skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Phew! My preschool job has been done for a week and already this summer is hectic! I must say, preschool was a lot of fun. It had its challenges, especially since I was hired to work in a Special Education room and some of those kiddos needed one on one support. Plus, I think I was sick at least once a month, including a doozie of a case of bronchitis during Spring Break. That's what happens when little ones pick their noses and then want to hold your hand! Overall, though, I had a great time. Sadly, I will not be returning to preschool when school resumes. The good news, though, is that I will move into the elementary building and work as a paraprofessional with the mild/moderate Special Education program. I'll miss preschool, but I think this will be a good fit. Instead of worrying about what happens to the preschoolers moving on to kindergarten who still need help, I'll be one of the people helping them!
At the end of April I decided to quit my part-time retail job. Working two jobs (even if they were both part-time) was becoming too much to juggle and really taking away from time with my family. Since I only worked in the morning preschool session, often times I would sub for other paras in the afternoon, which made for long days if I had to work my retail job that night. It was a great decision to quit. For the first time in five years my husband and I are both off on the weekends. It's a nice feeling to have the entire weekend for family time. Plus, I'm not working during summer break, so I'm really trying to enjoy this time with my daughters.
My goal is to get back to this blog, at least for the summer, and I hope that's something I can manage!
We've all worked with someone who is an expert at "Jazz Hands." My friend coined this phrase and I love it. It totally describes a manager I can't stand working with. He is great at making it look like he's working but really isn't doing much. He looks like he's busy on the computer but is really just answering personal email. He sounds like he's involved in a serious phone conversation, but he really just spent a half hour chatting with his wife. He's great at delegating, not supporting.
I don't work retail because it's fun or even because I want to get out of the house. I work retail because it accommodates my crazy life. It is not my goal to work in retail management. If I wanted endless hours during the holidays I would still be in television news. I am not saying my job is beneath me. It provides me a pay check and a discount. But I bust my butt when I'm there and I expect a "thanks" every now and then, or at least a "hey, things were really crazy when you came in tonight. Thanks for doing what you could to restore order."
I'm just so tired of one particular manager treating all of us like dirt. I think he takes pleasure in making my female coworkers cry. At least I'm "older" (most of my coworkers are in their 20s) so I've been around enough to know what is acceptable and what is not. I'm not afraid to stand up for myself and point out when people are being treated poorly. He does the jazz hands, we do the work, he gets the credit. Can you tell I had a rough night at work last night?
On a lighter note, take time to check out my review for Purex Complete Crystals Softener and enter my giveaway.
About a year ago, we were struggling on the job front. Hubby's then-employer had forced numerous unpaid furloughs on employees. Then, in the final quarter the company decided that having employees take extra time off at the holidays wasn't a good idea. So the powers-that-be instituted a mandatory pay cut. Fortunately, Hubby found a new job. Unfortunately, while the job brought many perks (better pay, overtime opportunities, free cable, free internet), it also required Hubby to work nights and weekends.
At first, the new schedule was kind of fun. Yes, five nights a week I tackle the nightly routine by myself, but once my girls are in bed, I can read, watch whatever movie I want (I think I watched The Proposal more times than I can count when it was offered On Demand.) or secretly indulge in reruns of The Jersey Shore. Plus, it was kind of nice (for awhile) that Hubby's days off fell during the week, rather than the weekend. Trips to the zoo, or anywhere else for that matter, were a lot less crowded.
Still, when you only see your husband two nights a week, the antics of Snooki and company quickly wear off. On Saturdays, I go to work long before the rest of the family is awake. I arrive back home about twenty minutes before Hubby needs to head out the door to work. It's basically enough time for me to get the rundown on whether the girls have misbehaved or been perfect angels all morning. On Mondays, I see my husband for ten minutes. I'm not joking. I typically get up and leave for work while Hubby is getting the girls ready for school, so I see him at home for about five minutes. I have to drive the "work" car, as we only have one vehicle that accommodates all four girls. Then, after driving the girls to school, Hubby swings by my work to switch cars because his work if a lot farther away and we don't want him driving our "family vehicle" that far. So as long as things are slow at work I can chat with him for about five more minutes. Then I see him again Tuesday morning.
But finally, FINALLY the last year of sacrificing our family time has paid off. Hubby just got a new job within his current company. He interviewed for the position three months ago, so we had pretty much given up hope on this ever coming through. Then last week, he got the call. The job is his. It's a Monday through Friday, "normal hours" type of job. I'll have to rearrange my work schedule and work two nights a week, but I would rather go two nights each week without seeing my husband, than five. He'll be home for dinner. He'll be home to help put the girls to bed. Every day they say "does Daddy have to go to work?" They (and I) will be thrilled to have him home more often.
The sacrifices were certainly our decision. We thought it was better to do this now, while the girls are still too young to be involved in after school activities, etc. We knew eventually the schedule would change for the better... thank goodness it happened sooner rather than later!
