When work seems overwhelming, I...

It's Working Mommy Wednesday and I have to admit, it's hard to even find time to take a moment to eat lunch and write this blog post. But, I need to. I need to hear nothing but the tapping of the keys and the wind blowing through my window and threatening to push my plant off the radiator (I love old buildings).

Today's "assignment" is quite fitting seeing that I'm only on day three of my new job and already I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I hate starting new jobs. I hate being the new person and I really hate having to ask so many questions (I like to think I know it all already). But, when work seems overwhelming there are a few ways that I deal with it, both good and bad.

I give up. No, I don't just throw my hands in the air completely but I actually force myself to look at the project, see where I need help and (gulp) ask...for...help.

I take a walk. I should do this every day anways (espeically since my pants are feeling rather tight again). However, on those really stressful days, the ones where I should be glued to my computer all day, I rip myself from my desk and go outside to get some fresh air so my brain can breathe again.

Caffeine, Chocolate, etc....you know the drill.

I cheer myself on..."Come on Angie, just get through one more email or one more mundane taks and then you can go home and enjoy an evening with your family."

I cry. And now that I have an actual office I can shut my door and sniffle in peace.

That all being said, aside from not having email access or a published phone number for a few days, I am getting along very well and have, so far, enjoyed every minute of my new job.

Day 1...

So I started my new job today. Aside from my email being down and my phone not working I think it has been pretty smooth sailing so far. I got my boxes unpacked this morning (where did all of that junk come from?) and was surprised to find that I have more food than actual work-related items. Is that considered pathetic or being really prepared?

Oh well, either way....I'm here and trying to begin work in a job that was just created in an office that just moved into a newly renovated space where over 90% of the employees have been here for less than a combined 14 months.

Is it 5:00 yet (or 4:30 or whenever it is that I decide to leave for the day)?

It's so hard to say good-bye...

Is it though? Is it actually hard to say good-bye to a job that I’m glad to be leaving? It’s hard to say good-bye to good friends and co-workers but not really the job.

I have so many thoughts and emotions (mostly fear and anxiety) running through my head right now that I can not even begin to type a coherent blog post. So instead I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes and hope for the best…

“When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it.”
-Bernard Bailey

I never...

Its Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop day. Hooray!
Describe a job you absolutely would never want to do...

I grew up on a farm and helped wean pigs, bail hay in the middle of the summer and clean out manure pits.

In high school, as punishment for bad behavior, my mother got me a job at a local bakery that required me to be there by 5:00 AM every Saturday morning.

I worked at a cheese shop even though I absolutely hate cheese.

I over-excelled in a college math class and got stuck tutoring an underachieving schmuck.

Before the days of DVDs and Netflix I worked in a video store in a Spanish speaking part of town and couldn’t read any of the titles or communicate with the majority of our customers (but I got all of the free gum balls I could ever possibly want).

I worked at the Wal-Mart Service desk. Worst job ever.

I cleaned hotel rooms during one of the hottest summers on record when the AC was being renovated and couldn’t be used.

I packed containers to be used for shipping donated eyes in.

I worked in a clinic that was designed to accommodate 200 patients per day but quickly grew to over 300 visitors/day on a regular basis (imagine the wait times for those happy campers).

I worked for a woman who went through 8 secretaries in 10 years and never had children because she didn’t want to ruin her figure.

I won’t go into my current job….which ends in just two days by the way…. and then I’m onto bigger and better things.

BUT...

I could never imagine and will absolutely never...

Ever be...

A stay at home mom.

Do you know how hard that job is?!

Harvest time...

This is why we moved back to the country.

Testing the Corn with Grandpa

Still no socks....we're in for a tough winter
Working into the night...

Farm animals and belly buttons...

Like all other parents, my husband and I have no doubt that our little girl is in fact the most precious child ever. I’m pretty sure she was by far the cutest newborn I have ever seen and I am convinced that whenever she smiles God feels just a little bit better about himself for creating her. Yep, she’s perfect.

The last few weeks have been rough for us. Jake’s schedule has kept him away a lot so on top of working full-time at work and home I have also been dangerously close to living the life of a single mother. God bless those people. It’s not unusual for me to get up at 5:15 and start working and not stop until 10:30 at night when I can finally sit down. I am exhausted but my baby’s tummy is full and her eyes are shut tight, my laundry is folded (but probably not yet put away), my bills are paid, I have put in a full day’s work and still found time to breath (at least a little bit). It’s about that time that I also start feeling guilty for being relieved that our little jumping bean is finally in bed. Her level of energy makes me tired.

But, all is not lost. Just when I was on the verge of having a small melt down the good Lord sent me a horrible headache. Last evening my head hurt so badly I couldn’t walk straight so I reluctantly asked Jake to please help me take care of Rachel. I felt guilty for asking for help. I felt guilty for taking up his study time. I felt guilty for feeling grateful that I didn’t have to run after my child all evening. But, then it happened….

Last night, for the first time ever, Rachel stopped running and about 30 minutes before bedtime she sat quietly while I read to her. It was amazing. We read the same two books over and over and over again and it was marvelous. All of the guilt and frustration and weariness melted away as I lay next to my little R and told her all about farm animals and teddy bears and jackets and hats. I can’t wait to do it all again tonight.

P.S. Did you know that we wear jackets to cover our backs, long-sleeves to cover our elbows and shirts to cover our belly buttons? I hope she remembers that when she’s 16.

Good deed for the day...

I might be new to blogging but that does not mean I have the power to avoid the inevitable lapses in regular postings. However, unlike my counterparts (other bloggers) I have a lot of very reasonable excuses (I mean explanations)…

I’m so freakin busy right now. I haven’t taken a full lunch break for quite awhile and since that is when I do most of my writing I can’t seem to ever catch up.

No amount of writer’s workshops, weekly prompts and daily happenings can ever protect me from severe cases of writer’s block.

Does anyone really care what I have to say? P.S. My husband is banned from answering this question.

Its baby Rachel’s fault. She is supposed to be my inspiration and frankly she has been severely lacking in the “funny or crazy moments” department lately. She did laugh so hard that she fell over yesterday, which was pretty funny but probably not worth writing an entire post about.

The other major portion of my writings comes from my job, hence the “working mom” part of my blog. Since I’m switching jobs next week I can’t seem to muster up enough good material because, well….who cares about this place? I do…a little bit…I guess.

My pants don’t fit right. Yes, this counts.

I’m so happy that people enjoy reading my blog and I feel really bad for letting them down when I write a boring post so on those days I choose not to write anything at all. I’m a nice person like that plus I get to count that as my good deed for the day.