The CRAZY life that is currently mine....
Wow...life seems to be hurdling along at breakneck speed! So much going on! Let's go back a little...
My wonderful husband finds great pleasure in perusing MLS.com. He loves looking at what's on the housing market and finding "dream houses." For the last eight months or so, he's been looking in certain neighborhoods, just watching what's available. We had talked about trying to move next spring after this next baby arrives. It would be nice to have a little more space as our family continues to grow, but waiting until we had adjusted to being a family of four made the most sense to us. Well, the plans we come up with are not always the plans that God sets in motion. So...even though we didn't have our house on the market, last month we got an offer on our house! Wow! And it turns out that that wonderful husband of mine had already spotted a house that he thought would be perfect for us, but hadn't said anything to me since we weren't planning on moving this summer. Once we had the offer, he pulled up the photos and virtual tour of the house he had found. And yes, I loved it too. Everything has come together perfectly and that is now going to be our new home! Yesterday we signed all the papers making it official. Tonight we picked up the keys. And we've closed the deal on our current house as well.
So as I'm entering the 3rd trimester, we're trying to pack up our house and move across town. Craziness! But let's not make things too easy.... no, there's more going on. Monday I will be taking my International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Exam (IBCLCE). I finished up my classes in February and have been frantically studying this past week trying to remember everything I've learned to this point. Some of the time I feel confident, thinking that this is the same exam given worldwide... in the US, in Europe, and even to women in Africa. So really, could it be that complicated? On the other hand, there is a lot to know about milk composition, how drugs pass into the milk, and complications with mom and baby that can affect breastfeeding. Who knows how it will go. But the exam is only given once a year, so it's pass on Monday or wait until July 2011 to take it again! I'm praying that I'll pass on Monday. :) Once the exam is over, I'll "just" have to wait until the end of October to find out the results.
That sounds like enough craziness in my life right now, right? Well, one last thing. There are a bunch of changes being implemented at work, having to do with the hours that everyone works. To this point, I've been per deim, meaning that I'm required to work at least four 8-hr shifts per schedule (every 4 weeks). Two of those shifts have to be on the weekend, and I have to work at least three holidays every year. Very doable. However, yesterday there was a meeting for all of us, reminding us that part of being per diem is being *very* flexible with availability. For me, the flexibility of not working much has been great, but I can't be very flexible in when I'm available, due to childcare issues. It really got me thinking about whether being per diem was the right choice for right now in my life. The other option is to change my work status to "relief." There are even fewer requirements as to how much I would have to work, but I also wouldn't have the guarantee of four shifts minimum per schedule. To get the hours I need, I would have to be proactive about letting others know that I am available, especially if I don't get scheduled much (or at all) on the official schedule. So...the end decision is that I am going to change to relief and trust that God will provide the shifts I need to help support our family and keep up my skills.
*HUGE sigh*
Goodness, so much going on right now. I think everything with work will work out and be for the best right now in our lives. I can always make changes in the future if life changes. And come Monday late afternoon, I'll have my big exam behind me. Then all we have to do is get packed up and head across town to our new place. Ahhh...the crazy life that is currently mine.....
My wonderful husband finds great pleasure in perusing MLS.com. He loves looking at what's on the housing market and finding "dream houses." For the last eight months or so, he's been looking in certain neighborhoods, just watching what's available. We had talked about trying to move next spring after this next baby arrives. It would be nice to have a little more space as our family continues to grow, but waiting until we had adjusted to being a family of four made the most sense to us. Well, the plans we come up with are not always the plans that God sets in motion. So...even though we didn't have our house on the market, last month we got an offer on our house! Wow! And it turns out that that wonderful husband of mine had already spotted a house that he thought would be perfect for us, but hadn't said anything to me since we weren't planning on moving this summer. Once we had the offer, he pulled up the photos and virtual tour of the house he had found. And yes, I loved it too. Everything has come together perfectly and that is now going to be our new home! Yesterday we signed all the papers making it official. Tonight we picked up the keys. And we've closed the deal on our current house as well.
So as I'm entering the 3rd trimester, we're trying to pack up our house and move across town. Craziness! But let's not make things too easy.... no, there's more going on. Monday I will be taking my International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Exam (IBCLCE). I finished up my classes in February and have been frantically studying this past week trying to remember everything I've learned to this point. Some of the time I feel confident, thinking that this is the same exam given worldwide... in the US, in Europe, and even to women in Africa. So really, could it be that complicated? On the other hand, there is a lot to know about milk composition, how drugs pass into the milk, and complications with mom and baby that can affect breastfeeding. Who knows how it will go. But the exam is only given once a year, so it's pass on Monday or wait until July 2011 to take it again! I'm praying that I'll pass on Monday. :) Once the exam is over, I'll "just" have to wait until the end of October to find out the results.
That sounds like enough craziness in my life right now, right? Well, one last thing. There are a bunch of changes being implemented at work, having to do with the hours that everyone works. To this point, I've been per deim, meaning that I'm required to work at least four 8-hr shifts per schedule (every 4 weeks). Two of those shifts have to be on the weekend, and I have to work at least three holidays every year. Very doable. However, yesterday there was a meeting for all of us, reminding us that part of being per diem is being *very* flexible with availability. For me, the flexibility of not working much has been great, but I can't be very flexible in when I'm available, due to childcare issues. It really got me thinking about whether being per diem was the right choice for right now in my life. The other option is to change my work status to "relief." There are even fewer requirements as to how much I would have to work, but I also wouldn't have the guarantee of four shifts minimum per schedule. To get the hours I need, I would have to be proactive about letting others know that I am available, especially if I don't get scheduled much (or at all) on the official schedule. So...the end decision is that I am going to change to relief and trust that God will provide the shifts I need to help support our family and keep up my skills.
*HUGE sigh*
Goodness, so much going on right now. I think everything with work will work out and be for the best right now in our lives. I can always make changes in the future if life changes. And come Monday late afternoon, I'll have my big exam behind me. Then all we have to do is get packed up and head across town to our new place. Ahhh...the crazy life that is currently mine.....
Wow, that's a lot Anna! If we can help out let us know. Where are you moving too?
ReplyDeletecongrats on the new house
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see pics of that baby in a couple of months
and will be waiting to hear how the exam went