Part-Time Work & Full-Time Dreams

Hi friends! In today’s episode, I’m just chatting from the heart about what it’s been like working part-time these past two years. It’s been a mix of learning and figuring out how to balance work life with being a mum, wife, and everything else in between. I’m also sharing something new I’ve been working on—I’ve started a little side hustle selling products on Etsy! It’s still in the early stages, but I wanted to bring you along on the journey as I learn the ropes and take this leap. If you’ve ever thought about starting something new or just wondered what it’s like going back into the workforce after being at home, this episode is for you. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Hi there and welcome to the Family of One Child podcast. I'm for comment, a wife, a part-time working mom, and a full-time believer in making the most of every joyful and sometimes busy moment of raising an only child. If you're ready for real stories, plenty of laughter and parenting tips, you're in the right place. So let's dive into this adventure together. Okay, so today's topic, I thought I'll share about my job. So I have been working part-time for about a few years now. Uh so my part-time because depending on some people, you might be thinking, well, what is part-time? I'm currently working at 25 hours a week. So that is my part-time, and I work from Monday to Fridays, and sometimes depending on what I do, because sometimes because I am a volunteer coordinator for and I work for a non-for-profit organization, sometimes I'll go in the weekends, depending if our volunteers are coming in the weekends, but that's not usually so it's the usual I like to keep it Monday to Fridays, and so I thought I'll maybe share about that. Like, how's it going since the past two years? The first year, honestly, I didn't work as much. It was probably like maybe I was doing some contract work, and that was for about three months, also working for a non-for-profit company, and uh I maybe was working just a few hours a day, three to four hours at the most, and so that was nice. It was um going in, I think about 10 o'clock and leaving by one, maybe sometimes a little bit earlier, and I like that. And what I noticed for me, even when I was working full time, um I prefer to work close to my home, and I've always done that now. The closest job I've had distance to my house was right next door. Like literally, if I open up my window, I could see my job. So that came about because in New Zealand I worked for an organization and they had um different homes around for the um their disability, uh, for people who needed um they could live independently, but they also needed a caretaker just to help them um just support doing their meals, doing their laundry, um, and also taking care of their accounts. I mean, you would do their bank account, and their parents also were very hands-on, but it was just they needed our staff to be there when they are there, and the organization that I worked for, they're still in New Zealand actively, they're still up and running, and I like that. So there are different types of homes. I chose to live with the independent, and there are at that time there were four residents that I four or five that I choose that um you are allocated a home and you would be with them um from for example four o'clock in the afternoon till ten o'clock at night, and the staff had a bed as well. So you had your own room, or if your shift finished at 10 o'clock, you would go home and come back at eight o'clock, or I think it was like seven o'clock to get them going to work. So all of them had a job, and then they'll come home, and then you would encourage them to um yeah, do what you normally do cook, uh clean, um, and support their activities or hobbies outside of work. So I really enjoyed that. I did that for 10 going on 10 years, and I probably would have done that um if I hadn't moved to new um to America. So I did that, and I also was working. This is all before I'll give you a little background. This is before I got married and had a child, and I was also working for a youth group. But my background, I did go to school for to be a teacher, and so and then I thought, well, if I be a teacher, I had a few plans. I had an A, B, or C. I was like, um, maybe I'll be a teacher, and then I'll be, if that didn't work out, I probably need a place to live, you know, maybe I'll be a nun because I need a I know Jesus loves me, the church. I mean, my mom, she went to a Catholic school and for high school, because she worked in a in a place where um for a Catholic church and they had a um organization, I think it was called Home of Compassion. And there were there's a specific name for it, I can't remember, but um, they would also have residents and the nuns would look after them. And so my mom was a cook. And I would go there during the weekend, I mean, during the school holidays and after school, and these particular nuns, and there is a name for someone to tell me that um they weren't they weren't talking, they were in silence. Um so there was a d a period of time where they weren't uh talking to not that they couldn't, they just I don't know what the word is, they would be quiet during that time. And so apparently I and I'm a talker, oh my goodness. So when I would go and help and volunteer and just be with the nuns, either making uh cards or going out in the garden, I would be partnered with a nun who wasn't talking, and I would just smile. And it was so hilarious because at the end of that time, those hours, oh my goodness, because I'll smile so much. My dad would pick me up uh afterwards, and my cheeks, I would like rub my cheeks, I would be like, Oh dad, I'm smiling so much. My cheeks because you know the nuns are very kind and they were they just had a wonderful, absolutely wonderful spirit about them. And you know how people say I I think it was one modeling show on TV, was it Tyra Banks, where she would say, smile with your eyes if you and I was like, but these nuns, I mean, they absolutely were