Working Mummies Support Group #2

[OceanPrincess]

Thinking of you today MN!!

[MummyNaomi]

I feel more nervous after the interview - I really want it. Did a solid interview. Waffled a smidge. Nailed a few questions, completely stuffed one, and did well in the rest

Is it enough? Will find out friday

[nyigi]

Fingers crossed for you MN! At least it's a pretty short wait

[MummyNaomi]

Didn't get it

[Teeki]

So sorry MN, big hugs

[sahbear]

Oh no, so sorry MN

Teeki, I was just thinking about you lovely, how has the transition back to work gone this time around?

[Teeki]

Thanks sahbear It's been weird. Last week was a bit of a novelty - ooh let's be organised at night, and let's go somewhere different for the day! But this week, Sunday night I was really sad. It was like oh. This is my life now

DD suddenly hates daycare and used to love it. 5 days is just too much. DS has settled on well but picked up a virus - he's been home since Wed arvo which is hard because I don't yet have work at home access, there's been a lot of juggling and I borrowed an access card from a colleague for a bit. DH took today off and stayed home with both kids which was great.

Job-wise though, so far I'm smashing it and feeling good!

[nyigi]

Oh no sorry to hear that MN

[peanutter]

That's awesome, wysiwyg!!

[~TT40~]

That is awesome wysiwyg, why they choose the last minute to do it who knows, but sounds great you just might get what you want out of it!

I'm here, working hard, reading everyone,,,just not posting. I'm currently in a battle to get paid maternity leave, and it's looking very real that I won't get it. I don't have time to post about it now...meant to be getting ready for playgroup.....anyway, I will post later about all my woes =p aside from it though! working is going great =)

[wysiwyg]

I'm here, working hard, reading everyone,,,just not posting. I'm currently in a battle to get paid maternity leave, and it's looking very real that I won't get it. I don't have time to post about it now...meant to be getting ready for playgroup.....anyway, I will post later about all my woes =p aside from it though! working is going great =)

Is that for the government one? Due to the number of months thing? I didn't qualify either I had worked a couple of weeks under - 3 months fulltime and then 3 days a week but didn't meet the time period criteria - it sucks that you can get it if you only work one day a week but if you don't meet the length of time requirement don't get it. My two are just over 2 years apart I had a year off with DD before I started looking for work and then got a job and worked till 35 weeks - I was a contractor so no paid leave to count towards the requirement. The baby bonus at the time was ok so I lived with it - I wasn't prepared to work longer than 35 weeks pregnant for the monetary difference at the time, as I was exhausted. The situation is different now without the baby bonus.

I understand that they have to have limits but I don't think that the current limits work very well - 2 years between children is not unusual - neither is being a contractor (I would prefer to be a permanent employee), if I could have got myself a job for just over 1 day a week, I probably would have gone back earlier than I did but I had to go back full-time just to get back into the workforce. If the whole aim of it is to encourage people to work then as long as meeting the minimum hours why should they be restrictive about the length of time you have to be working. If someone chooses to work 5 months full-time between children (and only 5 months due to the demands of the job being difficult while pregnant, and the care they have available for their children) then why should they not be eligible? Their contribution in tax terms won't be any less then someone doing the equivalent but spread out over 10 months.

If I was faced with same situation again but with the no baby bonus - I would try to negotiate with my employer to do one hour each week 36 - 40 weeks (as would have made me eligible - although my employer at the time would not let you work past 36 weeks) - as you only have to work one hour to count it as a working day apparently - but to me that really is a ridiculous thing to have to do, and encouraging women to work right up to due date seems not an ideal thing to me (large organisations often don't want you there past 36 weeks).

[wysiwyg]

This is my life now

This is what I struggle with the most, it isn't the working, it isn't not being at home with the children, it is the "This is my life now", no more children for us so the years ahead seem somewhat 'unmarked' - just stretching out ahead of me (we have now lived in this flat longer than anywhere else in our lives, maybe I have a bit of wanderlust still). Doing something different to what I do now isn't a possibility till 2017 when DS is in school - but I don't even know what I would want to do (just don't want to float from contract to contract).

OP - glad the conference was good - I have heard alot of good things about it.

MN - sorry you didn't get the job - something good will come up I am sure.

I am frustrated with work, my contract is up at the end of August, not entirely sure what I want to do - the next two weeks they really should have me working full-time due to stuff going on and I am prepared to do that but I just can't get an answer out of them - DH needs to confirm holiday for the 4 days he will need to cover - but I have asked in person weeks ago, and also on Monday and also emailed but still no answer. I need more 'get up and go' from them, the pace is frustrating me (seems I get 3 months in with everyone and something annoys me :-)) - I want to drive things forward but I am not really in that position and I haven't got the impression they want me to.

[OceanPrincess]

MN I'm so sorry!! Any feedback? How are you feeling?

Teeki that's tough with DD - is she just having issues with the extra days in care?

PN no good on bonkers weeks!! Fx things calm down for you?

Afm; am sick, don't know how much work is going to be happening this week. I've had a cracker weekend at a conference for my volunteer work so I am all pumped for that now and can't be bothered with the paid work LOL. Ah well. Will find some motivation some how.

[OceanPrincess]

5 weeks??! Awesome!

[Teeki]

Work sounds tough at the moment wysiwyg! When you're just waiting on them to hurry up and tell you, so you can make plans and know what you're doing, that sucks. Fingers crossed you get it all sorted soon!

PN 5 weeks holiday sounds amazing! Enjoy your family time!

OP glad you enjoyed the weekend, hope you're feeling better soon.

Afm, DD is ok the first 2-3 days of daycare. She has her friends there those days, and when the other kids are sleeping she visits DS. Thursday and Friday though, not a single one of her friends are there, and she wants to do something different. She just wants to go to the library, play group, even shopping, then come home and watch Frozen like we used to. I wish we could.

Work is very up and down. Yesterday was a very down day, today was an up day. I think when my relief manager returns on Monday and takes the messy files he was working on things will get better because I'll be starting fresh. It's damn hard coming into a customer interaction half way through, not knowing the deal, and having them frustrated already because things have been taking so long.

[Frangipani Lou]

Hugs all round.
I'm off on work cover at the mo after stuffing my ankle last Tuesday after a work meeting.
Work are being really supportive and they even offered me a personal care attendant to help me wash which I declined.
A maid would be good though to cook and clean and put the washing away.

[wysiwyg]

Work only want me three days next week - they confirmed yesterday - I am a little annoyed about the lack of notice, but more annoyed that they just don't want me the five days - I have done all the prep work and I know how it will go - I will still be expected to know the stuff they discuss on the days I am not there. I don't think is a good sign about whether they will renew my contract (I have three weeks left) - so am a bit annoyed as I haven't really got what I wanted out of it and the money was rubbish and I don't think they have really made the most of it either - I hate wasting time on non useful stuff. Will start looking for something else and go through the can I get a part-time (and do I want one if is not optimal) drama again.

FN - hope all is ok, I just came out of camboot (like you was left foot so at least could drive) - the break didn't heal but the foot is ok, the boot was just more irritating than anything else.

Oh and tonight I have to go to body corp grievance committee meeting as neighbors have made official complaint about accusations around unattended children etc. (there is a thread in platinum) - it isn't anything to worry about as body corp think they are bonkers but is just annoying waste of time and also if the meeting goes for more than 30 mins we will be charged by the body corp managing agent!

[peanutter]

MN - good luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!

TT - how goes?