Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

I was thinking recently about all the jobs I've had over the years. What do these actually qualify me to do in the real world? Have I found any sort of expertise in holding down these jobs? Am I a better (or worse) person for these experiences? I love to make lists so here is another that is interesting to me.

All the jobs I've had to this point in my life:

babysitter (in high school I did this Monday through Friday year round - during the school year from 3:30 to 6pm and in the summer from 7am to 8pm)
piano teacher
paid and unpaid church nursery worker
retail store associate, cashier, and customer service rep
waitress
bartender
on-air DJ & production for a crappy little FM station
Avon Lady
undergrad research assistant
graduate assistant
college adjunct instructor
housekeeper/personal chef
temp (administrative)
promotional sales rep
promotional sales coordinator/buyer
manager of consumer research
marketing research analyst
Creative Memories consultant
office manager
field supervisor
greeting card display merchandiser
content management specialist

And the most important jobs I've had (and make no mistake, sometimes they can be real work), wife and mother. Mostly I feel like I've been a Jack of All Trades and Master of None. I wonder what my next opportunity will hold for me.

Progress Report

New Year's Resolutions - February Update

Has it really been almost two months since New Year's presented us with our fresh start and compulsion to be resolute? Well, here is my progress:

1. Establish a better exercise routine. I enrolled J in swim lessons at the gym which has had the added benefit of forcing me to go to the gym some nights when I would have otherwise blown it off. I've tried to go a minimum of twice a week. Three times would be better.

2. Get the house ready to sell. Well on my way here. With the help of two outstanding friends, I got the kitchen/dining area, entrance way, and master bedroom painted. To get ready for that undertaking, I emptied everything out of those rooms and have tried very hard to not put everything back. I started three boxes in the garage for consignment sale and Veterans donations and have thrown away untold numbers of garbage cans full of stuff. The cleansing (both of the actual stuff and letting go of the mess mentally) has been therapeutic for me. And my house looks really good (for the most part). I do have a guest room piled up with stuff still needing to be sorted. That is next week's evening project.

3. Pay down our debt as much as possible. Always continuing with this struggle. I get so discouraged thinking we will never be financially secure. I so wish for money in the bank. But, I know to just keep plugging away.

4. Spend more time on my hobbies without feeling guilty. I spent a whole evening rearranging and straightening my scrapbook area. I went to see our babysitter in a play at her school. I'm trying to carve out a tiny bit of time to focus on me. With laundry and decluttering and shuttling J around, it is hard but I see the extreme importance in making time for just me.

5. Have at least 2 nights per week and at least one weekend day per month when I do something with J - just the two of us. Check.

6. Have at least one date night per month with Doug. Check. We are actually heading out on vacation for the weekend today. I've also put in a request for our babysitter for a movie weekend Doug is looking forward to. Even with money woes and job security issues and bills piled high on the kitchen counter, I know that getting away from it all and having time alone is just as important as those negatives. And, a mini escape is a lot cheaper than therapy!

7. Pursue new hobbies. With my home decorating and cleaning projects over the last month I haven't started this at all. Mark a star by this one and see what I can do! I have checked out a lot of library books on various new things to try. Does that count?

8. Try to make more of my gifts I give. Again, I've been reading a lot of library books and online how-tos. I'll get to this! My friend Tina and I have already started trying to pin down our first get-together date to get started.

What a Wonderful Life

I think a lot about things I want to do and things I haven’t (yet) done. However, my son’s thankful spirit this week made me turn to look at the past and things I am thankful I have done or been exposed to or things I’ve seen. This is by no means an all-inclusive list but just the first few things that popped into my head today. Some are big things that have affected my life, others are luxuries I’m glad I got to experience at least once, and some are in between somewhere.

1. Marrying Doug. I never believed in love at first sight or falling in love only once or even soul mates when I was younger. However, I did find my soul mate in Doug. He “gets” me and he puts up with me and he encourages me and, when no one else in the world can, he makes me think and appreciate and laugh. He loves me despite all the reasons he shouldn’t and he supports me even when he might not agree with me. He is the best decision I’ve ever made.
2. Having a baby. I am so blessed to have the wonderful son that I do. He is smart and loving and difficult and stubborn and I love him more than I ever thought was possible.
3. Buying a home. Just the experience of buying a home is a valuable learning experience but then add to that the maintenance and upkeep and financing and this becomes something that I’m glad I’m able to do. I love having a place that is all my own – an oasis from the rest of the world.
4. Visiting another country. I’ve only been to two other countries but both experiences were great!
5. Going on a cruise. I love traveling this way and, even though my finances don’t allow it, I still look back with great fondness on this vacation.
6. Staying at luxury hotels. Again, my finances don’t allow this but I’m thankful to have stayed at the historic Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans and at the Four Seasons in Vancouver.
7. Talking with a senator and a congressman in their offices in Washington, D.C. It is nice to be told you have a voice and that there are people to listen at a young age. I met with these people when I was a junior and again when I was a senior in high school on two separate educational trips.
8. Getting a good education. My parents did everything they could to provide me with the best possible foundation and I am so grateful for that.
9. Traveling. My mom told me one time when I was about 13 that I had already been more places by that age than she had been in her whole life. That luxury was never lost on me. When I was growing up, I would stay with my grandparents for two weeks every summer and they would often take me places. Additionally, my parents would take us on a vacation every year – even if just a very small one. I traveled out of the country for the first time when I was a senior in high school and I appreciated that opportunity and realized, even then, that I was being granted opportunities that many people never get in their entire lives. I love to travel and always have.
10. Having a good relationship with my family. We have our ups and downs like any family but I’ve always known that no matter what, my family would love me and support me. That makes even the toughest times easier to bear.

