Family Archives - Everyday Edits

Marriage Diaries & Working from Home Suggestions

July 24, 2020

Dear Diary,

I almost went all “What are you wearing Jake from State Farm?” on my husband’s telephone the other morning. I was the crazy, bathrobe wearing wife, grabbing my husband’s phone to disable the speakerphone. I don’t even know if he knew he had it on speaker. What I needed in that moment were a few working from home suggestions.

So how you doing?

Working from Home (Together) Suggestions

If you and your spouse are now working from home, was it a seamless transition with glitter and twinkly lights in the office?

My husband was ecstatic about his new home office. I wondered if there was such a thing as one being too happy. #wink #thinkingoutloud

Apparently, over the years, one of us grew accustomed to working remotely in her brownstone in the suburbs home.

As a Realtor, my hours and days are fluid. I may be at home for an entire day followed by a day of showings.

March arrived after a fairly mild winter and we made plans for spring break. And, within 24 hours, with flights back to Denver our house was at capacity with me, my husband and our two “still in shock” college-age sons.

It was temporary I reminded myself. This would pass.

Ten days into the stay at home guidelines, my husband discovered he was way more productive in his home office. I was afraid that would happen.

We were completely different in our work habits. And, our new workday routine looked nothing like a Hallmark movie.

We scheduled a Zoom call with our therapist to brainstorm the whys behind my strong reactions to my husband’s work habits.

Apparently, my need for privacy and quiet goes back to my childhood where being one of five kids meant there was little of either.

And, after years of being the only one working from home, my husband’s work habits and home office unleashed my inner control freak tendencies.

Over the course of a few weeks, we settled on a healthy work environment. Now? We are happily married (most days). It turns out we (okay me) just needed a few ground rules to peacefully work from home.

Suggestions to Work from Home

Separate spaces

We are fortunate to have a finished basement. We created a bonus room to accommodate my husband’s and boys’ after-hours office time.

2. Invest in a 2nd Printer

We both agreed listening to a printer churn out pages disrupts one’s concentration. Or, walking in on a conference call to retrieve documents from the printer is a bit of a distraction.

2 . Lunch Breaks

I knew I was not the only one who struggled with my new co-worker over the lunch hour. One blogger lamented her husband asked what’s for lunch every day.

As my brilliant husband describes; lunches disrupt the work flow. We save dinner for a meal and conversation.

3. Work Day Hours

I start my days early. I love quiet time and coffee. Somedays he has 15 hour days and other days he is done by noon.

We talked about it.

4. Acknowledge your Work Habits

Where I like to hunker down from 8:30-5 pm with a 15-minute lunch break. He likes to take breaks, pop his head into my office and share the details of his day. We acknowledged our differences and came to a mutual understanding.

5. Conference Calls

My husband is chatty. I am chatty with my sister and girlfriends. My husband is genuinely friendly and outgoing every.single.minute of the day. I am more chatty after a productive morning or a workout. Or, a gallon of coffee.

Working from home is an adjustment. He loves working from home and I know it is more productive for him too.

We have settled into a routine that feels balanced. It turns out I will not need Jake from State Farm. Looks like we made it.

I shared our recent marriage diaries post and our anniversary story here.

How to Stay Connected to Adult-ish Children

March 17, 2020

When I recently heard Maria Schriver mention something about how to stay connected to our children I knew I had a good idea. And, like most good ideas I forgot about this post. And, then I got an Amazon text alert and knew this alert was a fun example of how to stay connected to adult children.

Technically, I have two adult children; one lives and works in downtown Denver and my middle (my lefty) lives in Minnesota where he attends college.

But Amazon proves to be a fun way for us to stay connected as a family.

So here is how we roll in our family; a little bit of sarcasm, and occasional toss under the bus, lots of laughs and a network of support from grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends.

How to Stay Connected to Adult Children

Who in your family gets the automatic Amazon alerts? The ones where you are nowhere near an Amazon shopping cart, but a family member, with access to the account, just bought something on your Amazon account.

