I managed, over the weekend, to come up with a list of targets for my job hunt. It wasn't easy since I had to pull out of the internet wormhole known as work from home jobs. There are still some of "those sites" on my list but it's easier to check an item off a list rather than aimless floundering. I'm working on my "second twenty". Since it's easier to eat your elephant one bite at a time, I chopped my job hunt into segments of applications. My guess is that it's going to take up to 100 applications for me to find something and so far I'm 20 percent there. I hope 100 will be enough but at a minimum I know I'll feel like I've made a good effort.
It really is a full time job to look for work and I find the discipline part of it to be a real struggle. I am constantly reminding myself that even just looking counts.putting it mildly, this is a way no fun experience. The question is why? The jobs themselves don't seem that appealing and the ones that do, wouldn't hire me because I'm either too old or not qualified. If I'm having this much fun with part time hourly crap, it's no wonder my middle aged spouse is going nuts. I haven't been too fussy with my search criteria - or at least I didn't think so. I've applied for other jobs besides mattress tester at $40 an hour, after all.
I admit I'm having a problem discussing this with my spouse, though. He's supported us for years with me being home. Other people would have been way more obnoxious about me being a full time mom. When I brought up the idea of me getting a job, he would always tell me he wants me to find something I like. Putting it mildly, I feel really wierd about asking him to consider something like a sales job.
I'm also discovering that a lot of the websites I am using to conduct my search are trying to sell me subscriptions. Hellooooooo, since when do unemployed humans have money for subscriptions?! It feels a lot like going to a bank to ask for a loan and the first question they ask is 'Do you have any money?'. The stressful part (or one streesful part) is that if one of us has to go back to school, how do we pay for it? Should I consider janitorial work (paid -that is) ? This whole thing is enough to make my head explode but then, someone would have to clean up the mess. Stay tuned.....
Friday, October 25, 2019
Monday, October 14, 2019
Another new project or Rubber Ducky - The Musical
Those that know us as a family, know that I am the proud mom of an adhd kiddo. We have been seeing a therapist to help us with all sorts of problems like the electronics addiction, bedtime routines, and helping our daughter when she gets upset. My spouse was less than enthusiastic about going and doesn't really believe in therapists generally but he does go and is willing, when harassed, to put the advice we get into practice. Some ideas work better than others, of course, but this is no exact science, this is parenthood. Our latest adventure was in the bathtub.
This particular voyage encountered rough seas when we received our water bill. It was definitely an attention getting figure, to quote my spouse "You'd think we still had our pool!". Thus we began to look at our water use. It is well known that my lovely, brilliant daughter is not famous for her attention span. This is a very pervasive problem. I will frequently find her on her bed, reading when she's supposed to be getting ready for a shower. Once she finally gets in there, she would spend most of the time singing into the shower head, putting on a rubber duck musical, or wiping down the glass doors with body wash!
I had been trying to think of a "something " we could use in the shower to fix the problem but I was a bit stuck. Our therapist helped me to put the idea into more concrete terms and helped us to come up with a plan to get our little squirrel to focus and stay on task. We had tried phone timers but with only limited success. The next idea was to give her majesty a hard candy to suck on while she's showering and when it was done, so was she. This helped a little. The best idea so far, for us, has been the waterproof picture.
My friends know I have a voice for accounting, my artistic skills are a close second. I tried to draw a front and back picture of a general human figure and regrettably, that was just what it looked like. My husband went online and found a good picture that didn't look like a medical textbook and printed it for me. I wanted to make it look a bit less like a chalk outline so I decided to change the head to a picture of a character from one of our daughter's favorite video games. I'm no expert on copyright laws but I'm glad this thing isn't leaving our bathroom.
Once I had our segmented body, freakishly large head and all, taped together and cut out, we took it to Staples and got it laminated. Unfortunately, now when you take a shower, there is a segmented body hanging there, staring at you, waiting for you to wash something and turn a piece over. I think I'll start with the head. The things we do for love!
This particular voyage encountered rough seas when we received our water bill. It was definitely an attention getting figure, to quote my spouse "You'd think we still had our pool!". Thus we began to look at our water use. It is well known that my lovely, brilliant daughter is not famous for her attention span. This is a very pervasive problem. I will frequently find her on her bed, reading when she's supposed to be getting ready for a shower. Once she finally gets in there, she would spend most of the time singing into the shower head, putting on a rubber duck musical, or wiping down the glass doors with body wash!
