We hope to share a few updates this year on what it’s like to work with your significant other. Gabe has always been behind the scenes helping me run the blog, but this is our first year working on it together full time. We officially began in July and haven’t gotten sick of each other yet, so that’s a good sign right? Today we are sharing some FAQ’s on what it’s like working with your spouse.
Gabe and I have taken on a good deal of partnerships this year involving home projects. This is something we couldn’t find enough time for last year since weekends were all we had to make things happen. It has been really nice to have more time to work on these types of projects that require so much time and creative energy to accomplish. Although we still feel like we could use an extra two days in the week!
Q: Who does what?
Anna: When it comes to home design, we talk everything out together to come to our decisions. Gabe is really good with wood working, building, and problem solving so he does a good deal of the muscle work behind a space while I design and style. We both trade the camera back and forth for the photography you see here on the blog, and I edit the photos. I do the writing, social media, and content concepts as well. We have a really awesome family member who works to answer emails, edit posts, and also sends out our weekly email newsletters. Megan is very organized, and I am so grateful she stepped in when she did!
We are doing a hybrid school with our kids this year which means they are home with us three days out of the week for school so Gabe has also been teaching them their lessons on those days. As a former educator this comes naturally to him, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy! It has taken more time and discipline on our end than we originally anticipated, but our kids are happier than ever. That is the only sign we needed to know we were doing the right thing. I also have my brother help with my younger two on those school-at-home days which is when I pound out writing and emails. So it takes a team of family members to make things flow around here, and it took a while to figure out how to make things go round! The days Gabe and I work together are Tuesdays and Thursdays (when the kids are in school), and Saturdays. This is when we are both juggling the younger babies and taking turns on various tasks required for the week.
Gabe: Nothing to add here except that one of my duties involves working on some top secret classified projects. (wink wink) We will let you in on that as soon as we are able!
Also I am excited to say, that our new set up allows me to pursue one of my favorite obsessions… food. I now have the ability to do more dinner planning, cooking, and general “chef-ing”. Once, many moons ago, I considered becoming a chef, so I kind of just pretend to be one now.
Anna: Gabe stepping in for dinner here and there is perhaps the most exciting part about this business venture. Amen and amen.
Q: What are the pros and cons of working together?
Anna: Not everyone can work together since personalities and character types vary from couple to couple. What works in a marriage doesn’t always carry over in a working relationship. It just so happens that we compliment our work ethics. Gabe is very thorough, patient, and a problem solver. He knows when to step away from work and reminds me of the importance of balance. He is good at making me laugh when things get stressful, and it is a quality I am certain makes the boat float around here!
Gabe: One of the motivations in pursuing our current set up is to give our kids an example of creative entrepreneurship. Our hope is that the example we set opens their minds to what is possible in terms of a non-traditional career path as they grow into adulthood.
Since our work is heavily focused on our home right now, it can be hard to step away from it. The unfinished projects are always staring at you in the face and it can be difficult to cut off. Sunday is our designated time of rest as a family, which, I will be honest, is very needed.
The biggest struggle though is not getting distracted by my wife’s face all the time. It’s like a Star Trek tractor beam that overtakes my attention way too often, but it is not a bad problem to have.
Q: Do you ever worry about sharing your lives on a public platform?
Anna: All the time. I probably over think it actually. We are both so careful to guard the privacy of our children and feel like their lives are not ours to share. There is a pressure to over share these days with the constant social media platforms. I don’t want to have my phone out constantly around them so we keep our home life as a sacred place and safe space for them. We share parts of it if I feel like it can help others, but I always ask myself the intention of sharing first. We have turned down a lot of paid projects that would involve the kids being the center of the campaign, because we don’t ever want to monetize their exposure. If it’s something we know will be a fun family experience we go for it (like the ‘Made in TN’ trip!). This is a topic Gabe and I talk about often as the blog continues to grow. There may be a time where we step away from public platforms for our children’s sake.
Q: How do you separate work from your personal life?
Anna: Since often times even when we get out together it’s to shoot photos for a post, it can be hard to set aside time just to be together as husband and wife. Making the mindset switch from work mode to marriage mode can be tricky, but we fight for it. We usually set aside power hour dates on weekends. At nights to unwind after putting the kids to bed we put away anything work related and grab a glass of wine. We stay up late talking or just fall asleep to a movie. It isn’t much time, but it is enough to connect and refuel!
Gabe: We try to make the most of the little free time together, because it is so valuable. Because we have so much to accomplish daily, it rarely all happens during the daylight hours, and working after the kids go to bed is common. We do everything we can to ensure a little time together before we go to bed, and we try to start and end our days at the same time. Sometimes, well often times, it feels like we are back in our dating days trying to squeeze in just a little more time together each night, and in turn staying up way too late and sleeping too little. But I’ll sacrifice a little sleep it if means more time together.
We have heard from a lot of you that you would love to start working with your significant other one day, so we hope these updates can be of some insight to you! Feel free to leave any more q’s below, and we will do our best to answer them in upcoming posts!
*Thank you Haley Sheffield Photography for the photos! We dressed up, but then realized sneakers were better suited for us;)
