Funny Scary Rock Moved

Back when Caroline and Edward were wildly interested in the Itsy Bitsy Spider and the Wheels on the Bus I tried to make up choreography for Boynton's Oh Me Oh My Oh Dinosaurs. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the book goes "Dinosaurs happy, Dinosaurs sad" so I would first grin and then look sorrowful. It continues until it reaches "Dinosaurs Cute; Dinosaurs not." For cute I pressed my index finger into my cheek, making a dimple. You know "cute." Caroline has since forgotten all about it but Edward for some reason instantly committed my nonsense to memory and every time the book resurfaces he is standing there waving his hands in the air (Dinosaurs big) and pinching his fingers together (Dinosaurs tiny) and when we get to Dinosaurs cute he firmly sticks his middle finger into his ear and wiggles it around.

Steve witnessed this performance today and asked me, "Is that ear thing supposed to be cute?"

I said, "It's adorable."

Steve said, "Isn't he going to puncture an ear drum?"

"With those fat fingers? No way."

I continued reading and Steve stared at Edward. "Does he just keep doing it?"

And I said, "Of course not" and got to the part where dinosaurs are looking right at YOU to say goodbye.

Edward unplugged his ear and waved at Steve. "BYE BYE!" he shouted. "BYE BYE!"

I consider myself the Bob Fosse of the board book set.

+

Speaking of Edward, I was carrying him toward the stairs the other night and he became increasingly agitated.

"Down," he said. "DOWN!"

And I said, "Oh no we are going UP. UP to bed! UP UP UP!"

So he repeated DOWN and I repeated UP and just as I turned to mount the staircase he had an inspired flash: "Feet?" he said very carefully and touched his foot.

"Oh," I said, "do you want to walk up the stairs yourself?"

"Yea-s!" he said, visibly relieved.

So I put him down and he walked up the stairs. It reminded me of an old Erma Bombeck story in which she took her family to a rented villa in Spain but among them they only had about eight words of Spanish.

"My son will be coming with the verbs," she kept telling the locals. They would nod and smile and have absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Edward could use some verbs but in the meantime he is a whiz with his nouns.

+

Caroline, meanwhile, has launched into sentences.

"Touch it?"
"I'm dancing!"
"Shall we sing?" I love that. "Shall we?" It feels so Hodgson Burnett 
"Sticky? Me? Up? Touch it sticky me up taste it too?" meaning, of course: let me at the bread dough.
 "Get remote we watch racing?" I told you before that I like Formula One. Caroline ADORES it. I'm sorry but it's exciting and although I know the American Academy of Pediatrics specifically advised against children under the age of two watching television I am pretty sure they were referring to stock cars.  

This morning she dropped her sippy cup over the gate that keeps her and Edward out of Patrick's Lego-filled space. Patrick said, "I'll get it for you" and he did. When he handed it to her she said, "Sank you."

Patrick gasped and said, "Wasn't that the CUTEST THING? Quick! Call Nana!"

+

If you entered my house right now you would notice:

1. when cinnamon swirl bread is baking it smells like all of the angels of heaven are making muffins in your kitchen  (I'll put the recipe up at Scrambled)

2. it is really fucking cold in here (61 degrees Farenheit last I checked - I am trying to see how long we can go without turning the heat on. I have never figured out how people put blankets over kids in cribs. I mean, I understand how they do it; I just don't understand how the kids stay warm when two seconds later s/he stands up/rolls/scoots/wiggles/moves to the other side of the crib. Patrick used to rotate all night long like hands on a clock. So I am a big fan of wearable blankets and an even bigger fan of the ones made by Grobag, which are quilted and warm and cute and snap at the shoulders. I inherited one from my British friend when the twins were little and managed to track down ever larger sizes in the US through a site called Keen Distributing. In thanks for my patronage they send me annoying emails about their footwear but anyway. How do you keep little kids warm when the house is chilly?)

3. we no longer have any dining room chairs

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

When I was lamenting the Chicco seats (I was completely wrong about that by the way. It wasn't the seats; it was my children - however for what it is worth the Regalo hanging seats are cheaper and by crossing the shoulder harness straps behind their backs before passing them over the shoulders we have been able to continue keeping even Caroline seated) someone left a comment saying she was amazed the twinkles hadn't started climbing onto the dining room table via the chairs anyway. And some minor Fate heard that and said, "Wait, what? The Hippotwinks haven't started running around on the table yet? They've never even touched the hanging light? That can't be right."

So Caroline made it her daily mission to spend as much time on the table as possible and I got really really tired of hauling her down again (she is short so she had to kick her feet as she climbed up, shoving the chair back as she did so and making it very difficult for her to get back down again) and I finally said oh to hell with this and lugged all the chairs onto the porch. We carry them back in for dinner. For lunch we lean against walls and pretend we are in the middle of a well-attended cocktail party. Steve said, "This is really annoying." I said, "Do you have a better idea?" He said, "No."

