We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what our lives will look like in a few weeks, a few months, and even a few years with the impending arrival of the littlest Petersik. And a big part of that process included wondering about how we’d keep up with this blog once there was a tiny (yet huuuuge) responsibility around here to be cared for and coddled. So we put our heads together and concocted a few new strategies for making time for everything: each other, our baby, this blog, and of course our main man Burger.
We’re still as dedicated as ever to keeping this home improvement adventure going since we’ve had the fortune of taking this hobby/passion of ours and turning into a full-time job for Sherry. And at the risk of not saying this before I forget: THANK YOU for encouraging, supporting and humoring us on a daily basis so that could happen (read how Sherry went from hobbyist to full time blogger here).
But with a newborn on the way, we’re not delusional. We know how much time and effort that will take. Caring for Baby P alone could be a full time job for Sherry so we knew that maintaining our two-post-a-day habit and coordinating weekly giveaways, all while taking on consistent DIY projects would be a stretch. So we came to a major decision (not without a ton of careful consideration and number crunching of course). The verdict? We’re charging forward with Young House Love full force- and in order to keep things going we’ll be bringing on a second full-time employee (to help with both baby and blog duties). Any guesses as to who it could be?
I know, some of you are probably crossing your fingers that it’s Burger – he is quite a hard worker…
But it’s actually… me! That’s right, once Baby P comes along I’ll be saying a sad goodbye to my time as an 8-to-6 advertising geek and hello to full time fatherhood & bloggerdom. And for that, I feel incredibly blessed. So again: THANK YOU. It’s not like I don’t already work about 20+ hours a week on top of my full time job when it comes to keeping this blog going, but with all the time that we’ll gain with me being at home during the day we’re certain that we can better juggle the blog, the baby, and the rest of our lives. In fact we have big plans for YHL when I come on full time, so stay tuned for even more action around here in the coming months…
And what does my new role as a full time father/blogger really mean? Of course the obvious: I’ll be around to tag team both the care for our beanette and the blog with Sherry, seven days a week. So we can nurture each of them as one big (hopefully very happy) family. But it also means that we’ve got another major room makeover on our to-do list. That’s right, Casa Petersik is getting a bona fide two-person home office!
For now, all of my night and weekend work on our blog has been done at the dining room table, while Sherry remains parked at her nook in the den. But if I’m going to be around all day, we know we’ll need a more permanent space so we can reclaim the dining table and keep the room-to-room shouting to a minimum. Plus there really is something to be said for a designated work space to help delineate work and play zones, which we know will be very important when it comes to maintaining that fragile and oh-so-important work/life balance.
So if you haven’t already figured it out by process of elimination, the new office will be taking over our current guest bedroom. And with the nursery having given our other guest bedroom the boot already, we have to keep this office 100% guest friendly as well (yup, that means it must sleep at least two people as it always has). But it also has to accommodate two working bloggers, their wee one, and their playful nine pound pooch. Not to mention store all sorts of paperwork without looking too corporate for our guests when they come to stay. Oh yes, we’ll be walking quite a delicate line in there (all while trying to squeeze every last ounce of function out of the tiny 10′ x 10.5′ space).
Oh and did we mention that we’d also like to see it multitask as a playroom of sorts for Baby P since she’ll obviously be hanging out in there as we do our blogging thang? We didn’t? Well add that to the list. So stay tuned for the play by play as we attempt to fully reconfigure this soon-to-be triple duty room into a space for work, play, and overnight guests. It’s sure to be a doozie, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
And we’d love to hear any tips that you guys have when it comes to designing a home office, working from home without losing your mind, or just generally creating a room that has two or three separate functions. Share and share alike.
Jennifer Molini says
Congratulations!!! What a blessing! Keep up the good work :)
Jenn
Jennifer says
I love the pic of you guys working. My mom took so many pics of us as kids, that even if I am not facing the camera, or even in the picture, I STILL smile. I didn’t know I did that until someone pointed it out. :-) Anyway, hope you were smiling back there b/c you sure do have a lot going for you! I selfishly hope you open up more design spots b/c my whole house needs you.
