Everyone Thursday: Italian Flannel Blazer

This might be late for today’s thread, but while it’s on my mind…

Doulas – if you had one, how many did you interview? For their fee what did they provide (for example, did they also answer texts or calls during the last month of your pregnancy)?

I’ve gotten two recommendations – one from my acupuncturist that I’m a bit hesitant about because shes SUPER crunchy, had a home birth (which, go girl, but not my jam); the other from my OB practice, but it’s a doula group so I’m sure there’s more than one that might fit with my due date.

Home improvement question — has anyone installed recessed lighting and if so, what was the approximate cost? (And are you in a HCOL or LCOL area?) We have a terrific finished basement but it has old school overhead lights. I put lamps around but it’s hard to get my husband to use them. I’d also love to replace the harsh overhead lighting in our kitchen/breakfast area with recessed lighting plus task lighting (pendants over the island, and at least an undercounter light over the sink — most of the time I have to work to avoid standing in my own light with the overheads we have). In both cases, there’s already wiring in the ceiling, but it would require opening it to install the lights and run the wires to them. TIA!

Work Schedule Q.

I need to work 25 hrs/week. Suggestions on how to structure the hours? Caveats — The hours must be spent in the office (no teleworking, no exceptions), and I must have a firm start/stop time (but it can vary by day). I have a two and a four year old, both with access to full time care. We are considering keeping the 4 year old out of K next year, and keeping him in the daycare (so we’d have continued access to full time care for possibly one more full school year). While I’d love to be in early, neither kid wakes early, and our family uses breakfast as our “family meal” as my husband is not ever home before 7 on weekdays. I do not want to change this, as the whole family enjoys the time and we all love sleeping in a little. Realistically, the earliest I can be in is about 9:30.

Otherwise, I’m conflicted – 5 days with an early departure time would mean no rushing to get dinner on the table, no late nights at daycare, and more time each day together (especially in summer when we can be outside later, so evening walks/park dates). It is also the employer’s preference, and would dovetail nicely with a K schedule (once older kid starts schoool). However, it means we couldn’t actually do “outings” – like local museums, the zoo, etc. We live in an area with easy access to these things, but the commuter traffic makes going in the late afternoon not practical.

Or 4 longish days, so more scrambling M-Th, but a free Friday each week where we can actually go on excursions.

Or, 1 half day and 3 full days — so a half day so I can get errands done in the afternoon, then 3 full work days, and one full free day. I’m leaning towards the last option, but my husband — who ultimately realizes it’s my call — doesn’t like having the kids at daycare until late for those three days. This is a kid specific preference — one of the kids turns into a bit of a monster at home when he’s at daycare for full days and experiences total meltdowns at home. He’s an introvert, and I think he’s worn down by being in a super social environment all day. My other kid would happily stay all day and all night at daycare.

What else am I not thinking about? What would you do?

What comes after soft-soled Robeez crib shoes? My daughter (almost 14 mos) is just starting to stand and cruise and my MIL commented that she may need more structured shoes soon as the Robeez sort of curl under her feet when she pulls to stand. Regular tiny velcro sneakers? Is this when we move to brands like Stride Rite and Pediped?

I have a gray version of this blazer and wear it often. I accidentally washed it once, and I think it actually made the fit a little more modern. I am going to pick up another in a different color now that it’s on sale! I also have and love the flannel pencil skirts.

How do you tune out the “life noise” while you are at work? I had an incredibly busy day at work yesterday, yet I was fielding questions and communications from our nanny, my husband, and my mother. I feel like I should say “full stop” to all of this stuff during business hours but it isn’t really possible. I ended up being more frazzled than I should have been and didn’t come across as totally focused during the day.