It’s already September, can you believe it!? It feels like just yesterday the pandemic began, but also in another sense, like we’ve been living with it now for years. And despite my resistance to face the reality in front of us, here we stand, a new school year starting… but with things looking quite different than the past. I shared our new life routines back in the spring when we first began sheltering in place, and loved the feedback I got from others who found it both helpful and relatable, so I wanted to share a little update on where we stand this fall, both personally and professionally, as we embark on another new season ahead of us…
SCHOOL
We have decided to keep Evie home from school the remainder of the 2020 year and go the virtual route for Pre-K, taught by her assigned teacher in the Boston Public School system… just via a screen in our home. She misses the cut off date (September 1st) to go to Kindergarten this year, so we’re hopeful that when she does enter her new “big school” (as she calls it) next fall, it will be all the more exciting anyways. We are thrilled with her placement at a great Boston public school and are so happy it’s near our home. We are currently waiting on next steps with how to proceed with this virtual approach, excited to dive in.
Boston Public Schools are offering both an in-person hybrid program, and a virtual option for students, allowing parents to decide what they feel most comfortable with.
Our decision was due to the fact that we already have a nanny at home that cares for Harvey and will continue with Evie as well this fall. With that resource at our disposal, one that we realize a lot of families do not have, we felt it didn’t make sense for us to take up a seat at school, when we can keep her safely home and she can continue to learn.
I’m putting together a blog post with a bunch of resources we will be using during Evie’s school year at home – coming soon! Feel free to send any recommendations my way!
WORK
We are swamped at Oh, I Design Studio, mostly with wonderful interior design projects! One in Sudbury, a virtual project in Vermont, a South Boston facelift, a virtual dining room project in New Hampshire, and more! It’s keeping me quite busy in the best possible way.
In addition to the design work, we have a lot more exciting things ahead when it comes to blogging and beyond…
I’ve teamed up with Chloe Digital to discover some strategies on how to move forward with my blog and social media work, as I’d like to devote more time and energy into these endeavors. I’m really excited to pursue this avenue more this fall; I’ve always said I was going to and I’m finally following through!
I’m also working with The Business Bar again (who originally designed my site and logo – we’ve been working together for over eight years now!) for a fun site refresh! Our website theme with WordPress is no longer going to be updated, making my site a bit troublesome. We’re switching to a new theme and I’m using this as an opportunity to make ohidesignstudio.com more user friendly and a better representation of who we have become over the years.
If y’all, my lovely readers, have any requests or recommendations, send them my way!
On the husband front, Cody’s work is consistently busy, which has been a reassuring relief after a couple of months of uncertainty. He is now doing a hybrid routine of going into their office on some days and working from home others, and has not had any work travel this whole year due to COVID. While I wouldn’t wish for a pandemic EVER, having Cody home without any travel has been a silver lining over the past several months. We have been able to spend more time together as a family than we ever have, and I will always appreciate this time for that reason.
LIFE
I cannot believe Evie is about to turn FIVE (September 29th) and Harvey is going to be TWO (October 21st)!! Evie is going through a bit of a challenging phase with not listening, and being rough with her brother on occasion, among other age-appropriate challenges. Add in the fact that we recently returned from our RV trip (blog post coming!) where we didn’t have a schedule, and now we are attempting to get the kiddos back in a routine. I’m trying to be patient but I’ve lost it several times and that leads to yelling… which I hate. Any other mamas feel me? Any other mamas feel like they would benefit from a little break these days?
Other than toddler drama, life is good. We are safely enjoying our place in Vermont on occasion, it has become such a welcomed escape. We’ve always adored Vermont and our love continues to grow. So much so, a future longterm dream of ours would be to be able to rent out our current VT house, and then find a property with more land so the kids can literally run outside freely. We could have chickens and goats and the whole rustic lifestyle. We’re dreaming big over here lately! Also, chickens and goats? WHO AM I?! 😉 I’m also rambling here…
The future continues to be unknown but this is where we stand today. Things could change over the coming months and if we’ve learned anything (which I hope we all have!) since COVID began in the spring, it’s that we need to be flexible and hopeful. And grateful. And I’m beyond grateful for my readers and followers who continue to come along with me on my journeys through design, motherhood, and more.
I’d love to hear what you’re all up to this fall and how you’re facing the new season, so shoot me a message anytime! 🙂
Happy Fall!! xo