+

Edward started to throw a tantrum.

A millisecond later he forgot what the trouble was.

Edward's funny. On the one hand he has a tendency to flare his nostrils and get very upset about things really, really quickly. Like his brother before him he will make sure that the ground is carpeted and clear of any toys before he throws himself down upon it in a rage, but he'll do it. On the other hand, he is a very even-keeled little person. We went to a birthday party for Noelle's husband Ted Friday night and we brought the twins, guacamole and baby jail in an effort to limit collateral damage. Edward sat on the couch, read books and played with trains. Caroline climbed on the table and then climbed on the table and then she gave Ted's grandma a very nice hug and a kiss and then she climbed on the table and tried to eat a taco the size of her head. Then she and Edward discovered the piano.

Edward is playing I-vi-IV-V. Caroline is taking the top. I mean the bottom.

I don't think Caroline even knows what a tantrum is. She has two moods: ebullient and tired. When she wants something that Edward has she will circle him with something else and then try the Indiana Jones switcheroo - you know, when Monsieur Jones put the bag of sand in the place of the golden idol? Caroline will put a piece... something... into Edward's empty hand and snatch the toy/book/cup he is holding in the other. It works out pretty much the same way as it did in the movie - arrows shoot from walls and huge boulders tumble down and Edward opens his rosebud mouth and ShRiEkS.

+

My very first job was in a restaurant as the dessert bar tender. I was 16 and a dessert bar was a semi-circular counter where people could come and ogle the cakes and the Napoleons. It had a gigantic brass cappuccino machine and I learned to make an excellent cappuccino provided I have access to a gigantic brass cappuccino machine. It is, as you can imagine, not that useful of a skill. They used to keep liqueurs behind the counter, too, but in the first few months of my employ I drank them all and they sensibly decided to keep them at the service bar after that. All night long I cut neat slices of cheesecake (now that is a useful skill - you need very hot water and a very clean knife) and fielded hilarious questions from guests like "these are all low-calorie, right?" (tee hee hee - oh YOU!) and "are you on the menu?" (tee hee hee - oh YOU!) I eventually moved on to hostess and then busboy and then waitress. The first table I ever had was two businessmen out for lunch. At the end of the meal I left the check and when I came back to pick it up I panicked and rather than the suave "Will there be anything else?" that I intended; I squealed, "WILL YOU NEED ANY CHANGE?" with a horrible grimace. I will never forget how startled that guy looked as he said, "Uh no that's ok, keep it" and I blushed as I pocketed the $3.14. I continued to wait tables through college and then afterward when my English degree failed to get me interviewed anywhere. I finally got hired as a receptionist by a very small company in Chicago where my boyfriend soon to be fiance soon to be husband soon to be ex-husband now bizarre footnote in my personal history worked. I liked that job. When I wasn't answering the phone I read the entire collected works of Trollope and Eliot. However, it was not a particularly fulfilling position and although they were required by law to pay me they certainly did not pay me very much. I got a different job with that company and then another and then I became a buyer for a grocery chain which sounds like more of a leap than it was. That job was ok but I always had more work to do than I could ever get finished so I would spend twelve hours at the office, come home and cry and go to sleep, wake up and throw up and then go back to work again. I moved to Minnesota because I got a job in manufacturing (HO HO HO) and I went into marketing and it was very pleasant. In fact, I had the opposite problem in that job, which was I had hard time finding enough things to do to fill my days. I became quietly notorious for the quantity of paper cut-outs that slowly began to fill my cube. You know, where you fold a sheet of paper like an accordion and then make a string of dolls holding hands? One day I cut a chain of small islands with palm trees on them (you did not know I was a paper cutting master, did you?) and left them on the keyboard belonging to my boss. He sent me an email thanking me for the thoughtful gift and asking how much they paid me, again? I loved him but the job not so much. What I always wanted to do (what I still want to do, frankly) is be a buyer for Target. I would be great at that.

Where was I? Oh I never told you where I was going, so how would you know?

My point is that I have been working for over twenty years but for the first time in my life I am doing something for money that I really and truly love. I am researching and writing two freelance articles right now (hence the bloggy silence) and I have never been so excited about work, like, ever. I love thinking about what to pitch and I love listening to stories and I love getting to retell them and trying to frame them into some larger narrative. I LOVE it and many thanks to all of you who responded to my request for interviews in the past month. I really appreciate it.

I'll end with a question because (see above) I like hearing stories (this is a segue; it has nothing to do with an article): what was your first job and/or do you love what are doing now? 

