Sunday Shopping

My mother-in-law, Kyle and I went shopping today.  We stopped by Ross and Costco.  I bought a trash can and shower liner for our bathroom.  I also bought dress socks for work.

While at Ross, I wanted to look for ceramic planter pots.  I have been wanting a ceramic pot since I have only used plastic pots in the past.  I found a really cute ceramic pot that was two or three different colors.  It is shaped like an over sized tea cup!  I was going to get two but decided to get only one for now.  I am still wanting to get potting soil to transplant my plants. 

At Costco, I ended up getting Spray ‘n Wash for laundry stains and AAA batteries.  Every time we go, we always get the samples!  Kyle eats about half of them and I end up eating his.  I saw a really cute hooded zip up sweater that was $20 but passed on it.  Now I regret not getting it.  It was light weight but looked like it would keep me warm. 

Customer Care Center

Our agency went through a huge change.  Most people were moved to different areas of the building to accommodate our services to make it easier for our customers.  Soon after I started, my supervisor urged me to apply for a "worker" position -- a promotion.  That way, when I want to move to another county or another state, I would be more valuable to the new agency.  As a worker, they maintain food stamp or medicaid cases. It sounds to be very stressful.

My official title is office assistant/call center representative.  Now that we are now settled in to the call center, we will soon be classified as a "worker."  The title seems to be "eligibility worker."  I will be handed the "promotion" without having to apply for it.  Our call center consists of the two of us from the previous call center and the the five others are medicaid or food stamp workers.  Our area has been working together and they are helping us to answer questions.  We are helping each other and it seems we all get along great.

Last Friday, the "workers" that joined our call center had a chance to learn the phone system and how to answer questions, etc.  We have to be ready to go on Monday.  We will need the medicaid workers help with answering the medicaid line.  The food stamp line is always the busiest and thankfully we will have a food stamp worker in our area now.  She will be helping us with that line.

Since the workers are transferred into the call center, they still have cases that they are trying to finish up to hand off to the department that will take them over.  Since they will still be working on their cases, they will also help answer the medicaid line. 

There are high hopes for the call center and our director is really excited.  We are a part of the the "customer care center."  We are the call center and the other area is the main window that people will go to for quick things, such as dropping of things for their worker, leaving a message for their worker, etc.  Essentially, the "customer care center" will be "workers" to help the other workers focus on their cases.  We will help people update their cases over the phone.  We will soon be able to print things off for them and mail them to out to the customer, and do many more things for people. 

I am more excited for the "promotion" without the pay...  I have been told that we will be classified as "eligibility workers" and we may be re-evaluated for the raise in pay.  I am really not concerned with the pay.  As soon as I have the title, I will be updating my resume to reflect the change. 

New houseplants

I went a little crazy over the last few weeks and bought new houseplants.  I found two at Walmart that were the healthiest.  Every other plant at Walmart was dead, droopy or just looked like they were going to die.  The two that I found happened to be ones that I really wanted.  One of them I had before but sadly had to get rid of.  I now have Pothos Marble Queen and Philodendron Brasil.

I also bought two different types of spider plants on ebay.  I bought a curly spider plant, which I had before but had to get rid off.  I also bought miniature spider plants.  I was sent 3 babies! 

I now have two plants at work with me.  I keep my Pothos Marble Queen and one of my miniature spider plants on my desk! 

Working on my credit

This week, I received my new credit card!   I have been browsing a few online stores (Kohl's and JC Penney) here and there for sales.  I am on their email mailing list so they send me at least 3 emails a week with sales and discounts they have going. 

About a month ago, I bought new clothes at JC Penney because when I tried shopping on Kohl's website, it would always redirect me to yahoo.  I took it as a sign that I need to shop elsewhere.

Unfortunately, when I went to shop on Kohl's website again, it redirected me again!  I decided to go to JC Penney's website instead.

All of the clothes I bought were on clearance and I had a special coupon code to use which helped me save even more!  I bought a pair of casual flats, pants, two tops and a pair of jeans!  I can easily wear the jeans on "casual Friday." 

I used my new credit card to make my purchase.  

Vertigo is back!

This morning I woke up and I felt dizzy right away after getting out of bed.  At first I thought it was because I got up too quickly.  As I was walking around doing my normal routine, the dizziness wouldn't go away. 

The vertigo is back!  Thankfully, the vertigo isn't as bad as last time.  My dizziness goes in waves and there is no vomiting.  I read that peppermint oil and lavender will help with the vertigo symptoms.  I added a few drops to a cotton pad and applied to my skin.  Shannon also bought me some Dramamine.  If I lay down a certain way, the dizziness comes back. 

