A detour does not mean the end...

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference" ~Robert Frost~

I am feeling really emotional... again.

I feel like I want to fail the interview so I can just go home, but I know even six months at this job would be so beneficial. I'd be able to save some money plus I'd have IT street cred by working at AB. It is very difficult to get a tech job with AB.

I should know quickly if I got the job or not so hopefully I'll know Friday and won't spend the weekend in anguish over uncertainty.

I have a list of likely interview questions so I guess I should get on with studying them. I spent my lunch break reading Homeschooling: The Early Years. It's a great read so far. sigh...

Interview tomorrow at 4pm

I haven't been feeling the blog this week but I wanted to say I have an interview with AB tomorrow at 4pm. I should know quickly if I got the job or not.

I'm not sure what I want the result to be.

My interview with the headhunter

He continues to tell me I'm the ideal candidate with supreme qualifications and I continue to doubt. He was really impressed by my resume and I just can't imagine I'm that good.

He sent my resume to AB and they want to skip the phone interview and go directly for an in person meeting. I'm going to meet with them on Thursday so I'm the last person they talk to and we'll go from there. I get the impression they'd make a decision quickly and if I'm the person they want, I'd put in my two week notice and be there.

I figure since I was going to leave this job anyway, I might as well take a higher paying one until I do that. He also brought up two good points that I could work there a few months, save money and increase my IT street cred by having AB on my resume (they are an incredibly hard company to get in with).

In the meantime, I have to go out and buy an outfit appropriate for an interview. My present wardrobe is way to on the casual side of things.

Maybe Friday the 14th is my unlucky day

We have a showing today so, of course, Stacey is out of town, Benjamin has croup (not serious but he wants to be nursed 24/7) and there are huge piles of laundry everywhere.

I was basically up all night but managed to get up reasonably, get diapers out of the dryer for the sitter, get laundry in the machines and put the dirty stuff in sorted baskets and basically get things together.

Then Chloe melts down regarding an umbrella (it's raining here too) her and I end up in a screaming match and we get out the door. I've forgotten my bag of pump parts so I grab that and we are really off this time. Traffic is bad and I'm actually late to work.

I get to work and realize I've left that same bag o pump parts in the van. Luckily, my sitter ran it back up to me.

Oh, and my right nipple is still acting up and after an night of non-stop nursing, is cracked open again. Luckily, I did remember my new best friend Lansinoh.

I'm not usually one to feel like I'm having an all-out bad day, but I really think today is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Chloe told me some days are like that. :)

An email rocks my world

I have my resume on Monster.com and occasionally get a hit. Usually it's for a temporary tech support job that pays less than what I'm making now. I got an email Wednesday night expressing interest in me and I replied back with the salary and hours I was looking for.

Turns out this isn't just another low end tech job. It's a high end help desk position with great hours, is closer to my home (which is barely possible) and pays about 30% more than I'm making now.

I suppose no journey should be easy right? I'm meeting with the headhunter today and most likely will interview soon. I am one of three people being presented and when I told the headhunter about my plans to stay home he said I was exactly the person they're looking for. By that, I think he means someone who has not only been with the same company a long time (I've been here almost 8 years) but also someone who isn't just looking for a paying job but is really looking for something that will make them happy.

To top things off, our house is for sale and really hasn't had any hits but today has a showing with a very interested loan approval woman AND we have another showing scheduled on Saturday.

Just when I thought I had everything figured out...

Retiring the Monkey Costume

Chloe has a monkey costume that we bought for her first Halloween. It was sized 2-4, but they were out of the infant size so we went with it. It was a bit too big, but it worked.

She has worn the same costume every Halloween since. This year, the legs were barely long enough but she wanted to be the Monkey Costume again.

I was planning to hold it for Benjamin to use, but I think I'm going to put it in Chloe's box (where I keep favorite outfits, cards, etc for each kid). It's just too Chloe and I can't see it being worn by anyone else. Ok, so I might take his picture in it just for laughs.

She already plans to be a witch next year. I'm excited. I think I might dress up too!

A rough morning turns out well

The end of daylight savings has done a number on my house. Kids don't understand time changes so they're up at 5am because it feels like 6. So everyone is tired and starting to wear down and get crabby. Chloe does not do well without enough sleep and even though I put her to bed at 7pm last night, she's still pretty worn out. Stacey had an overnight install so he's out of town as well. All of this adds up to a not so pleasant morning in the Hickman house.

Chloe and I went round and round over cereal, clothes, slamming her brother's fingers in the closet door (an accident and he's fine but I warned her about messing with them) and basically anything else you can think of. There was screaming, more than one tantrum, and both kids were crying a few times. These kind of mornings make me wonder if I really want to quit my job. Ha!

Somehow we managed to pull through and actually left each other on a good note. I fixed Chloe's hair so I could take pictures of bows my friend Jessica made (see her Etsy store, it's good stuff!). She started off grumpy but when I showed her how the picture looked, I think she got it (I swear the kid is wise beyond her years) and perked up so we could take some nice pictures.

All's well that ends well. Now I just need to muster some energy to get through this weekend. I think the guest list for Chloe's party is now up to 27.

Chloe's party has taken on a life of it's own

In our house, birthdays really aren't big deal. We're having a party for Chloe, but it's a no gifts deal where we have people over just to hang out. Heck, we spent less than $40 for Chloe's gifts ourselves and this is the first year we've actually bought her anything for her birthday.

Well, we invited our friends and most of them can come (yeah!). Then Stacey invited some people from work, then I did and now our guest list is up to about 30 people total. I guess I'll need to buy more buns now.

After two weekends of gorgeous 75f weather, this weekend is supposed to be cloudy and under 50f. Oh well, at least it's not supposed to snow (I hope I didn't just jinx myself).

Just for fun, here are some pictures of the last big party we had for Chloe when she turned two.

It's Election Day!

Politics aside, I hope everyone gets out there and votes. I'll be doing my civic duty this afternoon.

I'm getting there...

Things accomplished:

1. checked out Teacher's Lounge store (they have free storytime!)
2. purchased lesson plan book for preschool
3. did first write-up of ad and sent to buddies for proofreading/editing
4. investigated various curriculum
   
5. spoke with co-worker with homeschooling wife about purchasing old materials

I also put up an ad on CL regarding New Year's care. Stacey and I are looking to watch a couple of kids that night to make a little extra cash and have someone for Chloe and Benjamin to play with. Who knows? Maybe I'll recruit some kids for my preschool program too!