Ella Speaks - Diary of a Working Mom

I had a great first day at work. It started off with an unexpected broken street light that backed up traffic, but everything else was smooth sailing.

My husband took the day off to take care of our daughter since my mom was having eye surgery (Mom is A-OK), which turned out great because they bonded, she napped for 2.5 hours, and had a grand ol’ time! In fact, today she said Tato (dad in Ukrainian) was her favorite! I’m not jealous at all cause we all know who her regular favorite is ;-)

She adjusted well to the change and I’m hoping she keeps it up cause we are still trying to figure out her real childcare schedule that’ll kick in in two weeks.

Thank you God for a very smooth first day. I think I’m gonna like my new gig :)

My summer ended today on a high note. While today marks the last day of summer for me (I start my new job tomorrow), it is also our sixth wedding anniversary! Thanks to my mother-in-law for the reminder :) We forget every year because we had a court wedding in NY and a CA wedding with all our family and friends several months later. The latter date was on all the invitations, etc., etc. And it was Memorial Day weekend so it’s a bit difficult not to forget that one.

To celebrate, we had a nice sushi dinner tonight - just the three of us :) We didn’t plan it to happen this way, but about seven years ago, my husband and I had our first date at a Japanese restaurant in Great Neck, NY, where our story began. After our court wedding, we had lunch at Benihana. We’re not even huge fans of Japanese food, but I guess on our 10th anniversary maybe we should go to Japan and keep the Japanese-themed tradition going ;-)

Anyway, it was also a bitter sweet day. I have to be honest, I’m not as thrilled to go back to work for a few reasons, and the most significant one being that I won’t get to hang out with my daughter all day long. While her schedule will probably get messed up and her potting training may regress, I’m going to miss her like crazy! I’m sure all will be just fine and the world won’t end, but that’s the feeling I’m having the eve before my first day of work at my new job.

I felt less productive staying at home because the days went by so quickly. It’ll be great to adjust to a new work routine, be in a corporate setting and juggle it all with home life again. But 1 1/2 months of having unrushed breakfast with my daughter every morning was a little piece of heaven that I will always treasure.

We’ll see how my daughter feels about the change, but I think she’s ready. We promised her that she’ll go back to preschool two days a week and she was more than thrilled about it. I had one of the best summers ever and I’m so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend it with my daughter.

I am sooo glad to have had a one month vacation this summer. I’m having so much fun with Cupcake. It stinks to get laid off, but I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy a month-long vacay any other time. Especially now that I’ll be starting a new job next Tuesday with time off benefits that aren’t as great as my old job. Yep, I have a new job :)

Since I accepted the job offer, I’ve been really enjoying staying at home because the pressure is now off. We had some fun activities all week long including hanging out with old friends and meeting new friends! (I’m pretty sure my hubby is jealous cause we get to play while he’s hard at work… I’ll have to think of something to make up for it.)

It’s been hot all week and it was a nice treat to visit the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. It was our first time. They had a lot of outdoor activities including a manmade stream that kids can enjoy. I was nervous that my two-year-old kept attempting to climb up the rocky stream like the big kids. She is constantly testing her boundaries. Typical toddler!

We had another water adventure today at a nearby shopping area where they have a fountain that shoots water from the ground. It was lot of fun and my daughter learned to keep her mouth closed and hold her breath when the water shoots up, all on her own. Too funny. I think we are gonna try it again tomorrow after her afternoon nap since we don’t have a community pool at our new house.

The countdown is on until my first day back to work! I was beyond thrilled when someone at my new job called me earlier this week to postpone my start date to Tuesday so I can enjoy one more day of hanging out with my best gal. I wish I had one more week of arts and crafts, exploring new parks, playdates, library visits and water adventures on hot summer days. But I’m so blessed and grateful for the month-long staycation with my daughter.

Here’s a preview of a future blog post… too cute, this girl.

A friend’s wife blogged about oobleck. Weird name, right? I never heard of it until now, but I’m buying some cornstarch tomorrow to try it out with Cupcake. The blog post includes a video of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and a stunt using oobleck.

I’ll let the blog post do all the talking. Check it out: http://www.jugglingwithkids.com/2011/08/oooooooh-oobleck.html

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post. Soooo much has changed! After my last post, things got even busier for me and my family.

On a Friday afternoon in April, we closed escrow on our new house and we started packing our humble abode around midnight. I wouldn’t really call it packing as much as stuffing all our things in extra large trash bags to move a few miles to a house with a big yard so our four-legged family member, Sasha, can have more space to run free with Cupcake.

My family should get an award for the fastest move, ever. Because by Saturday evening, we were almost fully moved! Yes, that’s right. Not packed, but moved. I give all credit to my no-funny-business-get-things-done-now-Eastern-European-I-love-him-dearly-husband. And we haven’t looked back. Our condo was rented in two weeks and we were happy homeowners.

I took a peek at my last blog posts and yes, much has changed. But it’s all for the better. My sister graduated from college and we had a big party at our new house. My mom turned 60. The weather is warmer…

One of the posts was about my jealousy of youngins enjoying spring break. Well, my friend, I should change the subtitle of this blog (Diary of a Working Mom) because I’m enjoying a summer break… I’ve experienced my first, and hopefully last, layoff.

It’s a blessing in disguise. Instead of being stuck in a freezing office on a nice summer afternoon… I get to have breakfast or lunch in our backyard with my clever two-year-old and her best buddy, Sasha. Or chill at our neighbor’s swimming pool on a hot day. I also now have more time to find jobs and go on job interviews. I was actually seeking other job opportunities prior to the layoff, which was difficult to do with a full-time job (and having a family and a long daily commute, etc.). Job hunting itself is like a full-time job!

Also, my husband’s cousin is visiting the U.S. from Ukraine and stayed with us for a couple of weeks. I wouldn’t have been able to play host had I had a job. We went to San Francisco last weekend and it was so refreshing to not have to stress about going back to work mode on Monday morning.

Ahhh, the little things. But I have to admit, the day goes by so fast and I don’t have enough time to do everything I need to do. I felt more productive being a working mom vs. staying at home! Strange thing to comprehend, but true. And my best friend shared the same sentiment.

I have to say… It’s been a month since the layoff and I am very excited about the next chapter in my life/career. I am not sure where I’ll land next, but I sure hope the location is closer to home! Another change since my last blog post: the carpool lane sticker on my hybrid car expired and I’m back in the not-so-fast-lane vs. the HOV lane. Boo-hoo!