Job

Have been given the luxury of staying home with the kids after a bad break up with my previous job, searching for a new job is somewhat overwhelming.

While i would like to stay home For the next 2 to 3 years while Danny grows old enough to go to kindergarten, I am just bored out of my mind! Being a house mom is mind numbingly boring. It is the same thing nearly everyday, clean, organize, mediate, hope something's on tv or there is a new article to read, maybe listen to talk radio, and run shopping errands. Over and over again. Okay so I could call some friends, except they area all working mothers, mostly single so they don't have the "opportunity" to stay home. You might say go find a activity to do with the kids during the day, and I would be forced to remind you that our current family income is less than 20k, so anything that routinely cost more then $5.00 a week is a big strain on the balancing act.

A job. So soon my husband will be returning to school to work on a bachelors in biomedical engineering, which means a full time job for him is out. I could get a part time job, but they just don't seem to offer what I am looking for. All the part time Jobs seem to be at fast food restaurants, or retail mall locations, and as one would guess don't offer health insurance. They also seem to offer only minimum wage, which would actually be a hinderance instead of an improvement in our financial situation.

Fine print to explain that to you: my husband is a US Marine Corps Veteran who will be utilizing his Montgomery GI Bill. Regardless of whether he uses that money to pay the actual tuition or uses it for living expenses, the State of Arizona will see that amount as income and reduce benefits both food stamps, and health care. I really am not concerned about the food stamps, there are other affordable ways to find food to feed a family. I am terrified of a job and GI Bill benefits totaling just enough to cancel our access to public health insurance.

If you have been blessed enough in your life to never have needed an single entitlement program for the poor in your life, then this may not make much sense. After all the Montgomery GI bill is supposed to go directly to covering books and tuition, so why should that effect a families ability to receive healthcare coverage? All I can say is they also see any pell grants and student loans you receive as income that increases your income, thus creating the likelihood that your new "income" will put you over the federal poverty line. Once you are over the poverty line, employer health insurance or not, the government doesn't care. This also explains why so many users of the system never get off the system, there is no middle ground, no here buy health insurance at an affordable rate or you can keep your awful public health insurance if you pick up the bill. No you are left to try and find your own full coverage health insurance and if you are working part time fat chance you will actually be able to afford that, let alone a co-pay for medicine and doctors visit.

So knowing that, a part time job without health insurance just won't do. That leaves full-time employment and if you haven't searched for a job lately you might be surprised to learn that the majority of jobs are not offering health insurance, let all own 401k, tuition reimbursement, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability or even 2weeks paid vacation. All of those facts are frightening, especially since the jobs that are not offering these middle class requirements are also not offering enough cash to purchase one let alone all of them.

Add to this I am very weary of any job that is in a call center and finding a job seems just plain overwhelmingly impossible. To make it just that much more challenging, i am nearly certain that I don't want an office job where I am stuck at desk all day doing the exact same thing. Nothing is more challenging to ADHD then doing the same repetitive task and having little to no opportunity to change scenery or work your way up or horizontally to a better position.

Given the bleak job prospects for everyone in general the idea that I desire to have a job that complements my strengths and minimizes my weaknesses might seem upsurd. I just wonder why not have a job you actually like, and want to succeed at everyday that also provides your family with the necessities to maintain financial prosperity?

Job requirements if you are wondering:

Health insurance, full coverage

Adequate livable wage, no food stamps necessary

401k, I need to retire someday

Short and long term disability insurance

Vacation and sick time

Tuition reimbursement, just shows you want to keep me long term

Paid training

Variation in tasks and responsibilities

Creativity in the environment

Positive atmosphere

Flexibility!

Opportunity to move up or horizontally should I get bored

A schedule where I still see my family and don't pay all my wages to a childcare provider

Maybe even a little travel, perhaps local sales calls?

$120

So how long does $120.00 last? How many kids do you have, cars? How much does it cost you to buy electricity, fast food, lip gloss, toothbrushes, laundry soap?

Two weeks ago I decided to try an allowance for myself. My allowance would include paying For electricity, household supplies and the occassional drive thru treat. I planned on using $40.00 for my M-power electric plan, which is a pay as you go plan, the rest could be used for family meals and things food stamps don't cover. Like laundry soap, hair spray, lotion, vitamins, ectera. I thought this $120.00 would also allow me to give $5.00 allowance to each child and even put $5.00 into an old savings account we have neglected for years.