ErinEvelyn says
Super fantastic news! John, I love your writing “voice”, and the blog will only be that much better with more of it….. in ADDITION to your delightful babymomma’s of course. And kudos on that suberb photo of you & Sherry at your respective “desks”! Burger is looking at the camera!!! How in the heck did you pull that off? Photoshop magic? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey ErinEvelyn,
We actually had the camera on a tripod, and since it was on “timer mode” since John had to push the button and then run and sit down, the camera makes a beeping noise until it goes off (which made Burger look up at it). Gotta love that inquisitive dog stare.
xo,
s
Lisa says
Amazing! Congratulations to the whole family – what a blessing for both of you to be home with the beanette when she arrives. Best of luck!
Katrina says
Yay, that’s so wonderfull – two full time bloggers in the house! I know with all you two do – it must be very time consuming but oh so worth it! Congrats
Sarah K. says
Hey- just a quick question for you: Once Baby P. arrives, will you be blogging about life with baby as well? Can we expect updates & suggestions on traveling with baby, feeding, sleeping through the night (one that’s still eluding us, sadly), etc., or will you remain mostly decorating / DIY?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
Good question! We’ve made a commitment to keep YHL as home improvement & decorating focused as possible (since that truly is our passion) but we might create a spin-off site or page devoted to baby info if we ever find a few extra hours in the day. Only time will tell!
xo,
s
Terri says
GOOD FOR YOU! You’ve created something, that can sustain the both of you while being able to work from home, and be together raising baby P.
Life is Good. :^)
Mandy says
We’re currently in the process of converting out office into a big girl room so that we have room in the nursery for baby number 2 who is arriving in Oct. My husband works at home 40 hours a week, so he definitely needs his own office space as well. We did a lot of playing around with graph paper (definitely recommended) and figured out how to fit a desk into out master bedroom.
I am so happy for you guys that you both get to be home to see your little one grow. We count ourselves extremely blessed that we can both be home as well. Hope the transition goes smoothly!
Misty says
Good for you guys! =) I am happy to see that my fave blog will keep going strong! I sing your praises to everyone I know!
Cara says
Wow! Your announcement blew me away! Best of luck and cant wait to see the changes and adventures ahead for all three of you:)
I am due a few weeks after you, Sherry,and this is just what I needed to read to gain motivation for my work/personal life balance.
hjc says
Congratulations! You two are such talented, generous, funny, gracious people – we are all blessed to be able to share your life through your amazing blog!
I have been a stay-at-home mom for 16(!?) years and my husband has worked from home since he started his business seven years ago. We love it and have been blessed in more ways than we can count because of the arrangement.
All the best with every new thing coming your way!
Lynn Van Slyke says
Wow!! What a blessing that is for all of you!! Congratulations and best of luck!
Nancy says
Love this news!! Congrats! It’s a win-win…you get to do what you love to do while nurturing the family, while we (or should I say “I”?) still get to do what we love to do: live vicariously through you! I need to find something that I love to do that pays. Reading blogs just isn’t cutting it.
Teresa T. says
Fantastic!!!!!
I am so happy for you all! I will be here still following the blog and encouraging you both on this wonderful decision.
Dianne says
Congratulations on the new/old venture :) What a blessing to be able to support your family financially and stay at home and support them all at the same time! Have fun!
Caitlin says
John & Sherry (and Burger AND baby),
I started reading your post and thought “oh crap, they’re leaving us”! But then I realized you wouldn’t do that!
I’m so excited for the new blog and wish you both the best. I would imagine it took a leap of faith for John to leave his job, but I applaud your courage and dedication to your craft and family. Keep up the good work and I will be back every day!
Cait
Stacey says
Congrats you guys! That is so very exciting. I can’t wait to see what the guest room becomes!
Katie says
I have no advice for the office space but just want to say congratulations!! How wonderful for Baby P to get both of her parents home with her!
caligurl says
WOW! congratulations! sooooo jealous!
i had actually been guessing that you two were going to be adding on… guess i was wrong!
i can’t wait to see what you do to turn that tiny room into a useable space for so many different function! we turned one of our extra rooms into an office space several years ago and i can’t imagine having room for a guest (sofa sleeper) or baby play area with toys along with 2 desk and all that goes along with office type stuff! YIKES! but if anyone can do it… you two can!
i’m surprised you don’t leave the guest room as a guest room since it seems that you need one… and change the den into a home office/baby play area… it’s seems like you’d have more room in there… then just use your living room as…. well… a living room! lol! where you watch tv, hang out, etc….
