Working Women

Sooo….it’s official.  And I mean OFFICIALLY official….Heather and I have become working moms.  No, not from this blog, or from our Etsy shops (which will both continue to rage on), but actually out THERE….in the WORLD….where people don’t put other people in timeouts or poop their pants (hopefully) or bite each other.  I should say where MOST people don’t do that.

Anyway, both of us gals understand that we are incredibly fortunate to have gotten the time at home with our kids that we did.  But there comes a time where the both of us realized that for the benefit of our family and our sanity, we needed to go back to work.  It’s funny because we always say that our lives are scarily similar even though we live so far away.  Our problems seem to either flip flop back and forth or mirror each other exactly. Like if one week my kid is going through something, chances are her kid will go through it the next week.  It’s bizarre.  So in this case, our finances and job status seemed to coincide where both of us started applying.

And let me first just start off by telling you the LUCK that we both had.  We are designers by trade, not just by nature.  We both went to school for it, immersed ourselves in it, and where we met was actually working a showroom floor.  We both understand the nature of a designer and that it is truly a luxury to have.  And with all these amazing blogs out there full of amazing DIY-ers, it’s just that easy for someone to say “what do I need a designer for?”  So when we started applying, really the last job we were expecting to get was a designer job.  Well LO AND BEHOLD if we both didn’t see, interview for, and GET Kitchen Designer jobs!!!  Seriously…we got them pretty much the same week.  And considering the economy, job market, and lack of design jobs, we find ourselves in extreme fortune to not only have gotten just jobs, but designer jobs.  And the showroom where we met?  It was a kitchen design showroom….so now the circle is complete.  The students have become the masters.  HAHA!

But there’s also our sad side. You know, the one where we realize that this means less time with our kids, less time for housework and cooking, and even less time with our spouses.  Mine is more of a retail position so I could, and will, be working some Saturday nights, Sundays, and sometimes full weekends.  Heather has a retail-ish schedule too, but they make daycare/school really work to their advantage, her husband is taking off opposite days that she is, which means they never get a day together all as a family unless someone takes an extra day off.  It’s a big shift, but we are ALL making it work. We have been talking about how schedules are going to change, and both the husbands realize that things have to change drastically for them, too.  They are going to have full days with the kids, and in those full days they WILL be required to cook/clean/organize/design/blog (oh…skip those last 2) and not just have a lazy day.  It’s going to be quite a change for all involved.

The good thing is (besides the obvious financial gain) is that our kids seem to be extremely adaptable.  Will has gone to a couple days of preschool (or day camp as it’s called in the summer) and according to Heather hasn’t wanted to come home.  Both my boys have been non-stop asking when they get to go to school.  As much as we think this shift will affect them, I think it definitely affects Heather and I much more.

So, this blog will continue on and we will continue to share our adventures around our house, home, and family….but perhaps from a little bit of a different perspective.  We are excited about the opportunities that await us and the new adventure that’s about to begin!

Organization Shmorshamization

I'm constantly looking for ways to better organize my life. Now, more than ever, I need it. Working from home (here's my business adventure) while watching a crazy monster 2 year old during the day is the mother of all  juggling acts! Right now, for instance, I am blogging & answering never-ending emails, while Will dumps out all of his Mega Blocks & books on the floor, and simultaneously climbing on the back of the sofa like a cat, Oh wait, now he's on my back/head/neck screaming Iron Man... And somehow I manage to wrap up this chaos by 4pm-ish so I can make the house look somewhat less like a tornado ran through it, and make dinner. Good times...

What was I talking about? Oh...organization. While my laptop floats between Living Room end table to my desk in our bedroom, the majority of my paperwork & bills & grown-up nonsense stays in my "office". Here's my "Mom Cave" that happened towards the end of last year.

And then life happened and it looked something like this:

Hello chaos...

A few weeks ago I started to re-organize myself by picking up one of these:

It's compact enough that I can take it everywhere. I can toss it in my diaper bag or purse when I'm leaving the house with or without the kid. It's a pretty pattern with bright colors that is hard to lose. Major bonus! I keep both business & family appointments in this planner. I also coordinate it with this one on the fridge:

I encourage other members of the household (: :cough: :Hubby: :cough: :) to write down anything that is coming up that they need/want to do, so there are no questions or surprises. It's hard to remember to tell each other everything sometimes...this is to help bridge that gap, especially on those weeks when it feels like we see each other for 5 minutes in the morning & 20 minutes at night before we all pass out from exhaustion...

Along with sprucing up my office space and getting things back in order, I needed a calendar I could use JUST for work related deadlines. Since it's in my bedroom, it's the 1st thing I see in the morning, so this way I'm not relying on my unreliable memory for follow-ups & deadlines. I glance in the morning & see "Oh! I need to send out that email this morning". So at the very least, I know I need to do that while Will eats breakfast or takes a nap.

I also need a To Do List JUST for work related stuff. When you work at home, the To Do Lists often mesh into one. The line between Things that will help make me money and Things I need to do to keep my sanity gets blurred when they are under the same roof. Obviously, the stuff on the Money Making list should take higher precedence. So, while wandering the aisles of my second home Target, I came across these from The Board Dudes.