Comments

[Kar]

You are a first rate story teller, which is the hallmark of an excellent writer, which you also are. I'm so glad you get to do what you love!

My first job was as an apprentice at an Equity summer theater the summer I turned 16. I loved it beyond all reason. It was my favorite job ever. There was drama! And adults behaving badly! And real live actors from NYC! ( I met Estelle Getty from The Golden Girls there long before she was on The Golden Girls of course-such a nice lady) My nickname was jailabait, given to me by the very first guy who said "you're HOW old" so that no one else would make the same mistake.

Now I'm a writer/editor/manager, oh hell I don't really know what I do. I work for a research firm and we do surveys and write reports about them. Mostly I like it, except I don't get to write as often as I used to.

[Nancy Johnson]

Hmm...well, besides babysitting, which I began at the ripe old age of 9, and by age 11 was doing a 40 hr a week babysitting job every evening...I guess my first job was as a chambermaid for a small local motel. It was boring as you know what, and somewhat nasty at times. But it was a job.
Since that time (not that you asked!) I have done a plethora of jobs, including: dirt factory worker, Yale University Library staff; Kindergarten teacher; personal assistant to the Academic Dean at my alma mater; secretary for 15 college professors, also at my alma mater; customer service rep for General Electric Retailer Financial division, specifically running the Q-card program for QVC; substitute teacher; elderly caregiver; nanny; and PRESENTLY I am driving a school van for children with special needs. I DO love the kids, but the job is only 30 hours a week, and it's a struggle to make ends meet. HOWEVER...I am in the process of applying for a nanny position for 7mo old twin boys! Now THAT is right up my alley! Here's hoping! :)

Nancy in CT

[Mara]

Like most, I suppose, I had a variety of babysitting, pet-sitting, garden-sitting, and house-sitting jobs before I was legally old enough to work. My first "real" job was at a fabric store. My last real job was at a bank. I just left it in order to stay home with my son.

[Christine]

My first real job was at a vet clinic. Go figure. Some people might have found me a little intense about my future. I think I was just focused.

My current job is at a vet clinic. Good Christ, I'm boring. I'd love it a lot more if we would implement my personal business plan: we have the owners shove the pet, a note with their concerns, and a credit card through a doggy door and any other communication occurs via computer. Kind of a twist on telemedicine.

[lisa]

I spent the summers from 14-18 as a nanny, but my first real job which I still miss was at michaels (you know the craft store) when I was 19. I was laid off after 4 months and the store closed down about 6 months later. Not even open a year!

Then I spent summers through college at a Mercedes, Volvo, Audi, Saab, Porsche dealership...didnt like the work but made MAD money! (well for me)

Now I LOVE my job minus the painful hour of 5 am that I have to be there...at STARBUCKS! getting close to 4 years!

[Jessica]

I've done all kinds of crap but never loved any of it until now.

I sell stuff on etsy, alongside being a pastry chef. I make all the desserts for a small restaurant. I love my boss, I make whatever I feel like making, and I'm good at it.

I'm pretty smug about how I got the job - uncharacteristically ballsy - walked in with a free cake and told them to call me. They did.

[Carla Hinkle]

My first real job was a holiday gift wrapper at the town toy store when I was 16. I worked what must have been an illegal number of hours during school time (30+) for minuscule wages (minimum wage) and almost certainly under the table (paid in cash). I worked in the front of the warehouse, at the back of the store, where the temperature was minus 100 degrees and I wrapped packages for free in red and white striped paper while I froze my little fingers off. I did this for the 5 weeks or so between Thanksgiving and Christmas and made enough money that I bought my boyfriend (also 16) a REAL! PAIR! of RAYBAN! WAYFARERS! for Christmas that cost well over $100. It scared me off of retail for the next 20 years (and counting).

Now I am an attorney and work as what is called a contract attorney (basically freelance, by the hour, rather than on salary) for a few small firms. It is 95% from home and it is only the stuff from being an attorney that I like (research and writing, no dealing with clients and lots of time to myself). It is very part time -- 10-15 hours per week -- and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I hope that I can keep doing it forever (just for more hours as my kids get bigger) and never, ever go back to working in a regular office.

[MsCellania]

My first job, which I loved, was the night time stock confirmation agent for a large brokerage house. It was downtown, I worked from 4ish - 9 pm, and I ran a teletype and discovered I could 'chat' via a huge, chattering teletype machine, all over the nation. Soon I had dozens of buddies, all in my position, chattering away via the clunky keyboards, all creating huge quantities of ticker tape. I was smart and 'edited' out my conversations, by snapping off the huge amounts of ticker tape, crimping the tape back together and trotting the tape out to the trash every night. I ran through rolls and rolls of ticker tape, however. The New York City fellow got popped first, and that was the end of teletype chat. And his job. Ahem. I didn't get fired. I thought it was because I was such a stellar employee, but 2 decades later I ran into one of my bosses and he told me I kept the job as I was the only pretty girl at the place. To be honest, there were only 13 'girls' there (I was the only young one) out of 75 employees. I was 17 at the time. Worked there for a year.
I also was so naive I took a bus home, even though downtown was a dangerous place. A thief (kid around my age) tried to snag my purse once, but I kept ahold of it and not only got it back, I kicked the stuffing out of him. I worked out at the downtown Y during my lunch hour, and that guy tried to rob a girl with defined deltoids, the fool!

