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Aug 14, 2009

I’m a Little Runaway

August 14, 2009 By

(Haiku Friday is once again hosted at Janny’s little slice of the internet this week!)

So, lately it’s pretty obvious that I’m overwhelmed. I’m still not used to working full-time away from home, I’ve had a big project with SavvySource that took more time than I expected, and Cordy and Mira are home for two weeks before school starts for the year.

Add in financial stress from discovering that Cordy’s summer camp, which I was led to believe would be mostly covered by respite funding, actually will result in a $1300 bill for us because respite will only cover about $120 of the cost. We don’t exactly have $1300 sitting around, and if we did, we’d be applying it to the social skills class Cordy’s psychologist is recommending.

Oh, and I’m taking my license exam to officially become a Registered Nurse on Monday. Oy. I’m quickly turning into a ball of stress with a short fuse, and that’s not good for me or my family.

It’s enough to makes me want to disappear and forget my stress for a little while.

And so we are running away. At least for a weekend. (Longer would be nice, but I’ll take what I can get.) We’re joining the legions of geeks descending on Indianapolis for Gen Con, a gaming geek convention. Aaron will be doing interviews with companies for his website, while I’ll be talking with the few game designers who are featuring games for preschool kids. And I’ll be doing lots of zoning out, too. And looking at people dressed in pretty costumes, as well as unfortunate costumes. Because it’s always a mixed bag – some people dress for their body type, and some people are 50-year-old men with stubble dressed in Sailor Moon costumes, complete with heels and lipstick. *shudder*

I’m hopeful this small escape will help me center myself and prepare me to take on the world again. If only Gen Con offered free massages by guys who looked like Johnny Depp.

How do YOU deal with overwhelming stress? I’m always looking for new ideas.

Filed Under: me me me


Aug 7, 2009

The End of the Week Comes So Quickly Now

August 7, 2009 By

(Looking for Haiku Friday? Go visit Janny – she’s hosting this week’s Haiku Friday for me. And I’ll have a long-term solution for my Haiku Friday hiatus set up by next week.)

Wanna know what it’s like to go two years working part-time from home, then suddenly go back to work full-time, pulling 12 hr shifts that are really 12.5 hrs, which is really 14.5 hrs when you add in the commute both ways?

It’s pretty friggin’ hard.

I’m exhausted. Completely exhausted. I come home each night, intending to warmly reunite with my laptop and type out a thought-provoking post. Or at least throw out a cute photo of one of my kids.

But instead I come home each night, walking gently on my sore feet, read through my e-mail, try to reply to a few of them, check Twitter to lurk on any conversations going on, and then go to bed. On my days off, I want to sleep in. I feel foggy headed all day. My daughters climb all over me, but I don’t have the energy to wrestle with them.

I know this is not permanent. Not only do I have a new job, but I’m also trying to learn an incredible amount of information in a short period of time. Unlike some jobs, the learning curve is high in nursing and mistakes can cost lives. (Or in the world of medical paperwork, mistakes can cost the hospital a payment, which is nearly as bad as costing lives sometimes.)

Or maybe I’m just reacting to a week where we’ve had patient after patient appearing at the doors. That whole full moon and laboring women superstition? It’s all true. And then they turn into werewolves.

Either way, I think I’ll be back to my normal routine in a few weeks. Which means that I picked a lousy time to start a new job, considering I’m one of several local mom bloggers featured in Columbus Monthly magazine for August. (On newsstands now, locals! Go buy your copy!)

If you’re new here, don’t judge me by August. I promise I’m more interesting than this.

Filed Under: me me me, the J-O-B


Aug 3, 2009

How NOT To Look Good in Pictures

August 3, 2009 By

Looking over all the photos from BlogHer 09, I’m realizing that I should have spent more time at the Nikon party talking to Carson Kressley and less time downing those Nikon Ikon drinks. I’m a walking advertisement for what not to do when the camera is aimed your way.

Allow me to share my lessons learned from this year’s set of photos.

1. Don’t get caught with your mouth full of cheeseburger.

Photo courtesy of Amelia Sprout

In this case, the hat can be considered fashionable. But chipmunk cheeks full of tasty cheeseburger goodness mid-chew? Not flattering.

2. Self-portraits rarely look good unless you’ve got insanely long monkey arms.

And when you’re with someone with perfect teeth? You’ve got no chance of looking good.

3. Remember that you’re not always the star.

Photo courtesy of Suebob

Sure, I may have thought I was hot stuff, but that red stapler? Totally upstaged me in this shot. I should have remembered which of us was more popular. I am merely a backdrop for that lovely red stapler.

4. Just because the other person in the photo is shorter than you doesn’t mean you should slouch to meet her in stature.


Yeah, um, bad lighting and a half-squat to meet Mrs. Potato Head’s height equal me looking nearly as round as her. I should have stood tall and made her stretch to meet me. Surely she’s got taller legs stored in her back, right?

5. When shifting to take a photo with a friend, make sure your outfit turns with you.

Photo courtesy of MommyBits

Yep, if you look close, that’s a whole lot of my bra exposed there. Sigh.

They weren’t all bad, though. I did manage to not embarrass myself in a few photos:

Photo courtesy of Karianna

Photo courtesy of Stimey

Is it possible to love a profile photo of yourself? This is the only one I’ve ever liked.

