Working from home

When I tell people that I do freelance work from home, they often express some degree of envy. And I'll admit, I do have it pretty good. I can set my own hours, work in my pajams if I want, and listen to loud music without bothering co-workers. I can also decline a project if it's not something I want to work on (not that I've ever done this).

But working from home does have its drawbacks. For one, work is always there, waiting for me. I can't leave it at the office. I have this work ethic that makes me feel guilty if I'm sitting reading instead of reviewing grammar presentations (my current project). So I tend to work more hours than I would really like to.

Also, it can be a bit tough to concentrate sometimes. Take Wednesday for example. I had a scheduled 2:00 phone meeting with my boss at Holt. Campbell was asleep in his crib, and Lily was watching cartoons. I had bribed her with the promise of cookies in exchange for good behavior. The first 30 minutes of the call went pretty well, but then all hell broke loose. Campbell woke up crying and wanted to nurse. So I was feeding him while trying to type notes and talk to my boss. Then Lily decided she needed to be in my lap, too. My boss started laughing when she heard Lily say, in her most pitiful voice, "But I want to be with youuuuuu."

As soon as I got Lily and Campbell settled down, Ella arrived from school and wanted to tell me things. And as if I didn't already have enough going on, the cleaning ladies arrived. At one point, I told my boss that she'd be in shock if she could only see what was going on at my end of the call. She just laughed. She has a five-year-old, so she knows what trying to work with kids around can be like.

I'm trying to find a way to escape from the house to work once in a while. Brandon and his dad just moved into a new, huge office space. Perhaps I can hire a sitter and take a laptop there to work in the bull pen. I never thought I'd long for the days when I could GO to an office to work.