smiling all the time, their eyes were shining, and I didn't know how to do it except for smile with my mouth, and oh my goodness, so what's the point? Well, anywho, moving on many years later. So now get married, have a child, and I become a stay-at-home full-time mom, and then years later, now that my daughter's back at school, I end up then going part-time, and so the last two years I've worked at this place, and it's a senior, it's a non-for-profit, it's a senior citizen uh community, and so I am a volunteer coordinator, which really means that I look after all the volunteers who come on the campus who want to volunteer for this organization, and I enjoy it because it's something that I love to do. You know, when you have people who want to be there, like that's the fun thing. If you're a volunteer coordinator, well, I'm gonna tell you, you're working with people who want to be there, which is easy, right? It's not something that you're going to struggle with because they first of all, if they're not gonna be there, they wouldn't show up. So that's the fact, that's one of the things I love, and they're just happy, they're happy to give their time. Now, for me, it's whether they're gonna be there for five minutes for five hours, it's the is it the quantity or the quality? Meaning, yeah, I think for me it's both because a lot of my volunteers are already retired, and so when they're volunteering, I want them when they're coming to also leave full. And you wonder, full, what do you mean? You mean their heart is full, and they're coming because they want to be part of the community, they want to give because they either love the mission or they love the cause, they want to connect. There's so many different levels of volunteering, and so I meet quite a few other volunteer coordinators, and I tell them, I am truly blessed with the amount of people that come and volunteer. So for me, getting volunteers to volunteer at my organization is not a challenge because of the community I live in, because of the senior citizen home, they t they bring a friend with them. And if I'm trying to find someone, I will always ask the volunteer, oh, okay, so this may not be for you. Do you know of anyone else that may be? And that is a question. So if you're looking for volunteers or you're looking for someone to, you know, oh, you know, I don't know. It's always good to ask, do you know of anybody? And then once they come, I like to make sure that our volunteers uh you know have that support. Is there someone there that could help them train? And once they're doing the job, are they comfortable doing it? Maybe they might be, or maybe they need someone just to stay with them. So I like to give them that option. I always like to make sure because one sometimes I feel I'm wondering when you show up for someone, they just tell you the instructions, and there you go. You're like, what? But what I like to do is I'll stay with the volunteer and I'll you know, I'll be with them until that time. Maybe I'll be with them for the full hour, or maybe it might be two hours, or maybe it might be 30 minutes, or even though they might say, Okay, Ruth, I mean, okay, for Ruth is my other name English, okay for uh you don't need to meet, you don't need to be here. We got it, we're good. Or sometimes I've had volunteers who say, Oh, do you mind if you stay here the whole time? I feel more comfortable when you're here. Now, yes, they are volunteering, but here's the thing if they feel supportive and they want you to stay there and you're able to, then I would stay. But if you're not able to, then you need to really think about is there someone that you can partner them with? Because you want them to feel safe, secure, encouraged while they're volunteering. Because they come in and they're driving there or they're walking there, whatever, they're taking their time to come out there. Now they're not sure what to expect, even though you may have given them the information. You've told them, you showed them, and it could be boring, honestly, once they get there, be like, okay, and then they'll just leave by themselves. And maybe that's the only time someone will come back and check up on them afterwards, say thank you, but the whole time that they were there is like, cocoa, cocoa, no one else is there. So I like to do things differently. I like to, if someone's there, if a staff or another volunteer, it's always good if you can have another volunteer, you know, who's an ambassador volunteer or a leader volunteer, team leader, someone that's already been doing the job for a long time or a while. Well, even if they did it for, but they're comfortable of showing someone else and they're friendly and they love to help. And one thing too, I always like it because there's a connection, you know. And if you have another volunteer who loves doing what they do, and you know, they just there's a lot of joy when they get there and when they leave, they're good teachers, and then I just let the volunteer who show them like, oh, would you mind showing this new person? Because once they get the confidence, and then they can ask that team leader or the ambassador questions, and then they won't have to go to you to ask all the questions because depending on your time, um, and that way you just spread out the you know the leadership, and it won't be too demanding on you. So I like to have a variety of other team volunteer team members who I also go to because some of the depending on how long you've been at the organization, that volunteer could have been there for about years. I mean, I have volunteers who I've only been at this organization for two years, but some of my volunteers have been there for like have been serving for 30 some years, and they have seen it all, done it all, and they know a lot. So I typically would go to the volunteers who have been there for a long time and ask them, is this a good, is this what do you need help with? And how can I support? And then I usually ask them, is this good? What do you think? Because it's I mean, yes, I bring my