A Tough Weekend
Have you missed me? I've certainly missed you.
It's been two weeks since I started my new job at The Large Public Hospital That Employs Me and man is it a lot to get my head around. As I showed you in my last post, I have a HUGE amount of reading to do. That binder is actually 6 modules - 5 basic ones and 1 more advanced one - which still doesn't make it any less work but does give me more time. I have several more advanced modules to do when I finish these, all related to the area in which I work (oncology, or cancer). The good part of all that work is if I undertake the extra assessments and pass then it all counts towards post-graduate certification at QUT, the university I graduated from. I then can take two further classes at QUT, which I get both Professional Development money and time to put towards, and get that certification. Which gets me a higher pay grade and a bigger pay check.
My body is adjusting to the new schedule of nearly full-time employment, and that's taken a bit of a toll. The stupid cold I developed didn't help. So between that, the above paragraph and the usual family responsibilities - plus adjusting to having Miss Thing back home - I've found myself struggling to establish a new schedule. How do I fit everything I need/want/like to do into a measly 24-hour day? I've had to prioritize, of course, with the kids and The Hermit coming first, then little things like meals and clean clothes coming next. But needless to say my blog and my online activities have suffered. My feed reader is up over 1000 unread items, and I've completely neglected my duties over on the American expat groups I help moderate.
I nearly had a handle on it when the Mooselet clan took another hit. If you follow me on Facebook or actually know me as a person (and not just a blog/online person) then you will have heard the news that my former mother-in-law passed away early Saturday morning (US time). If you remember reading about that just last week, you know it was quick. This was not totally unsurprising as Marilyn always did things on her terms, and it seems shaking this mortal coil was no exception. I had one very upset teenager and one absolutely devastated teenager to console that night and the whole thing left me sad and drained. Knowing I can't just pick up the phone and call her any more still brings me to tears. One small comfort was that she did not have any kind of service. Why is that comforting? When my grandfather died in 2003 I could not get back for his service as Her Majesty wasn't even 6 weeks old, and so along with the grief of his passing I had to deal with the fact the rest of the family would be gathering without me. That was hard. So Marilyn's decision to not have a service of any kind lessened the guilt and sadness just a bit, if that makes any sense. But I just didn't have any energy to blog the rest of the weekend.
But I'm getting back on track. I only work 4 days and while my days are long - up at 5:30 am and not a second to myself until after 8 pm at the earliest - it feels good to be back nursing. And I know that good feeling will get me sorted out before too much longer.
6 Witty Remarks:
I'm really sorry about your former mother-in-law.
Hang in there this week, as you continue to adjust to your new schedule.
Marilyn was a remarkable woman and will be missed. She was always upbeat and accepting of everyone.
I'm sure it will take you a while to get adjusted to the new schedule. You do need to start insisting that the rest of the family take up some of the slack at home. They are old enough to do laundry, cook an occasional meal and pick up the house. The modern woman as Super Mom is highly over-rated. Get the Hermit to lend his considerable strength to get them all on board.
Delegate,Delegate,Delegate.
There are able-bodies available at home to take up some of the workload.
Even the littlest should begin to learn how to pick up his own toys and belongings.
Laundry is a simple process to learn and do.
Cook books abound with how-to-do simple meals.
You need to KICK BUTT!
You always make me so damn tired! Oh, and just a tad lazy!
Must be tough when rellies pass and you can't be there. We're so far away down here.
Yep, crack the whip on that lot who keep on coming back to your house!
Mine make their own lunches and their rooms are tidied every morning before leaving for school. No excuses! I help sometimes if it's getting rushed, I'm not too over the top. Also the rooms aren't super tidy but they do make an effort. Extra tidy times happen on the weekend. This has been going on for years, age is no excuse. Foo was 7 when I started to get really tough on them all.(he is the youngest) They have been putting away their toys since walking so they're used to it.
We don't give pocket money either. They live here, they have to work! Sometimes we give them a little bit, but it's never ever expected.
One more job that MUST be done every weekend is Mr Mumfies car has to be vacuumed and washed. They all complain, fight and carry on, but it gets done. The list is endless... I keep adding more to it! No bludgers allowed around here!
Don't think it's all gloom and doom here, they have a pretty good time. We're just teaching them you don't get a free ride through life and no one is here to pick up after you.
Good luck with all your workload, I don't know how you do it! Very impressive! I like having smart friends, maybe it will rub off on me!
Sorry to hear about your loss. It's tough to deal with family trauma from the other side of the world, isn't it. You just feel powerless.
That is really sad. Sorry to hear about your former MIL. I hope that your kids are ok. Death is such a hard thing for them to grasp when they are invincible teenagers. (((Hugs))).
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