Do you know what I am talking about? At our house, my husband and I have an Amazon account tied to our credit card. Our adult children have their own accounts tied to their respective accounts or graduation gift card balances. One of my children always tells me when he charged a textbook to our master account because that falls under and educational expense.

Our daughter sometimes, accidentally, purchases throw pillows with pom pom trim on our account. And, then guess who bought her own set?

Recently, I received an Amazon alert that someone in the family purchased this product on Amazon (I get purchase alerts when our credit card is charged).

But when I saw the ship-to address I thought, “Oh, this is too good not to send a group text to the kid.

I knew my husband didn’t order this product. So I sent the following group text to the kids and Auntie Tricia because Auntie Tricia is the closest thing to their second mother.

And, that simple question generated two simultaneous group chats/texts through the evening. Everyone weighed-in- including Evan’s uncles and Auntie Tricia. She always has something to say.

And, without asking Evan a dozen questions about classes and mid-term results, we focused on a $13.95 Amazon purchase of facial cleanser and a bag of chips.

This is a pre-break out photo of Evan.

He is older and stronger as evidenced by this order that crossed over my alert messages.

If you have college + age kids, some of you might relate to this quandary. You know, when you really, really want to check in on your kids, but you have used up your phone call minutes from your weekly Sunday calls and it’s only Thursday. And, we all know Thursday is a big study day on campus. #wink #snarky #snarcasm.

So sometimes, I share our status updates with the kids.

You know, in case they are asking. Humor works very well with my kids and me. My husband learned this years ago.

Or, when their dad got pulled over twice inside seven days. Just so you know, “We are headed to church” was not well received by the police officer. Good news, he did not end up in jail decide the text message below.

It just takes a minute to share and it inadvertently gives mom assurances her kids are good. As long as mom is trending among her kids; I don’t mind if I get tossed under the bus with my adult children. Nothing makes me happier than my children’s laughter.

How do you stay connected to your adult children?

On another note, with time on our hands, this month here is a fun project to start.

How to Decorate an Apartment for the Holidays in 7 Minutes

December 13, 2019

These holiday decorating ideas were in collaboration with my daughter. I asked her if I could help her figure out how to decorate her new space for the holidays. I told her I was writing a post on ideas on how to decorate an apartment for the holidays.

Once she reminded me her place is a condo she was on board.

She agreed but with two conditions: her condo must stay in an uncluttered state and it could not look like her childhood home (ie: our current home).

Basically, she did not want an industrial meets farmhouse look in her brand new, downtown Denver space.

Unfortunately, the tryptophan from the Thanksgiving turkey kicked in and I crashed on my daughter’s sofa while her brothers assembled/rearranged her furniture.

5-ways-to-add-christmas-decore-to-millenial-apartment

We were not in her condo a minute before her brothers complained about the lack of food or beverages in her fridge; not a pretzel or a tortilla chip (or salsa) on site.

Neither of her brothers wanted to walk the 23 feet across the street to Whole Foods.

Thankfully, my tryptophan-induced nap was short and I was back on track to add a little Christmas to her 857 sq. foot home.

How to Decorate an Apartment for the Holidays

Just remember the struggle is real for these busy, young professionals. The adulting part of managing cash flow, car payments and insurance deductibles can be overwhelming during their first year of employment.

Minute 1. Start with the Bathroom & Kitchen

The holiday decor staples for a kitchen or bath are the same. You only need to add two items. But they must be BRAND NEW; seasonal soap and hand towels. The keyword here is brand new. It is amazing what a brand new polar bear hand towel and decorative foam soap can do to space and to one’s morale when the sun sets before the end of the workday.

Minute 2. Toss a plaid throw anywhere

A holiday throw is a cozy addition to a couch. And, it is a great way to tuck yourself in with a bowl of popcorn during the workweek. When my daughter picked the identical throw that I bought for our house I smiled.

