Common things

Mstr E arrived when Miss M was nearly 4. She had been the centre of our universe until this point - and now there are two centres to our universe!
At times Miss M has struggled to adjust to her little brother being around. She can't handle the high pitched screaming, or now, the fact that he follows her around everywhere (and he's only crawling!)
This photo was taken earlier this week. Mstr E has been unwell and is finally on the mend. Miss M was collected from school and they were both having an afternoon snack.
Common ground - food and television.

Returning to work

Like I've already mentioned I'm trying to return to paid work. For the last 6 years I've had a really good job with a really large firm and (for what I did), a really large salary to go with it. We're not talking 3 figures here but for a part-time job it paid pretty well. I worked hard to get to that point and had to prove to myself and others that I was capable. It's completely different to what I am trained in. And, I'm not sure I want to go back to the same type of role. So, now that redundancy has happened I have to find something else to do.

Easier said than done.

I suppose I should start by saying my family in Australia consists of me, my partner and our 2 children. The remainder of my family are overseas. So there's no family to help with childcare.
I didn't have children just to farm them off to before and after school care, etc, just so that I could work. I am relatively fortunate in that (at the moment) I don't need to resort to this.
My son does attend daycare 2 days a week - I believe it helps him socially, as he doesn't have interaction with other children or adults from other sources. My daughter is in school five days a week.
My partner works Monday to Friday. We are fortunate in that he is able to alter his working hours so that he can pick my daughter up from school 2 days a week when I return to work. So basically I need to find a job that allows me to drop my daughter at school and take my son to daycare, on the 2 days that he attends. I am not tied to a finishing time as my partner can deal with that. So I'm an educated woman with a great resume, great references, available 2 days a week from 9.30am (I'm being realistic with this time, if I get a job nearer home I can start earlier - it all depends on commute time.) I can work anyday after 4pm, and at weekends.

I've been to employment agencies - that I vowed I would never return to again - who promise the earth (again) and I haven't heard a dicky bird from them!
I've marketed myself to local companies that I think can utilise my experience, and who I know are looking for staff (albeit full-time).
I've applied on line to LOTS of different positions.

I have about 4 different versions of my resume - that I tweak again and again to suit roles that I like the look of, or that suit the days/hours I can work, or that I think I can do.

Demoralising, demeaning, crushing, confidence blowing, desperate ..... all things that I've felt or been made to feel over the last couple of months.
Not everyone has made me feel like this, but boy oh boy when you meet someone half your age who practically pushes you out of her office once she finds out you can't start till 9.30am, despite the fact that you have all the skills necessary to do the job, (probably in half the time) you feel crushed.

I'm fed up of checking the dozen or so websites for jobs, not just daily but hourly, for updates! So I've decided I have to kick this habit. Every couple of days is fine. No job is going to come and go that quickly. There's usually a closing date - there's no mad rush to be the first to apply. It doesn't work like that. I just get defeatist when I do check jobs available and make myself feel useless. So it's my new motto. If I find myself reaching for the favourites button, click on the blogger button next to it instead...

Here's hoping my new found, less desperate approach brings success soon.
Watch this space.

Sandbucket list

I wanted to share this with all parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles (you know who I mean).
I think it's fantastic. It's the childrens version of the bucket list. Things that you should do before your children grow too old. How many have you done?

http://maxabellaloves.blogspot.com.au

So I started a list of things;

Visit the farm and feed the animals
Go on a train ride just for the ride, not to get anywhere in particular
Play in the water fountains in the city
Visit the zoo
Go to Disneyland
Go on one of those bike rides with the trailers on the back for the children
Visit the circus
Jump in muddy puddles
Go on an aeroplance
Camp in the backgarden
Lie down in the dark outside and watch the stars
Visit the funfair
Go pick fruit, straight off the tree/bush/vine
Decorate a real live Christmas tree
Play in snow

Some of these we've already done, some we haven't and there are more things to add to the list.

First try

Well hello. So this is my first blog, please bear with me. I'm currently a SAHM, officially! That is, I've been a SAHM before but I was on maternity leave and knew I'd have a job to go back to when I wanted to. This time around, (the second) I was made redundant while on maternity leave. So now I am officially a SAHM. When I fill in forms and it asks for occupation I now have to write 'Stay at home mum'. Truth be told I'm ready to go back to work part-time. If I still had my old job I'd be back there 2 days a week. Mstr E is already at daycare 2 days. Miss M is at pre-primary. I'm ready for a bit more adult interaction and something to get my brain in motion. Not to mention the extra cash would come in handy.
So I was prepared, Mstr E was down for daycare from the day he was born. I was offered the 2 days and I grabbed it with both hands, knowing vacancies are like gold dust. He appears to have adjusted far better than Miss M did but perhaps that's a boy thing.
So I'm ready to work. Do you think I can find a job that'll allow me to work the 2 days that the little one is in daycare? Not a chance in hell! I'm willing to do night work, supermarket work, anything. I 'tweak' my resume to fit the job, leave out huge exerts so as not to be 'over qualified' and yet still nothing. I had a good job in a really well known company, I'd risen through the ranks. All I want now is a job where I go in, get the job done and leave without having to worry about it. I'm in my 3rd month of looking and getting seriously fed up.
So I've been thinking what can I do with my time, that's productive, while Mstr E is at daycare, and I'm feeling guilty. I've looked at courses, but there are good and bad points. I then thought hang on, I spend my day reading blog exerts, why can't I write one, so here I am.
As for my blog name, well that's the sentence I hear from the minute I get up until the minute I fall asleep. 'IN A MINUTE MAMMY!"
My life has changed since June 2008. I now have 2 wonderful children, with my partner of 17 years! Yep still partner, no wedding yet ... I hope that this blog will include anecdotes, questions and experiences of my life with children. I hope it keeps you interested.