I had been trying to think of a "something " we could use in the shower to fix the problem but I was a bit stuck. Our therapist helped me to put the idea into more concrete terms and helped us to come up with a plan to get our little squirrel to focus and stay on task. We had tried phone timers but with only limited success. The next idea was to give her majesty a hard candy to suck on while she's showering and when it was done, so was she. This helped a little. The best idea so far, for us, has been the waterproof picture.
My friends know I have a voice for accounting, my artistic skills are a close second. I tried to draw a front and back picture of a general human figure and regrettably, that was just what it looked like. My husband went online and found a good picture that didn't look like a medical textbook and printed it for me. I wanted to make it look a bit less like a chalk outline so I decided to change the head to a picture of a character from one of our daughter's favorite video games. I'm no expert on copyright laws but I'm glad this thing isn't leaving our bathroom.
Once I had our segmented body, freakishly large head and all, taped together and cut out, we took it to Staples and got it laminated. Unfortunately, now when you take a shower, there is a segmented body hanging there, staring at you, waiting for you to wash something and turn a piece over. I think I'll start with the head. The things we do for love!
Friday, October 4, 2019
My Brain Needs a Hobby
I'm overdue for a humorous post but it feels like my tank is empty. It's February, as of this writing, in 2019. I've said that after 2018 we've had no where to go but up. Two months into the new year have left me unimpressed. We are both unemployed and with no income coming in, things have been getting difficult. I tried a part time job that flopped and if ever there was a time when my mid life crisis was in my face, it's now. I have plans to find a career counselor to help me plan my second act but now I'm concerned about how much it will cost.
We have never been the paycheck to paycheck type of family and that's been really helpful to us, especially now. The problem is the whole business of the job hunt dragging on for so long. We have used up way more of our savings than I would like and I'm having trouble scraping up job leads. Things have been quiet for my spouse, too and putting it mildly, we're both getting impatient. It's hard having faith that things will work out for the best after this much time has gone by. My brain knows that after you've done everything you can, it's in God's hands, but my heart was never the faithful type.
It is tougher to see the enjoyable parts of this as time goes on. I know things could turn on a dime and there are parts of this I will even miss. I will look back on this time and be glad we got a few things done around the house. Truthfully, I was hoping to do a little better than that. We have no catastrophic illness to deal with, thankfully, only each other. Oddly enough, this has been both our biggest problem and opportunity. We've managed to sneak out to a grown up movie once or twice but with money being so tight we could use to find more ways to bring us closer together on the cheap.
I'm rather disinclined to go shopping these days, unless it's a thrift store or a flea market and it's not really my spouse's favorite activity. That leaves movies at home, video games and non g rated things I won't get into here. I suppose we could try cooking together as long as everyone's in a good mood before they pick up anything sharp. It occurred to me that I may be able to talk him into a puzzle or board game now and then. It also occurred to me that I should be asking him for some ideas and while I'm at it, how about you, dear reader? What do you do with your spouse?
We have never been the paycheck to paycheck type of family and that's been really helpful to us, especially now. The problem is the whole business of the job hunt dragging on for so long. We have used up way more of our savings than I would like and I'm having trouble scraping up job leads. Things have been quiet for my spouse, too and putting it mildly, we're both getting impatient. It's hard having faith that things will work out for the best after this much time has gone by. My brain knows that after you've done everything you can, it's in God's hands, but my heart was never the faithful type.
It is tougher to see the enjoyable parts of this as time goes on. I know things could turn on a dime and there are parts of this I will even miss. I will look back on this time and be glad we got a few things done around the house. Truthfully, I was hoping to do a little better than that. We have no catastrophic illness to deal with, thankfully, only each other. Oddly enough, this has been both our biggest problem and opportunity. We've managed to sneak out to a grown up movie once or twice but with money being so tight we could use to find more ways to bring us closer together on the cheap.
I'm rather disinclined to go shopping these days, unless it's a thrift store or a flea market and it's not really my spouse's favorite activity. That leaves movies at home, video games and non g rated things I won't get into here. I suppose we could try cooking together as long as everyone's in a good mood before they pick up anything sharp. It occurred to me that I may be able to talk him into a puzzle or board game now and then. It also occurred to me that I should be asking him for some ideas and while I'm at it, how about you, dear reader? What do you do with your spouse?
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