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I'm not keeping this up very well - sorry!
I have worked a couple of shifts. It's going fine. Work is actually satisfying. While I do miss my boys when I go to work, I need the time away. I also have the need to contribute to our family income. We need more income! It's kind of scary in a way. While I know we won't go bancrupt, we are living on a tight budget right now.
Do you ever feel like you're waiting for life to begin? Do you wait for such & such a thing to happen so that you can do something else? I hate feeling like this. I've pondered what to do with my life on & off. But you know what? My life is happening already. If we don't experience life to the fullest, before we know it, it has passed us by. Time is a non renewable resource. We do wake up with the same amount every day - but once it's gone, it's gone. I need to pull my head out of my hind end & get on with it.
I'm a Pampered Chef consultant. I've been one since 2001 & I've enjoyed it. I still do enjoy it to a certain extent. But there are also things about being my own boss that are not enjoyable. I don't like the part about having to get on the phone in the evening when I could be spending time with my family. I don't like having to deal with "issues" that come up with customer service. I don't like it when hosts don't invite many people & then end up having 2 people show up at their show that I've driven 45 minutes to get to all the while my family is at home - and maybe even with a sitter. However, I do enjoy putting on a good show. I do enjoy the income when my hosts follow through with my host coaching & people attend the show. I do enjoy teaching people how to cook with the tools & to make healthy choices. I do enjoy recognition when I have high sales on the team.
What it comes down to right now is money. I get paid well when I work a shift at the hospital or urgent care. I can be guaranteed to make over $120 when I work a shift as a nurse for 4 hours. Not the guarantee with doing a Pampered Chef show that in its entirety with host phone calls, driving, show time & closing comes to 4 hours. Sales jobs don't have guaranteed income when you're paid on commission only. And once I leave work as a nurse - I'm done. I don't have to follow up with phone calls or be accountable for anything. I punch out & I'm done.
PLUS, I'd rather be scrapping! Now there's another dilemma. I could pursue a scrapping business on my own. But again, don't want to pursue bookings in the evenings when I am not guaranteed wages.
I know, looks like I've kind of made up my mind. I just can't give this up. I need to make up my mind one way or the other. I can't linger or I'll stress myself out more. Yet, I can stay active with PC without pursuing a lot. I have a web site that I can get orders from. I have repeat hosts & customers who hold shows regularly. All I need is $200 in retail sales every 2 months to stay active. It's not at all difficult for me to do this.
OK, so now I've rambled on & on. Feel free to tell me what you think.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Days NOT to get out of bed - or wake up at all!
Yesterday -
Wee hours of the morning - I hear Parker (the 3 yo) crying. He has a leg cramp. Dad (dh) gets up to comfort him. Shortly, I hear, "Oh crap." from dh right beside my bed. He says, as he holds our sobbing 3 yo, "I think your glasses are underneath my foot." Nothing like that to wake me up! Sure enough, my frames were broken - beyond repair. (They must have gotten knocked off the bedside table.)
Now to some this might not be a huge deal. However, I hadn't worn my contacts in months & I had a day of shopping planned so I actually have something to wear for Carter's baptism on Sunday. I need my glasses to drive. This was not a good thing. So I got very little sleep the rest of the night.
Wake up - around 6 AM & Carter (the baby) had wet through his diaper & sleeper onto my bed. Thank God he's little & that he was wearing a Pampers vs the cheaper diapers. Oh well, I am not changing the sheets at 6AM for a spot of pee - it's a king sized bed & I should be able to catch a little more sleep after changing the boy. The other 2 boys wake up so it's not exactly dreamy time for Mom anymore - but I can try!
That didn't last long. DH left for work & the boys are LOUD & want me UP! I give in - I need to shower & have them to daycare, aka school, by 9 AM anyway.
I make them English muffins with PB&J on them & prepare for my shower. Nothing to wear that looks good - so I figure something out - still maternity jeans:( A tank top & button down shirt for easy access for the little man. That should be good.