improvements, but it's really I like to collaborate, and I don't really don't sweat the small stuff, seriously. It's like volunteering, it should be fun, it should honestly, it should be fun for you. So I get fulfillment a lot of times, and because this is in my warehouse, I really enjoy it, it's not something that um that stresses me out. If anything, I think another volunteer asked me, and they said, Oh, how do you is it stressful? And I said, the most stressful part, there's nothing in my job, is doing my laundry at home because there's so much laundry for three people. Sometimes I wonder where all these clothes are coming from. So that's a tip for you. If you're listening and you are a part-time volunteer coordinator, if you have any questions, um, I absolutely love it. And multiplying your volunteers for me, it's volunteer and bring one, bring one plus one and multiply it. And I just love to see one friendships being built when they're volunteering with each other and also with the staff in the community, and also the support and trying to communicate with um the volunteers, and how do you navigate that with um the ones who you are overseeing? So now moving on, also for volunteering and part-time. You know, I was thinking about what I know now, what is my rhythm in the past two years? What did I had to adjust being a you know mom with an only child, raising an only child? What I find out was for me, dinner, I would get so like, oh, what am I cooking for dinner? Am I using a crock pot? Am I just gonna do popcorn, hot dogs? And then I realize, you know what? All of the above, minus crock pot because I don't have a crock pot. But because my child is eight years old, it's okay that I'm really glad because it it depending. I can't speak for experience working part-time with her being a toddler because I stayed home. I went to work when she was uh five. That's when I started going to work five or six when she started school. I'm gonna say when she was kindergarten, maybe preschool, probably preschool, kindergarten, I think somewhere around there, I started looking for a job, just something local, something small, and also I wanted to be close by because I wanted to pick her up from school, and I wanted to find a job that if she had a field trip, doctor's appointment, dentist, anything that you know she needed me to be there, you know, I was available and it wasn't gonna be uh a major factor. And also, I wanted to pick a job that I enjoyed, but also I needed the flexibility of time and the location to get to her. I didn't want to work for me one hour away or even 40 minutes. My husband he works an hour and a half away, and he but he really likes that. Um, I think he chooses to work an hour and a half away sometimes because it's quiet. I shouldn't say that, but I wonder sometimes. I could not drive an hour and a half each day one way to work, but I suppose you gotta do what you gotta do, and he enjoys it. I don't know if he enjoys it, but he listens to his podcast and his Bible teachings, so I get he enjoys that ride. But for me, and how I pick my job, um, I just wanted to consider all those factors. So if you're thinking about, you know, I'm gonna get a part-time job, or maybe you've got to get a full-time job, I would consider the job, maybe find something that you enjoy. And if not, like, well, it's slim pickings where I live and what I can enjoy. But if you gotta get a part-time job, I hope it is something that you at least like, and then B, if you're blessed enough to find have some flexibility where you can pick up your child from school, or you have the flexibility if they are sick and you have to take them to the doctor's appointments or field trips that you're able. Able to have that option as well because I find that for me it helped me transition better from being a full-time mom to part-time mom. Was I tired the first week? Oh my goodness, I was exhausted. I mean, am I exhausted now? Most days I come home and I'm like, I'm like, Olivia, I gotta go to sleep. And you know, I'm thankful that she's old enough now if she needs a snack or you know, she she can get her own food and she's fine. I mean, she's got enough snacks in her cup, you know, she can get to the kitchen, she can get a glass of water, a milk, or whatever she needs, you know, she's fine. And I can have a nap for two hours and then I wake up and make dinner. So that part I'm very thankful for that she's old enough, she can do that. So those are the things that maybe and I waited till she went to school full time. I mean, she was back at school. Um, but I know some of my other mums, honestly, that chose not to in stay-at-home mom. I think there is a stay-at-home mum that I know and her child has gone. I don't know if she's gone back to school, but she is very good at sewing, like crafting, making things. She's amazing. So she sells her crafts, and that's how she makes money on the side. So, you know, if you're wanting some money on the side, and you're able to make things, sell things. I mean, I've just started to do um looking at selling things on ST. Uh, this is a new adventure, and so I'll be talking about that too on this podcast. What's it like to have an early child, work part-time, and then have a side hustle, a business? Um and I didn't know, I just thought I'll just give that a go. Why? Well, I wanted to do something with Olivia, and we she's very creative, and I thought, you know, maybe we both like to create things, so why don't we make some cards? We love horses, and we have a go at that, and just see, and that way we can both learn about the business, and we can have business discussions like creativity on the designs, and um, I love that collaboration with her, so maybe you maybe you might want to have a look at that with your child, or you might you're listening to this, like, huh? You know, I never thought about that doing something with my child. I don't know, I mean, why not? And because it involves a open discussion, uh, gets you talking about money, and if you don't know a lot about money, did I grow up with my parents