1/24/2017

Soundbite Updates (and please give a shout-out)

First I have a request - I know everyone's busy, but I would appreciate a shout-out in the comments if you read this blog. Comments make me feel happy, connected to other women, and inspired to keep posting. Thank you!

Soundbite updates:
  • My first paid hours are scheduled at Santa Rosa! Two hours of training (equal to 5 hours of non-profit work!), but it's a start! Still waiting to hear back on the assignment in Petaluma...
  • I bought my first nursery decor item; isn't it cute? Makes me so happy.
  • My housemate moved out. Yep. Gave totally last minute notice, said it wasn't about me, and moved out on Saturday and Monday. I am angry but what is the point of dwelling on it? She took care of herself and did what she felt like doing. Boo. If I get hours at Santa Rosa, I can stay here by myself... Also, silver lining, she did say she will be paying February rent, since she just gave notice.
  • Got one new client, but he is paying monthly. An extra couple hundred plus a month but not a significant impact in this moment.
  • Met with an adoptive mom who lives not far from where I work in Marin. She and her husband let me hold their 7-month-old foster baby and feed him a bottle. So sweet! She clued me in to a foster infant furniture resource nearby, and I am waiting to hear back on whether and when I can visit.
  • I have two phone interviews this week; one later today, and one on Wednesday morning. I'm not super excited about either one but on the good side, they pay well and are part-time to coordinate with my business work and hopefully time with a child. Also, the college near me FINALLY posted a part-time counseling position, which I applied for yesterday. Fingers crossed. This is back-up, and maybe in addition to, Santa Rosa.
  • I marched in the Women's March on Saturday and felt inspired. Historical day that I know many people don't understand, but many clearly do. The recent health care vote and soon-to-happen Supreme Court nomination are two of many reasons to be uniting in our power as women (and men who love and support women) to take a stand for our well-being and rights. Hoping that we can make a difference together!

1/14/2017

Hanging on

The past couple of days were super stressful, but I'm feeling better and more hopeful today. The stress is related to finances. I told a friend yesterday that I feel like I'm hanging on, trying to plug up leaks in my life raft until I can get to safety.

I feel I have done everything I can do in terms of applying for jobs in my field (after losing my part-time college hours a year ago). I applied for two more recently. And I actually landed another part-time job! But it feels like it's taking FOREVER to find out if I have an assignment this semester or not. I'm trying to keep grounded and calm but when those leaks keep springing up, it's hard.

Then my battery died at work last Wednesday - I think I left my overhead light on - and, after getting help jumping it and driving it home, it was dead again the next morning. I might have left the light on again? That would be so so embarrassing. I'm not sure if I did, though. In any case, I had to get two more jumps yesterday, the second from my insurance roadside assistance. After that one, I drove the car around for a looong time to make sure I had done everything I could to charge it. The guy told me my hybrid only charges when driving 25 mph or faster. I had no clue!

I have yet to try and start it today, but I'm going to do it right before I need to leave for my SMC adopt meeting; fingers crossed. The meeting is not in any way official, just three or four of us local SMCs who plan to adopt getting together again for mutual support and learning from one another, but I really hope I can go! If not, I'm stranded at home until I can have the car towed to the shop to get a new battery installed.

I have done everything I can to apply for college jobs, but I have NOT done everything I can to find new clients. The holidays were a super busy time (I could have tried harder though), and it seems few people are receptive to marketing during that time, anyway. Also, another of my clients graduated. Sooo, less income coming in recently. Please think good thoughts for me on Monday at 1pm. I have a phone call with a potential client who actually already said yes in November but then went into rehab. and is just now available. I think it would be great to work with him and feel I can offer beneficial support in his career (and life) transition. I am also getting back into attending networking groups and setting up appointments to meet with people one-on-one who might become referral partners. Longing again for a virtual assistant to help me keep up with the ongoing marketing/outreach cycle...

