My New Gig

Ladies and gentlefellows, I got a new job! Meet my boss:

Old man Benton. He may be small, but he clearly means business.

This week marks major changes for our tiny family. Monday was Justin’s first day at work as a salaried member of working society. It was also the day that I let my team at the office know that I am not returning to said working society.

We have decided that we can make this stay-at-home-mom thing happen for me.

How do I feel? LUCKY. Thrilled. Challenged. Nervous.

I know there are thousands of moms that would love to be in my position, but they have to return to work after the puny FMLA 12 weeks or even sooner. Their hearts are breaking during their first daycare drop-off, and possibly every drop-off after that. For this reason, I will remind myself daily NEVER to take this SAHM thing for granted. I really do know how lucky I am. When I got pregnant, I was the only breadwinner, and we didn’t imagine this would be possible. But things changed quickly.

There are also parents out there who are quite happy to return to their careers when their parental leave is over. They have great things going for them at work, and would go completely nuts if they had to stay home. They are providing a good life for their family with every paycheck that goes in the bank. It turns out that I’m just not one of these people, but have a lot of respect for the working parent that makes it all happen.

Will I miss my job as an art director at a big huge agency? No. Not at all actually. I’m sure there is someone out there who will be more than happy to replace me.

I will miss the people a lot, but that is about it.

Will I miss the commute? NO. Dumb question.

When is the next baby coming, now that I am staying at home? I CAN’T believe I have been asked this already.*

*I also can’t believe I am not scared or offended by it. But seriously. Give me a second.

Since I do have some design skills that lend themselves to being a WAHM someday, that may come into play at some point. But for now? SAHM is all I can handle.

And like any new employee, I am still getting the feel of things here in my new role. Hopefully the boss goes easy on me. Luckily, I hear he naps a lot and has a short memory. I predict that my self-appraisals will be much harsher than those from my supervisor.

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In other news, we went on another road trip to see my mom in my hometown of Kalamazoo last weekend. Benton and his dad explored a backyard for the first time. NATURE!

Tiny feet touch tiny blades of grass for the first time. Click the photo to see more.

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And in other other news, I have committed to blogging every day for the month of September. Like in the old days. So stay tuned and let me have it if you don’t see anything new up here on a daily basis.

Review of Leo 21

Seems like all the hot restaurants have a number in their name. Zed 451, Hub 51, Bin 36–the list goes on. I would like to add the 21st floor of my office to the list. Leo 21. Here is a beautiful image of the fare.

Mmmm... the Hot Diggity. I can never decide between you and the Big Az Burger (not shown...but surely freezer burnt as well)

There are at least 5 vending machines of various refrigeration, including an ice cream machine. You can pair your dinner with a choice of fine syrupy beverages, ranging from dark brown to suspiciously clear. And for dessert? I suggest something more creative such as the Snyder’s Snickers.

Simply purchase #150 and #123 in the first vending machine. Chop snickers, place on pretzels, nuke it for 20 seconds and then share.

This is the perfect sweet and savory snack for about 3 pm. You will likely get a decent sugar rush and then fall asleep while waiting for your file to open up off the server. Oh, the glamorous life of working in advertising.

If you are at home, this recipe is actually ridiculously delicious and worth making for a party or holiday…or mid-afternoon snack.

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By the way, the April showers can stop now. It is a soggy situation here in Chicago and I am over it. At least the flowers are loving it.

Happy May.

Wonderwall

I don’t have a cube at work. I have never worked in a cube. I am about to move into one in the near future.

What does this mean for me? No more window overlooking the Chicago river for one. My plan is to make the best of it and treat it like a tiny apartment that I would like to hang out in rather than hang myself in. This means immediately blocking out any overhead light. Filling the space with proper lighting. And covering up the blocks that build the cube with something. Can I build a roof? How many CB2, West elm, and Etsy packages is the mail room willing to deliver me at work? Can Porpus come?

Though I have to share my current office space, it is pretty much the size of my first Chicago apartment. We have a corner view and a door. And walls that go up to the ceiling! Sometimes there are meetings in there, which is the only major complaint for me. My roommates are spectacular and have no ogre habits or desk drumming skills to note. They have excellent taste in music, and are willing to entertain experimental lighting ideas. I will miss their daily company.

In my little corner of the room, I have my wall of happy. I enjoy it daily, and it is fun to look at while I wait for Illustrator to crash or the server to freak out and take 10 years to open a 2k image. Not sure if the whole wonderwall will travel with me to the future cube, but I will definitely be taking Deery Lou’s Champagne fantasy and the angry white kitty.

Daily Picture of Happiness Purgatory

Just so we are clear, the Daily Picture of Happiness being suspended until the camera arrives.

This was not a particularly happy day at work. Layoffs happened company wide, and although most of our team was safe, there were some losses. In the midst of this sadness, I am happy to report that my office mates and I are still living together. I would take a picture to show you their awesomeness, but I don’t want to make you jealous. And also I can’t really because of the whole camera thing. Maybe I will draw them tomorrow.