Minute 3. Upcycle Childhood Christmas Decor

I snuck a few Christmas decor pieces from our daughter’s Christmas decoration tub from her childhood home.

My grandmother gave me a similar ceramic tree when I was little. Traditions are always an easy and meaningful way to add one’s past to the current decor.

Minute 4. Add Jingle Bells

I love jingle bells. I always think of Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s like Clarence is greeting her with a “Welcome home.” every time she comes through her front door.

I took these bells from my office. Super easy!

Minute 5. Haul in Boughs of Holly

Fresh evergreens are perfect. They don’t take up much room and they can be tucked into the smallest shelves or windowsills. And, they smell like Christmas. Just toss them on the kitchen counter add a few ornaments and call it a day.

Two minutes to go!

Minute 6. Holly Berries

It’s never to early to teach your Millenial the power of red during the holiday season. I grabbed a few batches of faux berries that had accumulated at the bottom of a storage tub.

I grabbed this upcycled jar and married the two.

Simple.

Minute 7. Candy Canes

The easiest and tiniest holiday decor staple is a mason jar filled with candy canes. I thought about creating a mini hot cocoa station like this one.

I was concerned it might violate one of the two conditions she had put forth earlier that day.

So I stuck to candy canes.

Did you check the time?

I borrow these same suggestions when I have a condo listing during the holidays. Or, a decor challenged seller!

Check out my Instagram for Everyday Edits you can make wherever you dwell.

Have you helped your young adult settle into their new space?

Travel | Ireland

November 16, 2019

This time last year we returned from Ireland where the hills rolled and the sheep scattered along the hillsides. If Dublin got a little more snow it would be a setting for a Hallmark movie. It was a celebratory trip for my husband and me after paying off a business loan. Ireland was the perfect place to catch our breath and celebrate. It is my favorite country besides the United States!

Dublin was like a scene from It’s a Wonderful Life. Except, in any Dublin pub you are bound to hear a specific swear word used as every part of speech. #thatswearword

But when you add an Irish accent the swear word sounds poetic when used as an adverb, adjective, verb, noun, and preposition. If you know an Irish man or woman (I work with one) or have enjoyed a few Irish guys at a rugby match (my son played rugby in high school) you know that word.

But that word was not offensive with an Irish accent.

We spent the majority of our Ireland trip in Dublin. Walking the Trinity College campus had me on my phone texting my daughter to consider grad school in Dublin and maybe meet a cute Irish boy with an Irish accent. #momstop

Every morning we woke up and found these on the streets.

Did you know this author lived and worked in Dublin? I did not.

And, of course, no trip to Ireland would be complete with a little Guinness. We did a self-guided tour which means we sampled when we wanted and on every floor. I think a tour would have been more fun.

Some of you know I have a thing for clocks. These clocks were in the Guinness museum. The details got a little blurry by the 3rd floor.

And, finally, I loved the message on this awning outside a little cafe.

How to Host a College Care Package Party

September 10, 2019

y youngest son just left for college. When I boarded the plane for the 2.75 hours return flight, I went thru a stack of Frontier napkins. My daughter suggested I watch this show for the return flight. These guys made me laugh and cry during each 47-minute episode. It was just what I needed for that flight home. And, I remembered how much fun I had attending a college care package party. So today I want to share how to host a college care package.

How to host a college care package party —

Tip: Always include goodies or a separate care package for your child’s roommate—

The first college care package party I attended was hosted by the mom of one of my daughter’s friends. The party was the perfect way to celebrate this new transition and kick off the semester.

The hostess picked up and assembled large USPS Priority boxes in advance. She remembered the packing tape too! That was why she was the hostess!

In advance of the party, the moms were instructed to purchase small, inexpensive items for each of the girls. Our imaginations limited only to the dimensions of the USPS Large Priority Box.

