Work

My full-time job is at home, but I also have a part time job that pays me in currency they take in stores rather than the marbles and fake Dollar Tree stuff my kids pay me in. Had I been thinking ahead, I might have picked a career that did not involve wiping more butt, but how could I know how much poop was going to be involved in parenting? Still, being a nurse has worked out just fine and I don't think I'll ever quit completely. I like it. I get to have adult conversations about things I find interesting. People tell me that I'm doing a good job and they appreciate my work. Let's be honest...That doesn't happen all the time as a mom- though it should.

When Scrunch was born I stopped working full-time but continued working for the same Home Health agency, only on a per-diem basis. Husband began working from home one day a week and it worked out great. When Porkchop was born I went back half days and then back to one full day per week. Being per-diem I give them my schedule and availability so working around holidays and surgeries has never been a concern. My only obligation has been one weekend per month. It has probably been one of the best single decisions we've ever made. The kids look forward to their day home with Papa and never once has my husband asked me what I've done all day. He knows and lives it regularly. I will never forget the well-intentioned but ignorant patient who told me one day, "That so nice of your Husband to watch the kids so you can work!" Huh? What? Yeah, he is nice. But um... no. That's not how we roll. It is not babysitting when you're the parent! That's probably my one of my biggest pet peeves, and I cringe when I hear wives say it and even worse when it comes from husbands. I'll step off my soap box now...

While pregnant with Juju I worried about how we were going to work it out. Hopefully, I would have a nursing baby and going into the ghetto to hound someone over the importance of their diabetic diet or to dress a nasty wound was losing it's luster. Then, last Fall, my supervisor approached me about working from home doing chart review. It was perfect. I worked as little or as much as I wanted and when I could. I don't have to be on the phone and can work a few minutes at a time as the day allows. I continued this until I went out on Maternity leave in hopes that it would still be an option when I returned from my leave.

Two weeks ago I got an email from my same supervisor asking if I would be interested in continuing reviewing documentation from home in a part-time position at 20 hours per week. After talking it over with Husband we decided to do it. It will be the most I've ever worked since the kids were born. Our reasons are many, but for now it seems like the best decision. Tomorrow is my first day back.

I am a little worried about where I'm going to carve 20 hours out of my week. I'm a little bummed that it will snuff out the little time I devote to knitting these days. But I also know that I work well under pressure and am most productive when I'm busy. The best part is that I get to have the best of both worlds; a full-time mom job and a part-time nurse job and I've managed to cut butt wiping out of one of them!