My Favorite Things about Ben's Business

Today I was talking with a lady at the library about what Ben does and how he works from home. It reminded me of how much I love him working from home and how grateful I am for it. I wanted to share some of my favorite things about his work schedule and flexibility.

I love that he can eat whatever meals he wants with us. If he wants to work through breakfast or lunch so he can finish earlier or because he has a lot to do, he can. I don't have to prepare a meal beforehand, I just take some of whatever the rest of the family is having up to him. Most of the time, though, he eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us and I love it. I love that we can all be together for meals so often.

I love that he can come down to talk to me about his business whenever. When he worked at TestOut, I remember emailing back and forth all day (and we still message each other often throughout the day when he's upstairs), but it's so nice to be able to just talk with each other in person when we want to. If he's frustrated with how something's going, he'll come down to vent. If he gets exciting news or finishes a big project, he can come down and share it with me. I love being connected to his life in that way and I love his frequent visits to see us.

I love that he can help with the kids when I need it. This was especially nice right after Parker was born and I had two such little ones. I feel that I need his help less often now that both girls are older, but it's still nice. When I put Parker down for her nap, Ben can watch Ashtyn. If one of them gets hurt or there's a spider that I'm too wimpy to kill or anything happens, Ben's right upstairs.

I love that I can leave while the girls are sleeping. Because Ben's office is right next to their rooms, I can run errands or leave the house if I need to while they're asleep. This was especially useful before Parker went to one nap, because it meant Ashtyn and I could still go wherever we wanted in the morning while Parker was asleep or I could take Parker on a nap during Ashtyn's nap.

I love that his schedule is more flexible. We can do date night in the afternoon during the kids naps if we want. We can go to the lake as soon the kids wake up. We can go on vacation whenever we want. Ben can take as long as he wants for holidays (or not take holidays, like Labor Day) or as long as I need after having a baby. We get to decide his schedule and that has to be my favorite part of his business.

I love that we feel like a team. I don't run his business, but I feel that I contribute to it in ways that I might not be able to if he worked somewhere else. And because he's home, he can help me and be a big part of our family life. I honestly wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.