talking about money? No, I just knew enough that money uh you had to work for it, and you had bills and make sure you pay them off. Um, yeah, did I know about investments? No, my my parents didn't talk about investments, and I don't know if if it's because they did not know about investments. Um, I just I didn't learn that till a lot later in life. I'm sure if maybe had they had the resources or if they knew of maybe I don't know, but for me and my husband, we like to talk about um investments and savings and spending and budgeting and you know giving. We like to talk that to Olivia, and it's such a learning curve for all of us, and and we're trying to teach her to be wise, to be saving, and what that really looks like practically on a day-to-day um, yeah. And so it's it's a good learning opportunity, and it also has moments where you know you go shopping, and like last week she said, Oh mom, can I buy this and this and this? And I was like, Um Daddy has not, Daddy's getting paid next week, and I did not budget any money for this buying this product, so um I don't want it because that's not what I um that's what I put it down for. And I mean, if she purchased it, yes, we could have paid it, but then I was like, no, and she was like, okay, I said we need to wait until I budget for it next week, but I did not budget. Yeah, and I love and I I'm okay saying that she understands what the budget is. Now, am I perfect as in boy, do I have a lot of growing, but I was a lot further ahead than I was a few years ago. I tell you what, and so all these good discussions with your child of you know, as I get older, I'm really enjoying it, and um so maybe I'm hoping this podcast will encourage you to one if you're thinking about going back to into the workforce, and you're able to look for a part-time job that offers you the flexibility of your time, where it suits the schedule of your family, because everyone has different schedules, right? Some maybe homeschool, some go to um private schools, some go to public schools, and some schools are like so far away, other schools are close by. So your rhythm and your schedule of what's good for your family is different, and then um about money. So that's why I am started to you know starting to learn how to start selling things on SD. Now I'm gonna be so excited once I get that started. I'm still in the beginning stages of um putting up a product, but I will let you know what it is. So that's gonna be really good. So I want to thank you for listening to the podcast of Family of One, and I really hope you know, while you're listening to these episodes that you're encouraged, you're encouraged from another mom with an only child who has a child right now, she's eight years old, going on eighteen. Someone said, How old is she? And she's eight, going on eighteen, which means I'm going, I'm a lot younger, and so I hope these episodes really encourage you that you are the best mom for your child, for your husband, for your family. You truly are. You are doing and you're giving it, you're living life, you're you know, being an amazing mom, and all season, you know, seasons change, and it's different because what I was two years ago, and today I'm totally different. I think in some ways I'm more relaxed. Though if you ask my husband and daughter, they'd be like, Really? Is this your relaxed mode? Well, I am going through pre-menopause, so that will be another episode. So the reason why I wanted to uh do this podcast because I wanted to share just and reach out to other mums with an only child, and I wanted you to know that you are amazing, and I hope that when you listen, you get a giggle out of my story, and it just gives you um some good support and advice from another mum just doing her thing all the way in America with a New Zealand accent that loves to sleep, honestly. If I'm not working, not eating, not being with my family, I love to sleep. I mean, sleeping is my warehouse, it's like my jam. Like woo-hoo, I love sleeping. I can sleep anywhere, honestly. Love to sleep. So I just want to let you know that I'm hoping that you are also kind to yourself, and I truly do mean it. I hope you say wonderful loving things to yourself as you're encouraging your child because you are doing the best you can to raise them, and you're loving on them, and you're teaching them and you're growing them to be the best who they can be. You're also doing the same to yourself. You are giving love to yourself, you're giving yourself hugs, you're going around. I mean, I tell my family, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, and they're like, For what? And I said, For me being here, hello, you're welcome, I'm amazing. And my and my daughter goes, Is that breaking, Mom? And so it's not breaking if it's true. And Olivia's like, Okay, but she's so funny. So, yes, I say it because when you give your love to yourself and you say it like you really do mean it. I mean, God loves you and He loves you so much, so why wouldn't you love you as well? And I wanted to say, you are when you look at yourself in the mirror, or you know, you're in your you're in your car, or maybe you're biking, or maybe you're just having a nice walk, or you're just sitting down and you are cooking dinner, or you're reading something, just remind yourself that you're awesome, that yes, you're doing the best you can with the time that is given, and you're an awesome friend. Now, remember, if you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend, and it starts with yourself. Be a friend to yourself, okay. I hope you're saying okay. Listen, ready, okay? Yes, yes, I can hear you all saying yes, and smile. You are awesome. So I want to thank you for listening to yes, my name is for your friend. I'm your friend for like the number for, and this is the podcast, The Family of One. Okay, I will sing you in the next episode. And you know what? I say this all the time. See ya, I should have like another saying by the hundredth episode. I will probably have a saying at the end, like, catch you in the next episode. Okay, then bye.