There are a
few reasons I am concerned. First,
I have now watched the Harvard Baseball team sing Call Me Maybe on YouTube at
least thirty times. After watching
the video, I have spent endless hours thinking about how I could recreate the
video with my own family in our minivan.
I have looked through hundreds of random summer 2012 photo albums on
Facebook, reviewed Pinterest items,
and followed the Sandusky case way too closely. I have taken yoga, gone for walks, played with my kids, and
cleaned my house.
Now, after 4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days at home, it is clear to me that soon it will be
time to go back to work.
There are a
lot of things I find amazing about staying home. I love spending time with my kids without being stressed and
having the freedom to do whatever I want each day. But I am also amazed at how
long the days seem. When you are
working, the days fly by. It feels
as if you drop your kids off at school or childcare and then suddenly it is 5:30 and you are late to pick them up. From the moment your morning starts, it is a never-ending race. Between conference calls, emails, and permission slips, the
day doesn’t seem to have enough hours in it. When I was working there were many times I didn’t look up
until 3pm and realize all I had eaten that day was a large coffee and a piece
of gum.
The
experience of being home is exactly the opposite. To begin, I have never forgotten to eat. By the time 11am
comes around I have already had 10 bowls of goldfish, six chicken nuggets, a
frozen waffle and one rainbow Popsicle.
Many days I look at the clock and say, “This is impossible! There is NO way it is only 11am!” The reason it is impossible is because
I have already done the following things:
mopped the floor, packed lunches, played with Barbie’s, pretended to
finger paint, made a snowman out of play dough, watched my daughter’s birth
video, cleaned out the linen closet, bought hair replacement shampoo for my
husband, and ordered two new dresses on Forever21.com. How is it possible that I still have 9
hours to go?
As much as I
have loved my time with them, I realize that when they start school in September, I will need
something more. This is something that I have come to realize after much
thought, prayer, and cocktails.
When I first quit my work in the medical field, I wasn’t sure if I would
want to go back. But now, after
some time off and a break from the sound of a Blackberry, I know that eventually
I will want to work again. The
only issue right now is that I have no idea what I want to do.
Well, that
isn’t exactly true. I know what I want to do, but I just haven’t found it
yet. It’s really pretty simple,
and I have great hope that it will be here soon. I want a job that fits the following criteria below:
1. I want to work part-time and make lots of money.
2. I want a job that requires me to stay in hotel a few times
a year. Alone…in a place that
doesn’t have any Disney Characters. I want to order room service, watch The Notebook, and sleep
in the middle of the bed...all.by.myself.
3. I want a job that doesn’t force me to miss anything important
that involves my kids…but keeps me busy enough that I have an excuse to miss PTA
meetings.
4. I want to work with smart people that encourage me,
challenge me, and make me laugh…and are older than seven years old. (at least
chronologically)
5. I want there to be enough face-to-face meetings that I
have to wash my hair at least three times a week…and enough time working from
home that the other days it can be in a dirty bun.
6. I want great benefits that allow me to take my kid to the
doctor without saying, “Are you sure it really hurts? Our deductible is pretty high…”
7. I want to have enough work that I have great childcare,
but not so much that I miss bath or bedtime.
8. I want a maid that comes weekly and somehow makes the
never-ending pile of laundry disappear.
9. I want to make enough money that when I fly to Europe, first
class is an option. These days being
able to lie down is very important.
10. When a high school friend calls and says, “I miss you!
Let’s meet in Chicago, Paris, or Daytona!”, I want the flexibility to jump on a
plane the next week…even if she chooses Daytona.
11. I want to develop a few friendships that endure outside of
the office…that means a few friends that I wouldn’t hide from in Target…on a
Tuesday…at 10am.
12. I want enough time to help out in my kid’s classrooms but
not so much that become overly proficient with glue sticks or paper
mache.
13. I want a job
that makes my marriage stronger and doesn’t encourage us to go back to our favorite game called “keeping score.” (Not that anyone
is counting but I am winning.)
14. I want to have two cars: a minivan and a black stick shift BMW.
15. I want a boss that understands that being a mother is way
more important than any job… and a family that understands that having a job is
very important to their mother.
Today I
looked on Monster.com and didn’t see anything quite yet. I'm not worried...I will look again tomorrow.
