Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Some good, some not so good
So the good: I really like my job working in the schools. I went ahead and applied for the job full time for next year. I was officially offered the job and I am excited to be at the school again next year. Now for the not so good. We got an offer on the house, negotiated and settled on a price. Unfortunately the deal fell through. The house is back on the market. Our tenant is moving out, which we are glad to see go. Hopefully once I go back and and re-clean the house we will be showing a more inviting home.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A little family getaway...grr house stuff
We headed to the maine coast for a few days while the kids are on break. Our condo is rented so we are staying at my brother's beach house. It is good to get way from it all and just be. Our beach friends are here with their kids as well so all the better.
I have been hearing some negative feedback on our house/house-showings. It is hard to hear. Some things we know. We need a new kitchen floor. But a lot is out of our control with renters in the house. BIG regrets on renting it. Honestly I thought we were doing a friend of a friend a favor. We were not looking to rent the hour but agreed to do so when she said that she would show the house for us. Seeing that they just sold a house you would have thought they would know what to do. I did not realize they had taken over 2 years to sell there house or the reason why. I know now.
I asked our realtor to schedule a showing so that I could go into the house and see how it looked for a "showing". Our tenant pushed back on the time. I requested 10:00-10:30 and she asked for the potential buyer to come at 11:00-11:30 instead because her kids had been sick that week and she wanted them to sleep in. As I walked up the walkway I see a window screen leaning on the side of the house. I look up to figure out which window it came from. As I look up I see where the screen came from and another screen hanging off the window. WTF. The house was picked up and tidy. However the house had an unclean run down feel. The granite countertops had a layer of grime on them, the kitchen sink was empty but filthy and there were large stains on 4 out of the 5 rooms that have rugs. All things that were not present 4 weeks ago when we staged the house and took pictures. Just maddening.
I have been hearing some negative feedback on our house/house-showings. It is hard to hear. Some things we know. We need a new kitchen floor. But a lot is out of our control with renters in the house. BIG regrets on renting it. Honestly I thought we were doing a friend of a friend a favor. We were not looking to rent the hour but agreed to do so when she said that she would show the house for us. Seeing that they just sold a house you would have thought they would know what to do. I did not realize they had taken over 2 years to sell there house or the reason why. I know now.
I asked our realtor to schedule a showing so that I could go into the house and see how it looked for a "showing". Our tenant pushed back on the time. I requested 10:00-10:30 and she asked for the potential buyer to come at 11:00-11:30 instead because her kids had been sick that week and she wanted them to sleep in. As I walked up the walkway I see a window screen leaning on the side of the house. I look up to figure out which window it came from. As I look up I see where the screen came from and another screen hanging off the window. WTF. The house was picked up and tidy. However the house had an unclean run down feel. The granite countertops had a layer of grime on them, the kitchen sink was empty but filthy and there were large stains on 4 out of the 5 rooms that have rugs. All things that were not present 4 weeks ago when we staged the house and took pictures. Just maddening.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Mini status
This week I added a day to my school position. I am liking the work and enjoying working with kids again. Phil and I have been doing some yard work at the new house. There is A LOT to be done. Our other house is back on the market. Unfortunateley the housing market has dropped yet again. Uggh. We may have to readjust our price. I had thought that the housing market had leveled off. Not so:(
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
You have got to be kidding me
This is kinda long- but I wrote it all down just to document it and so I can laugh about it as time goes on.
Now the job that I thought I would like and do 3 days a week has had many twists and turns. My husband works in recruiting and with us starting the new business I know how the business works. The 3 day a week recruiter was quite possibly the worst recruiter I have been contacted by. I applied for the position 1 day and was contacted the very same day. I interviewed within a few days and right before Christmas. At the end of the interview the supervisor told me that I had everything they were looking for and I would make a great addition to the team she tells me the recruiter will call with an offer. A few weeks later-nothing.
I call the supervisor to inquire if the job is still available. She says she has been waiting to hear back from me. The recruiter says he left me a message and I had not got back to him. I check cell phone, home phone and emails-nothing. Recruiter is totally lying- probably covering up his dropping the ball. Recruiter calls me the next day and asks for references even though he had asked for references at the time of my interview says the offer is there just have to clear the references. Okay- I send out the info. I call coworkers and supervisors an check that they are up for being a reference. 2 weeks goes by- nothing.
