The week before last my husband's work schedule changed (again). While at the moment it seems like this schedule will be in effect until at least the beginning of June, I don't want to get in trouble by counting on it. This new schedule has meant we need an additional day of childcare during the week, and on different days than we had needed childcare previously. Luckily this month our childcare provider had a spot open for Thursdays, so we switched to 3 days a week this month, and that solved half the problem, but the other day (Tuesday) is not an option. So I now stay home with Little M on Tuesdays.
The downside is that on one hand our childcare expenses are up this month and on the other hand my work hours are down, so unless I make efforts to fit work hours in at home or by staying longer on the days that I am at work, my pay drops. Arg. I know we can make it work and likely not even have to mess around with our budget this month, and I'm trying to look on the up side (ie I get to stay home with my daughter more), and not worry about the summer months, but I'm finding it hard to adapt to this new schedule, and I'm finding myself slipping into resenting the change.
I'm sorry for the complaints, really, my life is not bad at all! And if I end up having to reduce my hours, its not like it means we will go hungry, or go into debt, so really, I should be adapting better here! I guess I need to take some time and get used to the change, and give myself some flexibility in meeting other commitments while we settle in to this new schedule. Happy thoughts, right? :)
My first reaction is to try and work my schedule around to fit everything into my week - added time with Little M, additional hours to make up for the increased childcare costs (oh, and did I mention additional gas costs since my husband's work is suddenly not providing a take home vehicle?), different nights that I am responsible for making dinner, different days that I need to take her to daycare, etc. I know, however that the only way I can fit in all of the extras is to reduce my sleep time, or reduce something else which would most likely be 'me time'.
I find that if I don't sit down and make lists to prioritize my time when things change drastically, then I get caught up in keeping up, and the things that are most important to me get lost in the shuffle. So my next step is to sit down and make a list of all my commitments, and see what and where I can cut obligations or time... Now I feel better :)
The challenge we face with adapting to change is knowing that it always benefits us. It doesn't seem like it at the time, but there is something good to come of it. I promise it works that way. Just stay open and see what comes your way. Writing things down always helps me too.
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean about shift change, Rob has had the same shift(a good one) for about 5 years now. It might be changing soon, to the rotational shift, grrrrrrr. But we will adapt as we always do;)Hope it all works out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement ladies! :) I've been trying to keep my thoughts on the positives of this change (one more day a week that I get to spend with my daughter, one day a week that all three of us get to spend as a family, etc), writing it down helps!
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