "be prepared" and as an avid reader (Well, I was before kids anyway.) and learner, I was in full research mode.  What could complications be?  What could we do to head them off?  What were signs?  Two particular issue caught my eye.
Both the complications that were extremely worrisome had to do with the circulatory system, which we were already extra contentious of because of daddy's bifurcated valve and his father's life saving heart transplant (Yay, 10 years and counting! Check out organ donor.gov).  The first condition happens when one twin has a fully formed heart, but the other does not.  This means as soon as they are born, the heartless twin passes and sometimes the other twin also cannot survive because of the stress of supporting them both in the womb.  I knew when we got to the anatomy scan, this was something we could rule out. 
The second complication is also something that often happens after sibling are born: they do not share well.  In this case, the placenta is unevenly divided and the twins do not share the blood supply equally.  This can result in the loss of one or both twins.
Armed with this information, I made an extensive list of questions for our next doctor's appointment which thankfully was only a month away.  We got our scan and I requested confirmation of beating hearts in both girls and the patient tech walked me through where all the chambers were forming in our perfectly on track girls. Ahh, one disaster averted. 
Next, all my questions...Most importantly, how do we tell if the girls aren't sharing blood properly, which is technically called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome?  My doctor didn't seem worried at all and explained that usually an excess of fluid collects around one of the twins (which I was assured they were carefully monitoring at each appointment).  When they notice this is happening, there is a laser procedure that can reallocate the blood vessels in the placenta and correct the issue.  I still wasn't satisfied.  "So this isn't something that can happen all of a sudden?  You would see signs?"  I inquired.  The doctor assured me that this was true and scheduled my next appointment a month out, right after the Christmas/New Years holiday.
My husband was excited and wanted to tell everyone, but something was holding me back.  Even my father had said, "Well, the more people who know, the more can pray for them." True, but I just thought so many things could still go wrong and it was still so early that I didn't want people to get so excited and end up with bad news.
Finally, I compromised.  I thought maybe I could announce it in steps.  On New Year's Eve, which would be just after 24 weeks and the girls would be considered viable, I could announce the pregnancy.  It was getting a little difficult to conceal after all.  Then, I could wait a week and announce that I was having a girl.  Finally, I could wait one more week to announce that we would be welcoming twins, the most exciting part of our news.  I looked up a multitude of twin announcement possibilities, thought about doing a pregnancy photoshoot (I hadn't with my first.), and even got a little excited about doing the plaster cast belly keepsake that I had received in a mommy-to-be trimester shipment (TheStorkBag.com).

My husband said upon hearing of the double residency that had taken up in my belly, I went completely white.  Now, I am already pretty pale, so there was probably some translucence happening.  The nurses chose the next moment to take my blood pressure...
The doctor let me know that multiples automatically qualified this as a high risk pregnancy.  Since I am no spring chicken (more like an early autumn hen), I had already had some concerns about my age at which time the doctor informed my that I was an elderly multigravida.  Doesn't that sound mystical?  Ahh yes, the elderly multigravida can only be summoned by mixing ground chicken bones and groundhog saliva in a virgin glen under the light of a waxing moon. It just means it's at least your second pregnancy and your due date is after your thirty-fifth birthday.  Boring and couldn't they have thought of a nicer way to say that?
The doctor let me know that they would confirm the type of twins, but they believed they were identical with separate sacs, but sharing a placenta, otherwise known as monochorionic diamniotic twins.  Due to some uncommon complications that can occur, my practitioner said that she usually delivered these types of twins by 34 weeks gestation.  She sent me for some tests and blood work to rule out a few genetic issues and off she went.
Meanwhile, what was I thinking...
34 weeks?  Does that mean it will have to be a scheduled c-section?  Could they induce?  Do they both have to be head down?  I only have four place settings for my everyday dishes.  How is a family of five going to work?  When we visit my husband's parents, they won't be able to get us from the airport.  Will we rent a car or will they have to take two?  How do you breastfeed twins?  I'll never sleep again.  I need to start designing a new house (Our current one, I specifically designed to have two children's rooms with the same dimensions.).  If they come early, what if they are born on our oldest daughter's birthday?  You know, that happened in Full House.  Becky's twins came early right in the middle of Michelle's Flintstone-themed birthday party.  I don't want her to have to share a birthday.  You know my first child was 10lbs 14oz.  I bet these will just slide out.  We aren't going to have any time after they are born, so hubby better schedule his vasectomy now.
Is your head spinning?  Mine definitely was and I was off to do some research...

