Around October I decided it was time for me to head back into the work force, and despite my online persona Army Wife Toddler Mom, I am no longer the Mother of toddlers. My son is now 7, and my daughter is 5.
My 7 year old is now in the first grade, and my daughter the social butterfly, seemed to be growing bored, and really wanted to go to school as well.
So after a family meeting, it was decided I would try and find a job. This proved to be no easy feat. I had not been in the workforce for a while, and being a military wife, well lets just say my resume looked a little choppy in spots. With the help of friends, I managed to create a decent looking resume, and then came the hard part.
Looking for a job that would allow me to be primary care giver of my children. Sounds pretty easy, but sadly, it was not. Many of you can relate to having a spouse that serves, means last minute schedule changes, TDY, training, schools, and conferences. Which means, we as spouses, must have a clean and clear schedule to handle these last minute changes. It is what it is.
It took about 2 months, and what felt like 100's of resumes, and applications to find the perfect "hours" fit.
At Christmas, I found a job that would allow me to drive both children to school in the morning, and pick them both up at the end of the day. This was huge. As after school care is expensive, as well as transportation costs. Throw in the fact that preschool here runs about $155 per week, well I had to make enough money to make it worthwhile. As a National Guard spouse, there is no on base/post care. I am not sure if I know what life is like on a base/post any longer, as it has been almost 15 years since we lived on one.
However, I forgot that with school, comes other children. Which means germs. Lots of germs. Schools, seem to be petrie dishes breeding ultra gross viruses of all sorts. Particularly when your children have been at home, and not exposed to petrie dishes of filth regularly.
Today I am writing this from home. Yes I am home again. Seems as though the 7 year old, was exposed to a gastrointestinal bug, while on Spring Break. The Spring Break, which we had took the time to organize over a month ago, due to there being no school. I had arranged fro him to spend his break at the local children's museum partaking in a program called "science camp". Little did I think this $155 a week camp was actually a petrie dish germ camp, in which he would sadly catch yet another virus.
In the last 2 months, my daughter has had 2 gastrintestinal viruses, and now this. Luck would have it, one of those illnesses occured on the weekend, which meant no lost $. I have missed a total of four days of work, in this time, which I am pretty sure does not bid well with my employer. Also, FYI for those of you who do not know, if your child is not in attendance at camps, or preschool because of illness you still have to pay. Ouch.
I am also on a first name basis with all of the receptionists, nurses, and Drs. at our new family practice, as well as our pharmacy. Which is not really exciting. I now have 3 buckets in the house, which are illness buckets, I also think I may be growing a can of lysol out of my left arm, the house smalls like a public pool, and boxes of tissue reign.
I have learned that gatorade will stain carpet, and children get sick at strange hours. I have also learned that perhaps a hose attachment in the house, as well as concrete floors might be handy. I also learned that my children handle illness very differently. My son, who is typically energetic, is the opposite when ill. He wants to be left alone, does not talk, and is docile. My daughter on the other hand is clingy, and fussy when ill, I might as well wear her as a blanket when she is ill. These are things I could have went without learning, but I suppose in the end I am better for it.
The honeymoon period of my new job has ended, the newness of being back in the workforce has too. And now it seems as though I am juggling more schedules, than I would have imagined.
I am truly wondering today how many of our SpouseBuzz readers, and authors work, who stays at home, and what led to these choices. Am I the only one feeling the pinch of logistics?