I check in with references and 2 have filled out an online reference survey, one does not have a work email address so that is wrong and the other is my big boss and I don't really want to bother her and ask if she did indeed fill out my reference. Week 3 I call to inquire. Recruiter says 2 references are in just need one more. Did you call them I ask- no he doesn't do that, just an email that requests they fill out the online survey. Did any email address bounce back. He doesn't have that that information. Can he resend it.- no but I can do it myself. So helpful! I call references, check their email addresses and resend. Now I have had to ask my supervisor twice to be a reference when I am NOT leaving my job with them. Not my favorite thing to do. Everyone sends in their stuff for me. They let me know that they sent in there stuff. They hope I still have hours for them but understand that with our new business my working makes a big difference. The people at the hospital that I work with are the BEST and very supportive.
A couple of weeks go by again. Now I know that this is odd. There is a need for speech pathologist. Hospital jobs go quick because they are exciting and many people want to work in that setting. Assisted living and long term care facilities are ALWAYS hiring and ALWAYS in need of speech as well as OT and PT. SO for this offer to be dragged out like this is very strange. I only wanted this particular position because it was 3 days a week and would be flexible in the summer when the kids were home. The setting was not my first choice but the location was good. So the recruiter finally makes an offer and it is LOW. He knows how much I currently make an the difference is significant. I negotiate and ask that he match my current rate. He says he will see what he can do and get back to me ASAP. The next day I get an email with the benefits package. Basically there are no benefits that are useful to me because 24 hours a week does not qualify for medical benefits ( most other places 20+ hours can qualify you). I wait for the update- nothing.
A friend of mine is a nurse at the facility and the supervisor asks if she has heard if I am considering the position and is thinking that I am not interested and she will have to start the process of looking for another candidate. . Well now that really bothers me. The supervisor thinks that I am stringing her along and not getting back to her. I wait a week. Yes a week for the ASAP from the recruiter. I call the supervisor and let her know that I am still waiting for a counter offer. WHAT? she says. I inform her that I was ready to start over a month ago and just haven't heard back from the recruiter. Crappy recruiter calls the next day with an updated offer. Package stinks and being on staff pay stinks. He offers me the job at the per diem rate to get around it. Fine, I'll be per diem to get my rate up. He will send me the offer package.
The package comes, I fill out all the forms, do mandatory drug testing, tb testing, criminal background checks and get my picture taken for my id badge (standard health care stuff). Tick tock tick tock. Of they forgot to include the criminal background check for the state I live in vs the state I will work in. I do that and send it back. Follow up to be sure they got it as they did not respond to the email. Oh yes, it is in hand and I am cleared to work. FINALLY. Unfortunately both the school job and the assisted living job come together at the same time. A bit stressful.....but no.
Start the school job-nothing,
Complete orientation for a different rehab hospitals per diem staff ( the good stuff) - nothing.
At this point I really don't want the job anymore but with summer coming up and needing a paycheck to come in. I figure when they are good and ready to have me start I will be more settled in my other work and can add hours as need be- still nothing.
Almost 3 months after interviewing I get the call that I am cleared and to give the supervisor a call to set up orientation.
Now get this- The company had to close one of its in-state sites and find work for those therapist. They took the therapist from the closing site and offered her the job even after they had offered it to me, the job post had been taken down, I signed on and I was waiting to start. The supervisor says they had to repost the job (after I was hired) because it was in house. She asks "Did the recruiter tell me that this was a possibility?" Uh-NO!. But I am still invited to complete orientation for the zero hours that are available. Really?
Very long story. I totally would have taken this personal if I didn't have other recruiters calling OFTEN with offers to work. Offers were for full time ( can't quite commit to that with my four kiddos, 40 hours is really 50+ hours) or 45 minutes away ( 1 1/2 hours of commuting and not getting paid = more time away from my cuties and more money to child care). Also said worst recruiter ever works for a LARGE company that has sites closer to my house and I did not want to close the door on the company as they have so many facilities near me ( at the time I was awaiting my license for the state I now live in so I had to apply for out of state work=20 minutes north). Said awful recruiter does not service the state I live in so I hope to never have to deal with him again.
by the way- I am finding the humor in this already and I actually prefer my job in the school:)
Now the job that I thought I would like and do 3 days a week has had many twists and turns. My husband works in recruiting and with us starting the new business I know how the business works. The 3 day a week recruiter was quite possibly the worst recruiter I have been contacted by. I applied for the position 1 day and was contacted the very same day. I interviewed within a few days and right before Christmas. At the end of the interview the supervisor told me that I had everything they were looking for and I would make a great addition to the team she tells me the recruiter will call with an offer. A few weeks later-nothing.
I call the supervisor to inquire if the job is still available. She says she has been waiting to hear back from me. The recruiter says he left me a message and I had not got back to him. I check cell phone, home phone and emails-nothing. Recruiter is totally lying- probably covering up his dropping the ball. Recruiter calls me the next day and asks for references even though he had asked for references at the time of my interview says the offer is there just have to clear the references. Okay- I send out the info. I call coworkers and supervisors an check that they are up for being a reference. 2 weeks goes by- nothing.