[Kizz]

My first "real" job was at a day old bread store. Arnold bread had outlets where you could by past dated bread at discount prices. I worked there for 2 hours after school and on Saturdays.

I am administrative assistant (read: secretary) now and I hate it.

My first job besides babysitting was as a janitor of a church. I used to fantasize about converting it to a home as I dusted and swept. I was only 13. Methinks I was a very weird teenager if that's what I fantasized about. Oh, wait. I also fantasized about Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy.Normal after all.

Now I work as a costume designer and wardrobe supervisor for independent films and I love, love, love it. I feel very lucky I had to build a career from scratch after my 16-year marriage ended since I had stayed at home with kids most of that time. I haven't gotten to convert a church into a home yet, but the job pays me enough to buy a big old house that looks like a church and previously housed a bishop. Sadly, I've never worked with Shaun or Leif.

[Vicki]

My first job was at the grocery store in a resort town (Ocean City, MD) where there was only 1 store at the time. CRAZY lines!! Worked there many summers. Now I am a rental manager (condo rentals for tourists). LOVE the summers, winters are spent reading books, surfing the net and looking for something else productive to do...all in all I like what I do!!

[Annabelle]

My first non-babysitting job was as an aide in a nursing home, during college summers. It was really really hard work - by the end of the summer, I was able to lift people who weighed about 100 pounds, by myself. But I loved talking to the people who lived there. Working the evening shift (3-11 pm), we also got to put them to bed. I loved making sure they were all washed up - with the right soap (some of them were very picky) - and tucked in for the night. Of course, a few people died each summer, which I hated. So I went into pediatrics, ultimately. And found out that it's not always fun in pediatrics, either (particularly because I worked ICU). I work at a University now. I still miss the patient contact.

[Shannon]

My first real job (with an interview and everything), fresh out of high school, was as some kind of life-assistant to an adult with developmental disabilities. Seeing as I had never lived on my own, managed my own budget, or anything like that, how in the heck was I supposed to help someone ELSE do that? So by mutual agreement, that one only lasted two weeks.

Somewhat ironically, I now work with kids, many of whom have developmental delays, as a speech language pathologist. I LOVE it. Somehow, my English writing degree, linguistics degree and randomly-acquired skill of American Sign Language have come together, and I even get to help people!

[peeks]

My first real job was cataloguing technical drawings at the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately I have forgotten most of it otherwise I could do a good Guy Fawkes in the soil pipes.

Target is sounding more and more like the promised land but we are still waiting for Gap online in Europe so I won't hold my breath.

[megan]

My first job was at 16 as a housekeeper in an up-scale bed & breakfast. One word of advice: Unless those cups are disposable and completely wrapped in plastic, DO NOT DRINK OUT OF THEM. I think you get my drift.

[Kirsten]

I get so excited when there's a new Julia or Scrambled post in my Google Reader. I love reading about the twins because I have a 17-month old. I giggle and then think, "Oh shit. She's going to start climbing on the table, isn't she?" Yes. She is.

My first job, besides being a babysitter at an age at which I would under no circumstances hire someone to watch my own child, was as the piano accompanist for the two children's choirs at my church. My paycheck was $228.56 and I got paid...twice a year. Whew. Watch out in December and June because I was flush, I tell you. Now I'm home with said future-table-climber 98% of the time and I do some peer coaching in elementary schools that other 2%. I teach teachers how to be more effective with their literacy instruction and try to close the achievement gap. I love the work, the flexibility and the feeling that I'm making a difference, but financially, it's really not much of a step up from that $228.56 bi-annual paycheck.

[katg]

My first job that wasn't babysitting was working in a car wash. My good friend worked in the little store part of it, and I worked in the car wash its self. I was the only girl on the line, and definitely the youngest -- 16, I think.
They made me wash all the towels and mop the floors, and wouldn't let me help wash the actual cars. There were a bunch of guys who were seniors at my high school who worked there, and they would chew tobacco while we worked and spit it at my feet when I tried to eat lunch.
I quit after two weeks.

[MP in MD]

Love reading about the twins. Edward looks so much like Patrick they could be brothers (feeble attempt at humor). Caroline is purely gorgeous.

