Job History

After reading a few of my friends' posts on the subject, it really got me thinking about my own job history. Just in case you were interested, here it is...

1. BabySitting (age 12 - 22) - I know this is not an official j-o-b, but it was such a part of my life for so long, I feel like I have to count it. I was the girl who had a babysitting job at least a couple days a week all through high school. It kind of tapered off my first few years in Bowling Green, but after I started to meet more people I even got a few weekly jobs during college too. 
2. Sales Associate at Rue 21 (Sophomore-Junior Year of High School) - My first "real" job. I started out making minimum wage (a whopping $5.35 an hour at the time!). I ran the register, cleaned out fitting rooms and basically folded lots and lots of clothes. 
3. Waitress at Frisch's Big Boy (Junior-Senior Year of High School) - I LOVED this job. If you're not familiar with the chain, it's kind of like a steak'n'shake, but not. Basically just an eat-in burger joint with nothing on the menu over $8.99. I worked with a wide range of people - a couple of guys I was friends with at school, a couple of college kids, and a bunch of middle-aged ladies. I really enjoyed waiting tables because I loved to talk to people and be friendly and I felt that I was pretty good at my job. I hated all the side work (folding silverware into napkins, a lot of cleaning), but I loved those tips! On a good night I could make a pretty good chunk of change, but on a slow Monday night I may only make a couple bucks an hour - and my base salary was only $2.13!!
4. BabySitting Teachers' Kids (Senior Year of High School) - My senior year I took yearbook as an early class. This meant that I got out an hour earlier than the rest of the high school. This was also the same time the elementary students released. So everyday after school I ran my own little afterschool program for 8-10 of the teachers' kids. I loved it. Hard to believe I still didn't know I was supposed to be an educator, huh? 
5. Sodexho at Commonwealth Stadium (Senior Year of High School - Freshman Year of College) - I was a suite attendant for the private suites at all the home UK football games. I had three suites - one owned by Budweiser, one by UK (for the president and other important people), and one owned by Alltell. I made $8.00 an hour, but earned WAY more in tips. After each game, the suite owners tipped me between $50-$150. Also, random people you would stop to help would sometimes slip you bills anywhere from $10 to $50 - just for getting them a coke or running out to the scoreboard tailgate (like ten feet away) and getting them a hot dog! And the last game of the year, as my "bonus," I left with about $800. I also got to meet some neat KY celebs like William Shatner, Montgomery Gentry, Tubby Smith, Tim Couch, and two governors. Oh yeah, and I served breakfast to ESPN's College GameDay crew. 
6. Camp Counselor for the YMCA (Summers 2004-2006) - I worked for the Y for 3 summers and loved (almost) every minute of it! The other counselors were great (for the most part) and I really enjoyed working with the kids. This job was part of what encouraged me to go into education.
7. Group Leader for Community Ed (Spring Semester Freshman Year of College) - Worked at an after school program at Natcher Elementary. Crazy kids. I wasn't there very long, but boy, do I have some stories I could tell you from this place! 
8. Resident Assistant in Southwest Hall (Sophomore Year of College) - The best and worst job I had in college. I loved most of the people I worked with and we became a real tight-knit little family. The job part of it, though, I didn't like too much. A lot of work for not a lot of pay. That's fine if you love what you do, but unfortunately, I didn't. 
9. Substitute Teacher for Warren Co Schools (Junior and Senior Year of College) - To get my foot in the door. I subbed elementary, middle, and high. I am thankful for this job because the money was good, I had weekends off, but more importantly, it really helped me get more comfortable in front of a classroom. It also gave me more confidence talking with teachers and principals. And it made me see a lot of things that I wanted to do and things that I would never want to do in my own classroom. All of these things were very beneficial to me!!
   
10. Childcare at Living Hope (Junior and Senior Year of College) - I worked in the nursery for weeknight events. Nice for a little extra spending money and I never complain when I get to hold precious babies! 
    
11. Sales Associate for Dunham's Sports (Summer before Senior Year to Summer After Graduation) I worked with a lot of people of all different ages which made for a lot of drama on occasions. I really enjoyed working with those who were pleasant and worked hard. The others - not so much. My days were mainly spent hanging clothes, straightening clothes, or helping people try on athletic shoes. 
12. Community Advisor at The Gables Apartments (Summer before Senior Year to Summer After Graduation) Kind of like being an RA, but not as much work. And I didn't get paid, but instead got free rent. This was definitely worth it since it was only a few hours of work a week, but translated to over $300 a month. 
13. 4th Grade Teacher at Alvaton Elementary (August 08 to Present) My DREAM JOB, really. I am so grateful that the Lord led me to Alvaton. I love my kids and I love the principal and staff. I really do feel like I am part of a big family! And most of all, I enjoy teaching. Even though it is always a challenge and some days I feel like I could pull my hair out, there really is nothing else I would rather be doing. 

On Becoming Baby Wise

On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

I first heard about this book and its principles from our good friends, Jenny and Stuart, but have since heard about its use from several other families, all with wonderful things to say about it. I have also heard some people tell me how dumb they think it is, but when questioned farther, they can't tell you much because they a.) haven't read it, or b.) haven't tried it. So the only thing I felt I could really do was to read it for myself and see.

This book just made sense. The principles seem sound and I can't say anything else other than it just made sense to me. Why wouldn't anyone want to try this? Putting your baby on a schedule will help train their bodies to eat and sleep normally. I really wish I could give you a more elegant synopsis, but it really does seem that simple. Now, I realize raising a newborn is in reality anything but simple, but this system does seem to give great guidance as to what is best for babies. And with most babies sleeping though the night by eight weeks or so, why not?? I really don't understand why anyone who would actually read this book would have a problem with its principles. Scheduling your baby is not detrimental to him/her, but beneficial. The authors do not want you to be clock-watching crazy parents. They encourage some flexibility and understanding when things don't go according to plan.

I actually put off reading this book for quite some time because to me, it just looked boring. I like to read non-fiction, but lets face it, most non-fiction can really put you to sleep! This was definitely NOT the case with this book. It was well-written enough to hold my attention. Each chapter was broken down into manageable categories, which also helped. I read this book in one evening and one afternoon.

I am definitely willing to try the principles in Baby Wise and am actually a lot more hopeful now than I was before reading the book. Before reading it, I thought I had absolutely no idea how to handle a newborn baby. Now I can safely drop the absolutely and say that I have no idea how to handle a newborn baby, but I do know where to start. Hopefully mother nature will take me the rest of the way.

Here is a popular blog that seems to be very helpful: Chronicles of a Babywise Mom.