My part time job

In 2005, before I was a Mom I worked at Keystone Payroll. It was a good job for me. The pay was good, I had a good boss, I liked my co-workers that I worked with and I enjoyed my work most of the time. I resigned my position to become a stay at home mom. Well I still keep in touch and I go in during their busy times. I am already trained and it is ok to "lay me off" after the busy period.

Jim (the name of my old boss) called me with an opportunity to work during the month of October. As it turned out the local competitor Updegraff & Updegraff run by a father and son team needed some help. The younger Updegraff was sick in the hospital and it was not looking good. They only have an administrative assistant, so there is no back up plan for a vacations or if someone gets sick. However people still need to get paid and employers still need to pay their taxes. Employers must file their taxes on a quarterly basis, January, April, July and October. These were always busy times for me before. The normal work needed to be completed plus submitting reports to the IRS, State, State Unemployment and local agencies.

While I was working we found Wendy. Wendy went to South Hills Business School and studied accounting. Keystone hired to Wendy to help out during the busy times. I would often save some of the easier stuff for Wendy to do. Now I am doing Wendy's job. I wonder what happened to her. She was a good helper. I get the benefit of using a different part of my mind for a few hours a week without the stress of the deadlines. Because someone else has to worry about getting it done on time. I am just the helper.

This time around I am actually filling out the reports. I was so excited after my first day of work. In the past I have just counted forms or stuffed envelopes. I love working with numbers and I actually like filling out forms. I know many of you are probably thinking I am nuts for liking paper work or taxes, but this is what makes the world go round. Each of us likes something different.

Plus in talking to other moms I have discovered there is something satisfying in doing something that can be "checked off" the list and it is done. It doesn't start over again like dishes or laundry which I am always doing. It won't get dirty shortly after it has been cleaned.

I am sure you are wondering when am I doing this work and what I am doing with the boys. Well I found a 12 year girl who was available to babysit. Her name is Joanna and she watches the boys after she gets home from school and Jim picks them up on his way home from work. I work a few evenings during the week.

It is kind of crazy taking on a part time job on top of my full time mom job. The laundry and dishes are still waiting for me after using my brain for a few hours. The boys are a little more clingy because I have less time to spend with them and it has interrupted their schedule. I try to take my time to spend with them and this leaves even less time to do those household chores. I am glad it is only for one month.

In the mean time it has been fun to wear some nicer clothes, converse with my co-worker Linda and use a different part of my brain, plus my list of companies that I can check off when I have completed their forms.

In November I can go back to focusing more on my family and house until January, when they will call me again to help them out.