My first job was as seasonal help at an independent candy store in Detroit. The workers all came from large Catholic families in the store's neighborhood, which meant we worked cheaply and the older kids were allowed to bully (oops, "supervise") their younger siblings.

The owner eerily resembled Gene Wilder which caused him great happiness when the movie, "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" came out. From then on, we were known as "Oompa-Loompas", especially when the local TV stations would interview Mr. Skidmore during their annual Valentine's Day tributes to chocolate. It was extremely demeaning to have to sing that song while still putting candy through the chocolate enrober. Christmas and Easter were a lot more fun, although putting candy eyes and jelly beans on thousands of chocolate bunnies became tedious really quickly. Plus my skin reeked of chocolate at the end of the season.

Aside from all those episodes, it was actually a lot of fun working there. I worked about 3-4 years during the big candy seasons until I found cleaner work at my college library.

Melissa

[Emma]

My first job was in a cheap clothes shop which went through about a manager a month.

I'm now an astronomer which is what I always wanted to do. I really enjoy it overall but the possibilities for career progression are looking shakier and shakier!

[Special K]

I was about a month past my 16th birthday when I got my first job. I was a Christmas temp working Saturdays at WH Smith, which is a big British chain selling books/stationery/stuff. I was a painfully shy teenager and the responsibility - such as it was - terrified me. I was put in the book section, which was ironic considering I ended up becoming a librarian. I think the manager hated me. I can only assume she mistook my lack of confidence for incompetence. Once, after closing time, I took the cash drawer out of the till and it slipped out of my hands, crashing to the floor sending coins everywhere. I can still see the exasperation on her face (although everyone else laughed it off and helped me pick it all up). Some people were asked to stay on beyond January; I wasn't. God, I was relieved.

[Karen]

My first job, besides babysitting, was working as a retail clerk at a now-long-defunct Woolworth's. It was a rotten store. I got the job because my brother worked there; otherwise they'd have never hired such a math-deficient moron as myself. I consider my employ there to be penance for any sins I committed during those years, between the ages of 16 and 20.

To give you an idea of what a stinkhole of a store it was, we once found an adult-sized human turd in the candy aisle. Somebody apparently figured the store was gross enough they didn't need to bother to find the bathroom.

Right now I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom of three. I enjoy it most days. I would like a job writing, but i understand you have to be fairly disciplined to acquire those jobs, so I am giving it a miss for now.

[Jen]

My first job was in a small-town, Midwestern grocery store stocking cans and cleaning floors at age 14. I graduated to the luxurious privilege of being a clerk at age 16, and had to memorize hundreds of item codes (pre-scanners! Or else we were just that po-dunk) and also work for a shift manager who was the most misogynistic asshole I had met at the time (I have, of course, met so many more since then, and how).

I left my life of grocery bagging behind to go to college and get a BS in Microbiology and then a PhD in Immunology. I used both for a while, even did a postdoctoral fellowship curing cancer and whatever. Then I left the ivory tower and got a corporate job as a medical writer. I actually moved into pharmaceutical management, but within 2 years decided that 60+ hour work weeks for not-enough pay were just plain stupid. Fast-forward...now I work from home, as a medical writer, typing away at clinical trial reports and pharmaceutical manuscripts. It sounds boring, but I love it. It somehow, magically pays even better than the management gig; I get to evaluate scientific data that I didn't have to stab any mice to generate; and I can do it in my pajamas. Rock on.

[Vicky]

My first job was working in a nut shop. Stacking up bags of nuts. I was 14 and the would wear short skirts and the cool boys from school would hang around and talk to me (although completely ignored me at school).

I am a midwife now (in the UK, we have a different job description to US midwives!)I first started reading your blog in my very first week of midwifery training, when we had to do some background reading about the emotional effects of pregnancy - this lead me to IF blog-land and I ended up here. That was many many years ago and I still read every entry.

[Pam L]

I only babysat once in my life as a teenager, so my first real job was as a "chamber maid" at a motel in the resort town of Lake George NY. It was a GREAT job for a 16 yr old. Minimum wage had just gone up to $2.00/hour woo hoo!(this was 1971) and I pretty much could work as much as I wanted. It was only 14 units so if it was a busy night I had work all day. If it was a slower night I could work fast and get out, but if I wanted to work longer I could slow down a little. I made some cash tips , found some interesting things left in rooms,which I turned in except the occasional bag of weed. My second job was in a dry cleaners, which was awful , hot, sticky and run by terrible Armenians who treated thier sister like a slave. My third job was SO boring I quit like a month before school started again . I worked doing finishing work on catheters in a medical instruments factory. I sat at a work table with middle aged mostly unhappy clickish women who were kept malleable by smiling younger men so they would stay. They would line up at the time clock 5 minutes before the time because it was so boring to be there. These were all summer jobs and from there I went into waitressing, first serving food at a diner in Lake George, (the Prospect Mountain Diner for those who know the area-old silver diner) and then cocktails, which was where the money was at while I was in college. That got me into hotel work moving to the Front Desk and then the back office and eventually General Manager. But my job for the last 16 yrs since Paul was born is the best ever. Work at home, never miss a kid/school/sport event, but still contribute $$ and get to talk to adults, if only on the phone and emails.