When I realized I would not make it through a work day, I called my supervisor, manager and division manager and left voicemails to let them know I was not coming in.  I also had to talk to someone, so I called my supervisor around 8:30am to talk to her and let her know. 

Changes at work

Work is going good.  I have been working there for almost 2 months now.  Our agency is going through some major changes.  They are reorganizing the departments in order to streamline the process to apply for the services we offer. 

I work in the call center and we are scheduled to move to our new area next Tuesday.  They are moving people in groups of about 15 per day.  It appears our call center will now have more people, so that will help with call volume! 

My new desk is no longer in a cubicle, it is a smaller desk.  I may bring in a plant to have on my desk, just to help brighten my work area. 

Awakening

I had an awakening tonight.  I realized that I am trying to maintain my blog as I did before I started my full time job.  I am used to spending all of my time on my blog.  I have realized that trying to update my blog every night is tiring and very difficult.  It is taking away from my personal time, family and other things. 

I am going to finish up on my current reviews and try my hardest not to accept any new reviews.  I have been selective in the last few weeks but I am still exhausted when I get home from work.

My blog was my full time job and I am still treating it as a full time thing.  I am unable to do this anymore because I am at work for 9 hours a day.  By the time I get home, I am very exhausted and just want to relax.  Tonight was the breaking point. 

Our toilet flooded tonight which meant we had to soak up all of the water with our towels.  By the time we caught it, the water was a good inch or two in the bathroom.  I threw about half of towels in the washer and the other half is in the tub for now. 

I go to sleep around 9pm because I set my alarm for about 5:20am and get out of bed around 5:40am or so.  I want to be well rested when I wake up in the morning. 

Three Weeks into New Job

I am in my third week at my new job.  So far, I am enjoying it.  Everyone is really nice.  Thankfully, there is not a lot of gossip, nor are there any rude people to deal with.  Overall, I work with great people. 

 

There is a completely different work environment than I am used to.  I have experience working in customer service.  I now work as an Office Assistant/Call Center Representative.  We work in “customer care.”  The office environment is laid back but still professional because we are in the public eye.

 

The attire is business casual and Fridays being Casual Friday.  We can wear blue jeans and sneakers.  Sandals are allowed.  I was told that “flip flops” are not allowed but have seen people wear them.  I only have a few pairs of shoes to wear for work, so I try to rotate them as they fit my outfit.  I have a few sandals that I have received from doing product reviews.  I hope to add them to my work attire. 

 

A lot of my co-workers wear dresses or skirts.  I have not been brave enough to add dresses or skirts to my wardrobe.  I have just enough clothes to last a full work week.  I do hope to add new outfits every so often to build my business casual attire. 

School and Expenses

Kyle starts school at the end of August.  I still do not know what day he starts, but I am thinking it is around the last week of August.  He is starting a new school this year, so he will have a new classroom and teacher.  When it comes to school, Kyle adjusts pretty quickly.  He just loves school and the routine of going everyday. 

 

Shannon was accepted into law school.  He will start in early September.  He will continue working part time and be there for Kyle to take him to and from school. 

 

I will continue with my full time job as well. 

 

With law school, there are a few expenses, such as books and other computer programs he needs.  Everything should settle down once we both start receiving regular paychecks.  He and I get paid on the same day, so that helps. 

Start new job tomorrow

I am excited to start my new job tomorrow.  I picked out the outfit I am going to wear and gathered everything together that I want to bring. 

I am going to wear a black top, black pants, black shoes. 

I am bringing a tote bag with some snacks, my benefits papers that I need to turn in and a bottle of water. 

This afternoon, we drove by the building again just to locate the parking lot that I am assigned to.  I am unsure if there is a special door that I need to use.  For the first day, I am just going to try the front door.  Hopefully the doors won't be locked. 

Basic clothes for work

The last two days were spent finding clothes for my new job.  I now have a handful of blouses and trouser socks.  Thankfully, I already have pants to wear.  I also bought two new wireless bras that I plan on wearing at night. 

After shopping at Kohl's the last two days, I do not plan on going there again anytime soon.  They are a little pricey.  They are just as expensive as a department store in the mall! 

Paperwork and more

Shannon's boss called yesterday and gave him additional hours this week.  He had to work for about an hour this morning, just long enough to train for that particular work site. 

This morning, I went to Human Resources to fill out a few forms and they gave me the benefits package to read through and fill out the forms to bring back later.  They also sent me to get my drug screening done.  Thankfully, I only waited about 15 minutes to take the test. 

