Detective is Part of My Job

I finally found one job which does not exactly correspond with the normal duties expected with the job title. Yes, I am a detective. No, I do not solve crimes or find missing people. I do, however, solve mysteries. The mysteries are various and best presented in list form.

• missing shoes or other articles of clothing
• how to organize a house with little children
• where the can opener got put away this time
• what we were talking about yesterday
• what the child is actually saying or talking about; sometimes it seems like interpreting a foreign language
• how to do homework with the child
• what is that smell
• where could the puzzle piece gone
• did the dog run off again; and if so, where did she go
• when was the last time xxx was washed
• did the children do their chores
• did someone get the mail/mail that item
• which people are we giving Christmas gifts to this year
• what to give as Christmas gifts
• what is the theme for child birthday party(s)
• what's for dinner
• what to put in our food storage
• how to rotate our food storage
• what is our budget
• where is our money going
• what goes in our suitcase for a trip
• when are we getting together with friends/family again
• what are the addresses of the people we want to visit or send things to
• have the children outgrown their clothes
• do the children need new clothes
• where can I find inexpensive, durable, nice looking clothes
• which store is having which items on sale
• how do I take away that favorite toy or blanket the child has outgrown
• how much is the stuff we donate to charity worth
• who can use the stuff we are getting rid of and how do we get it to them
• when do we do homework and reading
• how many books can we feasibly bring home from the library without loosing children or breaking Mom's back
• which library books are due and of those, which ones have we read
• is the baby teething, sick, tired, or just being fussy
• what does the baby want
• how can we more wisely use our resources
• where did xxx go and who had it last
• how do I find or make time to do the things I enjoy and take care of myself
• what new hairstyle will work in my daughter's hair

Just to name a few.

I Can Add Alterations to My Resume

I recently started doing alterations for myself and some of my friends. This time I actually got paid instead of just trading favors, and it was my toughest alteration yet. This was a sleeveless, strapless dress with a thick bodice that needed to be taken in one-inch on both sides. I did it, and it fits my friend perfectly! I also added snaps to the dress and bolero so that she could be completely modest without having to tug on her top to keep everything covered during the wedding and the following festivities.

Gardener & Landscaper, Part of My Job

I love to mow the lawn and work in the garden! Michael is not a huge fan and so he lets me do it most of the time. Though he is a ton of help when I give him something specific to do. Thus, at our house I do the mowing and most of the edging, planting, weeding, harvesting, organizing, and designing of our yard. Right now I am (and have been all spring and summer) of rearranging our flower beds and putting some more in around our trees. I have the mulch and the stones to do, I just need less heat and more time outside. I like having Gardener and Landscaper as part of my job.

Caterer, Cook, & Dishwasher, Part of My Job

Part of my job includes planning meals, buying groceries and other supplies, and cleaning up afterwards. I say "caterer" because it is my job to find things my family members like to and will eat as well as making sure that food is purchased, prepared, and created for special occasions. I include "cook" because more often then not I am the one who is fixing and preparing the food. The "dishwasher" part comes with the clean up after each meal, whether I am using an electronic dishwasher or washing the dishes by hand someone has to be on clean up detail.

Administrator & Administrative Assitant, Part of My Job

As a mother, I have the opportunity to be the administrator of chores, fun, and learning in our home. I am responsible to demonstrate how tasks are completed and see to it assigned tasks are completed. On the other hand, I am also the administrative assistant because I am the one who restocks supplies, completes paperwork, schedules outings and play dates, and runs the majority of errands. A brief outline of two demanding jobs I am able to do every week at our house.

Entertainer, Part of My Job Description

I am the chief entertainer at my house. I provide, schedule, and plan entertainment and activities for my family. I am able to choose what movies our children watch and what games, electronic and board, they play. Some days I enjoy planning activities for my family. Other days I wish the children would entertain themselves more. Th title Entertainer is often self-imposed but is sometimes requested of me by my children.

We have become quite creative around here with what we do for entertainment. Sometimes all we need is cookie cutters and cookie dough. Other times we need paints and paper. We have even found multiple uses for cardboard boxes and creating costumes or dress ups. Our activities range from inside our house to outside in the yard or neighborhood to going to the park or movies to using our memberships. I try to keep our activities varied yet simple on most days. On a few special occasions, our activities are a little bit more elaborate or expensive but always enjoyable.

Housekeeper, Fits into My Job Description

I am the Housekeeper at my house. I see to it cleaning gets done, whether I do it myself or I have someone help me do it. Cleaning includes the (hopefully) weekly tasks of bathroom toliets, sinks, mirrors, tubs, and floors; kitchen counters, sink, dishes, stove, table, and floor; vacuuming bedrooms, living room, and family room; purchasing and replacing cleaning supplies; taking out the trash, replacing trash bags, and general picking up and putting away. The other housekeeping tasks that need to be done include, but are not limited to, scrubbing windows (inside and out), scrubbing cupboards, vacuuming stairs, washing walls, shampooing carpets, cleaning out the garage,cleaning out and scrubbing the fridge, cleaning the oven, and decluttering. This part of my job is something I am always trying to improve and stay on top of, but it is also one of the areas I find challenging.