I also thought that at 1/4th this would provide ample cash.

So I spent it all in less than one hour. That includes the electricity and kids allowance. I thing I have five for the savings account that we shave neglected....but then again.

Okay to be fair this is the second week I did this. Yes, both weeks it has been sent faster than I can type a message in twitter, but I still have hope that this could work. I am still working on the home inventory and have found much to my suppress that we need very little when it comes to cleaning supplies or toilet paper. So maybe I could train myself to provide all the things we a need like toilet paper and all the things we like, such as mouthwash, nail polish and the occasional meal in the drive thru. So on I go. Perhaps Dave Ramsey could help me?

Finally a moment

Well today is mothers day. My kids are still young and my husband had to work today. So like all the other days I got up, cleaned something, realized I was hungry and that there were other creatures wanting to eat and making a mess in the wake of what had just been cleaned. Ugh.

After feeding the monster under my toes, showering and folding laundry that has been sitting around for days, I called my mother in law. She didn't get the box I sent and she still has not gotten a call from her son. I really wish she had gotten the Box I sent and she wishes her silly kid would call her.

So for a whole 2 minutes it was quiet and I was uninterrupted, but now it is back to crying babies, hungry kids and other motherly duties.

What happened to customer service?

What a hard day. It's only 11:45am and I have encountered bad, really bad customer service twice. That means the two places I was supposed to go to were awful!

You might think I would get used to being treated badly, but I refuse to be treated like this. I was so angry, so frustrated by doing what I am supposed to do and encountering people who simply don't care. I mean every week it seems I have written about something gone wrong

So The first thing we did this morning was attend breakfast with my mom at I.H.o.p. This is typically a easy experience. You show up, get seated' figure out what you want to eat and the server brings it out to you. Then stuffed and wishing you brought elastic pants you go about your day. That is not how it happened ay. Instead we told the server what we wanted and received cold food, made wrong. When she tried tocirrect it she did not listen tow at we asked for and got it wrong again. Did she apologize? No. If she did I did not hear it and neither did my mother. We ate our cold and wrong food, because we were hungry. Disappointed and annoyed, the manager profusely apologized for his waitresses failures and comped the meal. If you have ever had your meal comped because the service was so awful, then you know that this does not make it better.

We went to my moms and recouped for an hour. The kids played, screamed and caused general havoc. We left.

Off to the dentist. This was supposed to be easy. I made the appointment two weeks ago. I confirmed with the receptionist twice before hanging up that I had two appointments and what was being done. Good. All assured everything was good i put it on the calendar. We got there and just as you guessed they only had one appointment scheduled. Worse, according to them it was simply my fault and I would need to return to get my son, 4 who has been in pain for two weeks at a later date. Which would take another two to three weeks to get, leaving my four year old complaining and in pain for another two weeks. When I protested that this was not right, he would only agree to look at his mouth and see if he saw signs of obvious infection that might need antibiotics. Yes, that is what I want, Not! What I wanted... Both my sons to have their teeth cleaned, my four year old to have the cavity we scheduled filled and to see if there was another reason his mouth hurt. I see no reason why that should have been hard. They claimed that because their office was closed, they could not run his insurance to verify he needed to have his teeth cleaned. Really? Look at his teeth and then tell me he don't need to have his teeth professionally cleaned. The way they saw it I was completely wrong and since I was on public health insurance could be treated badly without remorse.

It should not matter that I am currently so financial broken that I have placed my kids on public health care. I and my time deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We are after all humans. The dentist office offered no other assistance.

Angry and on the verge of tears I drove down the same street and stopped at the first dentist office that was opened and asked if they took our public health insurance. No, she said, but she thought another office did and she immediately called them for an immediate Saturday appointment. That was not all, she printed outa google map from her office to their office and promised I would like them much better then the clinic I just came from. Her smile was warm and genuine,and if you are ever looking for a warm office for your kids go ahead and try A to Z Dental in Glendale Arizona. Their office will provide you with what you except, customer service with a smile.

Day blown we stopped at a local barber shop called All Pro right off of 83rd ave and Bethany home Rd in Glendale az. It wads it busy, the barbers were youthful, thorough and patient. So while I sat typing this they cut my two older son's hair.when my four year old's nose ran, he opened a box of

Kleenex. Thanks Jimmy, I needed to see that. Humans treating others with kindness, that is what customer service is. So Jimmy cuts my 4year olds head and Jorge cut my7 year olds. A smile on My face a Lollie pop in their hands.

