Thursday, April 23, 2009

Another Interview

On Monday I had a job interview at the Chrysler dealership in Veg. It was for the financial manager position. The interview went really well and was with a guy that Jamie and I know, so it was very relaxed and not alot of questions, but more an explanantion of the position. I feel I would do really well at the job, but my only concern is that it is a commision-based position. For about the first 3 months I would make a wage, and after that it would be strictly based on how much life and disability insurance and extended warranty I sold. So that worries me. I know I could do it, but it concerns me that there could be slow months (especially with where the economy is right now) and that I might now make alot those months.

The interview I had today was actually with the GM dealer in Veg. It went much better and is a job I think would likely be a better fit. It's the customer contact manager position. I felt that the interview went extremely well, and because it's a managerial position, I am much more confident about the financial aspect of it as well. The only thing is, it is a temporary position covering a mat leave for 12-18 months, whereas the other one is a permanent full-time position. Although, at this point I don't have to be worried because I haven't actually been offered either of them, but I am going to think confidently and tack on a "yet" to that sentence, and worry about which would work better, or if either of them will, because worrying is what I do best. lol

But it still comes dows to child care. Yesterday I mentioned I found a dayhome with immediate openings but it would cost $1200 a month to send both girls. I had found one right in Veg (this other one is in between Two Hills and Veg), but she doesn't have openings until mid-June, so that wouldn't work, but she is $200 a month cheaper, which would have been really nice (although still a rip-off in my honest opinion).

I do have to say, though, that I am very excited at the thought of going back to work. I had been toying with the idea since about last October, but I really just wasn't ready until now. I know it still won't be easy to get used to sending the girls to a dayhome and not spending my days with them, but I think that it will be good for all of us once we settle into the new routine.

Jamie applied for another job today that would be really great for him. The pay is supposed to be really good, but again, it is only a temporary position until next fall. Ideally the company he is with now would get their act together and take him back. They have one crew back to work, and it is his crew, but rather than put him back in his regular position as a loader operator, they brought back another guy who isn't even supposed to be running loader (he is the tower guy, whatever that means). We thought maybe it was because this other guy has more seniority, but then we found out that the foreman's son was brought back, even though Jamie has over a year of seniority on him. I think a call to employment standards is in order (especially seeing as the foreman will neither take, nor return Jamie's calls now), but Jamie doesn't like to makes waves. I, on the other hand, would be kicking some ass.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Still Here!

So it has been a ridiculously long time since my last post, as usual. Things here have been crazy lately. Jamie has been laid off of his job since 2 weeks before Christmas. He did have another temporary job for about 2 months starting the end of January, but that is over and done with now. He had EI in between those 2 jobs, but we are still waiting on it to come in after the second one ended.

So that has prompted us to put our house on the market (which wasn't a hard decision to come to because neither of us are very happy with the town we are currently living in). I also have been putting out alot of resumes to go back to work too. Jamie has been looking for work and applying alot, but it is hard to find anything what with the recession, and everything that he does find he don't hear back from, I assume because there are so many applicants. Which is what prompted me to start looking for myself. Also, he isn't going to find a job making nearly what he was before, so we would really need the second income.

That being said, I looked into childcare today because I have found a few options for myself and have had, and do have, interviews lined up. They are all around the same price per month for the 2 kids, but I only found 1 place that actually has openings. She's out of town, but on the way into Veg, which would work ok. What doesn't work, is that it would be $1200 per month for the 2 girls. That just seems ridiculous to me considering this is small town, rural Alberta. When I had my dayhome, I never charged anywhere near $600 per kid, and I had family rates so that it wasn't full price per kid. And I had trouble filling spots. So I don't understand how they're able to charge that much now.

So I'm a little unsure about what is going to happen there. With what I would be making at any of these jobs, and with travel expenses, after I paid for child care I would be pocketing less than $1000. It hardly seems worth it to me. But we shall see.

So with all I have talked about Jamie, you might be wondering about us, and yes we are back together. It was the right move not only for us, but for our family. We are very happy and have been doing really well.

The girls have also been doing well. Addy is now 2 years and 2 months, and Lexi is 14 months. Addy is talking up a storm (you can't get her to shut up...lol) and she repeats everything...And I do mean everything. She is a busy little girl and is almost always into some kind of mischief. She is most definitely into the Terrible Two's now, and is teaching her sister all about how to throw tantrums. And man oh man does that little baby have a temper! Lexi is all about what she wants, and if she doesn't get it, you will feel her wrath! She is actually even more mischievious than her sister, if you can even believe it. She started really walking about a month ago and now that's all she wants to do. When we're out and Addy gets to walk, she gets quite annoyed that she can't always do the same. And while, like her sister, she is fiercely independent, she also loves to snuggle up and give love and kisses and hugs (again, also like her sister). She still isn't much of a talker (although Addy makes up for it)...She seems to know alot of words, but has absolutely no desire whatsoever to use them. But every once in awhile, she will surprise you and come out with a word, and then refuse to say it again no matter how hard you try to get her to.

The most wonderful thing, though, is that the 2 of them really have a great relationship now. I mean, don't get me wrong, they beat up on each other (although today at the pediatrician's I discovered that they do actually know how to place nice with other kids, just not each other) and they steal toys, pull hair, push and shove and yell like you wouldn't believe, but they can also be so great to each other. They will share when they want to, and they will bring things to each other that they know they like (Addy usually just brings Lexi food, or a toy if I ask her to, but Lexi will find Addy's suckies or special toys and bring them to her), they give each other hugs and kisses (on their own without being prompted...lol), I'll catch them sitting together (sometimes even holding hands...they especially do this in the car), Addy still asks to hold Lexi and they'll sit with her in her lap for the longest time, and sometimes they even play nicely together...lol.

They are both still on the bottle, and Addy also still has her sucky. I didn't want to wean Addy off the bottle before I could wean Lexi too, because I figured it would just cause jealousy and fighting and Addy would likely just steal Lexi's bottle. So now we are slowly working on that, and once the bottle is gone, we will work on the sucky.

We also have Lexi's big girl bed, but we haven't set it up for her yet. I think she is ready, but Jamie figures it will just cause them to take even longer to fall asleep than they already do (because it will be both of them out of bed tearing the room apart rather than just Addy). So we are going to put that off for awhile too. Maybe give it a shot when the bottles and sucky are gone.

But other than that, I don't think there is much more to share. Hopefully I will get better at blogging more often. At this point, I actually tend to have more free time so maybe now I will be able to make a better effort.