Cosmetologist, That's Part of My Job

A self-appointed cosmetologist,t that is. I do mine and my daughter's hair every day, I do manicures with and without color, I trim all of my children's toenails and fingernails, I cut and trim each child's hair, and I have even graduated to trimming my own hair. If I wasn't the one who was lucky enough to do these things, I would be the one who makes the appointments and take them to those appointments. Instead, I help our family save a little money by learning to do a little bit all by myself.

Laundress, That's Part of My Job

I sort the laundry (with help from my kiddos now they are big enough); I wash, dry, and fold the laundry; and I put away my clothes, the baby's clothes, and help my big kids make sure they get their clean clothes put away. I also purchase clothes, remove small clothes and replace them with bigger clothes, mend clothes, try to remove stains from clothes, discard clothes too worn out or stained to be worn, recycle clothes, and sew new clothes. I do my best to make sure Michael's suits get to the dry cleaners and picked up and that we always have enough clean clothes to wear. Did I mention I make sure we have season appropriate clothing as well? And I get to shop for and clean shoes as the need arises? Last, but not least, I have the opportunity to teach my children how to do their own laundry which is happening a little at a time given their current ages of 6, 4, and 6 months.

Librarian & Tutor Fall Under My Job Description

I took this picture at the library one day when Benjamin was sharing books with a new "friend." As a mom, I get to take my kiddos to the library about every other week or so (we used to go every week, but we have a lot going on and can't get through all of our books fast enough) and pick out books to read. We read books about behavior, animals, cooking, seasons, science, history, holidays, movies, choices, and lots more.

I also have the privilege of keeping track of the library books at our house and making sure they get back to the library on time. We have a system that we have worked out to keep track of the books and which ones we have read. On the bottom shelf of one of the bookshelves of our family room, we put all of our library books after we check them out. After we read the books we put them back in our beach-bag-sized library bag so they are ready to go back to the library. It has taken a couple of years to get the system down, but now that we all know how it works our system works very well.

Going to library and learning new things also includes tutoring. I don't tutor my children in the formal sense as much as I try to help them learn about the things they are interested in and show them which resources are available to them. Now that Benjamin is in school, I also get to read his school books with him and help him with his homework. We do math, science, reading, writing, spelling, and a variety of other things. I am so glad that I am able to share this process of learning with him while watching him grow and increase in knowledge every day.

Yes, Librarian and Tutor definitely fit into my job description.

Accountant is Part of my Job Description

Being a "stay-at-home" mom, my job description is often muddled. Having so many responsibilities makes the tasks of each day different and varied. I am trying to define myself and my duties a little bit more each day so I can give people a better idea of what it is I actually do. I will probably be writing more posts that include "part of my job description" in the title as I am able to pinpoint parts of my job that have the same title as other people's full time jobs.

Now, on to the description part. As the family accountant, it is my responsibility to pay the bills, put money in savings, record where all of our money goes, reconcile our accounts, and determine if and when we have the resources for large purchases. Twice a month I sit down and spend a concentrated amount of time doing this and try to keep our budget in mind as I make purchases the rest of the month. Yesterday, I sat down to pay the bills and balance the checkbook and I realized it was time to make some adjustments to our budget and bills to provide for a much needed, larger purchase. I am proud to say that after an hour's time and several phone calls (and several phone calls made last week) I was able to reduce some of our recurring bills by a total of $80. Just a small victory in trying to reevaluate our current expenses to help provide for something else.

I enjoy when my job calls for something beyond the normal routine. It helps me improve my problem solving skills and reach new goals. I also appreciate my husband's in-put on financial decisions and his confidence in me on how we spend the money he so generously provides through his full time job. I would have to say that today the "accountant" surpassed expectations in completing her job.

Plumber is Part of My Job Description

As a Domestic Engineer I have a variety of titles that fall into my job description. For example, chauffer (taking the kids places out of necessity or for entertainment), tutor (I help Benjamin do his homework and read his books), accountant (I pay the bills, budget our money, and make most of our purchases), cook, laundress, janitor, and housekeeper to name a few. Occasionally, I come across something that does not fall into my "usual" jobs category. One day, a couple of weeks ago now, I took it upon myself to purchase a handy-dandy $3 drain unclogging tool. I spent about an hour unclogging our tub drain and removed all kinds of hair and gunk (no, I did not take pictures because that would be too gross) from our tub drain. Now we do not have to take foot baths at the same time we shower because the tub actually drains. Hopefully I won't have the exercise that talent, or my new tool, again anytime soon. I think I would rather stick using the plunger on clogged toliets when I have to play plumber next.

Blog Title Change

I am changing the name of my blog (or have already changed it, if you glance at the top.) I've done it before, and I might do it again. I keep trying to find something that suites our family, and my life, that is also more interesting than "Charlynn's Blog."

I want it to say something interesting without being too sappy. I want it to be something that kind of sticks in your head without being annoying. I want it to define me and my life in a quirky kind of way.

Not sure if I'm there yet, but we'll try something new for a while. What do you think?