A couple of updates:

Dating: Turns out the guy I was talking on the phone with is not in any way ready to date. He is underemployed, struggling financially, and I am pretty sure depressed. Put it that way, maybe I'm not ready to date either! (not depressed, though)

Adoption: My second social worker meeting went very well. She asked me the tough psychological questions about my childhood and life experiences. At the end, she said she thought I had experiences that would make me understand and be a good parent for an adopted child, and that I was very self-aware. I felt encouraged! The third meeting, which we scheduled for next Thursday, will be the last interview segment about parenting and discipline, then we will make one more appointment to do the final house review. Before then, I need to figure out my damn finances and get a crib and a couple of other items. I do feel happy about items I've checked off the list, such as the trac phone, medicine lockbox, laundry room lock with toxics inside, family book almost complete, paperwork in, etc.

1/08/2017

Continued Preparations as the Storm Rages

Feeling a bit blah today... After I write this post, I'm going to go watch the final available episode of  Pold@rk. Have any of you seen this series on PBS? Really engaging and fun to watch, at least for me.

It's storming out, as the weather forecasters promised. Lots of high winds and torrential rains. Supposedly, there has been a foot or more of rain in some areas. I am fortunate not to live near any large bodies of water, but I'm worried about the drive to work in Marin County tomorrow. We will see how it goes and what the reports say tomorrow morning. Even as I'm typing this, it's calmed down a little outside. In Oregon there has been snow, and my sister-in-law posted a video of my brother skate-sliding down their icy street, so I'm glad to not be up there right now.

In readiness for Tuesday's social worker visit, I ordered and received dozens of Family Book pages from a non-profit (in Oregon actually!) that supplies these. There are different themes and scrapbook-type decorations, as well as extra stickers, and you just arrange and add the pictures. I picked up around 40 prints from the drugstore a couple days ago, including pictures I took on this latest holiday trip, as well as many from family trips to Lake Tahoe, and pictures of me doing activities I enjoy. Several pictures of Zoey or me and Zoey together hiking or playing, etc. My three-ring memory book binder is due to arrive Tuesday, so I may not have it before the social worker comes. Maybe I'll try to assemble some pages anyway, prior to having a book to put them in.

I also ordered a lock box for medications from Best Buy, which should arrive by Monday, and my housemate put a lock on the laundry room door and bought some large storage shelving. I saw that she had an ulterior motive in then asking to put her (large) shoe rack and another storage item in there, but it's well worth it. :) We can lock any "toxic" items like cleaning products, etc., as required. I think I still need to child proof all the cupboards/drawers in the kitchen with dishes and silverware - definitely the drawers with knives! Some of them are still childproofed from my previous housemate for her grandson, but some have been removed.

I can't buy some of the children's room decor I would like yet, like a large rug, fabric to make the ceiling like a circus tent, and some really cool vintage circus posters I found. But my ex, S, has arranged for the large, uncomfortable bed to be picked up Monday morning and my smaller bed to be returned. He asked me to sell the frame, and I think I found a buyer to pick that up Tuesday evening. I will just have it disassembled and stacked against the entry way wall when the social worker comes. This will open up more space in the bedroom for a crib, changing table, dresser, etc.

There is still hope I will get counseling hours at Santa Rosa this semester. The department head said she will know more later this month. Fingers crossed!!! I would love to work one day a week up there, or I think I could coordinate hours to work on one or two of my non-profit job days, as well. That would mean a lot of driving on those days, but I would prefer that if I could keep one or two days for my business (and potentially spending time with a child). In the meanwhile, I heard back that I did not get the full-time Napa job that had the 9-person interview panel, and I still have two or three additional applications for which I'm waiting to hear back.

On the business-building front, I attended a local referral networking meeting that I hope to join in a couple of months. I can visit two more times before then, at which point I will have to pay several hundred dollars to join for a year. This is well worth it, as referrals are the best way to gain new clients. One new client would cover the fee, or I can make this payment when I receive the court case disbursement, which they say will finally go out in March (initially they said January). The people in this group were very nice, and it's held weekly at a Unity Church not too far away. I also have a Meetup scheduled for the 19th and sent out a recent message offering free consultations.

I met a guy online who seems interesting, but I'll know more if we ever meet up. lol  So far, we have had a couple of good phone conversation and are scheduled to talk this evening. More on that later...