[Denise]

My first job was as a ticket-taker/concession stand worker at a movie theater. It was completely staffed by kids from my high school. For some reason, only the boys were allowed to be ushers--why, I'm not sure, except that it was the easiest job. Still, selling tickets and popcorn was not that challenging. We used to pop a month's worth of popcorn and then store it in trash bags until there was a run on popcorn. Yuck.

Now, after a BA and an MA in English and an MS in Education and a six-year stint as an English teacher, I work for a pharmaceutical company in clinical development. I am basically a project manager. I work with medical writers like Jen above me in the comments and also with other members of the clinical research team--data managers, physicians, biostatisticians, etc. I really enjoy it--it's challenging and interesting; there has been a lot of room for advancement; there are still jobs available; and I have frequently been able to work from home. I'm always pushing people to explore careers in this field. It seems so wide-open compared to others.

[Steph]

My first real job was waitressing . . which I loved . . food and people, my two favorite things.

That was when I was single, no kids and enjoying a much different life.

Now I work part time at night for a big department store putting up the signs so people know how much the sale is this week.
(Don't really care for it . . but it is a small check.)

I also sell Pampered Chef . . again people and food . . love it.

[Pam L]

Oh yeah, starting the day in your PJ's with a 5 second commute to "the office" is one of the better perks of working at home.

[jen]

Answer 1 - Grobags rock for sleeping, plus for early mornings and breakfast, those fleece all-in-ones with 'sticky' feet (those little mini-rubberised soles) that you can get in places like Carters have got us through the winters with our two. We use them instead of dressing gowns until they are about 4 (well, my son can't fit in his so is relegated to a dressing gown, much to his disgust). We get them sent over from the US by a kind friend. Great for camping, too.

First job - numerous babysitting jobs, nanny and home tutor for 4 american kids (oldest is now 26 & my daughter's godmother, youngest is 19. yikes!). Best paid but worst karma job - Shell Oil. Hardest job - camp cook on a very, very remote cattle station in northwest Outback Australia. Most tedious job - photocopying and scanning property details for an estate agent. Most fun job - Jillaroo in Australia (basically a cowgirl, chasing wild cattle on horseback in the Australian Outback, and castrating/branding them. Yowza!). Worst job - dishwasher in a deli. Most interesting job - crime mapping in the very, very early days of GIS (geographical information systems) for Merseyside Police. Current job - full time mother. Combines the fun, worst, best, interesting, challenging and random skills I got from all the jobs above (and others I have done), but.... sadly unpaid ;)

[Natalia Santana]

I've been reading your blog for a while now but as I'm 22 I don't always have much to say! I do love your writing though!

To answer your question - My first job (not that many years ago) was at a day care center. I have 7 brothers and sisters and decided that it would be the easiest thing to do. So far 6 years later I've gotten a degree in political science and find myself still at a day care although I don't teach anymore I'm more on the administrative side of things. I've been doing it for all of my professional career that I do love it and the kids definitely make it more worth while, but what irks me is the adults who make your day miserable, but I suppose that at a regular office job the same problems occur. So far though I will admit I have yet to find a job that makes me super content, but I got some time left.

[Just Me]

My first job was at an ice cream place. You know those independent tiny places along rural roads? That kind.

I was 14 when I started on a limited work permit. I made $1.80/hour (and while this was a while back it WAS 1990), was not allowed to touch dangerous items like paring knives, and had very limited hours I could work.

Which was all good, since I was terrible at it. I am short and the ice cream was hand-dipped. I never could actually lean forward and reach all of the containers. Instead if the container was in the 2nd row I had to lean so far forward my feet were off the floor and balance on my stomach. That meant that I was always a mess, with ice cream smeared across my middle.

The 2nd year the owner went to a sale at an overstock/2nd chain and bought very ugly outfits we were to wear. They were not improved by the messiness across my belly.

Not being able to work there anymore was the one benefit to blowing out my knee at 16.

[Lisa]

My first job was when I was 14 - I lied and said I was 16 to get the job. They started me out as dishwasher, then I was a prep cook, but found my niche at the hottest bbq joint (only bbq joint) in Ossipee, NH, when I became the hostess. Tiny little girl shuffling hungry loggers and skiers about. It was like steering refridgerators around a dance floor - I loved it and they all thought I was cute and let me boss them around. Some of my best memories...