New Year's Resolutions - 2009

I won't go into a lot of detail about these now. I really just want to put them down on "paper" so I will be reminded of them frequently.

1. Establish a better exercise routine. I was actually doing pretty well with this last year until my favorite aerobics class at the gym was moved to an inconvenient time and I was left to make my own weight-lifting routine. I went some but it was intermittent and I need to do better this year.

2. Get the house ready to sell. As we look to the future and hope to move to Alabama in the next 18 months (job market allowing), I need to get some painting, organizing, cleaning, and throwing away done. I started with J's room and it has been mostly freed of old toys, clothes, and furniture. (Too bad all that stuff is now just piled up in my guest room.) But hey - J's room looks amazing and SO CLEAN! The next two rooms to tackle are my bedroom and the kitchen. It isn't pleasant but it must be done.

3. Pay down our debt as much as possible. With job security being unpredictable, I will continue to pay down our debt with any available extra money I can find. This isn't really a resolution, I guess, so much as an on-going venture. I sometimes yearn for the vacations and big screen TVs and even some smaller trinkets and treasures that I see all around me but know that the bulk of our money must go to grad school loans, mortgage payments, and private school tuition for J among other debt. It really only takes one look into little J's eyes to know why we work hard for the money that we can't even keep. We strive to make a better future for the apple of our eyes.

4. Spend more time on my hobbies without feeling guilty. I have a wonderful husband. I know lots of women say that but it is true. He will let me run off to pursue things I want to do at any time. The problem? I feel terribly guilty about it most of the time. Too much time away from home or too much money or J isn't good while I am away and I should have been there to help. Whatever the thought at the time - it is always the same outcome... Guilt. I am going to try this year to take some time just for me and not let guilt seep into my thoughts.

5. Have at least 2 nights per week and at least one weekend day per month when I do something with J - just the two of us. Whether it is sharing a meal at our local pizza joint and playing a few video games, taking in a movie, playing a board game, or visiting some of our favorites places like the Children's Museum, the Zoo, or the Botanic Gardens, I want to spend some time with J alone to bond with him before he decides he isn't interested in time alone with Mommy. Additionally, this gives Daddy some much-needed downtime and time with his friends - both good things as well.

6. Have at least one date night per month with Doug. It is very hard to carve out time alone with your spouse with a little one constantly under foot. However, while it is important to do things alone with J, it is equally important to have some adult time alone too. Even if it is just a couple of hours to go watch a movie while J is home with a sitter, it is nice to just get away sometimes. I've already planned a Date Weekend for February and arranged for all-weekend babysitting. It doesn't get any better than that!

7. Pursue new hobbies. Last year, some friends and we started a small film project. I would like to see this through with the final editing of our first short documentary this year. This will require a lot of work but it is nice to know that even as I approach 40, this old dog can still learn a few new tricks. I would also like to try some new craft projects and techniques over the next year.

8. Try to make more of my gifts I give. I love handmade gifts. These are the gifts that, I believe, truly express how much a person cares. Now, that isn't to say that everyone should make their gifts. There are lots of people who don't enjoy this sort of thing and this endeavor isn't for them. However, for me, there is nothing more personal I could give to someone than a gift I spent my time making specifically for that person. So, along with the cooperation and creative collaboration with a friend of mine, we are endeavoring to have a Homemade Christmas where a large part of the gifts we give are hand made. Now, if I can just find time to complete a quarter of the ideas we've come up with!

New Year's Resolutions - Review of 2008

Well, in looking back, I didn't comment on my 2008 New Year's Resolutions past the 6 months mark. So, might as well review those before setting new ones.

1. Start getting up earlier in the morning (ugh) to allow time for exercise and to make J a healthy breakfast. I don't know why I set unrealistic goals for myself. I am not a morning person. I am not going to exercise in the morning because I feel awful every morning and I hate to exercise. Those are two things that shouldn't be combined. However, I saw the difference last year in how I felt when I was exercising and how I felt when I wasn't. So, this year I hope to do better. As for J's breakfast, I continue to buy healthy alternatives for him to encourage him starting his day with something healthy.

2. Paint at least one room in my house (my bedroom, the guest bathroom, and/or the guest room/playroom) and hire someone to paint my kitchen. Well, Joel's bathroom was the only room accomplished last year but we did complete his room this month (with a lot of help from our very dear and overly-generous friends). I'll continue with my efforts to get the whole house painted this year with a lot of help from those same wonderful friends who have already offered to help me paint my kitchen and master bedroom next month. God love 'em!

3. Make my front flowerbeds look presentable. Mostly thanks to my dad, my flower beds look pretty great. I'll need to do a little tending and replanting work this year to keep these looking good but the amount of work will be nothing compared to last year's now that the new brick edging has been installed to actually keep the dirt inside the bed and not floating down the sidewalk.

4. Lose some weight - any amount will do. This was my bust for last year. I lost about 5 pounds all year. I really shifted this resolution about half-way through the year to a focus more on fitness than on weight loss but, either way, I think I failed. I am hoping to be more dedicated to it this year.

5. Spend more time with my friends. Game night, anyone? We have spent a lot more time with friends over the last year than in years past and I've really enjoyed it. Whether it is strategy games, board games, or dinners with our friends here or costume, RockBand, and birthday parties with our out of town friends, it is always such a joy to spend time with them, laugh with them, share with them, and grow closer to them. We've also met some new people in the last year who have become good friends as well and that is always a blessing.