A Working Mother

Tweet

Lately I have been craving having a job.  (Not that I don't have one already, but you know, the type of job where you leave the house and work somewhere else).  It has been almost 5 years since I quit my job to stay home with Micah and Jaden.  I have been so incredibly thankful for the opportunity. But sometimes I actually want to get away from the house, focus my mind and energy on something else, so that I can come back and fully appreciate my family again.

I do think that this period of time has been the best thing for our kids.  I have been there for every milestone, every smile, every cry, every diaper change, etc...  But there have also been days where I felt isolated, unmotivated, depressed, and bored.  Micah is going into kindergarten in the fall, and he'll be there from 9am-2pm daily.  Jaden will be in preschool two mornings a week, although we could choose three if we had the money.  He is so excited about it, he wishes he were there now.  In the Fall, I will have a little more time on my hands. But part of me doesn't want to wait until then.

Looking back on my life pre-children, I was focused on schooling and my job.  I got my Master's Degree. I was all set to use it and go apply all my newfound-knowledge.  (My MA was in Church Leadership).  Then we moved, and I got a job that was offered to me and paid the bills, and thought "I'll get to that soon." Then baby #1 came, then baby #2.  But whenever I get to use my education and knowledge for situations in the church or elsewhere, I get so excited.  I feel alive again.  I have new energy and joy.  And I really feel like it makes me a better mom!

Don't get me wrong; I can definitely use those skills now, and I have been. Everything I do, I do for free - at church and wherever I can.  But we need some extra money, and I am praying God will lead me to the right thing.

I don't want to go back to work full-time.  I want flexibility, and for our kids to continue to be taken care of by one of us most of the time.  That leaves me the option of finding a job that is about 10 hours a week, or on a consultant-basis.  Just something small.

Here are my options (although none have opened up yet):
-Photography.  Pump up my business and go for it.  Do more photo shoots.  Or work for another photographer as an editor or contract-worker.  (But honestly, been there and done that, and I kindof want something different right now, just keeping that as my "side-job".
-Lactation Counseling.  I do this for free right now.  This is another thing where I will have to drum up business.  Yet I enjoy doing this as a ministry and know many new moms cannot afford to pay.  I have looked into teaching courses at local hospitals, but our hospitals are not hiring for these positions right now.
-Administrative Work.  This is something I am strong in and have a lot of experience in. However, it is hard to find work like this that pays well enough and is only 10 hours a week.  I'd prefer not to work behind a desk getting paid pretty low.
-Speaking.  I love to speak for women's events, retreats, MOPS groups, etc..., but again, it is not steady work.  I need something steady.
-Social Work.  It is so great having best friends who know what you're good at and know where you're heart is.  When I told my friend these thoughts about working, she immediately gave me some suggestions in the field of social work.  My BA was in Sociology, and I would love to work in that field.   This is a possibility if I found the right job.
-Ministry and/or Consulting.  This is first and foremost where my heart beats and what I would love to do.  But when your husband is also in ministry, it can complicate things.  He is the main breadwinner, and he gets paid to do ministry.  Our church cannot afford to hire me at the present time. I have helped my pastor with consulting (for church planters) on occasion but this is also a volunteer job.  We would have to find a church that would hire both of us, but it is a rare church that has two job positions open at the same time for our specific areas, and besides, we like where we are.
-Writing.  A hobby, perhaps; but not a job yet.  This is one I may be able to do in the future if I had set blocks of time.  I have written letters for companies before, but did not enjoy it. Not sure if this could ever turn into a job or not.

For now, I will keep doing what I'm doing, enjoying my time at home with my boys.  I know that I will never be able to get this time back (when they are at these young ages) and I do love it.  But wouldn't it be great if you could get paid to do what you LOVE and are already doing?   Because Lord knows I wear many hats right now and do many jobs, but just need some of them to pay.

So...what would you want to do if you had a job right now? (Or what do you do already?)