After much thought and deliberation, I made the choice yesterday to step down from being an Assistant Manager. The stress of getting last minute child-care, being away from my family (mostly Chris), and spending so much on gas was really getting to me. When I spoke to my District Manager, he said he didn't want me to reach a breaking point. My response was that I had reached that point a week ago.
The plan is for me to stay at my current location, which doesn't answer the gas aspect, but I do enjoy my coworkers. I might be able to work at my old store (which is super close to home) as needed. I spoke with my store Manager last night, and she was incredibly supportive. She agrees that this is what is best for my family. She also said that she still wants to give me as many hours as I want, with the catch being that it will be within MY availability. That will be fantastic - not having to line up a different friend/sitter every day. I am hoping to still work close to full-time status, because of course we have preschool tuition, car payment, mortgage, etc., but now I will have more flexibility and a LOT less pressure to conform my schedule.
I am looking forward to having dinner with my family more often (it happens at most 2 times a week currently).
I am looking forward to going to bed with my husband, instead of coming home to a sleeping house.
I am looking forward to helping with the boys bedtime routine.
I am looking forward to being able to make plans to go out of town without guilt regarding my work schedule.
I am looking forward to averaging more than 5 hours of sleep at night.
I just got the nicest email from my friend Brittany, responding to my news. I'd like to share part of it because it made me feel very good about my decision.
"In my many years of retail and business, it was very bold of you to step down. You showed initiative and responsibility doing it. Honestly, for someone who was working just to get away from the kids for a bit and make a few dollars, I was surprised when you took the position, but I am glad it's going to work out for you in the long run. That's very important. You can't be at your best when your stressed out. Hopefully, you have found some relief in this and can relax now knowing you have things figured out. Breathe. God's watching out for you. ;)"
Friday, October 28, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
(No) Time
Busy busy busy. That's the season I'm in. We got back from vacation a little over a week ago, and I feel like I haven't stopped once since we got home. Chris had the week off last week as part of his FL vacation time, but I went back to work a couple days after we got home.
Work is fine. I feel like I can never catch up when I'm there. Like we're always behind. I'm not used to that, and I don't like it. The way I was trained was to make the job easier on everyone by always being a couple of steps ahead so you don't get the chance to fall behind. I'm not sure when/if we'll ever achieve that at this store, but I hope so.
I feel like I don't have any real time off. I suppose that's a reality as a mom. I get 2 days off a week, but those are the times I spend with the kids and catching up on sleep and bill-paying, cleaning, etc. Just trying to find a time this week to renew my license has been stressful, but I am hopefully going to get it done today before I go to work. Again, no down time.
I keep reminding myself that I wanted this - to work full time and provide more income for our family. I also get the feeling that if I get my performance raise in the near future, then I'll be a bit happier. ;) I just get overwhelmed thinking of Cameron starting preschool in two weeks (and getting him better potty-trained in the meantime!), spending enough quality time with Ian, and also getting some time alone with Chris. There just doesn't seem to be enough time. But, I'm not a quitter, and we will all adjust and make the time.
Work is fine. I feel like I can never catch up when I'm there. Like we're always behind. I'm not used to that, and I don't like it. The way I was trained was to make the job easier on everyone by always being a couple of steps ahead so you don't get the chance to fall behind. I'm not sure when/if we'll ever achieve that at this store, but I hope so.
I feel like I don't have any real time off. I suppose that's a reality as a mom. I get 2 days off a week, but those are the times I spend with the kids and catching up on sleep and bill-paying, cleaning, etc. Just trying to find a time this week to renew my license has been stressful, but I am hopefully going to get it done today before I go to work. Again, no down time.
I keep reminding myself that I wanted this - to work full time and provide more income for our family. I also get the feeling that if I get my performance raise in the near future, then I'll be a bit happier. ;) I just get overwhelmed thinking of Cameron starting preschool in two weeks (and getting him better potty-trained in the meantime!), spending enough quality time with Ian, and also getting some time alone with Chris. There just doesn't seem to be enough time. But, I'm not a quitter, and we will all adjust and make the time.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Life Changes
So much has been going on lately. As of Monday, I became the newest Assistant Manager at the Coventry store. This is the first time I've been in a store that has more than one AM. I am working anywhere between 36-40 hours per week, with the goal being 38. The drive is a lot longer than I am used to, but as my friend Laura suggested, it can be quite enjoyable also. I am alone in the car and can choose to sing along with the radio, or just turn it off and be still in the moment. My first day at the new store I used that time to pray for my safety in driving, the well-being of my children, my nerves, and the reception from the new staff I would encounter. This week I've had to find people to watch the kids a few times, but for next weeks schedule I really only need about 4 hours of help, because I am working all evenings.
