Real World Mom

Visit the other Wordless Wednesday participants.

School starts for both my daughter and I next week.  She’s fine; I’m a freakin’ mess!  And not on her account either, because, as I said, she’s taking everything in stride.

I’m stressing, big-time, over how I’m going to successfully (key word here) manage school, work, and home.  During my first two semesters of school, I wasn’t working, so I had plenty of time to devote to homework and housework.  That’s no longer the case.  I am grateful to have a job, especially one that I like, but it is going to take time away from home and studying.

The successful part is so important because I’m a perfectionist.  There.  I said it.  I want the house to be clean, the laundry kept up with, no dishes in the sink, etc.  I also want to maintain my good grades (so far, I’ve earned all A’s and only one B after a year of college).  This goes back to my “Superwoman Myth” post from July, but I can’t seem to help it!

Tim has promised to help keep the house standing, and he’s already started pitching in quite a bit.  I know he can–and will–handle this, so I really need to work on letting go.

I’m taking five classes, so that’s going to be a lot of work.  I know I can do it, I’m just worried about having enough time to do it.

Hopefully, once I get a routine down, I’ll be ok.  It’s also possible that I could get some studying done while at work (it’s often pretty quiet for the last hour or so).  And I have Wednesdays and the weekends off, so, if worse comes to worst, those three days can all be spent on homework.

Am I overreacting?  Probably.  (Hopefully!)  In a month or so, I’ll likely look back and see that I was worrying over nothing.  In the meantime, though, I’ll worry…

*Edit: I just came across this quote, and thought the timing was quite appropriate:

“I’ve had many problems in my life- most of which never happened”  -Mark Twain

So, I got some potentially good news at work on Friday (finally).  My supervisor informed me that the woman I was hired to temporarily replace is not coming back.  Barring any unforseen bullshit, the job should be mine, although, I have to talk to human resources on Monday.

Here’s my concern…  I’m currently working four nights a week, 4-8 p.m.  School starts in three and a half weeks, and there is a conflict with one of my classes (it is from 3:30-4:45).  Obviously, I can’t be two places at once!  Initially, I thought I would just switch and take an earlier class; however, that class only has about six people registered for it, so I’m fairly certain it will be cancelled.  I really need to take this class this semester, or it will mess things up quite a bit.

The only solution I have come up with so far, is to ask the woman who works Tuesdays and Fridays if she’ll work an extra hour (hour and fifteen minutes at most) for me on those days, and, in return, I will go in and relieve her two hours early on my day off.  Does this sound somewhat reasonable?  Do you have any other suggestions?  (I’ll take any at this point!)

Edna (not her real name), the other receptionist, is a nice woman, though a bit disorganized, but I’m not really seeing her going for this.  I could be totally wrong, it just seems she’s not the type to go too far out of her way for someone else.  This concerns me, because I can’t think of any other options, and I really don’t want to lose this job because of it.

So, folks, the lines are open, and I’m all ears.  Help!

P.S.  I should have some really BIG news to share early next week!  I can’t wait to tell you all about it!  Stay tuned! 

I applied for, and was chosen, to be a Peer Leader for a three-day seminar next month, given by the Educational Opportunity Fund at the college I attend.  I’m very excited about this because when I attended the seminar last year, it was a huge help to me.  Now I have a shot at making a difference to this year’s new students!

Speaking of making a difference…  I am really enjoying my new job.  Although I may not be a doctor, a nurse, or a social worker (yet!), I feel like I’m making a small difference in the days of some of our residents and their family members.

The visitors. I see all the visitors that come in, and I always smile, and greet them in a warm and friendly way.  Most likely, they aren’t happy about being there, so maybe a kind word helps to brighten their day just a little bit.  There are quite a few regulars whom I see every day, and we know each other’s names now.  They smile when they come in and see me, and we chat.  I feel good interacting with these folks, and I hope that they enjoy it too.

There’s Marie (not her real name), whom I met on Thursday.  She’s probably in her sixties.  Her fiancee had been admitted earlier that day, and she was feeling exhausted, upset, and unsure if she’d made the right decision to admit him, rather than continue caring for him at home.  He is dying of cancer and has had a drastic decline in just two weeks’ time.  The incident that prompted her to admit him to the nursing home was that he tried to get out of bed by himself, while she was sleeping, and he fell.  She later found him lying on the floor, and somehow managed to pick him up and get him back on the bed.  Her story touched me; she touched me.  When she stops to talk to me–on her way in, and on her way out–I listen and offer words of encouragement.  What I really want to do is give her a big hug!  I think she’s the one making a difference in my life…  Be grateful for all that I have, and don’t waste a moment!

Then there’s Fred (not his real name).  I’m not sure who he comes to visit every day, but I look forward to his arrival.  He’s always got a wise-ass comment or something funny to say.  It’s odd to realize, just two, short weeks ago, we only exchanged hellos.

The residents. At first, I was kind of intimidated by them.  I’ve never liked hospitals, and have never been comfortable around ’sick people’.  Add to that a severe lack of patience (no pun intended) on my part.  This place, and these people, are changing all that.

Brad (not his real name) is in a wheel chair, and I see him almost every day, roaming the lobby or the hallways.  He’s a very pleasant man, and probably about 55 or so.  When I saw him the other day, and said, “Hello Brad, how are you today?”, he smiled at me.  I’m not sure if it’s because I remembered his name, or because I took the time to talk to him, or if he was just glad to see me, but it sure made my day to see him smile!

Mr. Wright (not his real name).  He yelled at me the first time I met him.  The other day, I saw him in the lobby, and I asked how he was.  He didn’t yell; we had a brief, yet pleasant exchange.  From what a couple of other employees have told me, gruff is his usual demeanor, so I think maybe I’ve made a little bit of progress with him!

There are many others I could write about (and maybe I will eventually).  I’ve experienced so much in the month that I’ve been at the nursing home.  Some of it sad, but much of it not.  So far, it has substantiated my belief that I want to be a social worker.  These people are making a difference in my life, and maybe, just maybe, I am making a small difference in theirs too.

All of my grades are finally posted, and, it’s officially been a very successful semester for me! All A’s! A 4.0 for the Spring semester, bay-bee!

There was a lot of hard work and perseverance involved, and I was also lucky enough to have some extremely supportive people by my side (most of all, my daughter B, and Tim–I love you both!). I am so very proud of all that I have accomplished so far! Life is good!