sheameister's Profile

This is timely for me because, after about 3 years of working MORE than full-time from home in healthcare consulting, I'm quitting this Thursday, 2/28.

I'm with the "impossible" side of the argument, but it really does depend entirely on the kind of work you do. It is certainly impossible if you have a job like mine that requires all day phone and web meetings. With my schedule and the demands of my job, there is NO WAY for me to take "giggle breaks," or go to the park or even tend to a sick child. Most days, I'll mute my phone and throw it on speaker just to take a bathroom break--it's THAT nuts. I eat at my desk every day. Lunch break? hahahaha... For those of us with jobs like this, there is NO WAY we could do this *and* tend to children. The handful of days my childcare has fallen through and I ATTEMPTED to work with my (single digit aged) children in the house, I nearly died from the stress... and I certainly wasn't an effective or competent worker with my children hanging on my ankles. If I did that every day, I'd be fired in a heartbeat.

I've even had full-time childcare this entire time, and yet I'm STILL quitting because it is all just. too. much. The plan now is to do contract work for my employer a mere 10 hours per week--the exact amount of time that BOTH of my children are in school each week. At least this will allow me to lose the babysitter (and all the stress and chaos that comes with that), but I am realistic enough to know that I can ONLY work when the kids are not present. My manager is pushing me to do 15 hours, but I won't budge. The only way I could manage that would be to work in the evenings, and I just refuse to do that anymore.

Devyn--I thought I was the only one! I have a large Flor rug in my kids playroom and one in my son's room, and both tend to "migrate" outward leaving unattractive gaps between all the tiles. I thought it was b/c my kids play so rough on those floors and maybe pull the tiles apart with all their toy truck driving... but maybe this is endemic to the product? BOO. I don't think I'll be purchaing more Flor products.

The Chilewich velcro option sounds interesting... So far I've just been unimpressed with modular flooring solutions in my own home.

A glider (I know they're ugly, but I used a Craigslist old school rocker with my first and then got a REAL glider with my second, and there was just no comparison) and a white noise machine. My kids are 3 and 7 and we STILL use the white noise machines with both. We even travel with them (and the TSA folks always freak out--nobody knows what the heck those things are!). I breastfed both kids but could never get the hang of doing it in bed... so for me, the rocker/glider was essential--oh, and a Boppy pillow as well.

Luckiest. child. ever. to grow up in that house. LOVE. I want to curl up in one of those beds right this second.

Ha! I'm fairly certain that Boston Ivy isn't as structurally problematic.

My entire acre lot is a blanket of English Ivy and other 'invasive' groundcover, but we do keep it off of the house and trees. It's just not that hard to do. About 2-3x/year we have to go out and give the edges a 'haircut' and pull it off the tree trunks, but otherwise it is relatively easy to keep in check. At least it grows ABOVE ground and doesn't spread via runners. Pachysandra is a bitch to pull out for that reason.

And FWIW, if you live somewhere conducive to mounds of ivy, I gotta tell ya... rodents are probably a problem whether or not said ivy is growing on your house. No plants climb my structure, but you bet your butt we have mice and rats around here and have to be vigilant about deterring them and/or catching and eliminating them. You can't live in a woodland and avoid this.

I have a w/d in the basement, but no "laundry room"... just a rodent-poop filled den of fear down there. A true CLEAN laundry room would be nice, but that will require a complete gut down there.

A walk-in pantry or butler's pantry would be DIVINE, as would a spray painting/refinishing booth/room with temperature control and the proper venting.

The consistency in style is really fantastic. I love this. Definitely looking forward to the full tour.

Used 80s singer from eBay here and it's working just fine for all of my home decor sewing needs.

Paste wax all the way. I just bought a bedroom set for my son from Craigslist, and with a little dark finish paste wax, it looks absolutely brand new. LOVE a hand waxed finish.

I just bought eight--EIGHT--pieces of solid oak youth bedroom furniture yesterday for my son's new "big boy room" for a mere $400 total. Considering what the same amount of furniture would go for new, I feel like I won the lottery.

My CL luck isn't that great, but I've had incredible success at Salvation Army and garage sales. I give away a LOT of quality stuff on Freecycle--I find it easier than CL selling--so I figure I am due some good karma :)