Suggested care package items included:

tissues
Cracker Jack’s
gum
microwave popcorn
snack sized snacks
hand sanitizer or wipes
seasonal items from the dollar section at Target
lip balm

Suggestion: Always include extra goodies for your child’s roommate.

The hostess served wine and light appetizers. We shared a few tears but ended with lots of laughs and new favorite tradition.

We included notes of good wishes to all the girls. I brought these Hershey kisses with encouraging messages I found here.

This was my daughter’s care package. All I had to do was ship the box!

How to Host a College Care Package

Care package parties are not limited to the beginning of the school year. I made as Easter theme care package the year I son could not come home for the Easter weekend. He was in North Carolina for a college tennis tournament and could not make it home for Easter. I made sure this bunny theme care package was waiting for him.

I tucked a funny Irish blessing card I found in Dublin.

A college care package party was the perfect way to connect with the other moms. It kept our thoughts focused on our daughters’ new adventures!

Good luck to all you first-timers college freshmen parents. Stay connected, but don’t hover. #wink

A College Care Package of Kisses

August 26, 2019

Do you remember when your kids were babies (or puppies) and you just could not stop kissing their tiny toes and little bellies? There was a line in Friends where Monica, kissing Rachel’s new baby, made a comment about baby toes were like little tacos. In a blink of an eye, our toddlers (and puppies) grow up and kisses are harder to snatch up! So our jobs as moms is to get creative to share kisses. I decided to have a little fun and send a college care package of kisses to my boys.

The college care package of kisses are a not so subtle way for me to let my boys know I am thinking about them. Without the hovering helicopter. #wink

September is the time when our college kids (young adults) settle into their school routine and find a study/play balance. My lefty attends school in Minnesota and my righty attends school in Ohio.

My lefty is a focused young man who transitioned to college with a balance of academics, social and as a collegiate tennis player.

But, he is still my baby and I just need to send him some kisses!

My righty is a freshman and apprarently does not have cell service on campus. #wink

For these Kisses, I found these cute stickers in the clearance section at Michaels. This is where I make your life so much easier. Skip the printing and formatting hassles. I found these pre-printed Hershey kisses stickers on Etsy.

And, these just are not just for college care packages? Chocolate kisses are perfect for grandparents and relatives who are more than a short drive away. They are a fun way to show someone you are thinking about them.

On a side note, I am keeping busy with plans to take on the boys bathroom.

Boys to College Bathroom |Before |Part 1

June 2, 2019

Do we ever stop calling our boys, boys? That was the question swirling in my head as I took a few photos of the boys’ J & Jack bathroom before the remodel. It is the perfect time for a boys to college bathroom.

Boys to College Bathroom | Before

Some of my funniest childhood memories between my boys took place in the bathroom. How appropriate, right?

Like when my younger son, during his sleepwalking phase, thought the bathroom trashcan was the toilet.

Or the transition from “tubbies” to showers.

Or the scent of Axe body spray lingering long after the boys left for school. As a practical joke, they sprayed Axe into the air vent adjacent to their sister’s bedroom.

She came out screaming that her room smelled like a middle school hallway.

The one constant in the boys’ bathroom were the wet towels on the floor.

Or the empty toilet paper rolls that were too heavy to toss in the trash.

Or the conversations they shared at the end of the day.

My boys own product than me and my daughter combined. Their bathroom counter looks like a Sephora counter at the end of a weekend.

I may need to plan Thanksgiving facials this fall so I can take a new photo. #countdowntothanksgiving

When I made the farmhouse frame around the mirror, my older son could not wrap his head around the “Why?” “Mom, why did you add a frame? What was wrong with just the mirror?

These are the boys’ bathroom memories before we trasition to the boys to college bathroom remodel. I love the memoris, but I am very excited for new flooring (if those floors could talk), new tile and a new vanity.

I love my boys and I am so excited to begin the demo on the boys to college bathroom remodel. It’s not just a transformation of their bathroom it is a celebration of their personal transformations from high school to college.