Both are magnetic dry erase boards. Both are lightweight and they come in great colors!

Then, my genius continued as I picked up some of these:

Since my desk is pretty deep, I would have to half-lay on it in order to write on my boards. If I'm going to actually use these boards, I needed to access them as easily as possible. The harder something is to use, the less likely I will use it, or continue to use it. It's science. This stuff is like an upscale velcro for your wall. The nice thing is that when I put the board back up on the wall, there's this "click" you hear to know that it is securely back on! Amazing!

Ta - Da!

Simple. Clean. Inexpensive. Easy. And they look good! I was looking and looking for something a little cuter than the regular thin wood framed dry erase boards, or a cork board...and I'm so glad I waited!

Division of Labor

OOOOOHHHHHH how I want to rant and rave about my "wonderful" husband!  Ok...he actually is very wonderful...but lately he has been so slacking on the home front its cah-razy.  Because I'm (currently) a SAHM, I didn't much mind the fact that I was doing much of the housework like cooking, daily cleaning, laundry, and other such maid-like duties.  But because I've been interviewing to go back to work...I guess I just assumed that my darling other half would realize that I am STILL doing most everything around the house, including bathing and bedding BOTH boys on numerous nights because he has school and finals.  Normally we each take one to put to bed, but because I've understood that he has his schoolwork, I've been doing it.

Well I have a very super important gosh-I-hope-I-get-this-job-because-I'd-be-perfect-for-it job interview today, and I was NOT the last one up last night, and I came down to a living room in shambles. SHAMBLES!!  Not just messy....but toys were still scattered everywhere, the couch cushions were all bunched and crazy and a couple were on the floor, and the throws were all whacked out and crumpled.  Then I walk into the kitchen....and there are crumbs all over the counter, apple juice on the counter, a lone cupcake sitting on the counter NEXT TO (not inside of!) the fridge.  I was like he just had some midnight madness where he just shoved a cupcake in his mouth letting crumbs fall everywhere, chugged some apple juice straight from the bottle and just left it on the counter...and had the worst restless nights sleep on the couch. I just about had a bird.  A real bird.  Robin I think.  I also had a small Charlie Sheen moment where I ranted incoherently about trolls. I cannot entirely fault him, though, as he did manage to run the dishwasher...with half of the dishes still in the sink.  ?????

So, after writing Sonny a totally insane super nice email about how the last thing that I should have had to do the day of my interview was run around like a crazy woman cleaning up before his mother came over to watch the kids, I pretty much ran around like a crazy woman cleaning up before his mother came over.  Is Lysol a good scent for an interview?  Ugh.  I even threatened....I mean...warned....that If anything was tossed around or left behind for me to clean up....it would get stuffed into his pillow and he would have to sleep with it.  This was including and not limited to socks, dirty dishes, lunch boxes that don't get put away, and diaper genie bags that don't get tossed out.  And I would be sleeping in the guest room so he could sleep in his filth.  Oh what the mad wife I was!  Anyway...he called and apologized profusely and said that I was right (Duh, winning.  Wow...2 Sheen references in one post) and promised things were changing TONIGHT! WAHOO!  So I'm off to design a simple yet effective chore chart of sorts to make sure that our house remains intact and disinfected with 2 working parents, 2 little toddlers, and one little doggy.  Any tips on how you all keep your houses running efficiently, cleanly, and organized? I'd love to hear them!

PS: And my interview went great!  Here's hoping, y'all!  Cross your fingers, toes, eyes, legs....but don't cross me!  Haha!  You might get a bag of poop in yer pilla.

Work Wardrobe

Being on the hunt for a job after three years of being a SAHM has kinda slapped me in the face when it comes to my wardrobe.  Being in a typical mom-uniform of jeans, tees, and sneaks has pretty much eliminated professional work wear from my closet.  Since I've been going on a couple interviews already (woot!) I've been starting to mentally piece together what I would like for my new professional look.  I've been thinking chic, yet simple and easy, low cost, and able to transition from work world to mom world with the switch of a shoe or the swish of a cardi. 

Work wear by diapersanddivas on Polyvore.com

Old Navy dolman sleeve top, $33
Old navy pants, $25
ADAM by Adam Lippes knee length skirt, $59
Forever21 dressy boot, $22
Forever21 chain jewelry, $11
Forever21 faceted necklace, $7.80
striped ponte skirt - Skirts- Calvin Klein, $35
Escarpin à brides en simili suède, $31
Tie Dye Scarf, $13

I like the idea of having a few tops, pants, and skirts to mix and match, along with a couple cardi's or jackets in case of the chill of the air conditioner.  If there's one thing that I remember from every place I've ever worked is that it doesn't matter if it's 90 degrees or 40 degrees outside...that AC was ALWAYS on full blast.  And how odd that I was always seated right by the vents? Making the basics simple and then punching them up with a few bold, bright accessories will make even the simplest outfits stand out. And since I will be sans children...I figure a couple fabulous high heels are a must.  Then I can switch out to some fab flats once I get home with the kiddos! And I'm going to make sure that all the pants and skirts I get are outstanding enough for work, yet easy enough to move in when I'm chasing a little boy around!  Kinda makes me a little more excited to get back into the working world!!