Questions for Alicia

Alicia, you have mentioned selling Southern Living at HOME. How do you schedule home shows and events especially while your husband is away? How do you protect your time while he is home with your own business?

First, I try to remember why I enjoy selling Southern Living at HOME. It's a way to make a little extra for my family, have some "girl" time with friends and help women learn to entertain in and decorate their own homes. When I keep these things in mind it helps me to find balance with doing parties and being with my family.

Second, I have some set times that I absolutely won't do parties. Sundays is one of them. It's a day for the Lord and my family. No exceptions. It's great when he's home to be able to watch the boys, but when he's gone I just use a sitter to watch the kids. It cuts into my profit, but if I've done my job helping my hostess have a great party it doesn't make too much of a dent and it's still a fun evening out with the girls doing what I love.

Alicia, it must be hard to have your husband away so often. When my husband's away, dinner time is the hardest time of day. Do you have any tips for making dinner time go smoothly?

Yes. Don't make dinner. Seriously. We flip-flop our meals and eat the bigger, more time-consuming "dinner" for lunch. Although, I really don't cook much when Tim is gone, but when I do cook it's going to be lunch. Dinner is easy leftovers, Easy Mac, hot dogs, breakfast food, sandwiches, etc.

And that horrible time between 4 pm and bedtime? We go the local gym. Our family membership includes childcare so the kids and I hit the gym from about 4-5:30. I can zone out and get a good workout in and the kids love playing there. When we get home I make a quick dinner, then it's baths and the bedtime routine. The evenings are so much easier alone when I don't try to cook and prepare a meal while the kids are grouchy and need Mom. Plus, it gives me a good break when I know Dad won't be home to help me out and give me that break himself.

What are you having for dinner tonight?

It's Family Night at our local Chic-fil-a. We go pretty much every Tuesday night. Each adult meal purchased gets you one free kids meal. I get a sandwich and Mark gets nuggets and we share a small milkshake. Luke can't eat nuggets because of his allergies, but he loves their french fries. (And before you comment about his peanut allergies, his allergist says that peanut oil is okay!)

What book are you reading right now?

I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha for a book club I am in. It was a very interesting book. I enjoyed the story and the Japanese history in it. Plus it was a great discussion book for the club. I also just picked back up one of my favorite fiction books by Charlese Martin, Chasing Fireflies. I've read it before, but I love it and am looking forward to reading it again. And in non-fiction I've started Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. I actually started this book when I found out Mark Garrett was boy more than four years ago and I guess having 2 boys had gotten in the way of finishing it!

What are your future family plans?

I feel like I could just say "ditto" to Sandra's answer to this question! I know that God has perfect timing in His sovereignty and I trust Him in that. But as far as our plans go, we would also love to have a third baby this time next year. Although sometimes I'm not sure I can see myself as the mother of 3 little boys. I realize it's more than a possibility - it could even be a likelihood!

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