The boys go downstairs to play & I take my shower. Once out - Spencer (almost 5) comes to me & says, while dressed in just his underwear, "Parker peed down the steps." WHAT???!! Sure enough, Parker let it go from the top of the basement stairs all the way down - including the wall. NOT something I wanted to deal with. He was standing there with nothing on! What is up with that? I didn't sign up for this one! He gets a little putch on the hind end & sent to his room to get dressed & think about what he did. I asked him, once he was in there, why he did it. He said, "Cuz you weren't wiff me." Not seeing the logic in that. But he's 3 - there probably is some code of 3 year olds that states, "If Mom is not wif me, I can pee down the steps." I must capture this manual & destroy it!
So I clean up the mess. Again, NOT what was on the agenda for this morning. I get myself & the kids ready & bring them to school. This is where we discover a cute little white dog standing outside the center's door. Now I know this kind of dog. It's the kind that looks like it would want to be cuddled & pet & loved & then when you go to pet it it turns psycho & rips a whole in your arm the size of Texas. So I don't let the kids get out of the van. I, with my calm demeanor & experience dealing with wild animals (aka, my kids), get out & approach the beast. He seems nice enough. I let him sniff my hand & then take a look at his tags. He's up to date at the vet - but no name or number or address. I decide it's safe enough to allow my children to come out to get into school. The dog wants to follow us in - but we don't let him. Once inside I tell the assistant director & she says, "Oh, don't go near that dog. We have brought him back to his home before & he just about tore our arms off." I must have the touch - or maybe it's the motherly hormones flowing because the dog really seemed to like me! I offer to lead it back home since it likes to follow me anyway. I get the 2 boys in their appropriate rooms & leave my baby in the Assistant director's care while I go out. The dog is gone. No job for me to do! So I go get the baby & procede out to my van. Then the dog is back! Go figure! So I lead it back to it's home next door. The owner didn't seem all too grateful. Funny how I saw her outside earlier & she didn't seem to be looking for her dog. Some people! Anyway - I get in my van & we head to my chiropractor's.
While driving on the highway I got in the left lane as there were some slower moving vehicles in the right lane going just under 65. This is a classic situation that I'm sure many have been in. I am leading a couple of cars & there is pretty steady traffic in the right lane. Then there is a little clearing in the right lane but the next vehicle in the right lane is obviously going slower than I am in the left. Even though someone is nearing my tail end, I am not about to get over in the right lane just to have to put on my brakes & slow way down. I'm going over the speed limit already & figure I'll get over once I pass the next vehicle. The car 2 behind me whips out of his lane (isn't it always a man?), attempts to catch up to me & just before he does, starts to take the exit & flips me off! I just laughed - & I know he saw me laughing so I'm sure that inflicted far more of a blow to his ego & road rage than if I had reciprocated. Just then - "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" comes on the radio. That just about says it!
I figure the day had to improve after that! Good thing I have a positive attitude.
Oh, by the way, I had a new pair of contacts to put in - & they worked quite well for the day. However, my glasses are not able to be fixed with Crazy glue like I was hoping. I do need to get my eyes checked, however, I was hoping to be able to put that off for a bit as my eyes tend to change after having a baby. We're also broke right now - so paying for my new glasses is not exactly in the budget. Oh well, more reason for me to get working!
Gotta go - the boys are loose again!
Jen
Wee hours of the morning - I hear Parker (the 3 yo) crying. He has a leg cramp. Dad (dh) gets up to comfort him. Shortly, I hear, "Oh crap." from dh right beside my bed. He says, as he holds our sobbing 3 yo, "I think your glasses are underneath my foot." Nothing like that to wake me up! Sure enough, my frames were broken - beyond repair. (They must have gotten knocked off the bedside table.)
Now to some this might not be a huge deal. However, I hadn't worn my contacts in months & I had a day of shopping planned so I actually have something to wear for Carter's baptism on Sunday. I need my glasses to drive. This was not a good thing. So I got very little sleep the rest of the night.
Wake up - around 6 AM & Carter (the baby) had wet through his diaper & sleeper onto my bed. Thank God he's little & that he was wearing a Pampers vs the cheaper diapers. Oh well, I am not changing the sheets at 6AM for a spot of pee - it's a king sized bed & I should be able to catch a little more sleep after changing the boy. The other 2 boys wake up so it's not exactly dreamy time for Mom anymore - but I can try!
That didn't last long. DH left for work & the boys are LOUD & want me UP! I give in - I need to shower & have them to daycare, aka school, by 9 AM anyway.