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Caligurl,
We definitely considered that option (among others) but in the end we wanted a more private area of the house for our office where we could close the door at the end of the day and “turn off” the work portion of our lives. And we worried that if the den (which essentially connects a ton of other rooms that we use- like the kitchen, living room and sunroom) became our office we would have trouble mentally keeping the work/life balance. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
vee says
how inspiring guys! I’m so happy for you- Its great news to hear that the blog can support you both and little beanette gets to reap the rewards!
I must say I really admire and look up to your saving, spending and diy habits.
jina says
I feel so excited for you. I have to admit towards the beginning of the post, I found myself nervous. But then overjoyed that you can make these new adjustments with the addition of Burger’s new best friend. :) Good luck to you all. And thanks for what you do.
Emily says
Congrats John! Such a big decision but very exciting. :)
Apart from the physical work zone, it’s nice to have a “time” work zone- set aside time just for work and time for your family. It can be pretty crazy right at first if your baby decides to be up all night but babies are only little once. :)
Jay says
Discipline, discipline, discipline. My husband’s office is in our home, and every morning he gets up, takes his shower, eats breakfast, reads the paper, and goes to the office, which is 12 steps away in our basement. He comes up for lunch at noon, goes to business meetings, etc. He treats it as if he is in an office building. I do, too, in that I don’t interrupt him during the day with house/family things. We have those conversations after his work day ends. We love it!
Sarah says
Congratulations! You two deserve it. I am looking forward to seeing the office transformation (and whatever changes may be in store once you are both full time bloggers).
Jennifer S. says
Wow! I didn’t expect that! Full-time blogging must bring in a significant income for John to quit his job. Good luck!
Jessaca says
YES! I thought there could be only two options: leave the blog world, or less posting. It would have been lose-lose situation for all of us. Although, with the latter, we would have still have gotten our much need house-design-love jolt of Petersik, just maybe not in the morning and probably not every day. Can’t wait for your new adjustment and the new project. I can only hope there’s a show in your future. For me to DVR and obsess over. Yes?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jessaca,
We’ve actually had a few offers for some pretty out there TV show ideas but have decided that blogging is truly our passion and since we definitely couldn’t do both (they would need us to film for weeks on end with nary a break) it’s best for our blog and our family to stay away from the TV thing. Although one of our favorite proposals was for a show that involved “John shirtless with sawdust flying around.” We nearly died laughing over that one…
xo,
s
Lindsey says
I can not wait to see how this turns out! My hubby and I will soon be moving into a new home where I am making him put in a workspace for me…In the guest bedroom! So I’m excited to see your process in this and hopefully incorporate some of your ideas into my new space. Good luck and best wishes in all the new adventures!
Stefani says
Wow, how exciting! Congratulations and good luck – I think this sounds like it will be so wonderful for both of you. Yay!!!
Amy says
Wow, congratulations on reaching this life-changing decision! I will look forward to hearing more about the transition from full-time employee to full-time co-parent/blogger, and watching the transformation of your beautiful guest room into a multifunctional space.
Whee!
Kate says
Ok, so first of congrats, that is so exciting for both of you. I am rather new to your blog, but I follow it quiet religiously, and I am even more excited to watch this new space unfold. I currently am a single female with a two bedroom condo, but come this July I will be adding my husband to the equation, which means more visitors, a two person office (since he is in school full time) and twice as much stuff. I have relatively the same amount of space and I am anxious to give my space a makeover to accommodate our new living situation. You have no idea how excited I am!
Can’t wait!
Best wishes on the process and I will be two steps behind you!
Kate
Molly C says
Congratulations! I love reading your blog (twice a day!) and it is always great to hear when people are willing to take the risks to do what makes them happy! It actually makes me pretty happy to be supporting (as a reader:)) such a great family!
Jen says
CONGRATS! I can’t wait to see what is in store for us lucky blog readers:-)
Barbara says
Wow!! the news.. its amazing!!!
I now that everything you both do would be great!!
Congratulations on working something that its your passion!!
I’m looking forward.. to the ext reveals!
Gretting from,
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Aimee @ In THIS Life says
Congratulations! What an exciting turning point.
For the guest room aspect…ideas for beds…
Murphy Bed,
Day Bed & Trundle,
Aerobed (We put a double-height one in our kids’ playroom for an instant guest room when folks come in from out of town, and it works great.)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Aimee,
Thanks for the suggestions! We actually already tackled a few of the challenges of the room, so stay tuned to see what worked!
xo,
s
Christina R. says
Congrats! What an amazing opportunity for both of you to be at home with Baby P!
