I thought after the first of the year life would slow down.
It didn't.
Normally my hours drop down to less than twenty a week, usually only twelve to fifteen. It is the price I pay for being a peon. This year however, the snow came in droves and schools were closed more than they were open! My few days off were spent entertaining the children and helping the hubby shovel snow. But why did I have so few days off? I'm glad you didn't ask.
After three and a half years with my company I have learned a thing or two. Maybe more than two. In fact, I started as a cashier then moved into the stockroom to accumulate more hours. During that time, I learned how to sort softlines product by department, hardlines product by area, and even how to merchandise product in the front half of the hardlines side. I also took it upon myself to learn how to run our guest services area. I did so in order to keep floor asociates on the floor to deal with stock rather be called up front to help when a return/exchange line formed while I stood with nothing to do.
Before I knew it I was one of the primary guest services associates. Then upon getting passed over twice for the lead position for my department and quitting the stockroom due to too many personal injuries, I set my eyes on the floor departments. Without meaning to, I quickly took the shoe department in hand and raised the department sales over last year by thirty percent. Wow!
During the busiest part of the year, I was tapped for our Cash Office. Within three days of being trained I trained my Cash Office partner and we've been running it ever since. We also took over supply inventory and the layaway audit. Needless to say, I've been a busy girl!
Now I'm trying to break into the home department again and looking forward to finding a promotion to full time there.
Thanks to all those days off from school, my husband and I realized that our children were more pleasant and better mannered when they weren't gone at school all day! Hard to believe but the longer they were home and the more hours we spent in intense monitored interaction wih them, the less defiant, more helpful, happier they became. The first day back to school, one child came home and got disrespectfully defiant with me starting a household war, while the other came home to tell me about getting in trouble for getting into an altercation with another student.
I cried hard and asked them what happened to the wonderful children I sent off to school that morning. While they were home we also noticed that neither had any desire to develop good study habits though we have tried so many ways to encourage it. After several weeks of discussion and research, we have decided to pull them from traditional school after completing this grade.
In the meantime, I have also decided to finally go to college. Hubby and I are also finally getting our business running well.
DIY projects are at a halt though my cooking and baking skills are getting a workout! Yay for strength training!
Stay tuned for more adventures!
As always, I remain,
Her Royal Pinkness, Elizabeth I
