I Got An Attitude Adjustment

It seems I’ve gotten an attitude adjustment in the past 48 hours.

I was wondering why I was such a crab the past couple weeks . . . I mean, I didn’t have to get up and go to work or anything. I just had to get the kids to school, then the day was mine to do with what I wanted. Go to the gym, which I was annoyed at not making enough time for. Clean the house, which I was annoyed at not having (OK making) enough time for.

I have a couple contract jobs that were hanging over my head . . . I didn’t do them in December - still had a job and the holidays and all that jazz. I did not make time for them, which was a huge weight on my shoulders.

I was pissed. Seriously, I’m not that bummed about being layed off . . . it is totally the kick in the behind I needed to do something else that I’ve been talking about for months. But it still sucks . . . even though there were a ton of writers laid off, why me? Why not someone else? I couldn’t figure out why I was so mad about it . . . I was OK with being layed off . . . but I was still mad about it. Looking back, I was madder about it than I thought at the time.

I was having a hard time adjusting to being a SAHM. I’ve always been a working mom and wife. I’ve always WANTED to be a working mom and wife. I was pissed that I wasn’t that working mom and wife anymore.

Monday, we had a great time snowboarding with the family and friends. If I were working, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity when the kids had the day off of school, at least not without taking a PTO day.

I woke up Tuesday happy as a clam. Even though I got no sleep Monday night, I woke up refreshed and happy. Seriously, I haven’t woken up with a smile on my face for a long time. Not that I was unhappy, but maybe just dreading another of the same day. My tail used to wag on my way to work - it had stopped wagging. There was more barking and less wagging. Not a good thing. (See, the layoff was a blessing in disguise!).

In the past couple days, I finished those contract jobs. Woo hoo! No longer hanging over my head. And it feels GOOOOOD!!! Huge smile on my face from that one.

My house is clean. My laundry is done. And I don’t have to do it in the evening or on the weekend when I’d rather be playing with the kids and hubby. I saved $8 on my $40 grocery bill yesterday. That made me happy, so I took the kids out for dinner last night.

I reduced our membership at the golf club, so it’s $20/month now instead of $350. Huge weight off my non-income making shoulders.

I signed our family up for a membership at the new YMCA by our house . . . a whoppin’ $80/month. That felt awesome! I’m so happy we can do that. We’re still saving $250/month on the club memberships.

At the Y is where I realized I’d adjusted, after 3 weeks, to my new status as SAHM. I was chatting with the lady at the front desk and she was telling me all about the classes etc. that are included with membership. She asked me when I would most likely come, and I asked “When is it the least busy?” She said “Well, in about 10 minutes it gets really busy after all the other SAHMs drop their kids off at school and come in.”

“All the other SAHMs.”

Someone else had called me a SAHM. I AM a SAHM. I’ve walked around with a smile on my face for the past 2 days. It feels good.