My next book will hit book stores in just a little over a month. So the book publicity machine is gearing up. I recorded several podcasts this week (my own, but also other people’s) from my rented office. While the kitchen is renovated and back in action, the master bathroom is still getting finished up. The master bathroom is right over my home office. Drills and hammers do not make for good background noise. So I’ve been availing myself of the Regus located two miles from my home. It’s pretty convenient. I rent a room for a day. I go, work, come home. I’m not sure how much I’ll need it once the renovation is done but it’s been a good option for the last few weeks.
On Wednesday I also ventured outside the home office to go to New York for the day. First, I filmed a segment with Thomson Reuters on millennial stay-at-home moms. Then I headed to the Penguin Random House offices to film the Off the Clock book trailers. These 1-2 minute videos will share strategies from the book. Then it was off 
to the new M.M. LaFleur showroom near Bryant Park for a photo shoot. This clothing company has a newsletter with content focused on working women, and so I was being photographed for that. It was fun to be a model for a day, though the level of hair and make-up required to be on camera continually astounds me. I spent a long time picking false eyelashes off that night and the next morning!
I got a training session on using this new website. I’ve been blogging for lo these many years but the website has recently gone through some much needed upgrades. Security, less-clunky plug-ins, SEO, etc. Inevitably there are glitches, and it turned out that the time sheet links didn’t work correctly. I am flattered at the number of emails I got about this. It’s nice to know people care! It’s all fixed now. Hopefully the blog is easier to read in this version. We also created a “start here” segment for people who just stopped by and want to know what of 10 years of content is semi-representative.
At some point in the next few weeks I’ll be making my annual summer fun list. It feels like the snow just melted, but the temperatures will be in the high 70s next week so it’s time to start thinking about summer activities. One thing I know I’ll be doing is heading to the San Francisco area in mid-July. I’ve got a talk but it would be good to add another book promoting activity or two while I’m there in the Bay Area. If anyone has ideas, feel free to email me (lvanderkam at yahoo dot com).
This weekend will feature baseball, playdates, and birthday parties. I hope to make it to one of the area botanical gardens to see the tulips. The magnolia in the front yard blossomed beautifully this week, but today’s rain is now making all the petals fall. Nothing can last, though it was nice to be welcomed home for several days by this puff of pink.
One thing the weekend hopefully won’t feature? Diapers! It has been a very successful week in the potty-training department for the 3-year-old. I am proud of him and he is very proud of himself!
I love MM Le Fleur, and their newsletter is great. I have 3 of their dresses and wear them constantly. Pricy, but I love the quality and the fit me perfectly, as if custom made.
@DK – have you tried their pants? I have two pairs of the straight leg pants that I’ve found to be quite versatile and the key thing is MACHINE WASHABLE.
Yay for potty training success! Both my kids waited until 3 to give up diapers and it was so frustrating.
@Linda – I guess the upside of waiting until 3 is that it goes pretty quick once they’re serious. He’s even pretty much dry at night now.
Hi Laura,
you look gorgeous in black 😉
And the website has really improved, it’s much more readable now.
I was wondering, how was your experience working from a rented office since you mostly work from home? I remember one of your posts, where you wrote that working from home has benefits for all of your family (your husband had forgotten his passport I think). This is my situation too, but sometimes it gets so crazy that I wish I worked outside, yet I feel I’d complicate my life instead of making it easier.
Thanks!
@Natalia – good question, I should probably do a post about it. My general preference is to work from the house because it’s more comfortable, all my stuff is here, etc. But if there’s too much going on here, it’s hard to work — and so when that is the case, and particularly if I need quiet, I rent the office for the day.
@Natalia – And so glad you like the website (and dress!)