Random Side Note:  As a child, one of my favorite things to do was get graph paper from my mom and draw out house plans.  Priorities were a little different then.  Ironically, I planned for two sets of twins(a set of girls and set of boys, probably because my best friends at the time were twins), having a room just for the many cats I thought I'd have on each of three floors with their own stairwell, and an indoor pool. A girl can dream. ;)

Do you have a something that cheers you up when you are down?  A favorite movie, an activity, or even a food that can lift your spirits no matter what lemon curveballs life may be raining down on you?  When I need a little extra pep, I turn to the Sandals' website (sandals.com).  It may seem odd, but I love snooping through the sales and stacking discounts to try to get the best rates or perusing the sample menus and fantasizing about ordering French onion soup, surf and turf, sashimi, and the decadent chocolate mousse bites (excuse me as I clean the drool off of my keyboard).
My husband just doesn't get why I would enjoy such a silly thing.  Well, I love saving money, traveling, food, and, of course, what most every mom craves despite the nagging guilt, the peace, quiet, and time to myself.  Ahh to finish a meal out without having to play "Baby Shark" for the billionth time, constantly retrieve crayons from the floor, and actually be able to use both hands to eat!
I know this predicament is of my own creation, because ladies and gentlemen, my name is Rayna and I am an overprotective mom.  I now have a four year old and a six month old and I do not let anyone, except family, babysit.  I know that this means that I am outrageously lucky to have such a supportive family that I have been able to work in various capacities and earn two Master's of Arts in education in the last four years.  I am so grateful that my mother, father, and grandmother(the eighty year old trooper who runs on coffee and getting her 10,000 steps a day in and handles the majority of the baby watching duties) have the time and resources to assist me that I feel beyond guilty asking for assistance if I am not specifically out working or at an appointment.  They already do so much for me that I don't feel that I can ask them to watch the kids so I can go have fun. 
In typical we-can-have-it-all style, I also hate to miss anything.  I want to make sure my girls remember that I was always there for them.  Do you remember anything from preschool and before?  Me either, but I hate to chance it.  This means I can count on one hand the times hubby and I have been able to go out and half of those were on visits out to see his parents (thank you!).
All this means, when I think of Sandals, the adults only, couples resort, where "Love is All You Need," for some reason, I feel a little less guilty because the kids aren't allowed to come.  It also makes me feel better when other couples we meet tell us that they wish they would have taken the time to make special trips together much earlier.  I can derive years of joy from planning and replanning these trips, and sometimes, like with recent events of the pandemic and the birth of my youngest, I have had to!
I tell my husband, I love to dream of seven dinners in a row that I get to take my time and finish in peace.  I envision the books that I am going to read on the beach (maybe Harry Potter, Down the Rabbit Hole, or Dragon Riders of Pern).  I get to imagine the fully-made-up selfies, I can take, because who has time for that from day to day.  And the biggest prize of all... drumroll, please...sleeping through the night!!!  Come on, when is the last time you got to sleep through the night? Yea, I don't know either, but it's thrilling to dream about.
Today, we would have been headed to our fourth trip, but I have been assured that paradise will be waiting for me when the time comes (Do you hear that, Elsa?  You leave my islands alone!). Until next time, Sandals!  Tonight, I dream of the now open lobster season and having a mouthwatering beef patty on the beach.

