How I (Try To) Avoid Burnout
Earlier this week, I mentioned on Instagram that I had about a dozen half-drafted posts (or titles for posts, at least) on working motherhood saved for this blog. I asked if there was anything in particular you wanted to read from me, and someone replied, “You somehow do not seem burnt out. How?”
Drawing Up Whole-House Plans
Let’s just pick up where we left off, shall we! Or, actually, let’s back up just a bit:
The one thing all five of the design/build firms we talked to about our renovation goals agreed on was that, with our savings plus the amount of money we were willing to borrow, we couldn’t afford to do everything we wanted. Maybe that sum would have worked pre-pandemic, they each said sadly, but costs haven’t come down since mid-2020’s meteoric rise.
Our kitchen is falling apart, though, and there are a few other pieces we really can’t wait to do to improve our home. So the firm we hired - which will henceforth be known as The Firm - suggested...
Potential Dresses for a Fall Black-Tie Gala
After nearly five years at a small community- and youth-focused nonprofit that didn’t have fancy events, I’m now working at an organization that throws one of the best-known balls in Washington, DC.
The theater and museum I worked at before my last role both hosted annual black-tie galas, so I’m familiar with the pressure and excitement that come to a head on the night. Because of that, I know what’s needed in a gown...
Finding our Design/Build Firm
10 months ago, I wrote the first post on this blog that mentioned our upcoming renovation. We’d been saving up for five years at that point and had a decent idea of how much money we could borrow to supplement our cash to finance the work, but we hadn’t actually talked budgets with anyone yet.
Not for lack of trying, mind you - I’d reached out to a few design/build firms to get a sense of how much what we wanted to do would cost so we could have a savings goal, but none would give me an estimate without hiring them to draw up preliminary plans. So we decided on our own and, when we reached it last spring, I started vetting firms.
What I Read On My Summer Vacation
I’d read that vacations shift into another gear - less “parenting somewhere else” and more of an actual holiday - once your youngest turns four, and this summer, when Claire was three and a half, was a glorious preview of that.
She still needed supervision, especially when we were by the pool, but she is able to play independently for decent stretches of time these days and, equally thrillingly, has become a good playmate for Robbie. Because of that, I was able to read five whole books in the two weeks we were on Martha’s Vineyard!