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Parent-Ready

| the kit house

I’ve written this blog post several times, whenever I am expecting family to visit the house. In preparation for a family visit, or more especially a parent-visit, we have been known to go above and beyond; from buying an obscene amount of groceries, to cleaning and laundering everything we own, to planning family dinners that take me hours to actual make.

This time, when the parents arrive, they’ll see not much has changed because we’re prepping for our trip to Europe. Not a lot of extra cash to put toward home improvement. However, there are a couple of things I’m planning to prep for this visit:

  1. Deep Clean- In addition to sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, etc., we’re going through our spare junk room. Until now, it’s been used to keep all of our unpacked stuff from the apartment. We’ve gone through to separate our donation boxes, papers to be shredded, things to be organized or packed up for storage. Laundry, window washing and straightening up the garage is also on the deep clean list.
  2. Landscaping- Now that the weather is better, it’s time to seed and weed the lawn, clean up the fallen twigs and branches, and tidy up the back deck.
  3. Ikea– We won’t be buying “fill up the room” furniture, but we do need to pick up a couple of room accessories: frames, curtains, possibly a new nightstand. We have guest rooms with the necessities, but I would like them to be more welcoming. d3861c82e991e7c664d6874ed3984063
  4. Meal planning– Cooking for two people is very different from cooking for 6, especially when you take into account food allergies and picky eaters. We try to plan one night out at a restaurant that has a little something special. Then, one night in where I try to cook a bigger meal. We also buy more snacks than usual, in addition to actually planning lunches.  There aren’t ever enough left overs to cover two meals.
  5. Activity planning– Last time family visited, we took everyone to Top Golf. Before that it was, the farmer’s market, Ikea and antique shopping. I have no idea what to do this time around…

Any other tips for family hosting?

Working from Home

| the kit house
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My absolute favorite book on work habits and effectiveness.

I’ve seen a few blog posts lately about how to stay focused when you’re working from home. They’re always a bit humorous, since I’ve been working entirely from home for almost 5 years now. For me, telecommuting isn’t necessarily about discipline or sticking to schedules. It’s about know how and when you work best.

Here is my usual work schedule:

  • 7:30am Wake up.
  • Casually get to my computer and log in by 8am.
  • 8-9am Go through all 3 email accounts, check FB/Twitter/blog list, check work and personal to-do list for the day, eat breakfast. All at my desk
  • 9-10:30am This is where I get 90% of my work done, whether it is priority projects, email correspondence, processing, paperwork, social media, etc.
  • 10:30-11:30am If I don’t have a meeting, this is when I move to the couch. Troy works exclusively on the couch, so this is where I get my “office interaction” and ambient TV noise while I work.
  • 11:30am-12:30pm Lunch break: Eat, shower, go for a walk depending on how busy things are. Troy and I will go out to lunch twice a week, just to “get out of the office”.
  • 12:30-3:30pm Unless I have a big project to work on, this time is usually spent doing odds and ends. In between work emails, planning and non-priority tasks, I’ll do laundry, start dinner, or work on a blog post. It’s a bit of a perk, especially since almost all of my work is done before 10:30.
  • 3:30-5pm I will still keep my email open to field any late tasks or answer questions from clients in different time zones. If I’m feeling ambitious, I will start a project for tomorrow or update my to-do list.
  • 5:30-7:30pm Gym, usually the only time of the day to really leave the house.
  • 7:30-10pm Dinner, DVR, check emails on last time.
  • Sleep by 11pm. Yes, this means I get over 8 hours of sleep every night.

Not too bad of a schedule. What I’ve learned through working from home, is that you have to be available more than the standard 9-5, but you don’t have to be “crazy busy”. I will check emails on weekends and while I’m traveling. I am still productive during the work day and everything still gets done. Work smarter, not harder.

Troy and I find that on the occasion when we do go into our actual offices, we get crazy busy. Whether it’s because we are interacting with more people or because people will schedule face-to-face meetings, I’ve found that when I’m in the workplace I am pushed to capacity and it’s a bit draining. The same amount of work gets done, but I don’t get winded working from home….

It’s definitely a different environment, and there are times when I absolutely need to get out of the house. We probably will not be working from home forever, but it’s given me/us a better sense of how we operate, how we can be effective/productive, and how we can more efficiently use our time.

Even if you’re not a telecommuter, imagine how many hours you could save by better knowing how you work. Whether it’s at night or super early in the morning, with loud music or absolute quiet, with little breaks or powering straight through, what works for you?

Booking.NO

| the kit house

One week into this 2-week blogging challenge, and I really needed a blog idea. I can definitely see why it is a challenge to write everyday, especially if you want your writing/blogging to be something people would actually want to read. No pressure or anything…

So last night, we decided that we’d waited long enough and we should go ahead and book our hotels for Rome and London. Troy and I have accumulated an impressive number of hotel points over the years and we had scoped out which hotels we wanted months ago.

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From my first trip to NYC, in college with 5 other guys.

