Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Friday, January 22, 2016

Random Tidbits ~ Back to Work or Back to School?

Snow fell all day Wednesday.  It was still cold here as well.  the pups don't seem to mind.


I keep forgetting to share a tip:  Dump a 1/2-pint of home canned corn relish into some cooked green beans for a quick and nutritious side dish.  I have vegetarians here, so I don't always mix in bacon grease, and get bored with plain green beans.

The barn door froze shut and I could not get in to fetch eggs thaw water.  I had to pry open the other set of doors, use a small stick to flip up my inside latch and get in those doors. 

I spent the entire day at the computer.  Actually, almost two entire days.
I found several jobs to apply for online (again), and got busy after lunch.  I was quickly frustrated by the fact, that even the lowest of low jobs, required a resume to be submitted before one can even apply.

Back to my desk I went, digging and digging until I found my long lost 18 year old resume.  What do you put on it for the 18 years of being a stay-at-home Mom?  Wiped butts, cleaned up vomit, ran kids everywhere to king-dom-come, and attended a ba-zillion concerts of some form?  Maybe cracking 4,000 walnuts counts for something.

It doesn't seem right.  My most difficult and hardest work was over the last 18 years as a stay-at-home Mom.  Yet, it's lacking what the employers want or need. Although slinging 40 pound bags of chicken (and goat) food over the years may help.

I became so distraught and frustrated that I sent an email to Mom and my older kids asking what I did that would be worthy for a resume.  While waiting for no one to answer, I dug through my pile of certificates and pondered.

Even the dollar store jobs require a resume.  The pay for those types of jobs will soak up my income like a sponge to pay a dog sitter with.

I'm a person that came from a professional work experience.

I put a third pot of coffee on, brought in two arm loads of fire wood, and walked the dogs for the umpteenth time.  This time I had to fish a dead mouse out of Zuri's mouth, thanks to a barn cat that graced me with the gift, smack dab outside the door.  Once I succeeded in eradicating the fresh kill, I tossed it over to the barn cat food dishes where Timmy later helped himself.  

Maybe I could put that on my resume....

10 comments:

Kim said...

How about household manager, financial adviser, budget manager, expert problem solver with the ability to think outside the box. Now come on you can use some of your creative writing skills to make this resume happen!

How about some writing online for some of the online sources? That would give you income, keep you home,(no dog sitter) and allow you to do what you love.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, ha ha! Those are great! I may have found someone who needs a dog walker.

Mama Pea said...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying a little prayer you find a way to stay home and continue to do all you do in the way of homemaking (and that includes such a HUGE range of talents and accomplishments on a nearly daily basis!)and providing the nurturing you family needs. (Even teenagers need someone at home when they're sick!) There's no way you could provide your family with all the nutritious food from your garden if you were working away from home. Oh gosh, I could go on and on with advice that wasn't even asked for! I'll stop now. :o/

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, I hope so too. I'd have to say good-bye to the garden most likely.

Unknown said...

Why don't you monetize your blog like so many do? It is surprising how much you can earn. With all your knowledge of natural healing, animals, etc. you probably would do very well. Right there at home

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Hill House, I have adsense on it but it went way down in earnings. I would not know where to even start for anything else.

Unknown said...

There are so many blogs out there who will help you. Google "how to monetize my blog" and you will find all kinds of instructions. It isn't has hard as you might imagine...just takes time & interest.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Hill House

RB said...

There are many free resume makers online, you just input the data where it coaches you to do so, and when it's finished, you can download it to your hard disk to print or email or upload to a job website whenever you like. There's also a format for one at Microsoft and as a part of OpenOffice. Most jobs only want your past 5 years on your resume.
I got my little job at the store through Indeed.com. They have jobs listed for almost any skill set, from none to many. Also, try one of the temp agencies. They generally have entry level jobs where you can start/rebuild/build your skill set to one more marketable at a higher per hour dollar. Additionally, many grocery stores will hire moms because they know they're generally far more reliable than teens or young people are - especially nowadays.
And then there's also starting your own company. How about house sitting/dog walking/pet care? I have a small side business that does that for $10 per trip in my own zip code and $1 per mile per trip from my house to the customer's (as measured by Google maps) in other zip codes.
The side door to our house froze shut the other night too. I pounded and pounded on the frame several times before I jarred it loose, knowing it would be easier for me to get it open from my side pushing than it would be from Bro Tom's side pulling.
Everything's starting to melt a little now, but the temp is only going to be about 35-37 degrees, with it going down into the 20s again after dark which means icy roads again.
Prayers everyone has a wonderful week ahead.
God bless.
RB
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Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB, I'm getting things put together, but I hope I can do something close(or at)to home.