Working 9 to 5

As of yesterday I am officially unemployed. No more maternity leave, just good old fashioned unemployed. I'm not sad about it, its officially the next chapter in my life and despite finishing work 6 months ago, this is the finale. Ironically I'm busier now than I was in any job, ever. There's no smoke breaks, no coffee with the girls, no drinks after work because funnily enough, my job now never stops. If it's not a child I'm dealing with it's housework or domestic duties. And it never ends and it's alot more complicated than you think. Not just because I have 3 monkeys to care for and raise plus a house to run but the logistics of what used to be simple tasks is now up in the seriously complicated relm. Hell in an effort to be a domestic goddess I've spent many Friday nights doing groceries. Why? Because it's easier than taking the family with me, it's unfair on hubby to leave all 3 kids with him on his first day off and I've missed the online grocery delivery slots for the weekend. Oh and I don't want to spend all our quality family time running errands. Did you know supermarkets are surprisingly busy at 11pm on Friday nights!

Yes, yesterday marked the end of paid employment for me, and with that I am free, no longer committed to someone else's time schedules or demands. Or at least I should be, however it turns out I replaced one demanding boss with three. The hours are long, my bosses are demanding, there are no sick days or holidays and its certainly far from glamourous, I'm usually covered in vegemite, puke, milk, chocolate, noodles or fruit, geez somedays I don't even get a loo break... But the rewards far outweigh any negatives. Watching three little people grow from babies, witnessing their milestones, being here to apply bandaids and give cuddles, helping to shape their minds and give them an education, well all that certainly trumps any paid work I can think of. I'm lucky to be here, to be able to stay home. Financially it will be a little 'snug' and we don't have a plan much past the next two years but that's ok. I will be forever grateful for this time as I know not every parent has the luxury. And when I do go back to paid work, after motherhood has kicked my arse for a few years, I'll be able to handle anything thrown at me.

A little note for future me so I can remember how the kids were at this point in time:
Monkey Man is 29mths old and getting smarter everyday. He repeats everything we say, and has a vast knowledge of animals and things, not to mention knows every single train from Thomas the Tank Engine. I blame/thank daycare for this as yes we read books but the kid knows stuff we've never talked about. He's train mad and we all have to play trains everyday. Thomas is pretty much his favorite word.
Missy Moo is 17mths old (yesterday) and she too is getting smarter everyday. Shes's mastered the word milk which until this week was 'momo' and also book... Both are now repeated frequently. She loves to dance and is bopping away as soon as any music comes on. She's also decided she hates clothes and would much rather be naked all the time. She's showing interest in the potty but is yet to do anything in it. I wouldn't be surprised if she toilet trained before her big brother.
Little Miss is 5mths old (2 days ago) and has found her voice. She loves to squeal and shouts for attention, understandible really. Her first two teeth (bottom ones) are visible under the gum but yet to poke through. I've tried her on some solids a couple of times and she's not very interested although she did destroy her first rusk yesterday. Yet to sleep through the night.
The two older ones play together well most of the time with alot of fighting thrown in. They desperately want Little Miss to play too so it will be lovely to see that develop over time. They smother her with kisses and cuddles which has to be supervised as the line between affection and suffocation is very thin in most instances. They're just beautiful kids and my greatest achievements, EVER!