Turns out, hotel rewards are not always finite. The hotel we wanted in Rome was no longer offering Points+Cash options, and our hotel in London was only doing Points+Cash options, and the points per stay had skyrocketed. Both put a wrench in our plans and we scrambled a bit (at 11pm) to find alternative hotels within our points budget.

While we did find and book our alternate hotels, it also put a bigger dent in our hotel points than I had hoped and I found myself searching for New York City hotels at 2 in the morning. I was planning a birthday trip to NYC in the fall with one of my girlfriends, using hotel points to alleviate costs. But, the above-average seasonal hotel rates threw me for my second loop of the night. No rest for the Wicked, even if weren’t planning on seeing it on Broadway.

While I have no problem playing tourist, I do have a problem with $300+ per night and still having to share a communal bathroom down the hall. Now, our options are:

  • AirBnB someones apartment ($200/night)
  • Stay on the floor of a friends places
  • Go in December
  • Befriend a generous New York millionaire

I’ll be 30 years old this year. Staying in a hostel isn’t exactly my cup of tea anymore. Any ideas for traveling New York City without breaking the bank?

Sunday Reading

| the kit house

8e31c6829d84cd747a72028999870d94Last year, I made Sunday my morning to sleep in and read in bed. Although it doesn’t happen EVERY Sunday, it’s still my guilt-free time to be horizontal and perhaps just a bit…reclusive.

Last night, I went out with some girlfriends to see 50 Shades and have dinner/drinks at a new wine bar. Paired with a Movie/Brunch date this morning and Daylight Savings, my Sunday time is a bit curtailed. But, better to have plans than waste a weekend.

So Sunday morning reading will now be Sunday afternoon reading, and I get to spend some quality time with these:

  • Portrait of a Lady by Henry James: This is my favorite book of all time. I haven’t read it since senior year summer reading, so I added it to my 101in1001 list. Reading in the context of writing a paper versus reading for fun is considerably different and I’m taking it at a much slower pace. But three pages in, I began to remember why I love Henry James.
  • Why our Brains Love High Ceilings, an article by the Fast Company
  • 7 Secrets to Decorating Like the French
  • Lena Dunham’s Home Tour by Domaine Home. Both of the above articles are by Domaine. The first is one of my favorite articles, and it gives me a ton of things to looks for while we’re in Europe this Spring. The second is because I am thoroughly in love with Lena Dunham’s new California home. The photos in the article are the before pictures from the previous owner, so I’m very eager to see the after ones.
  • Sunday Inspiration from The Muse: I get these in my inbox every Sunday morning. The Muse puts together the best of the web, for working, living and playing.
  • Exhaustion is Not Always a Status Symbol by Lillian Cunningham, Washington Post Leadership. My favorite quote from the article, ” To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes.”

Have a good end to your weekend!

Weekend Vinyasa

| the kit house

When I started this two-week blogging challenge, I was up in the air on whether that included weekends. Ten posts versus 14 is considerable. But, since this challenge is a “writing everyday” challenge at heart, here is my first Saturday post.

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Photo: Shape Magazine

Every Saturday, or at least those when we’re not away, Troy and I go to Hot Vinyasa at our gym. It’s been about a year since this became part of our weekend routine. This still baffles our families, almost as much as me preferring that Troy grows his hair out. Our usual class is with a very hippy instructor who likes to play Lil Wayne and Michael Jackson. She also works you pretty hard in a room that is about 95 degrees. It gets even hotter and more humid when the class is crowded.

I’ve been to a number of yoga workshops with friends and was always able to see the practice of yoga linked to spirituality and self-actualization. Even typing that seems a bit heavy and pretentious. It’s slightly ironic that hot yoga, an intentionally hot/humid/heavy practice doesn’t seem nearly as overbearing as other classes meant to help you find your purpose.

All types of yoga practices aside, Troy and I really just enjoy it as a hobby and as a workout.  So here are a couple things about yoga in the Kit House:

  1. Stay Hydrated. Water before, during and after class to avoid the dreaded yoga headache/hangover. Sometimes after class, if we don’t stay on top of it, we are completely useless for the rest of the afternoon.
  2. Get a Yoga Towel Mat. This is a plush towel with a grippy backing that you lay on top of your standard yoga mat. The towel mat gives you plenty of friction when you get too sweaty halfway through class, preventing you from slipping, which we’ve both done in the past.
  3. Not all instructors are created equal. Our favorite instructor is very active and will make sure we are challenged physically in class. Others are more about relaxation and meditation. And then there are others who seem to yell about climbing your mountain and grabbing the sun. Whatever your style, we won’t judge. But for me, class isn’t complete without a million yoga pushups and a three-minute chair sit, no matter how much it might suck.
  4. Serious? We are in no way serious yogis. I only go once a week. Troy goes twice because he thinks cardio is boring. We aren’t meditating at home, and we haven’t perfected any headstands. We go because we both want to be more flexible and balanced. And so far, it’s worked pretty well.