I check in with references and 2 have filled out an online reference survey, one does not have a work email address so that is wrong and the other is my big boss and I don't really want to bother her and ask if she did indeed fill out my reference. Week 3 I call to inquire. Recruiter says 2 references are in just need one more. Did you call them I ask- no he doesn't do that, just an email that requests they fill out the online survey. Did any email address bounce back. He doesn't have that that information. Can he resend it.- no but I can do it myself. So helpful! I call references, check their email addresses and resend. Now I have had to ask my supervisor twice to be a reference when I am NOT leaving my job with them. Not my favorite thing to do. Everyone sends in their stuff for me. They let me know that they sent in there stuff. They hope I still have hours for them but understand that with our new business my working makes a big difference. The people at the hospital that I work with are the BEST and very supportive.
A couple of weeks go by again. Now I know that this is odd. There is a need for speech pathologist. Hospital jobs go quick because they are exciting and many people want to work in that setting. Assisted living and long term care facilities are ALWAYS hiring and ALWAYS in need of speech as well as OT and PT. SO for this offer to be dragged out like this is very strange. I only wanted this particular position because it was 3 days a week and would be flexible in the summer when the kids were home. The setting was not my first choice but the location was good. So the recruiter finally makes an offer and it is LOW. He knows how much I currently make an the difference is significant. I negotiate and ask that he match my current rate. He says he will see what he can do and get back to me ASAP. The next day I get an email with the benefits package. Basically there are no benefits that are useful to me because 24 hours a week does not qualify for medical benefits ( most other places 20+ hours can qualify you). I wait for the update- nothing.
A friend of mine is a nurse at the facility and the supervisor asks if she has heard if I am considering the position and is thinking that I am not interested and she will have to start the process of looking for another candidate. . Well now that really bothers me. The supervisor thinks that I am stringing her along and not getting back to her. I wait a week. Yes a week for the ASAP from the recruiter. I call the supervisor and let her know that I am still waiting for a counter offer. WHAT? she says. I inform her that I was ready to start over a month ago and just haven't heard back from the recruiter. Crappy recruiter calls the next day with an updated offer. Package stinks and being on staff pay stinks. He offers me the job at the per diem rate to get around it. Fine, I'll be per diem to get my rate up. He will send me the offer package.
The package comes, I fill out all the forms, do mandatory drug testing, tb testing, criminal background checks and get my picture taken for my id badge (standard health care stuff). Tick tock tick tock. Of they forgot to include the criminal background check for the state I live in vs the state I will work in. I do that and send it back. Follow up to be sure they got it as they did not respond to the email. Oh yes, it is in hand and I am cleared to work. FINALLY. Unfortunately both the school job and the assisted living job come together at the same time. A bit stressful.....but no.
Start the school job-nothing,
Complete orientation for a different rehab hospitals per diem staff ( the good stuff) - nothing.
At this point I really don't want the job anymore but with summer coming up and needing a paycheck to come in. I figure when they are good and ready to have me start I will be more settled in my other work and can add hours as need be- still nothing.
Almost 3 months after interviewing I get the call that I am cleared and to give the supervisor a call to set up orientation.
Now get this- The company had to close one of its in-state sites and find work for those therapist. They took the therapist from the closing site and offered her the job even after they had offered it to me, the job post had been taken down, I signed on and I was waiting to start. The supervisor says they had to repost the job (after I was hired) because it was in house. She asks "Did the recruiter tell me that this was a possibility?" Uh-NO!. But I am still invited to complete orientation for the zero hours that are available. Really?
Very long story. I totally would have taken this personal if I didn't have other recruiters calling OFTEN with offers to work. Offers were for full time ( can't quite commit to that with my four kiddos, 40 hours is really 50+ hours) or 45 minutes away ( 1 1/2 hours of commuting and not getting paid = more time away from my cuties and more money to child care). Also said worst recruiter ever works for a LARGE company that has sites closer to my house and I did not want to close the door on the company as they have so many facilities near me ( at the time I was awaiting my license for the state I now live in so I had to apply for out of state work=20 minutes north). Said awful recruiter does not service the state I live in so I hope to never have to deal with him again.
by the way- I am finding the humor in this already and I actually prefer my job in the school:)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Let the Jobs begin...
