Are you married? What is your husband's name? How did you meet him? Was it love at first sight?
...Randy and I met in college. ...I went four hours away to go to my college friend's house for the holidays. While I was there she arranged for her old high school friends and I to go out for the day.... I was supposed to partner with her friend Roger but...Roger only had eyes for her. So then there was Randy left. Randy is a flirt.... He can turn on the charm and say all the right things but he is honestly clueless about what he is doing. I took him seriously, to his surprise. ...Most of our first year was spent communicating by good old-fashioned letter... We both have boxes and boxes of letters from when we first started dating... The next year he switched colleges to where I was going so we could be closer to each other and were married a few years later before I went to graduate school.

Who were you before DryBees/Wahmies, any interesting jobs or schooling?
Before DryBees and Wahmies I must have had a lot of time on my hands. I don't remember being bored or having nothing to do but DryBees and Wahmies definitely take up about six hours or more each day on most days.... DryBees and Wahmies are just an addition to who I was before. I still hold the same job as a speech language pathologist for the local school system and I still have both of my kids and a husband to care for. I have just learned to juggle better and keep things on a schedule more....

How did you get started cloth diapering and sewing your own diapers?
I cloth diapered my children with prefolds and hated using them. I did not like the bulk on my baby and I wanted to feel my baby not the diaper. I started by taking the prefolds and cutting out openings for the legs and adding elastic to make them more like a disposable diaper. Then there was the problem of the cover. It felt like "double diapering." I took the modified prefold diapers and sewed them into the covers. That worked pretty well and I was essentially making an All In One diaper. I really like modifying the diapers so I bought some PUL from a coop to try making a diaper from scratch from what I was doing with the prefolds. I just made changes and changes until I had a diaper that fit well....

What inspired you to create your business?
I know a lot of people get offended when their business is referred to as a "hobby" but that is exactly what I was doing when I started it. I had free time in the evening and I could sew and sell things out of my home for a little extra cash to buy cool things for my children and me. It was nice to see something that I made "stay." I could cook and it would be eaten and gone. I could clean and it would soon be destroyed. I could do laundry but more was soon to follow. It was one thing that stayed and people appreciated. The money I made was my own money to do with what I wanted. I started DryBees with 5 yards of fabric, 5 yards of Aplix, my $100 sewing machine from Wal-Mart and the thought that if this didn't work then I could resell the fabric on ebay. I was one of the lucky ones whose business took off, but I am always cognizant that my story is not the average story of a home based business.

What did your family say when you told them you were going to be an entrepreneur?
They all thought it was probably not going to work.... They taught us that you go to college and get an education so that you can get a good job to make it through life. They were discouraging about starting a business since there is such a high failure rate of new businesses. I think they have come around but I still get the distinct feeling they feel it could fail at any time.

But, that is ok. I have enough faith and courage that it doesn't bother me. It has taught me to educate my children differently. I do encourage education but I also encouraging thinking outside the mainstream.... I also encourage them to help me in their own ways with the business. My oldest daughter does all the folding of the All Day wet bags and my youngest is responsible for sorting patterns and colors of diapers, pail liners and wet bags. They take pride in it and I am proud that they are learning by watching....

Do you have any advice for a WAHM just starting out (or someone who is considering becoming a WAHM)?
Yes, do not expect to make money out of your business for several years. Many times I see people ask the question "Do you think I could make 2000.00 or more each month if I start a cloth diaper business?" The national average for making money in a business is breaking even by your 4th year. I personally feel it is very risky to stake your family's livelihood on your business until after at least your 4th year. I worked for free a long time to build what I have. Take some business classes. Learn the tricks of the trade. Go into it prepared to work for free for at least a few years and be realistic about what you can accomplish.

Also, working out of your home is HARD.... If you are going into this thinking that "home business" means relaxing at home you are looking at the wrong road.

What's your favorite product from another WAHM/WAHD?
My favorite wahm product would have to be Foilers made by www.AbbyCadabras.com. They are amazingly simple and what a great idea. They take the place of the disposable throw away bowl covers. My friend's daughter also loves to wear her green one as a doctor's hat for playtime.

What are your dreams for the future?
I would love to watch both of my children grow and learn and become the best people that they can be. I would like to see them excel socially and academically and create successful families and relationships of their own.

If you have time for hobbies, or outside interests, what are they?
I love traveling with my kids. I like to leave my husband at home and fly the kids to new places. I like to get away from business and the things that make me comfortable and find new people and new things. I like to be in places where nothing looks familiar except the people around me and breathe new air and see new things.

What one thing have you always wanted to try/do/learn, but have not had the time or resources to do?
I would love to try scuba diving or snorkeling out in the ocean. I would love to have the balance to ski or snowboard in the winter but I don't think I will ever get there but I enjoy watching others. Something in my head scream "take a dive" and I always listen and hit the ground.

What's something that no one would ever guess about you?
I used to have a boy band addiction to N'Sync. I would convince my sister or my niece to go N'Sync concerts with me. It would have looked strange with only me going…but if I were taking some teenagers then I was just the good aunt/sister. It was all for me though.

I have a shark phobia. This is a good one to have since I live in land locked WV. So, I only have to deal with this issue every now and again. People think that I am making it up but it is a real fear that keeps me close to the beach.

What is your favorite food (type or specific meal/dish)?
I love carbohydrates. My favorite things to eat would be homemade macaroni and cheese, warm homemade bread with real butter, and fried zucchini.

What person do you admire most?
It is not so much a person as it is a group of people and that is wahm's. I think they are some the hardest working and most dedicated women in this country. They juggle kids, cooking, poopy diapers, puking children, demanding husbands, phone calls, web design, customers, delivery men, logistics of family and business, balancing books, reading books to children, breaking up fights, giving out hugs and band-aids, cleaning home and children, answering emails with grace and professionalism and that is all before breakfast. I know that a lot of people think, "work at home mom? What a great idea! I would love to stay home." It can be one of the most difficult and poorest paying jobs there is at times mixed with one of the greatest feelings of accomplishments at a job well done.

What is your favorite movie?
I have always really enjoyed "A Christmas Story" and I would also choose "The Neverending Story." Both of those are movies I would watch over and over again.

What is your favorite musical artist or band?
Right now I am into KT Tunstall but that could change at any minute. I generally only like woman singers but there are few men like Paul Simon that I can get into. I like quirky and campy music that makes my husband's country music lovin' ears bleed....

If you could have a day to yourself (spouse and kids could be cared for if you wanted, and you were all caught up with sewing), how would you spend it?
I would love to have a day where the kids were all mellow and we could curl up under a blanket and watch a movie or TV show together while a blizzard raged outside and we were warm and cozy inside. I would like an entire day when no homework had to be done, no piano lessons or dance to practice or spelling words to learn. A whole day where someone was there to answer the phone and skillfully answer all my emails. I would like a whole day where the house stayed clean and there was a quite calm lady who ran around my house organizing and cooking us gourmet meals and bringing us drinks when we got thirsty. At the end of the day she would give me a hand and foot massage before I crawled into a huge bed with 1000 count sheets, handmade quilts, and feather pillows with both my kids and dh and there was room enough for all of us. That would be the perfect day.

http://drybees.com/store/
http://www.wahmies.com/
Products Include:
DryBees: Pocket Diapers, Hybrid AIO Diapers, DryBees Lacie Pockets, Bamboo One Size Fits All Fitted Diapers, DryBees Night Time Fleece Diapers, Microfiber Inserts
Wahmies: Pail Liners, Fun Print Wet Bags, Wipes, Wonder Shopper Cart Covers, Wahmies One Size Pocket Diapers.