Our instructor is very Come as You Are, and that suits us perfectly.

Have a good weekend!

A Charmed Life

| the kit house

485554_10103551672855941_112437061_n Two days ago, Sweet Briar, an all-women’s college, announced that it will be closing after the upcoming summer semester. This is coming after Foxcroft School received a multi-million dollar bequest, the biggest gift in the history of an all-girls school.

I’ve had this discussion with Troy multiple times. Private school may not be for everyone, but single-sex education can be an amazing experience, especially for girls. My two years at St. Margaret’s in Virginia not only challenged me academically but made me a more confident and capable person. I didn’t go there as a punishment or because I was having trouble. My family was in upheaval and I went because I knew SMS was a place I could focus on me, instead of trying to please everyone.

Now, as the St. Margaret’s Alumnae Association President, one of my favorite things to do is speak at the annual Charms Chapel. This year, I will not be able to attend the service, but I’m hoping my speech/homily will still be heard. This is a special chapel service where the alumnae association welcomes the graduating seniors officially into “alumnae-hood”. The receive a charm engraved with the school crest. Mine is pictured above.

Private schools often talk about leaving a legacy, whether it’s through your financial donations, the time you serve, or things you leave behind. I like to think mine will be the culture of being present, being a visible leader, even if it is all the way from Georgia.

I still wear my class ring and charm, and make every effort to create relationships with the current students. I like meeting with the leaders and talking about college. I like sharing my bucket list and giving them ideas for theirs. I like showing that not all alums are boring. It’s not all about your career or your salary, but the kind of life you want to lead. While going to an all-girls school might seem “cute” or “restrictive”, I and all other girls’ school alums know that the experience is nothing short of transformative.

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Photo: http://www.sms.org

20 Questions

| the kit house

I didn’t mention this in yesterday’s blog post, but it is the beginning of a self-issued 2-week blog challenge. Blogging everyday for 2 weeks is on my #101in1001 list, and it seemed like a good way to kickstart the new site.

I like keeping the About Us section fairly simple, but for an adequate introduction, here are 20 things about me/us:

  1. We’re both half-Filipino and we met at the University of Florida.
  2. We bought our house in 2013, after looking at 40 other houses over 5 months.
  3. I went to an all-girls boarding school, and am currently their Alumnae Association President (until June). My two years at SMS was an incredible experience and I am a huge advocate of single-sex education, women’s leadership and leaning in.
  4. I have a degree in Advertising and a minor in English Lit.
  5. My grandparents had a giant world map where they put dots on all the places they’ve traveled. This is my oldest motivation to travel.
  6. My favorite books are Portrait of a Lady and the Game of Thrones series. Troy loves Ender’s Game and Starship Troopers.
  7. We have a rescue cat named Shorty. He has no tail.
  8. I am a Virgo, INFJ.
  9. I collect Nancy Drew first editions and moonstone hobnail.
  10. I was an early Twitter adopter. Follow me at @CoxswainPatti.
  11. I will attempt to cook anything, and can normally hit it on the head. Except Biscotti…I am terrible at biscotti…
  12. I want to write a book, but so does every English major on the planet.
  13. Coxing in high school completely changed my personality and my life. I went from a wallflower to Napoleon.
  14. I have a multi-volume journal that I’ve kept since my sophomore year of high school. However, I found that the only reason I really write in it is if things get depressing or complicated. Blogging is a much happier hobby.
  15. Troy’s computer is closer to a command center. He could be in front of the screen watching anime for days.
  16. I have a very long bucket list. So far, I’ve gone skydiving, coxed Head of the Charles, completed a Tough Mudder and went to Bonnaroo.
  17. Troy used to be a sushi chef in college. I used to make ice cream cakes at Cold Stone. We like to eat a lot.
  18. Growing up, I used to spend my summer on a ranch in Montana.
  19. We both work from home. It’s pretty convenient and we spend most of the week in pajamas.
  20. We have an incredible trip planned this May, and it is the subject of tomorrow’s blog post. Check back tomorrow!

A New Home

| the kit house

In January, I was having trouble with both of my blogs. I had a personal blog where I wrote about leadership and coxing. I also had a blog that shared the process of buying our house and making it our home. For a long time I felt it was impossible to combine both. I just wanted to write something and not be limited by my blog theme. So one afternoon, I got bored and bought a website.

So here is my new home/domain, www.thekithouseblog.com. This is a blog where I will be sharing about our first home and style, as well as my/our adventures on the road. IMG_1067

Although I’ve been blogging for awhile, I went back to the drawing board, looking up how to write a first blog post. There is an obligatory picture of us, a quick bit on what this blog will be about, and a here are couple links to the new site tabs:

Read about Kit Houses and a little about us in the About Us tab, as well as some of my favorite restaurants.

All of our previous home photos can be found in the Our House Tour tab.

Check out my 101 in 1001 list and she what we’ve got in store for the next year and 9 months.

I hope this blog piques a tiny bit of your interest. Thanks! ~Patti