My new "job"

When I put in my two week notice back in late December, quitting my job of three months, I made a decision to devote more time to writing.  If ever I had to work outside the home, writing would be my dream job.  Getting paid to put words to paper- either in fictional stories or informative articles or descriptive accounts of real life events- it all sounds like fun to me.   Even though, no one is paying me, I have decided to try to approach my writing almost as though it IS a job--  My new job, where I am employer and employee both.  And I must be self-motivated and self-disciplined to have any chance of success.  

My hope is to spend at least an hour a day writing.  Late in the afternoon, after all the schoolwork is finished and the kids want nothing more than a little downtime spent playing all on their own, I can certainly find the time to play around with my fiction ideas or write the blog posts I had so little time for through the Advent and Christmas seasons.

I have been finished with my out-of-the-house job for more than a week now- and well…..  my intentions have been great but my follow-through has been not quite perfect.  The whole family (except me and my oldest daughter) have spent the last week taking turns with the flu.  It has gone from one family member to the next with not even one day of full health in the last 9 days!  As soon as I thought we were out of the woods and no one else would get it, another victim would fall prey to the high fevers, runny noses, and scratchy throats.  Between taking lots of temperatures and getting lots of cool rags for burning little heads, writing has not been forefront in my mind.

I guess this week has been proof that this is the perfect new "job" for me-- it will never get in the way of my family and I will never get in trouble when life comes before work.  Still, I hope next week will be quieter louder and healthier around here and that I will be able to settle into a routine of regular writing.  Maybe I'll even get to finish the story that has been in my mind for a few weeks but up to now, has only had a few paragraphs actually written down.  

Even now there is so much more I’d love to write about…but my latest patient is still burning up and in need of his mommy……

Oh-- Just one more quick thing before I go check on my sick little boy though--- tomorrow begins the free e-book promotional offer of my novel The Life I Dreamed...check it out here!

Not "just a mom"?

            It all started back around Labor Day.   First, in the bulletin from Church there was something about how our work is sacred.  It said that that we, as Catholics, believe our work is how we serve our Lord and how we find purpose in our days.  The time we spend at work is valuable and meaningful and our work allows us opportunities to use the gifts God blesses us with.  After reading that bulletin, it seemed the message was everywhere—in conversations with friends, in songs on the radio, in homilies even weeks later.  

            Now I know the work I do within my home counts.  I know that caring for my children and keeping up with the housework and supporting Tim is sacred work.  I know, without a doubt, it is important and meaningful.  But all that talk about work might have been more than just a reminder that what I do for my family matters.  

            I don’t know if God was sending me a message or if He was preparing me for what He knew was coming........ because I find myself, after 14 years at home with my children, re-entering the working world- just a little.  

After all those messages of work being sacred, Tim and I talked and talked and talked about me going back to work.  It had been so long since I worked outside of the home and, really, until recently I had not even thought about it.  I have always been quite content raising my children, caring for my home, being “just a mom”.  But as we talked, Tim and I decided together that maybe it was time for me to take on a part-time job.  Nothing too strenuous, nothing that would take me away for long periods of time, nothing that would interfere with home schooling or with our family time but something that might bring in a little money and allow me the chance to take on a little more work.  

I had mixed emotions as I contemplated the idea of being employed once again.  I felt worried, guilty, excited, and nervous all at once.  I have never felt any desire to be a career woman.  I have never felt I needed a job outside the home to validate me.  I have never wanted anything to come before my family.  Yet, here I was deciding to go back to work while my kids are still at home and need me.  And, strangely enough, I felt it was the right thing to do- what God was calling me to and though I was nervous, I really was also excited about it.  

I found a job quite easily.  I began last week and am happy to report that it really is the perfect fit for what I was looking for.  I work only in the evenings and on weekends, when Tim is home with the children.  My hours are minimal—just a few shifts here and there, not more than 10-15 hours a week.   The job will not interfere with home schooling.  It will not take me away much and it is only a few minutes from home.  Tim and the kids are supportive and at peace with the situation.  The work is enjoyable and gives me a chance to work with and meet new people.  

So, though it still sounds strange to me- I guess I am a working mother now.  But really, I still feel like “just a mom”.