Anna S. says
This post surprised me too! I wish I could say I knew you personally, because you two are an inspiration in the way you live life to the fullest (and of course you inspire us all through your style expertise). All the best to y’all during this transition phase into parenthood AND full time blogging for the whole family. Many Congrats!
Barbara says
I am delighted that you are financially able to continue your blog. Shelter magazines, with a few exceptions, never understood decorating on a budget. You completely get it and inspire us to make our own homes attractive and livable.
Shannon says
Congrats to the dynamic duo!! I am so excited to see the transformation of not only your home but your family over the next few weeks. I know a lot of people asked to keep the blog all design but I would love to read a post about the do’s and don’t for pregnant women around the house and maybe tips for getting everything ready for the lil love bug to arrive!
Congrats again.
r8chel says
Oh – what a great transition!
I’ve never worried that you two would run out of projects and ideas, but I dreamed the other night that you FOUND a new room in your house that nobody knew about! :)
Amanda says
That is fantastic. And with your collective money sense and great attitude, I know it will work for your little family.
Even though I rely on a great bunch of girlfriends for mental therapy and support, I find that I have found a comfort in my little family that I didn’t ever expect. I knew I wanted to be a mom but I wasn’t prepared for exactly how much I would love them and how much I really love being around them. In my opinion, I don’t think enough people truely enjoy the quiet and peace there is when a family is just @ home. I think you are on the right track to making this “your family” and not trying to model and fit yourselves into what other families do and how other families live.
George says
You know, you guys should team up with a builder and do some house renovating. I’m sure there are a lot of homes in Richmond that would be grateful! Then you would have lots of rooms to play around with other than the ones in your house, which are pretty much done, other than repurposing them and moving round the furniture etc.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey George,
We’ve definitely talked about that prospect if we’re ever out of content here at Casa Petersik. That way we’d still have lots of tutorials and before & afters to share with everyone!
xo,
s
Danielle says
Congratulations to both of you! It’s great that you’re able to do something you love so much – you’re an inspiration! :)
Laura says
YEAH!!! Congratulations guys! What a huge accomplishment! We are ever so grateful to not be losing you to the cute little bundle of perfection you are going to have in a couple of weeks-
I wonder if a murphy bed would work in your space? My in-laws have one in our boys play room at their house, and it works perfectly to keep the bed clean, and the room orderly. They can have a guest bed in an instant. Ironincally, there is also a good sized desk in there, and a bunch of toys. For the baby, what about making a bookshelf (a la Anna of knockoffwood) and putting her 9-5 toys in little baskets on it. You could probably also put some of the computer acessories on the shelf.
That’s it for my ideas…. if anyone can do it you two can!
Jenny says
Congratulations! That is awesome news! I was getting all ready to be sad about YHL scaling back, and now it sounds all the better!
Meaghan says
Hi Guys!
What about building a murphy bed for the home office?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Meaghan,
We actually have windows and doorways in the guest bedroom that make it impossible to accommodate a fold up Murphy Bed in there (unless we want to block the small amount of natural light that the space gets). But we did come up with another solution, so stay tuned to see what that is…
xo,
s
Erica says
Wow! This is a huge change for you guys! I wish you the best of luck, a smooth transition, and tons of success!
Amanda says
That’s so great! Congratulations on your big decision. From what I’ve seen and heard, having two people around can make those challenging first months a lot easier. Sounds like this is going to be a pretty awesome adventure for you guys. And I can’t wait to see what you do with that guest room – those of us living in small spaces will definitely be taking notes.
Misa says
Wow, John and Sherry, I’m so excited and happy for you. Congratulations!
StacyFrPgh says
Congrats on your new move! I have worked at home for 7 years. My secret is to get dressed as if going out of the house for the day. I don’t dress for meetings, but I dress in case I have to answer the door, dash out, etc. This includes shoes which psychologically seem to make a difference. Also, I built in work times and coffee breaks, lunch hour and a snack and walk or bike ride in the afternoon. That is a sanity saver!
Lindsey says
Congrats and how absolutely exciting for you! I have taken the leap to be a stay-at-home mom and blogger (except my blog is totally just for fun) and it would be so nice if my husband could work from home and spend the days with us!
Excited to see what you have up your sleeves with this new endeavor!