[amy]

My first job was making plaster dental molds. You know, where you bite into the soft pink stuff that makes you gag? Then the dentist sent those out to us and we poured plaster in to make a set of your teeth for fitting retainers, etc. It was gross.

Now I'm a lawyer. I like it in theory, but I really hope that I have the opportunity to do something else down the line that gives me more time at home.

[Tessa]

My first job was to put groceries in bags at my neighborhood's market. Right now I am doing research on sexual assault prevention for the university I attend and also cleaning houses and sometimes babysitting - I like the first and last of those jobs, though the cleaning can be good exercise if I'm frenetic enough about it.

[ellbee]

My first job was something that I continued to do on the side of my other jobs for years till I started traveling and had to give it up. I taught high school and college colorguard and winterguard (the kids with the flags in the band for those not in the know) I LOVE(ed) that job. It involved dance and drama and helping the odd girls out find a passion for something(the schools I taught at ALWAYS attracted the outsiders to the guards.) I also loved my real-life jobs till this year. I started as an in-store visual merchandiser at a local department store and became a district presentation manager last year (hence the traveling.) Then that job got yoinked this year due to "the economy" so I'm an assistant manager at the original store I worked at as a visual. Which makes me want to stab my eyes on a daily basis. I'd LOVE to work for Target myself in their merchandising and presentation depts...

[Stacey]

My first job was as a "gopher" in a law firm specializing in collections. I'm now inhouse employment counsel for a huge financial institution. It is an effort getting out of bed everyday to head into work -- that should tell you all you need to know.

[Chris]

You didn't ask the question I would have preferred. Fresh out of college with a Pre-law BA and a firm sense that I wasn't going to law school as intended, I went into contract administration at our local university. Adam (no my husband) was a year away from completing his BA and was our student runner. I loved that job. The college-employment atmosphere is just wildly disorganized and enchanting all at once. I worked with federal agencies (thibnk DoJ) and local companies. I had an office with a door I could shut and I never answered the phone - someone else did it for me. There were annoyances - the government). I left it after 3 years, but I fell in love and got married during that time. I never regretted skipping law school. I've worked for a VERY large insurance company for 8 years, and, while I love the company, my colleagues, and my clients; I don't always feel confident that the career fits my soul - if that makes sense. I have worked from home since my twins were born. They will be 3 next month. I am petty sure I won't go back to work full time until they go to school, and, honestly, I am not quite sure what I am going to do. I am also not terribly concerned about it either. It just seems the right thing will happen. My dream has always been to open an event planning/one stop shop/gifty place where you can get invites, a gift, be partnered with a photogrpaher/caterer/etc or have it all planned from point 1 to 1 million. I'm pretty big on riding the wave at this point - thus - que sera, sera!

[Helen]

My first job as soon as I was able to walk was at my parents' restaurant. I served tea and menus to customers.

As for little sleepers and their proclivity to spin in slumber, I used to put my kid in the Halo SleepSacks when he was an infant. It looks similar to the Grobags that you have. But I also found that my kid quickly outgrew them (after he turned 1 and got more mobile.)

So my question to you and how did you manage blanket substitutes with Patrick as he got older? Those footie pajamas are a solution, but sometimes I don't know if they're warm enough.

And another question is when do kids stop falling off the edge of the bed? My 2 year old sleeps on a twin mattress on the floor now, with a railing on one side.

I read a long time ago that babies are born with the instinct to not fall off the bed. Supposedly a baby spins until they get to the edge and then they stop. We observed ours when he was baby and he did not stop at the edge. (We caught him, of course.)

[Lelia]

My first "real" job was working for the local discount jeans store - in the late 80's. It was perfect for a teenager and helped keep me in Jordache and Levi's (remember the silver label?). I've been having flashbacks lately with the skinny jeans and jeans with zippers and bows at the ankle. I think that everyone should have at least one retail and/or restaurant work experience. It was definitely character-building. I still refuse to shop during back to school.

I can't decide if I really like banking now. But I like the paycheck!

[maybaby]

My first job was a dog washer at a grooming shop.

I didn't go back the next summer, though I still use those skills every week on my three very hairy dogs. I can shampoo and blow-dry a canine with grace, skill and style.

My job now is teaching composition and literature to middle and high school students. I absolutely love it.

[Kate]

My first job was at 14 as a library paige. I spent hours "shelving books", hiding out in the stacks reading whatever looked interesting. Not too bad. I'm not so hot on my current job (clinical research coordinator). I think I need something with a little more creativity.

