We’ve been thinking a lot about how life will change in the coming weeks, months and years with the arrival of the newest Petersik. A big part of that reflection has been figuring out how to keep this blog thriving once a tiny (but enormous) responsibility arrives that will need tending, cuddles and attention. So we put our heads together and developed a few new strategies to make time for everything: our family, the baby, this blog, and of course our main man Burger.
We remain dedicated to the home improvement journey that started as a hobby and has grown into something much bigger, especially since Sherry has been fortunate enough to turn that passion into full-time work. And before I forget: THANK YOU for the daily encouragement, support, and good humor that helped make that possible.
That said, we’re realistic about what a newborn will demand. Caring for Baby P could be a full-time commitment for Sherry, so continuing our two-posts-a-day rhythm, coordinating weekly giveaways, and keeping up with consistent DIY projects all at once would be a stretch. After careful consideration and a fair bit of number crunching, we made a big decision: Young House Love will keep going full force, and we’ll bring on a second full-time team member to help with both baby and blog duties. Any guesses who it might be?
I know some of you are hoping it’s Burger—he’s a hard worker and a beloved member of our crew…
But it’s actually me. Once Baby P arrives I’ll be stepping away from my 8-to-6 advertising career and into full-time fatherhood and blogging. I feel incredibly fortunate. So again: THANK YOU. I already put in 20+ hours a week on top of my day job helping keep this blog alive, and being at home during the day will allow us to better balance the blog, parenting and the rest of our lives. We’ve already begun planning new and exciting things for YHL now that I’ll be on board full time, so expect more activity and projects in the months ahead.
What will my new role look like day-to-day? For starters, I’ll be tagging in to co-manage both baby care and the blog with Sherry seven days a week, which will help us nurture both responsibilities as one happy family. It also means we’re tackling another major makeover: turning part of our house into a true two-person home office.
Up until now my nights and weekends have been spent working at the dining room table while Sherry holds court at her den nook. If I’ll be at home during the day we need a permanent workspace so we can reclaim the dining table and cut down on room-to-room shouting. A designated office will also help us maintain clear boundaries between work and home life, which will be crucial for preserving a healthy work/life balance.
We decided the new office will be in our current guest bedroom. Since the nursery has already taken the other spare room, this office must remain guest-friendly—meaning it needs to sleep at least two people as it always has. At the same time it must function as a workspace for two bloggers, accommodate our baby, include room for our playful nine-pound dog, and store paperwork without feeling overly corporate when guests visit. We’ll be walking a fine line while trying to get the most function out of a modest 10′ x 10.5′ space.
We also want the room to double as a play area for Baby P during the day, since she’ll be nearby while we work. So the brief now includes work, play and overnight guest capabilities all in one compact room. We’ll be sharing the step-by-step process as we reconfigure this triple-duty space—expect practical solutions, storage ideas and layout experiments as we go.
We’d love to hear your tips for designing a home office, staying sane while working from home, or creating a room that serves multiple functions. Share your ideas and experiences—we’re excited to learn from this community as we transform the space.