"I Quit This B!@%#"

[Reposted from my old blog]

I think this happened a few years ago now, but it's still awesome. Have you heard Arnetta the Moodsetta quitting live on the air? If not, you have to check it out.

This is relevant because I gave Fidelity my notice earlier this week, so I am almost a free woman! Woohoo! I didn't do it with as much flair as Arnetta, unfortunately, but it still feels pretty darn good. Mark and I have been talking about this for a while now - we knew this job probably wouldn't be a long term thing, but we had no idea whether it would be a few months or a few years. At first it was pretty easy working and taking care of Claire because all she did was nurse and sleep in my lap while I sat at the computer and worked. But now that she's cruising along the furniture and getting into everything it's become impossible to juggle both her and the job. In trying to do everything and be Superwoman I'm succeeding at nothing.

Her latest adventures involve searching through the kitchen cupboards and pulling everything out to investigate more. So I've been rearranging in a flurry, putting glass and other inappropriate toys in safer spots, and moving tupperware and other plastic items to the bottom cabinets. We also pushed the family room couches and ottomans back to close off the two doorways; it helps to corral her in there with toys while I work, although soon she'll be able to crawl over the barrier. She can already crawl up the entire staircase when I let her (spotting her the entire way, of course). She still loves her perches at the windows in the dining and family rooms. The window ledges are at just the right height for her to rest her elbows on as she scopes out the neighbors - she kind of looks like the neighborhood gossip. hehe The backyard is great because our house backs up to a soccer field and walking paths, and there are always games being played, people walking dogs, or big city mowers cutting the grass. Yesterday there were 3 big mowers with flashing lights racing around, and Claire squealed every time they flew by. I wanted to ask them if they could mow every day, just to keep her occupied so I could get some stuff done. And that's how it's been these last few months - searching desperately for things to keep her occupied so I can quick squeeze in some work. I resigned myself to the fact that daytime work was nearly impossible and relied on the evenings when Mark was home to help, but with him being in school until nearly 10 pm every Monday and Tuesday, and occasional overnight business trips and evening meetings it wasn't enough. Whew, what a relief!

I'm also excited about my Bradley training in a few weeks, especially because it's in Atlanta and we scheduled an extra week to spend with my family beforehand. I miss them so much!

So life is about to change drastically. Only one income, but more time to spend with Claire and keep up with cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. Soon I'll be certified to teach childbirth classes, and maybe next year I can go for Yoga certification again, too. I've been learning more about traditional foods, and recently brewed my first batch of kombucha tea - and this healthier lifestyle has given me more energy so just think of how much I'll be able to accomplish when I have an extra 40 hours to give to myself and my family each week! I'm still a little nervous about the change, but I know it was the right decision.

Gotta run. I need to plan Claire's first birthday party which is NEXT MONTH. Holy crap, where did the time go?!