An office away from home for a WAHM?

I have worked out of my house for the past 4 years, since having my twins. It wasn't truly a plan, it just sort of ended up that way. I had quit my job at ARM as Corporate Counsel to spend a year or so with my twins, who I thought would be my only children (turns out I was incorrect and that we did not in fact need those fertility drugs, as we now have child #3 - surprise!). I thought I might start my own law firm at some point, but clients started coming to me more quickly than I imagined. So I said, sure, why not? I can work at home while my babies nap, after they go to bed....while I'm at my favorite fenced park (hello Treo/Crackberry/iPhone), making dinner, giving the kids baths, etc. etc. etc.

The division between work to home is not always clear. Ok, it is not clear at all. I have my laptop in the kitchen/great room where our family basically "lives" 24 x 7 (we have a tiny house). I also have an office in my bedroom - one of those fold-up desks and a large file cabinet. My home office went away when we filled up our 3 bedroom house with 3 kids. I REALLY enjoy the flexibility of my work. Yes, I want to have it ALL! I can take off for a week on vacation and it is usually just fine. I am able to enjoy a commute-free existence. I can wear my park mom clothes to work in, unless I am meeting with a client. Not to mention being free from paying a fixed cost for office space each month. However... lately, I have been doing more start-up company business formation work and I am really feeling the need to have a place where I can regularly meet with clients, have conference calls (uninterrupted by wails of disaster in the background), and just be really productive. I can meet clients at my house, but then I have to get my kids out of the house for a while (not easy with 3 kids 4 years and under) and - gasp! - clean the house! Too much trouble.

I heard about a new model of combining childcare and office space recently

from a Yahoo! Group I belong to, LocoParentis, a group of lawyer parents in the Bay Area, that Rebecca started years ago. This new business, called Cubes&Crayons, seems pretty cool. The idea is ingenious (aren't most obvious ideas ingenious?) - have a great play area for the kids, childcare providers, and office space down the hall for the working moms. There is a conference room for meetings, a comfy lounge where you can work and/or socialize/network with other working moms, even a kitchen - with an espresso maker coming soon? Watch out Starbucks!

I actually do work a lot at Starbucks, Panera Bread, Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, anywhere there is a wireless internet connection. I don't mind the noise and I do so like to have a latte while I work. Ahh... I have met many clients at cafes over the years. Sometimes I go to my clients' offices. The rub is when there is a new client who is just starting a new business, so doesn't necessarily have an office for me to go to, and doesn't feel comfortable meting at a cafe or restaurant. Maybe they want to see the professional side of the professional. You know, diplomas on the wall, leather couches, a receptionist. These things convey privacy and legitimacy. And maybe I want to have my own space (MINE!) and, not only the meeting space for clients, but the ability to focus, focus, focus. A community of moms doing the same thing would be fantastic too.

So I went to tour Cubes&Crayons. I liked it. A lot. But I won't work for me. First, it is just too far away - It is not very convenient for me, as I live in Campbell and they are located in downtown Menlo Park - not very freeway accessible. I can't deal with 60+ minutes driving in traffic. Secondly, parking was tough (since its downtown there is no dedicated parking lot) and no strollers are allowed - with 3 kids this would be an issue for me lugging them all out of the car, possibly walking a few blocks with them and all of their (and my) stuff. Lastly, the price. I can see how it could really make sense for one kid if you are working close to full time, but for three kids and paying part-time prices it is too rich for my blood - at $50-$60 an hour! Akk! Even though I am a lawyer, I don't make big bucks. I keep my prices low, because I don't have fixed costs for an office, receptionist, etc. And I only work part-time, so that I can spend lots of time with my kids and be involved in their coop preschool. I have seen the light that I have a great deal with my part-time nanny. I think that either I need to look into office space without the child care for now, or just use CubesandCrayons for meeting clients (without the child care component), or wait until my twins are in Kindergarten and I only have the one child to pay childcare for. Where did I go to work a bit after my tour? Down the street at Cafe Barrone next to Kepler's Books. No wireless access, but I focused just fine with my $3 latte and a few agreements to review.

Anyone have office space they want to share??? Or, Cubes&Crayons, want to open an office in Campbell and give a larger sibling discount? Hint, hint, hint....