Pending my background check and drug screening, I should hear from Human Resources or my new boss on a start date. 

I got the job!

I got the job at the County as an Office Assistant.  The pay is lower than the salary range they list on their website.  However, on their pay plan, it lists that that is the starting pay for all "Office Assistants." 

I am going in to Human Resources to do the background check and drug screen. 

One day for errands

Shannon is still working non-stop and today is his only day off this week.  Thankfully, it was just in time for us to pick up some things I ordered online through Walmart.  I chose the “site to store” option which means shipping was free!  I bought a Rachael Ray tea kettle in red (to match my red Rachael Ray casserole dish).  

I also bought a welcome mat!  Shannon liked the personalized mat.  We decided on the one below:

We chose the black color design.  Ours has the letter “F” for our last name and also represents what apartment number we’re in.  Instead of our last name, we choose the word FAMILY.  It worked out perfectly.  The letter stands for our last name and the word family!  It is a very basic welcome mat, but it will do.

 

While we were at Walmart, Shannon also received a call from his boss.  He now works every day except Monday!  So, he’s working six days next week! 

Two Miles of Walking and Yoga

Kyle and I walked at least two miles total!  Today is the first day of summer break for him.  We went for a walk around our apartment complex and I am guessing it was about a mile walk, although I could be wrong.  We went for a walk around 9:25am and then again at around 12:40pm or so.  It was overcast and not hot at all when we went for a walk the first time.  However, when we went for a walk in the afternoon, it was hot and humid!  

This morning, I also did 15 minutes of yoga!  

Shannon has been working non-stop since we moved.  So he’s been working just about every day for the last three weeks.  I think after this, he won’t be volunteering for this many days of work.  But then again, he knows we need the money.  He is trying to pay off his credit card, plus we have bills. 

I did manage to save us about $21 a month by switching our car and renter’s insurance.  I am very happy with the change.  I am also ecstatic about saving that much per month! 

Work = Money = Missed School

Shannon was asked to work today, Thursday and Friday.  He is working split shifts, however, that also means Kyle will be unable to get to school.  Since we moved, we are driving him to school. 

Shannon said that he'd rather earn money and have Kyle miss three days of school.  I hate that's he's missing school, but we do need the money!  Shannon won't be taking any extra day shifts at work until after Kyle is out of school. 

Everything is new and exciting

Last night was our first night at our new apartment.  I did not sleep well because Kyle didn't want to go to sleep.  It didn't help that he was excited about being in a new place and running around.  I also think having soda a few hours before didn't help either. 

The phone rang a few times last night as well.  First, he was called in to work from another manager with the company.  He was asking Shannon to cover another security contract.  He is working 3 hours this evening, as well as Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!  Since he is working the rest of the week, we won't be able to take Kyle to school.  I was really thinking of getting a cab to take him to school in the morning but the expense of it and cabs are so unreliable here. So, Kyle will be missing school the rest of the week.

More hours this week

Shannon was called in for extra hours this week.  He is working tonight and tomorrow night.  Hopefully it will be like this for a few weeks because they had to let someone go.  We hope he will be the one to help cover most of those open shifts! 

I finished polishing up my book reviews!  They now have amazon affiliate links and they are SEO friendly!

Weekend

Kyle wasn't feeling well all of Saturday.  He kept coughing throughout the day.  Saturday night into Sunday morning, he woke up around 1am and was coughing like crazy.  I tried sitting him up with a second pillow.  He coughed like that for about an hour and he finally fell asleep after that.  I could hear him wheezing too.  Then he woke up coughing around 4am but that didn't last long. 

On Sunday, he seemed a little better than Saturday.  I am going to send him to school on Monday.  He has a short school week this week.  He is off on Thursday and Friday. 

Shannon worked his regular shift of Friday night and Saturday.  He was just called in to work tonight for a full shift!  Hopefully there will be more shifts needing coverage this week! 

Shannon found a full time position with his current employer.  They are hiring for a manager and the pay is really good.  I just hope he actually applies for it.  I told him not to tell anyone at work about it, but knowing him, he will and everyone else will end up applying it and he will forget to apply for it.

Day 1 of 30 Day Shred

Today was the first day of the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.  It was difficult but I am looking forward to this challenge!

Today is also the first day of Shannon's class out of town.  He plans on coming home every night.  He is pretty much coming home, going to sleep and wake up to do it all over again.

I took the time to throw away our trash and stack of boxes.  I  hope to do more cleaning this week.