Quick check in
Posted by cjrambling on October 22, 2009
Little Man update –
So, I am now officially, for-a-limited-time-only, working at home 3 days a week and at the office 2 days (and possibly some weekends, depending on what it takes to get the work done.) I plan to spend some time this weekend setting up a more functional home office and then we’re off and running. Little Man and Big Girl are both totally thrilled with the idea. We’ve got an appointment with a pediatric psychologist in November and we’ll see how things go there.
He’s been excellent (well, as excellent as any 4-almost-5-year old can be) for me this week. I get up, shower and get Big Girl up for school and then sit down to work until Little Man crawls out of bed. After breakfast he heads off to play for a while and I get some more work done until he’s bored enough to need some Mommy time. I’ve been taking him to the office with me for an hour or so around 11:00 to check in mail, send out mail, etc. then we head for lunch, the park, whatever strikes our fancy and then head to get Big Girl from school. Once we get the logistics worked out, Big Girl will start riding the bus home. Some days I may get some more work done before she gets off the bus and then the two of them will be able to entertain each other so I can work a little while before we start dinner and then I’ll probably be working from their bedtime til my bedtime. So, I probably won’t get a full day’s work in on the at-home days, but I figure I’ll make up the time on the weekends.
My insurance is AWESOME! They will pay for unlimited therapy so long as it is considered necessary by the psychologist. I’ll only have to pay my co-pay since the therapist is in-network. So there’s a major load off my mind.
Big Girl update (sort of)-
We had student led conferences tonight and after it was over, her homeroom teacher was asking me about how the elementary school worked (she’s new to the district.) Anyway, we ended up having a loooooong talk about how they are preparing kids for middle school. We have a major issue down here with the elementary not teaching the kids how to study, not assigning “real” homework and not teaching the kids how to stay organized. I’m hoping we’ll finally get something done about it. The elementary school doesn’t seem to want to change how they do things, but I’m hoping we can get the middle school to understand that these kids need to be taught some real skills. Right now they seem to be concentrating on goals, what do you want to be as an adult, etc. Don’t get me wrong, those are great things to work on, but if the kids can’t speed read, study effectively, etc. those longer-term things aren’t gonna get done effectively. We’ll see, I guess.
Oddball thing…just for thought.
There’s this text foward going around the middle school that goes something like this:
“A man you love is gonna show you how much he NEEDS you tomorrow but you have to send this to 9 girls. No joke he will impress you.”
Really? There’s just so much wrong with this! a) I hate these “have to send to” things. Gag me! If its a really good quote, joke, etc., I’ll delete the “have to send” stuff and forward it just cause I like it, no strings attached. 2) Hello?? This is middle school, no “man” better be showing you squat to impress you! and c) Seriously…my response when I saw it…”I don’t want a man who needs me. I’d rather have one who doesn’t need me, but WANTS me!”
I’m out! CJ
vinomom said
How exciting to be able to work from home a couple days a week! That would be awesome!
What are you doing w/ Little Man on the days you have to go into the office?
Oh and I HATE all Forwards that try and require you to send to people!
KA said
I have the option to work from home if necessary, snow, sickness, doc appt, etc, but not on a permanent basis. I really wish I worked from home one day a week but I’m too much of a chicken to ask my new boss. Oh well. I’m glad to hear that Little Man is doing good with you. I hope it keeps up!
I third the stupid forward this or else emails! I never forward them just to prove that I won’t die if I don’t. lol
BigLittleWolf said
Good for you, doing the part-home office thing. It’s so good for kids, and it really can be great for the parent and the employer. The organization gets a loyal employee who wastes no time and is extra motivated to prove productivity. You get less guilt, and the flexibility to be more present for your kids. And they get a greater sense of stability.
I managed to to do this with two different companies, over the course of about 6 years. They were critical 6 years, and I’ve never regretted it. It’s a shame fewer companies don’t selectively provide this; it’s workable for many professions and positions, and you absolutely will fall into a schedule that will be super-dependable for your colleagues and your kids.
That’s something to keep in mind. As you ease into a schedule, it’s important that your co-workers (and boss) know when they can reach you by phone in your home office. So even if it’s “mom” time at a certain point, they need to know what is “office” time. That builds credibility, and that + great word product = success.
My kids were even younger than yours, and understood that when I was in “the office” the rule was “if blood, interrupt” – otherwise, no. I actually had a French door (thus glass) on my home office. That let them see in, me see out, but still provided necessary separation.
Good luck! It’s going to be great!