Welcome Home!

I spent years writing from home. I worked, lived, kept house and when there was a spare minute, played in the same place.

My children were there with me and we had to learn to set boundaries.

For the most part, it was a satisfactory arrangement. But there were days when I lost my balance. I couldn’t quite separate all the pieces of my life when I kept them in the same room.

Last week my youngest daughter’s school had a day off. Well, the students did. The teachers had to show up for work.

So, I worked from home that day.

We quickly fell into a familiar routine. I sat down at the computer and she played with her model horses and worked on her own projects.

The house was quiet. The dogs and cats kept their own schedule and snoozed all day. I edited stories, answered e-mails, made phone calls and worked on my regular Monday column.

After lunch she appeared by my side with a stack of board games. A not-so-subtle hint.

I pushed away from the computer and spent a pleasant hour on the floor of the living room playing Horseopoly before I went back to work and she went back to her room. It reminded me of how lucky I had been to be able to work from home when I wanted to. And how nice it had been to leave the house when I was ready.

The next day my daughter was back at school and I was back at my desk. I hadn’t missed a step professionally, I’d done everything I would have done at the office. But I’d gotten something you can’t do when you’re away from home: a little time with a child and a little time to play.

This week in Home

You read frequently that the daily commute for the average worker is getting longer and more frustrating. Snarled traffic, short tempers and 40 minutes of frustration is no way to get to work or back home. No wonder so many dream of working at home.

This week’s centerpiece story is the reinvention of an aged building in downtown Coeur d’Alene and the family that found a way to live, work and play under the same roof.

For those of you who are looking beyond dreary skies and dreaming of gardening weather, Pat Munts brings us the latest from the 2007 Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle.

And in her latest Urban Style piece, Amy Klamper introduces us to a couple who moved into an upscale loft in downtown Spokane and found a way to brighten their home and their spirits.

Life is work. And housework. And, when we take the hint and pay attention to the ones we love, life is play.