[Penny]

I have to admit I get very happy when I see that you have a new post. I am so glad that you are doing something you truly love. My very first job at the age of 19(besides babysitting as a teen) was working for a Holiday Inn as the hotel operator! Fun stories with that one. My current job is the Career Resource Coordinator for our local Middle School. I LOVE my job. Everyday I work with 7th and 8th graders and help guide them in career research and exploration. I use the line, "Find a way to get paid for doing something you love" with the students. You have done that! Wonderful. Keep writing this blog too. I love it!

[jb]

favorite job: peace corps volunteer...I could be an ad for them....other than that, I am still trying to figure it out....

where is the cinnamon (I have no idea how to spell it) bread?? it sounds great...just checked on scrambled...

tks

[Veronica]

My first job was retail (Target Australia) and I hated it. There wasn't enough work to fill the time and I spent a lot of time striding backwards and forwards through my section trying to look busy.

Then I worked as a kitchenhand/apprentice chef for a bit. I loved that. Adored it in fact. However, we got a new chef and sexual favours weren't in my job description. So I quit. Then, I planned and had a baby (heh, the first one was easy. We had a bout of secondary infertility) and now I'm a SAHM who spends all her time gardening and writing.

Boring. Yes.

[jana]

My first job was at Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlour. Ostensibly I was a waitress but it was not really a service restaurant. I took orders, brought out pizza, made ice cream sundaes, counted tickets (we had a little game room a la Chuck E Cheese) and got to sing happy birthday to every single small child in my hometown. Happy Joe's was the place to celebrate birthdays.

Now I'm a grad student and GTA. I teach freshmen how to write. I love teaching, hate grading. I love being a student but I get paralysis every time I have to write a seminar paper. I'm also a mom and I have a really difficult time balancing mom-ing with being a student.

Right now, my kids are in bed, and I should be grading. Instead I'm checking all my favorite blogs.

[Portia]

My first job out of college was teaching at an AWFUL preschool (they treated the kids terribly and cut corners everywhere they could). I quit after four days.
Then I nannied for a year, and then I (assistant) taught first grade special ed. for a year, which I LOVED. I miss those kids. I would never have left except I got into a great English graduate program, so I went.
Now I'm grading exams and writing quizzes and buried under a huge pile of reading...but it's still pretty great. Except for the lack of funds. I miss having a real salary.

[Rosie_Kate]

Ah... I feel so much better now that I've had "Julia-fix" and a good laugh. :-)

My first job was milk maid and sou chef in my parent's house and now I am top chef in my own kitchen with my own family to feed and my own goats to milk in the barn and free reign to do such fun things as brewing beer and making cheese and growing things in my own garden to cook with. Sounds weird? Yes, but I love it.

[Beth Fish]

I have a better idea - use bungee cords to attach the chairs to either the table or to each other underneath the table and you will save yourself many trips to the porch. My 19-month-old can open all the baby gates, all the cabinet locks, and can put the car key into the ignition and start my car, but he has yet to defeat the bungee cords.

[Christiana]

My own Caroline loves our table top, as well. We have a pub-height table and bar-stool height chairs, but we've found that when we remember to push them all the way under the table, she cannot climb up them (she needs the seat to make the final climb onto the top). So we have learned to do that more often.

My first job story is somewhat boring. My dad owns a small chain of dry cleaners. I started working there when I was old enough to reach the rails (about 9) and had regular hours at age 12. When I was 19, my parents divorced and I took over the partnership, sort of.
My first non-family job was doing graphic design work for this company doing children's reading videos. It was a new company and had a 1-room office with no proper desks or any privacy at all. And the boss insisted on keeping it at 72 degrees at all times, so we were always freezing.

[Marsha]

My first job ever was in a video store back in the days when they were all mom-and-pop and there was still betamax. I did virtually nothing but watch movies and order potato skins from the "cafe" at the neighboring bowling alley.

My first job out of college was in the purchasing department of a huge pharmaceutical company doing contractual compliance stuff. It marked me for life, apparently, because I am still doing compliance work for large pharmaceutical companies. The latest one is about be swallowed by an enormous soon to be ex-competitor. Do I like it? The work, yes. The stuff that comes with the job? Not so much. I feel beaten and burned out and in need of a reboot.

[Tuesy]

My first job was at McDonald's when I was 14. The first two years I worked there, I loved it. My coworkers were hilarious, and I made enough money to buy myself both a saxophone (alto) and a car (Chevy Sprint). The last year I worked there was not as great. The fun coworkers had left, leaving behind only crazy managers. I was so busy with school that I eventually quit, although I think lasting three years in the trenches of McDonald's was pretty admirable at the time.

Currently I am an unemployed archivist trying to break into the unions and profession to get a job. I've been a SAHM for the past 8 years, and it's been difficult trying to get back into the business. I am hopeful that things will work out though, as I love, love, love archives. Luckily, I also love, love, love my kids, so staying at home with them for a bit longer is fine by me (if not quite fine with my bank account)