I make them English muffins with PB&J on them & prepare for my shower. Nothing to wear that looks good - so I figure something out - still maternity jeans:( A tank top & button down shirt for easy access for the little man. That should be good.
The boys go downstairs to play & I take my shower. Once out - Spencer (almost 5) comes to me & says, while dressed in just his underwear, "Parker peed down the steps." WHAT???!! Sure enough, Parker let it go from the top of the basement stairs all the way down - including the wall. NOT something I wanted to deal with. He was standing there with nothing on! What is up with that? I didn't sign up for this one! He gets a little putch on the hind end & sent to his room to get dressed & think about what he did. I asked him, once he was in there, why he did it. He said, "Cuz you weren't wiff me." Not seeing the logic in that. But he's 3 - there probably is some code of 3 year olds that states, "If Mom is not wif me, I can pee down the steps." I must capture this manual & destroy it!
So I clean up the mess. Again, NOT what was on the agenda for this morning. I get myself & the kids ready & bring them to school. This is where we discover a cute little white dog standing outside the center's door. Now I know this kind of dog. It's the kind that looks like it would want to be cuddled & pet & loved & then when you go to pet it it turns psycho & rips a whole in your arm the size of Texas. So I don't let the kids get out of the van. I, with my calm demeanor & experience dealing with wild animals (aka, my kids), get out & approach the beast. He seems nice enough. I let him sniff my hand & then take a look at his tags. He's up to date at the vet - but no name or number or address. I decide it's safe enough to allow my children to come out to get into school. The dog wants to follow us in - but we don't let him. Once inside I tell the assistant director & she says, "Oh, don't go near that dog. We have brought him back to his home before & he just about tore our arms off." I must have the touch - or maybe it's the motherly hormones flowing because the dog really seemed to like me! I offer to lead it back home since it likes to follow me anyway. I get the 2 boys in their appropriate rooms & leave my baby in the Assistant director's care while I go out. The dog is gone. No job for me to do! So I go get the baby & procede out to my van. Then the dog is back! Go figure! So I lead it back to it's home next door. The owner didn't seem all too grateful. Funny how I saw her outside earlier & she didn't seem to be looking for her dog. Some people! Anyway - I get in my van & we head to my chiropractor's.
While driving on the highway I got in the left lane as there were some slower moving vehicles in the right lane going just under 65. This is a classic situation that I'm sure many have been in. I am leading a couple of cars & there is pretty steady traffic in the right lane. Then there is a little clearing in the right lane but the next vehicle in the right lane is obviously going slower than I am in the left. Even though someone is nearing my tail end, I am not about to get over in the right lane just to have to put on my brakes & slow way down. I'm going over the speed limit already & figure I'll get over once I pass the next vehicle. The car 2 behind me whips out of his lane (isn't it always a man?), attempts to catch up to me & just before he does, starts to take the exit & flips me off! I just laughed - & I know he saw me laughing so I'm sure that inflicted far more of a blow to his ego & road rage than if I had reciprocated. Just then - "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" comes on the radio. That just about says it!
I figure the day had to improve after that! Good thing I have a positive attitude.
Oh, by the way, I had a new pair of contacts to put in - & they worked quite well for the day. However, my glasses are not able to be fixed with Crazy glue like I was hoping. I do need to get my eyes checked, however, I was hoping to be able to put that off for a bit as my eyes tend to change after having a baby. We're also broke right now - so paying for my new glasses is not exactly in the budget. Oh well, more reason for me to get working!
Gotta go - the boys are loose again!
Jen
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
A LOT has happened
Wow! This could be a long one. MUCH has happened.
Carter is already 4 weeks old! Wow! He is growing quickly. I need to weigh him tomorrow to see just how much! I take so many pics of him it's almost pathetic - but hey, that's what digital cameras were made for, right? It takes many pics to get that perfect one you know?
I'm starting to get more sleep. That's a good thing. Carter kind of had his days & nights mixed up for a bit. I have been trying to remember to invert him daily to try to keep this straightened out. I might explain this more in my other blog as it's health related.
