Tag Archives: returning to work

March 31, 2011

Day Zero – Month Six (March)

It’s time to write an update on my Day Zero progress.

 

7.    Decide whether to return to work or not

Well first I decided to return, then I changed my mind. You can read the whole sorry story.

 

38. Do at least one geocache a month

We’ve been having loads of fun out and about now the weather is getting warmer. We found a couple in Bruges as well as London and Essex.

 

59. Successfully grow herbs

We’re also spending more time in the garden and the herbs I planted last year are well established and living! We even used some of the rosemary we managed to freeze last year in a meal last night.

 

60. Make Edward’s baby book for his 1st birthday

I’ve had a lot of fun getting photographs printed for his book. I’ve bought a plain notebook and filled it with pictures of us, being pregnant, family and how he changed every month.

 

71. Complete a cross stitch

I bought a cross stitch at the Knitting and Stitching Show back in October and finally finished it. I enjoyed it so much I did another one. Now I”m planning on tackling a few of the projects in Cath Kidston stitch which I received for Christmas.

 

73. Pass driving theory test

Yay, I passed it! Next stop more driving lessons.

 

100. Attend Cybermummy 2011

Well today I found out I’ve won a ticket to Cybermummy – hooray.

 

After 6 months I have completed 29% of my Day Zero list – not bad!

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March 28, 2011

Returning to work – or not

The last few weeks have been hectic, emotionally and physically. My little boy started to walk, turned 1, we went to Bruges for a couple of days and I celebrated my birthday. Then last week, just 2 weeks before I was due to return to work I decided I couldn’t.

I’ve spent the last couple of months trying to decide what was best for us as a family – to return to work part-time or give up my job to enjoy watching my son grow up. With the deadline looming, nursery place sorted and a new set of work clothes purchased (as none of my old clothes fitted!) I changed my mind.
The last few months my son has changed in leaps and bounds. I watched him take his first steps, learn to feed himself, copy me cleaning him up after meal times and enjoy interacting with other children. I don’t want to miss out on anything by not being there all the time. I think the decision about working or not is a difficult one and the situation is different for everyone but I’m lucky that we can afford for me to take some time off.

I had worked in my last job for 7 years so it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. However I managed to squeeze in some great projects before I started maternity leave and reached a good salary level and left on a high. Over the last few weeks the HR team really upset me with the way they handled my requests to ascertain exactly how much annual leave I accrued and they also didn’t sort out putting me back on the payroll! The whole process of returning to work after maternity leave just reinforced my opinion that it wasn’t the right decision for me.

My good friend drafted my resignation letter which was a lot more eloquent than I could ever manage. I particularly like this sentence:

During recent weeks I have been anxious regarding my imminent return to work. I had hoped going part-time would satisfy my need to maintain a work-life balance, but as a family we have decided it is right for us, at this time, that I resign.

I received a decent reply from my manager (considering I always found her really difficult to work with). I’m not sure when I’ll get a chance to wear the new work clothes but I’ll definitely be using the Orla Kiely handbag I also bought!

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March 21, 2011

What do I want to be?

Today I handed in my notice at work. I worked there for so long I can’t remember what I did before. Now I have the perfect opportunity to give some thought to what I want to be when I grow up (having a child doesn’t mean I’ve grown up, does it?).

My first memory is of wanting to be  tractor driver. I was a complete tomboy growing up. Never happier than riding my bicycle around the neighbourhood or digging for worms. Tractor drivers, I thought, just sat down and drove up and down fields all day. Easy.

After a bit more thought I toyed with the idea of being an archivist. Work experience soon put me off.

Then came thoughts of an archaeologist. Again, actual experience showed me dirt, weeds, dirt, and not that much excitement. I wanted to think work should be fun.

Let’s gloss over the intervening years and I find myself directionless. So in no particular order, when I grow up I want to be:

Happy

Contented

Wanted

Useful

Genuine

 

This week the lovely Manana Mama is hosting Listography. Why don’t you head over and check out the other entries.

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