This summer has really been a test for a working, work-from-home mom like me. I've never been one to drop everything and jump at my kids' beck and call. I don't craft (much) or constantly entertain them. They don't get to demand my time over and above everything else. I'm a mom who deeply loves my children and who believes that one of the best things I can do for them is to let them be bored.
As Owl's Nest has expanded and grown this summer, my kids have had lots of opportunities to be bored—more than ever before. Oh, they get to watch TV and play video games (on the TV) in highly regulated spans of time, but they don't have personal electronics, they aren't allowed on the internet, and we encourage them to read, play boardgames, go outside, and build things with their hands. Make believe rules the day in my house.
Have I mentioned I have four boys? Ranging in age from seven to fifteen, so things can get rowdy over here. Have I also mentioned that both my husband and I work from home? And... I don't have an office. So my days running Owl's Nest look like me, in a chair, in our living room while the boys bounce around living life as we want them to.
But it's also just a bit much this first summer running Owl's Nest, and it has been a test. I don't think a mom has to make everyone happy all of the time, and I think my kids will grow up remembering that their mom's life did not revolve around them—I think that's healthy, even while I struggle with how busy I've been this summer. My kids have maybe participated in fewer activities this summer than they would have liked. We've taken fewer spontaneous trips to the pool, and fewer walks down the street to the park (that I've been part of), but they've been able to watch their mom run a company, and that's pretty cool, actually!
I'm dreaming of the day we can afford to rent (or buy!) office space for this little start-up publishing house. Signing authors, marketing our books, communicating with our team, formatting our books... it's all just so much with four boys in my business all the time. I would love to have a greater buffer between work and home life, and someday, that will exist! (I know that Katie craves the same thing.) But as I've had to say no to some things this summer, I've also never seen my boys blossoming with more creativity than ever before.
As I've been busy and my boys have been bored, somehow there's grace in it all. We're halfway through this first year doing business at Owl's Nest, and everything is flying right along!
Thank you all for your support! Until Nest Time,
~ Karin