Not this past weekend, but the Sunday before, my 14 year old niece finally came forward about an awful tragedy that has been going on since January. A 6th grade teacher whom she had been counseled by has been having sex with her. She thought she was in love with him. He took advantage of her in the worst way imaginable. I won't go into too much detail. They have him though. He was arrested early last Monday morning. He had tried to dump evidence in his apartment dumpster but the police seized the dumpster in time to confiscate it. He had videos & pictures. What a sicko!
Since then, another young lady has come forward. He will go away for a long time. I know they have a certain heirarchy in prison - he'll get his one way or another. I am just sick about this. That poor girl's childhood has been torn from her. She'll never be the same again.
Have you been watching Oprah lately? She is doing some amazing things to bring child molesters to justice. She is awesome! She said something today that hits home. She said that we should never ignore those little feelings we get about people. There are times when we push our little fears aside as we don't want to offend someone. When someone makes us feel weird or uncomfortable by a way they touch us, touch our kids, look at us, look at our kids - we need to pay attention to this!
I just pray that God gives my niece the strength to make it through this & make something positive out of this awful life event.
Carter is already 4 weeks old! Wow! He is growing quickly. I need to weigh him tomorrow to see just how much! I take so many pics of him it's almost pathetic - but hey, that's what digital cameras were made for, right? It takes many pics to get that perfect one you know?
I'm starting to get more sleep. That's a good thing. Carter kind of had his days & nights mixed up for a bit. I have been trying to remember to invert him daily to try to keep this straightened out. I might explain this more in my other blog as it's health related.
Not this past weekend, but the Sunday before, my 14 year old niece finally came forward about an awful tragedy that has been going on since January. A 6th grade teacher whom she had been counseled by has been having sex with her. She thought she was in love with him. He took advantage of her in the worst way imaginable. I won't go into too much detail. They have him though. He was arrested early last Monday morning. He had tried to dump evidence in his apartment dumpster but the police seized the dumpster in time to confiscate it. He had videos & pictures. What a sicko!
Since then, another young lady has come forward. He will go away for a long time. I know they have a certain heirarchy in prison - he'll get his one way or another. I am just sick about this. That poor girl's childhood has been torn from her. She'll never be the same again.
Have you been watching Oprah lately? She is doing some amazing things to bring child molesters to justice. She is awesome! She said something today that hits home. She said that we should never ignore those little feelings we get about people. There are times when we push our little fears aside as we don't want to offend someone. When someone makes us feel weird or uncomfortable by a way they touch us, touch our kids, look at us, look at our kids - we need to pay attention to this!
I just pray that God gives my niece the strength to make it through this & make something positive out of this awful life event.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Almost Three Weeks!
Carter will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. Wow! Time flies! He's so adorable. I just want to smooch him all of the time. OK, I know, this is gushy. I'm his MOM!
It's hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago I was still pregnant!!!! And I was so ready to have this little man! You know what's funny? I ran into someone who is 1 week overdue tonight when I went to Walmart. I would be 2 weeks overdue right now if I would still be pregnant. Wow! No way would I be able to handle that. I can only imagine how big he'd have been.
This week will be when Carter gets his first bottle of breastmilk from Dad. That will be awesome for me as that means that sometime soon I can sleep through the first feeding of the night. Don't know how well I'll handle that, however, as he doesn't seem to eat much during the night the way it is. I end up so full in the morning that he gets squirted quite a bit for the AM feedings. I have been trying not to pump so I don't stay engorged. Yup, I know. Too much information.
Time for me to get to bed. I need to try to get to bed earlier for Heaven's sake!
It's hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago I was still pregnant!!!! And I was so ready to have this little man! You know what's funny? I ran into someone who is 1 week overdue tonight when I went to Walmart. I would be 2 weeks overdue right now if I would still be pregnant. Wow! No way would I be able to handle that. I can only imagine how big he'd have been.
This week will be when Carter gets his first bottle of breastmilk from Dad. That will be awesome for me as that means that sometime soon I can sleep through the first feeding of the night. Don't know how well I'll handle that, however, as he doesn't seem to eat much during the night the way it is. I end up so full in the morning that he gets squirted quite a bit for the AM feedings. I have been trying not to pump so I don't stay engorged. Yup, I know. Too much information.
Time for me to get to bed. I need to try to get to bed earlier for Heaven's sake!
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