I have been working hard to win over the staff. I think some of them are a little suspicious about having a "new" person around. They don't realize that I've been with the company longer than anyone at their store! I think a lot of that is because they would rather have someone promoted from within their own store, rather than someone driving out from another store. So far I feel like everything is going to be fine. My biggest goal now is to try to get to know the other assistant manager, and hopefully she will accept me. The first day I met her, she seemed nice and said she was happy I was there, yet the second day I saw her, in my opinion she completely closed herself off and was "unavailable" to talk. I had even stayed an extra hour than I was scheduled, just so I would have the opportunity to work/connect with her. Oh well. I am really trying hard not to come on too strong, because that is easy for me to do. I'm also trying to remind myself that there are some definite maturity issues in that situation. They have a lot of training issues in that staff, and so far I've trained 3 people to do different tasks that they really should have known how to do in their first month or two on the job. It helps me to understand why my District Manager placed me there. He really has a knack for getting the right people into the right stores, so I'm trying to trust his judgment. All of the hours I am working this week are classified as training hours, even though I'm not actually training. The beauty of that is that my hours do not count against their payroll, so it gives me the opportunity to work morning and evening hours to get to know both my manager and the part-timers.
Another big thing that has happened this week is the purchase of our first minivan! Chris and I have been talking about getting a larger vehicle since we found out we were pregnant with Ian. Our original plan was to buy one before he was born, but then the stinker showed up so early (and expensively), so that was put on the back burner. We knew we needed to get a larger vehicle before our August trip to Florida to visit Chris' grandparents, so I started looking the past couple of weeks at several dealerships. Chris went with me this past weekend, and we found one that met all of my must-haves and was a price he could be happy with. All I really cared about were power locks, power doors, stow and go, and power lift-gate. We found a blue 2007 Chrysler Town & Country touring edition. It is older than I was originally considering, but I actually preferred the drive to any others I had test-driven. It had some nicks, scratches and a front bumper that needed replaced, so we bought it Monday evening, but will actually drive away with it tonight. (Well, Chris will - I'll be at work.) We are trading in our blue Saturn in just the nick of time, because the registration needed to be renewed next month. :) I was very impressed with Chris' ability to talk the salesman down over and over again, and his power of silence. He would just not say anything, and the salesman would automatically start going lower!
So now I am running around the house, doing laundry and dishes and keeping as caught up as I can. We have friends from Iowa coming to visit for a long weekend, so I have my work cut out for me, but so far, I am enjoying everything, even if I'm a bit busier than I'm used to. :)
I have been working hard to win over the staff. I think some of them are a little suspicious about having a "new" person around. They don't realize that I've been with the company longer than anyone at their store! I think a lot of that is because they would rather have someone promoted from within their own store, rather than someone driving out from another store. So far I feel like everything is going to be fine. My biggest goal now is to try to get to know the other assistant manager, and hopefully she will accept me. The first day I met her, she seemed nice and said she was happy I was there, yet the second day I saw her, in my opinion she completely closed herself off and was "unavailable" to talk. I had even stayed an extra hour than I was scheduled, just so I would have the opportunity to work/connect with her. Oh well. I am really trying hard not to come on too strong, because that is easy for me to do. I'm also trying to remind myself that there are some definite maturity issues in that situation. They have a lot of training issues in that staff, and so far I've trained 3 people to do different tasks that they really should have known how to do in their first month or two on the job. It helps me to understand why my District Manager placed me there. He really has a knack for getting the right people into the right stores, so I'm trying to trust his judgment. All of the hours I am working this week are classified as training hours, even though I'm not actually training. The beauty of that is that my hours do not count against their payroll, so it gives me the opportunity to work morning and evening hours to get to know both my manager and the part-timers.