Happy Fourth of July! Today we are also celebrating Baby B’s half birthday, which brings me to another reason I am endeavoring to create the Multifacet Mom blog.  My last pregnancy did not go as expected, however, the more I talk about it, the more people relate to my situation.   I am hoping the mental work done while completing this writing practice not only hopes to pay tribute to our loss, reach a sort of catharsis within myself, inform people for the future, but also lets anyone in a similar situation know that they are not alone.
Soooo… 
I always thought that I would have more than one child.  For most of my adult life, I assumed this would be two, one girl and one boy.  I always hoped it would be in that order because that was my experience and for some odd reason I thought that would make me more comfortable with the situation.
I know it is early in the blog, but for those of you that have not caught on…I’m what you call, a “bit “ of a planner.  This is in the sense of, since before I had my previous child I had mapped out the best times to conceive and have my children my preferred age apart. I had thought through job options, length of pregnancy, possible disruptions for time to conceive (We never had issue with this one when our minds were set. Thank all that’s good that it was planned.), and what I believed were all the various issues we could come up against.  
Like I mentioned, I always thought I’d have two children and I believed that the best possible time to conceive the second would be at our fifth anniversary trip to Sandals in Jamaica that we had planned for July 2020.  Well, as any plans for 2020 went, ours… did not. I had also thought, “well as long as I have a long term position, we could still handle having a second child.”  Did I? No.  In the long run, did we still try?  Absolutely!  I knew I didn’t want to try after age 35 and because my husband had missed so much baby time with our first (due to work travel), I though, “OK, we will try once and if it is meant to be it will.”  I can tell you, not to get into the nitty gritty, but we “tried” exactly once.  I can tell you the exact location and position, that we tried exactly once…
So August 10, 2020, we took the test.  Of course, it was positive! I was able to get a position with a local school to help with their distance learners for the year and we weren’t too concerned.  This was our second round after all and I had had quite the bout with morning sickness then.  I don’t know if my husband was prepared this time though.  
I was sooo sick. Nothing sounded good.  I would occasionally crave Arby’s French Dip sans swiss or Steak’n’Shake Cheese Fries, but I could eat hardly anything else and absolutely nothing spicy.  
I made my first ultrasound appointment at the beginning of October. Unfortunately, my appointment with Dr. Butler, was rescheduled at the last minute. I had to call back and due to availability at my clinic, I was forced to switch providers.  I really didn’t have a preference, since my previous provider had moved between children.
That Monday, I left work early, met my husband, and headed for the appointment.  The COVID slowdown made it possible for hubby to attend all our baby engagements, which I though was something that he would appreciate being a part of.  We went in and of course they ask if you had any issues.  I really hadn’t, but I did mention to the ultrasound tech that I felt my “morning sickness,”  or constant nausea, was worse this time.
Our tech took one look and said, “Oh, of course you are! Twins!” …

In other words, I have had many a job, but doesn't the alliteration make it sound so much more fun?
I love trying out new opportunities, learning skills, and adding to my resume. Just the other day, I was able to attend a free Virtual Conference to add a new "badge" to my collection.  I enjoy working and I am proud to be able to help ease the fiscal burden in my household whenever I can.  Having children definitely complicates my mission and I always want to make sure that I am there for them and providing them the time and attention that they need as well, which means that some positions that I have just don't fit my current lifestyle, but I am thrilled to have experienced them.

"Why are you sharing this?"
Society asks teenagers to pick a career path often before they even have a chance to explore what is out there.  I hope by sharing my unorthodox path to pique the interest of anyone looking for a change or just starting out.

"But how many different positions could you have possibly tried?"
In this case, I am specifically talking about job titles and their tasks that I was paid to complete.  Yes, real live dollars could make their way to your pocket in these positions, or at least it worked for me. (I make no promises.) While I have had many different positions, you might notice that they seem to cluster around a few different fields: education, theatre, sales, and marketing.  I have also found some of these positions contain overlap between these areas.  Here are the titles and a little introduction to these opportunities.