—-
I did a write-up on my BlogHer 09 clothing and my travel to Chicago over at Mommy’s Must Haves. There’s even a photo of me flashing my undergarments (on purpose!) over there!

And I was recently a guest poster at Diets in Review – check out my advice for losing the baby weight, and also see my tips on running a 5K!

Filed Under: BlogHer09, clearly insane, me me me


Jul 31, 2009

Haiku Friday: Out of Steam

July 31, 2009 By
It’s been nearly two
years since I started Haiku
Friday on a whim

I’m feeling run down
thinking I need a break from
writing weekly ‘ku’s

It doesn’t have to
end, though – any volunteers
want to take over?

I have loved doing Haiku Friday from the beginning. It’s been a way to flex my creative muscles and try something different. But lately it’s become a chore, and the last thing I want is for it to be a chore. It’s not fair to those of you who enjoy playing along each week.

So I need a break. Not sure how long, but possibly a long break. (Note: I’m still blogging, just not in haiku form.) I’m happy to pass the duties off to someone else if they really want the responsibility. If you do, let me know – if more than one person wants it, I’ll figure out some way to pick a host.

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in Haiku Friday. You’re all brilliant and talented poets and I’m grateful that you took part in my little weekly meme.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON’T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will delete any links without haiku!

Filed Under: Haiku Fridays, me me me


Jul 30, 2009

The Fork in the Road

July 30, 2009 By

So aside from going to BlogHer (which I do plan to get back to talking about soon), life has been more than a little crazy for me.

Right before BlogHer, I was offered the job I was hoping for. I’ll be an RN in a labor & delivery unit at a small hospital in the greater Columbus area. I started the job on Tuesday, and while I’ll be working night shift eventually, I’m on day shift during my training. The pay isn’t as high as it is in the larger hospitals, but the atmosphere of this unit really called to me. OK, and the fact that they were the only ones to offer me a job. That helped, too.

I still have to pass my license exam, too. That’s coming up August 17. So forgive me if you ask me a question and I rattle off, “Normal potassium levels are 3.5-5.0” to you. I’m only a little frazzled.

The schedule is an adjustment for me. It’s been two years since I held a job I could explain to people in only one sentence. (So yeah, I work as a blogger. It’s essentially a freelance writer, and I work from home and set my own hours and yeah, it’s a real job. Well, sorta. It sometimes pays, but sometimes it’s only from ad revenue. What’s ad revenue? Well…) Working for 12 hours straight takes some getting used to, although that single-sentence description is quite nice.

And it’s the first time that I’m spending a significant amount of time away from Mira. I quit my part-time job when she was born, not only for nursing school but to be with her, too. We had to put Cordy in full-time daycare at three months old, and I hated myself for those seven long months she was there. I felt like I missed seeing her grow during that time, and I vowed to never do it again. I got to spend all that time with Mira, however. And now she’s two, begging to go to her summer camp five days a week. She’s ready to venture out into the social world of preschoolers, and she doesn’t need me as much. Which means I need to accept that and find a way to not need her as much, either.

That’s not all the change that happened this week, though! Nooooo, not for Aaron and I – when it rains it freaking pours and hails and produces hurricane force winds here. For not only was I offered a job, but then a few days later, Aaron was offered a job! Hallelujah and rainbows and smiling babies!

Aaron’s job offer was for an office job on the opposite side of Columbus from us. At first we were giddy with excitement – new job! They’d let him dress casual! We’d finally have a stable, steady double income! The pay isn’t the best, but money is better than unemployment, right?

But wait – there’s more! Then Aaron got an interview with a company to do freelance work! Much higher pay, too! At the interview, they really seemed to like him, and it’s very possible he’ll be offered a chance to do projects on a semi-regular basis with them.

Months of no job, and now suddenly job prospects everywhere. I’ve been waiting for change for a long, long time, and as you know this past year was a special kind of hell. Now that we’ve got our change, though, why do I find myself screaming, “Whoa! Too fast! Slow it down! I CAN’T HANDLE ALL THIS CHANGE!”

So we’re now trying to process everything. That first offer for a job for Aaron has some trade-offs we’re just now realizing. The hours would require a babysitter, and that sitter would need to work weird, sporadic times and need to transport the girls to their various therapies and activities. The cost for a sitter, along with gas for the 45 min. commute, would eat up much of Aaron’s salary. Plus it’s a 45 min. commute each way. Suddenly the giddyness is wearing off.

But the other position isn’t a sure thing yet. And if it does become a sure thing, it’s only freelance work – no amount of hours are guaranteed – making it not really a sure thing. But it would pay more, so we could budget appropriately for the lean times. Assuming he’s offered the position, of course. Aaron would also be home with the kids if he took this option, making sure they get to therapies and school and whatever they may need.

If. Assuming. Possibly. The control freak in me is going crazy with the lack of certainty right now.

We have to make a choice now about which road to take. The riskier choice, which still has one parent home at all times, but no guarantees on any money greater than my salary (which is enough to cover bills and necessary items), or the stable choice, which could still result in no more money than my salary, plus needing a sitter, but a stable job with some chance for advancement and more money.

Have I mentioned I’m lousy at making decisions? I can’t even pick the fastest checkout lane at the grocery correctly – how can I participate in making a life-altering decision like this?

Someone tap me on the shoulder after all of these changes pass so I can pull my head out of the sand, will ya?

Filed Under: Aaron, big issues, me me me, the J-O-B Tagged With: