I’ve successfully forced myself back on the fitness train after basically not doing anything during our month of traveling. Immediately, I was reminded that jumping back into running in mid-July weather is not for the faint of heart. It’s HOT, y’all. We had a rather mild spring all things considered, and this year it felt like there was a big difference between mid-June and mid-July. I always walk for about 5 minutes at the end of my runs, and on Thursday morning I sat down on a bench in the park for a few minutes. The sweat literally ran down my face as if someone had dumped a bottle of water on my head.
Ah, summer. Spending a week in the glorious 70 degree Seattle weather just made the return to Houston feel even more oppressive.
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We’ve been in our new house for almost a full year now — crazy! — so I figure it’s time to get back on the home improvement train and check a few more items off my list. I’m waiting on a quote from a fence guy to replace the wooden fence and gate that runs between the corner of the house and the corner of the garage with a nice metal one. It always surprises me how difficult it can be to get a lot of home service business to simply return a phone call or show up when promised, but I feel good about this guy. (Who I called after another fence guy stood me up. Sigh.) Fingers crossed that the quote doesn’t come back as something outrageous.
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I listen to a lot of podcasts these days and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that several of them trend towards either parenting or creativity or small business — or all three at once. This has been a really fascinating mesh of topics for me in the past few years, despite the fact that I don’t own a small business and would consider myself lucky if I made even 3 figures a year from my creative endeavors. But as I listen, I have begun to wish there was a podcast about life like mine. Where are the podcasts hosted by women who work full-time out of the home, parent young children, and pursue hobbies on the side? (The closest I’ve found to what I’m thinking of is Girl Next Door. Kelsey’s work situation seems a lot like mine, and while her co-host Erica is a stay-at-home mom, she has worked full-time in the past.)
There is a glut of podcasts by stay-at-home-moms with “side hustles” — and I get that some of these side hustle-type jobs are significant. But it’s just different, you know? It doesn’t feel like these women deal with exactly the same type of issues I do. (Also, a lot of them give some serious side-eye towards full-day daycare/preschool along with the implication that the only “right” way to do life is to make your own job so you can be home with your kids all the time and work when they nap. Because you can do a full-time job during naptime?!? Sigh.)
In any case, I was quite excited to see this SHU box post with some very similar complaints. I don’t read Sarah’s blog regularly, but man do I feel her on this topic! If she starts a podcast, I will definitely be checking it out.
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Back in April I decided that for our 8th anniversary, I’d finally make an album of our wedding photos. I’ve started this effort many times before but I’m happy to announce that I finally stuck with it! The album arrived just a few days before our anniversary in May and I’m just now remembering to publicly pat myself on the back here. I used Blurb, started with some of their stock templates, made a few modifications, and finally knocked it out over the course of several evenings while Jose was watching TV in the other room.
Is it the fanciest album you’ll ever see? Nope. Not even close. But the photos finally exist somewhere other than my computer, and that makes me very happy.
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Emma’s birthday is rapidly approaching and I’ve got to get my act together for the day itself and her party. The party’s booked and I sent out an evite last week, but I need to figure out food, order a cake, and all that stuff. I also need some sort of treat to take to school to celebrate the big 5. Time to start scouring Pinterest…
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I don’t actually listen to podcasts, but I do read a lot of articles on the internets, and it seems like all of the ones dealing with parenthood and balance are written by women who don’t actually work and write while their baby is napping. It’s so different from my life, in which if I’m going to work, it’s going to be outside the home and it’s going to include paid childcare. I feel like the voice of moms with young children and of feminism in general as relating to motherhood is so skewed by the fact that most writing is done by writers who have given up 9 to 5 jobs to freelance.
Major pet peeve. I don’t think I have EVER read an article about motherhood written by an engineer . . . except for yours, of course. Which is I guess one reason I like your blog.
I honestly don’t listen to a lot of parenting podcasts anymore. I dip into a few, but other than The Girl Next Door I don’t listen to any reliably. And I often steer clear from many of the radio show networks turned podcast networks unless it is later in the week and I need something to listen to. I am usually trying to listen to other hobby podcasts.
It’s the same beef I have with mom groups meeting only during the week.
That’s been frustrating for me too — there are some neat activities around here (story time, craft hours, etc) that only happen during the day on weekdays.
Any podcast recommendations? I think I need to take a break from a few of the ones I currently listen to.
I love the Slow Home Podcast and Let It Be, both by Aussies.
Katy Says with Katy Bowman
I just found Creative Pep Talk which has been great for the few episodes I’ve listened to.
Cohesive Home Podcast
Nova Scotia Kitchens
The Same 24 Hours
Friendlier
Call Your Girlfriend
The Popcast with Knox and Jamie (LOLs!)
She Explores
Rich Roll podcast
Just some of them! I listen to some gardening/plant ones too.
Amen to the podcast issue. For example: I listen to The Mom Hour (recommend, I like that a lot of their parenting discussions are very general to children and not specific to a given work situation), and they re-started The Home Hour so I have been listening to that, but the topics they are discussing regarding home organization and entertaining come across as so far removed from my existence right now and not in the fun HGTV way.
I don’t know if you’ve read of/heard of the blog Lag Liv, but if not, it’s not a podcast but 10/10 recommend. She works full time and feeds three children and teaches group fitness and all of it is very real and honest. I especially like when she shares what they’re eating because it is realistic and the recipes I have tried have been hits in our house too.
I listen to The Mom Hour occasionally and I do like that one! Didn’t know about The Home Hour so I may check it out but wouldn’t be surprised if I feel the same as you.
Re: Lag Liv — I just discovered her the other day via comments on SHU box, and added her to my feedly!