Work

It has been exactly 4 years since I quit my job to stay at home after Kaitlynn was born. Man, does time fly! I remember all too well how tough that transition was for me, and I even blogged about it here. It took me a good 6 months or so to get the hang of staying at home with 2 kids, and even then I still struggled along the way. I wouldn't change any of it, and I feel so blessed to continue to have such special memories with my kids while they're still little. I long for a Pause button every. single. day!

When I'm being honest with myself, there are many things I miss about working. The adult interaction, intellectual stimulation, recognition for good work, and of course, a paycheck is always nice. Of course, there are many things I don't miss and will never miss either: alarm clocks, office politics, and red tape. I also don't miss the overwhelming juggling act of trying to balance kids and home life while also keeping up with a sometimes stressful, full-time job. But despite all of the negatives, there were so many positives and those tend to be the things I have missed during the past 4 years as I've been away from my career. Along the way, I've had some opportunities pop up that would have allowed me to return to work, but they never seemed to be a good fit with my responsibilities at home.

Until now.

That's right, this stay-at-home Mom has a new gig on the side. I've started working again part-time, mostly from home, for my former company. I am doing some IT project management on a software implementation project. I'm just getting started and haven't worked a lot of hours yet, but I am feeling very excited about it. The folks I'm working with are just SO supportive and allowing me the flexibility to balance my home life with my new project responsibilities. So far, it seems to be exactly the right fit for me, and I am so thankful!

The funny thing is, I've actually been so busy lately with my volunteer responsbilities at Connor's school. In an effort to get involved, I signed up to be Homeroom Parent as well as the Junior Achivement Coordinator for the elementary campus. I think I've logged about 45 hours so far this month, whew! Thankfully the Junior Achievement work is winding down so I can start focusing a little more on my new job.

As I've been spending so much time on PTA and work, Jeff and I decided it was a good time to turn our study into a home office. I was browsing Craigslist one day and found an office furniture set that just so happened to be from the exact same set as our existing office armoire. It's turning out to be the perfect spot for me to work. Gotta love Craigslist!

The new home office (a little bare for now!)

Kaitlynn helping Mommy do some work.

Visiting my office downtown. Kaitlynn LOVED all the tall and "medium" buildings. Ha!