Exciting Change of Pace

I am really excited that I just may have landed myself a new job. One of those jobs that I can really say that I am "not doing for the money but because I love it" jobs. The pay isn't spectacular, but I once was paid a lot for a job that I didn't love, so getting paid little for a job I think I will adore seems like a great trade off. Yesterday was my interview and she didn't say the words "you are hired" exactly, but she did make comments to people she introduced me to that I will be joining them soon, and gave me paperwork for quiz and seemed to really like me. At this point I am confidently hopeful, but truthfully holding my breath that I get it!

What is it right?! Well, its a photographer position at WakeMed with Charleys Angels, a private portrait company that takes portraits of all the newborns. Not pictures like the baby jail bird pictures we all have of us wrapped in a hospital blanket in our plastic beds, but an actual portrait more like Anne Geddes. I am unbelievably excited about this. Photography & babies three days a week? I don't see how it could get old, honestly.

Its been almost 10 months now since I have worked and while I am feeling very fullfilled that I have spent this time dedicated to my first born, I know that I need something to keep me balanced. I have had a job since I was 15 and not working in the professional since (make no mistake, stay at home motherhood is WORK) but I need a reason to dress up a little & feel accomplished at the end of the day. Because here, as soon as finish a load of laundry, there is another load. As soon as I do the dishes, there are more dishes. Some days, being a stay at home mom feels like the twilight zone.

My Photography business is doing well, dont' get me wrong, but its sporadic and a very unstable industry. I have weddings lined up for 2011, but again, this gives me balance to my daily life that is so important not only to be a good mom, but to be good to myself too. And I really don't have to wrestle with working mom guilt because its only half days 3 days a week. Win win win.

I also have finally set myself up to take my state exam for my Real Estate Liscense. This is something that I never considered myself doing, but its also something that I feel I would be naturally good at. Buying a home is an emotional experience for people, so while it would be a way for me to earn extra income for our family, it would also allow me to do what I really love to do, which is help people. I have always wanted a job that is all about helping others and once I realized that real estate is helping people find their home... it all clicked into place for me. Really because I may be good at sales, but I never want to become a salesperson. I've worked in the sales industry for all of my professional career and have to say, I cannot stand salesy people. When I thought of becoming a Real Estate agent and computed that to mean a sales agent, I backed off the pursuit of that career. Not sure when it clicked into place that the world probably needs more Real Estate agents that don't just say or think they care, but genuinely care about finding people a home that rises up and meets them each day - I saw this line of work from a new perspective.

All in all, I feel a change in the wind for me. I've got this motherhood thing down and feel like I've gotten to know the new me pretty well. The last 2 years have meant getting reaquainted with myself through pregnancy (ie... more alone time than I had been used to in a while) and then becoming a stay at home mom (ie... WAY more alone time)... and now I think I've aligned myself in a way that I can take on some work that I don't feel is cheating myself out of who I am or who I want to be.

There is this on going internal debate all of us women have, whether you have kids now or they are in the future. Are you going to stay at home with your children or be a working mom? I really think that it comes down to, first of all... can your family afford for you to stay at home? If you made the change to a single income, could you change other things in your life to make that happen? Would you sell your house now for a more affordable house? Could you downgrade some things to make that work? If its possible for you, then I think the next question you ask yourself is "Am I happy with what I do now professionally?" -- if the answer is no, and you can afford to be a stay at home mom, then I think the obvious choice is to do it. I can't imagine a more negative state of being than leaving your new baby to go to a job you don't like, when you can make changes and afford to be happy.

For me, I always knew that I was going to back to work in some fashion, but I wasn't going to short change myself and work just for extra money. To me, its more important to find a way to make money doing something you enjoy, even if that means less luxuries. Being a mother, I also need to find a way to make money, doing something I enjoy, while still having the majority of my time devoted to raising a child.

I think I am on my way to finding that perfect mix.... so ask me in about a month...:)