After a long interview and waiting process I start work tomorrow. I took a 3 day/week position as a school SLP and a 2-3 day SLP position in an assisted living facility. I am keeping my inpatient per diem position at my favorite rehab hospital ( also my favorite job) and taking on another per diem position in a similar acute care rehab hospital. This should keep me plenty busy. I am kind of bummed that they all came together in basically the same week. I was ready to go weeks ago for the school and over a month ago at the assisted living place. I am most nervous about the school position. I have an undergraduate in elementary education and worked as a teacher for 2-3 years before going onto grad school. It has been awhile since I had pediatric clients so I feel a little rusty. I am sure it will all come back to me quickly but I'm still nervous. I am so thankful that being a speech language pathologist can bring you into so many different work settings.
Why, so many jobs? Well with having 4 kiddo's I am very concerned about committing to full time work and having to put all my little ones in day care for the summer. Last spring/summer I had a ton of per diem work at my favorite hospital I worked 3-5 days a week pretty regularly. The hospital opened up another rehab about 45 minutes away and with that went a lot of the patients from that area. I had tons of days and even weeks scheduled to work but they kept getting cancelled do to low census ( not many people in the hospital) I should be able to put together full time work for the next few months. The school job will end when the kids get out of school and then I will be done to 2 or 3 days a week. I can add or take away hours with per diem at the hospitals depending on how things in the start up are going. Then add in more hours come fall.
I have not got a lot of direction on this school position. I had to call up the director of special ed to set up my start date and to ask who I was reporting to and what the schools hours were. I kind of already new the hours b/c I looked them up, but still I think that is important info to give a new employee
Why, so many jobs? Well with having 4 kiddo's I am very concerned about committing to full time work and having to put all my little ones in day care for the summer. Last spring/summer I had a ton of per diem work at my favorite hospital I worked 3-5 days a week pretty regularly. The hospital opened up another rehab about 45 minutes away and with that went a lot of the patients from that area. I had tons of days and even weeks scheduled to work but they kept getting cancelled do to low census ( not many people in the hospital) I should be able to put together full time work for the next few months. The school job will end when the kids get out of school and then I will be done to 2 or 3 days a week. I can add or take away hours with per diem at the hospitals depending on how things in the start up are going. Then add in more hours come fall.
I have not got a lot of direction on this school position. I had to call up the director of special ed to set up my start date and to ask who I was reporting to and what the schools hours were. I kind of already new the hours b/c I looked them up, but still I think that is important info to give a new employee
A ray of sunshine in the mist of the fog
Building a business is very hard. We hit another bump in the road with our only employee. He has a new health issue that effects work a little bit. Even with this I got the 1st positive from P. He does like working for himself and the flexibility if affords our family. It is a small step forward but I am hoping that it will gain momentum.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
How did we get here?
I have been thinking for quite some time that I should blog about all the changes that my family is going through this year. I have another blog that follows our adoption to our sweet baby girl Lauren. I didn't want to muck up the waters of her online baby book with all the craziness surrounding our lives right now. So where to begin? Well, last year just around this time we came into some major life changes. My husband had been in a partnership of a company that he founded for 11 years. The partnership had runs its course and weathered many an up and down. He was not happy and needed an change and needed to head out on his own. He left his comfortable position in a great company that he had grown form scratch. We took a few months to figure out what we should now do. I was able to go back to work per diem as a speech l@nguage pathologist in a rehab setting while P stayed home with Lauren and the boys. It was a little bit scary to think that we had to rethink our whole lives and livelihood. We made some BIG decisions. We decided to sell ours house, move to another state ( not that far away), move in with my mom and start our own business. My mom has a good size house but it needed a TON of work. We cleaned out our house, cleaned out her house, her roommate moved out, my brother filed for divorce and moved in with his dog, and then we moved in with our big crew: 2 adults 4 kids and 2 cats. It has been a very busy house.
There will be many a time that I complain and vent about my new life in transition. It is hard to start a business. It is hard to move to a new town that is not as nice as the one you came from. It is hard to go back to work and stressful knowing that my paycheck is the one that has to pay the bills. But it is hardest to see my husband work so hard to build a company AGAIN. He isn't loving the process. I don't blame him. It is not fun to start from scratch she you are in your early 40's with 4 kids ( It wasn't a picnic being in your 30's with 1 kid either). We have done this before and se just have to remember that once we get through this it's gonna be great.
There will be many a time that I complain and vent about my new life in transition. It is hard to start a business. It is hard to move to a new town that is not as nice as the one you came from. It is hard to go back to work and stressful knowing that my paycheck is the one that has to pay the bills. But it is hardest to see my husband work so hard to build a company AGAIN. He isn't loving the process. I don't blame him. It is not fun to start from scratch she you are in your early 40's with 4 kids ( It wasn't a picnic being in your 30's with 1 kid either). We have done this before and se just have to remember that once we get through this it's gonna be great.
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