Another big thing that has happened this week is the purchase of our first minivan! Chris and I have been talking about getting a larger vehicle since we found out we were pregnant with Ian. Our original plan was to buy one before he was born, but then the stinker showed up so early (and expensively), so that was put on the back burner. We knew we needed to get a larger vehicle before our August trip to Florida to visit Chris' grandparents, so I started looking the past couple of weeks at several dealerships. Chris went with me this past weekend, and we found one that met all of my must-haves and was a price he could be happy with. All I really cared about were power locks, power doors, stow and go, and power lift-gate. We found a blue 2007 Chrysler Town & Country touring edition. It is older than I was originally considering, but I actually preferred the drive to any others I had test-driven. It had some nicks, scratches and a front bumper that needed replaced, so we bought it Monday evening, but will actually drive away with it tonight. (Well, Chris will - I'll be at work.) We are trading in our blue Saturn in just the nick of time, because the registration needed to be renewed next month. :) I was very impressed with Chris' ability to talk the salesman down over and over again, and his power of silence. He would just not say anything, and the salesman would automatically start going lower!
So now I am running around the house, doing laundry and dishes and keeping as caught up as I can. We have friends from Iowa coming to visit for a long weekend, so I have my work cut out for me, but so far, I am enjoying everything, even if I'm a bit busier than I'm used to. :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Thank You For Bacon
Chris: Cameron, it's time to pray.
Cameron: I don't wanna.
Chris: Well, if you want bacon...
Cameron: Dear God, Thank you for food, thank you for pancakes, thank you for bacon. Amen!
Cameron: I don't wanna.
Chris: Well, if you want bacon...
Cameron: Dear God, Thank you for food, thank you for pancakes, thank you for bacon. Amen!
Friday, July 8, 2011
On My Mind
guilt
work
child-care
potty training
date night
finances
loyalty
cleaning
new vehicle
laundry
reading
love
compassion
patience
work
child-care
potty training
date night
finances
loyalty
cleaning
new vehicle
laundry
reading
love
compassion
patience
Trash Enthusiast?
All week I have been looking forward to Friday morning. Why, you ask? Because the trash will be picked up!
Yay!
The people rejoice!
...
Wait, what?
Yeah, I have been waiting ALL week for the trash and recycling to be picked up. You see, we had a yard sale last week, which helped us to clear out all of the old clutter in our storage area and garage. There was some pretty gross stuff lurking in our garage.
At the conclusion of the sale, my very well-meaning husband chose to dispose of these items.
In went the moldy baby bath.
In went the old computer tower (that I argued should be donated for parts, but it was his computer and therefore his choice).
In went other various odds and ends.
In went the trash... wait. No, there was no room for the trash! The trash can, which is the only one acceptable for pick-up in our city, was filled within minutes.
On Saturday.
Not to be picked up until Friday morning.
We have diapers.
Dirty, stinky, poopy diapers.
With nowhere to go.
Sitting in a bag.
On our front porch.
In the heat.
We had out-of-town visitors, which equals more trash. We have had the same trash bag in our kitchen trash since last week and it is 100% full. All morning I have been listening for the trash truck, which will signal my opportunity to fill it back up and put in a new trash liner in the kitchen. Oh, it's the little things. ;)
Yay!
The people rejoice!
...
Wait, what?
Yeah, I have been waiting ALL week for the trash and recycling to be picked up. You see, we had a yard sale last week, which helped us to clear out all of the old clutter in our storage area and garage. There was some pretty gross stuff lurking in our garage.
At the conclusion of the sale, my very well-meaning husband chose to dispose of these items.
In went the moldy baby bath.
In went the old computer tower (that I argued should be donated for parts, but it was his computer and therefore his choice).
In went other various odds and ends.
In went the trash... wait. No, there was no room for the trash! The trash can, which is the only one acceptable for pick-up in our city, was filled within minutes.
On Saturday.
Not to be picked up until Friday morning.
We have diapers.
Dirty, stinky, poopy diapers.
With nowhere to go.
Sitting in a bag.
On our front porch.
In the heat.
We had out-of-town visitors, which equals more trash. We have had the same trash bag in our kitchen trash since last week and it is 100% full. All morning I have been listening for the trash truck, which will signal my opportunity to fill it back up and put in a new trash liner in the kitchen. Oh, it's the little things. ;)
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