Priorities

This is my sweetie, meddling. JP turned one year old and is busier than ever. So, am I. The girls stay with me five days a week and while I had considered returning to work, I have no time. At this point, working outside my home looks like picking up overnight shifts and sleeping five hours before receiving the baby.

While I know people do this, it is not the best plan for having free available attention on a regular basis. No, there is not time for a nap as after school pick up is at 2:40 pm. Then snacks, play, review of day, dinner, baths, relax, and bedtime. The girls stay overnight twice a week as well.

We are back up at 6:45 am to prepare for school drop off for the kindergartner and wreaking havoc for the baby. In a world of free exploration, there are no playpens. Or, without playpens baby wreaks havoc. Either way, I live in a daycare. I provide a happy, healthy, safe environment for my grand-daughters to grow and explore the world.

With this goal in mind, I realize it is time to reshape my budget to adjust to the income I presently earn, rather than the one I had planned to bring home.

By commitment, I give 10% first. In the past I was saving 10%, then paying bills with the rest. As I barely earn what covers my expenses, I have saved less. Thankfully, my savings will serve as a safety net should the need arise (to pay bills). I have run up a bit of debt compensating for my lack of income, but am paying it off consistently.

This blog is dedicated to my process of enjoying my life outside of being a wage slave. So, I've been managing on two days work a week, some part-time contract office work, and online earnings. I cashed in my i-Say points for $10 gift card and am working toward my next $25 PayPal gift card with Swag bucks. When I need something I search Amazon first because I keep a credit there (through Swag bucks) and use Swag bucks to place orders (shop and earn) then PayPal to pay for them, unless I have a gift card for the store. Finally, I have a gold bracelet I am going to sell this week. I rarely wore it. The saddest part of selling jewelry is that I cannot get back what the giver paid for it.

In what spare time there is, I drink beer and crochet on cool evening. In the picture up top, JP is wearing her new slippers. Generally, I write in my head. By the time I get back to paper or computer I have forgotten what I thought. Life is busy, hectic even. My time is filled with love and laughter, cookies and tea, and little girls who love ribbons and bows or sticks and mud.

Nap time ends in a minute...

Make today a great day!!!

Namaste

Scribbled!

Last year, this time I was excited about leaving my job. Remember that? Remember the calendar, the count down, the research? All that planning so I could travel, write and drink beer. It was a great plan, and I swear, it would have worked.

But life happened. Or rather death. Then illness. Since my time was open I was available to show up when and as needed.

My plan was to live each day "Unwritten." All to soon my time was occupied and let me say, this year has zoomed by. Next week we will reach October 2012.

I will say that I loved being at home, mistress of each and every moment of my day. I never had to get a round tuit. I either went for it or passed.

These days I am working way more than forty hours a week and I think I will clear enough to meet my financial obligations,, pay off auto repair debt, attend home repairs and replenish my savings. My hours are spread over seven days a week and allow me to provide care for my grand-daughters as their mother returns to work. Some days it feels like more than I can stand.

In my previous post I outlined why I like my call center job. It's through a temp service and will end. I picked up an overnight shift at a group home. And I provide another five hours of office support.

As the call center hours run out I will pick up another overnight at the group home, but before November, I am committed to completing the edit of my novel for a Kindle publishing. I am already thinking about a sequel.

And then, say it with me... Pole Dancing in the City!!!

November will be a huge challenge with works and writing 50,000 plus words in 30 days, but I am leaving on a jet plane December 3rd!

Assessing The Situation

Yesterday was my last shift at the call center - my part-time situation for the month of May. The last two shifts proved to be wonderful. The numbers were low so we had time to talk and share during the downtime. I met and got to know a lot of new people and because I was returning to this job (from seven years ago) I discovered new elements about people I once worked with only as acquaintances.

This is part-time work that can be boosted to forty hours when there are new (health) studies and plenty of numbers. Otherwise, people work as much as they can or want, then outside of work they garden, cook, read, care for aging parents, or volunteer in their communities. Some people are part-time temps while others are permanent. There are lots of young people (as in college students) and other folks close to retirement age (self named and at age 62).

Most interesting was a young woman who at thirty-one has traveled the country, changing jobs and locales. She has worked as a flight attendant, prison guard, and nurse's aide. She will be moving when she is accepted at her next situation. I hold out that the company she interviewed with will recognize her as an enthusiastic asset to their company. Her sister was a phone sex worker. That discussion perked up a few ears. I asked her how she learned to live so freely. Her response was that she spent time with lots of different people. Older people especially were eager to share their stories. She paid attention and selected the ideas that supported her happiness. She understands that we are each responsible for how we move through life and that happiness is an inside job.

Working part-time, I earned enough to carry me through the month of June. I walked to work three days a week. I picked up some freelance office work on my off days and that covered a few luxuries I had given up. I worked in my garden, cleaned around my home, even made that drive up north - twice. I spent time visiting with my friends and reorganized my grand-daughter's play area.

I imagine a full-time situation in the month of June. I hold the intention to show up authentically myself - creative, loving, strong, supportive, and free. Sometimes working full-time drains the memory of who we are away. This time I am holding on.

Imagine with me.

Namaste

New Choices

I quit my job to write, travel and drink beer. As you remember, or can read, things were going according to ideal. I am thankful for the these last (nearly) six months and am now embarking on the next adventure. While I made two trips to the west coast in this time, most of my travels have been back to my family of origin, dealing with illness, death, and more illness. It is a double blessing that my life and time opened to allow this experience (and more grist for the writing mill).

On the streets of San Francisco. Is this trust?

But since I like living inside and really love my particular home, I am heading back to work. My internal chatter had me committed to part-time employment and focusing my maintaining my frugal lifestyle, but as I have applied for more and more jobs, I am opening to the possibility that I can return to work full-time and still live as I do.

There are some things that take way more money that I have available - gutters, windows, moonshine, and my favorite liqueurs. Yeah, I make much of what I love, but there are those out there who have perfected the process and I want to check them out.

I started a part-time job Monday and came home to an invitation to interview for a full-time job next week. I am hopeful and encouraged. I am even a little excited. Perhaps, this will be far more interesting than I had previously imagined.

I'll let you now.