Funny thoughts

Kids say funny things, but most adults give up this habit in favor of maturity. However adults with ADHD still say these funny things, and often without realizing it. Here are some funny thoughts from the last 48 hours...

While watching a commercial for air conditioning repair, I said,"I sure hope their conditioner breaks". To my friend Sophia , no I wasn't thinking the guy in the ad had a nice ass. I was just hoping for some luck, because the air handler in this apartment let's out a tremendous roar every time it kicks on. I would also be that it is not the most energy efficient model. Go green please, and quiet the rumble.

In daydreaming and remenicing... I was remembering a psychiatrist asking if I ever had ideas of grander, well I said no. Boy did I get that wrong! Of course I day dream. I would be the best president of the united states ever. Who hasn't thought they would be a great president? Yes, I have imagined that if I were president the world would be at peace, everyone feed, and no person would ever be crazy again because we would all be diagnosed. No car would ever breakdown when you are already late to work, and all your checks would clear. Duh, i am Pam the fabulous.

Chiropractors have a weird profession, unable to convince people that they offer a real solution to everyday problems they have joined forces with ambulance chasing lawyers to stay in business. Weirder still, my chiropractor asked me if I have been having heartburn... I said yes, he goes and does his thing, then says that should stop now. Bizarre, I know I didn't believe him, but then I have not had heartburn since.

I should use my kids shoes as a flashlight. Never again will we let him wear those shoes to a movie again. (Thor was great)

When you loose weight where doesn't go? I mean do you poop it out? I am just saying it is something that is physically on your body, it doesn't just disappear.

While at the swimming pool I asked my 4year old why he was in the hot tub. He said because it was hot outside and you are supposed to be in the hot tub when it is hot and in the cold one when it is cold out.

I want to bite you. No reason I just want to.

I want to be a stripper. So what is stopping me? Well, I think my husband might get mad. Then again I might bite my customers.... Wonder if they would still pay me if I bite them?

Testing iPad

So I finally got it. Thanks fed ex man. I am doing what all dirty little geeks do when they get a new toy. Thankfully my hubbie has the day off so he is busy watching the kids, changing diapers, sweeping, mopping and desperately waiting for me to get tired of my new thing.

So I got a few "productivity apps" that I still need to imput info into, like the pantry app, the calendar

And the address book. So far the iPad has been everything it was advertised to be. I also think that this could be a great tool for general life improvement, aka organization.

Apps that I find useful: monarch-a free app that let's you post to blogger and add pictures. cozi a great family calendar app that also allows you to make grocery list, Pantry, while not set up, this thing has the potential to keep my from buying things I already have, like toothpaste, friended, I like it because it looks a lot like full Facebook in a browser, and seems go work Well. Mint, well this certainly beats writing in a checkbook register. And a few things I can't remember the actual names of,s texting service for free, VoIP thing that let's me make calls- though I am too cheap to pay the 9.99 to actually let you call me,so send me an email and I will call you or if you are among the lucky three I gave the number to text me.

So now on to all the non iPad things I should have been doing for the last 2 days!

What is Love?!

Let me frame where I am in my life today. I have 3 kids, 2 dogs, a husband, a car that is paid off, a year old bankruptcy, no job, a crazy and ridiculously large family, no college degree, a pile of a lot of little things that need to be done, and money I owe to people I cant afford to pay.

So why this question now? I mean I have been married only once and for nearly 9 years.

I saw Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, 2nd Cousins, friends of the family and people everyone wished didn't come. I witnessed love this weekend in a way I haven't seen in years. A baby, only 18 and just days from his 19th, was finally buried this past Saturday. I saw family members, I saw them be normal, no one physically fought and I didn't see anyone start an argument. A dramatic change from what I remember of the family I hide from.

I think love is hard to explain, however it is easy to witness. I saw aunts comfort each other, I felt cousins taking care of kin. I saw simple examples of care, a glass of water being passed to another, a box of tissues offered. I watched hugs, gentle rubs on the back, hands being held and compassionate words being given freely. Yes I saw anger expressed by grieving members, but I also watched as others gave what comfort they could. I can say I was pleased by this.

Yes, I cried. I cried mostly because it was hard to see my Aunt in so much pain and hard to imagine the baby I remember as a boy about to come of age