Update: Wednesdays With Rooney

It's already been three months since I got my new job! I've had a lot of people ask how it's going, so I thought it would be fitting to share with you all here.

So, how's it going?

I absolutely love my new schedule of working four days a week. It has given me more mental clarity and relieved more stress than I could have ever imagined. I really wondered if I'd have to cut down to three days to even feel the difference, but I definitely feel it. Over the holidays I worked a few Wednesdays so I could have other days off to travel for Christmas, and I really missed having that extra day at home! It is so wonderful!

What do you do on Wednesdays?

All the laundry. Nap (both of us). Try new foods. Laugh and kiss and play!

We've actually only left the house twice on Wednesdays. I am looking forward to getting out more once the weather gets nicer. It's been in the 20s & 30s in Iowa lately. I'm hoping that our summer is filled with walks outside and trips to the park, with occasional visits to the pool and zoo.

Has it been better or harder than you expected?

With every change comes pros and cons, some I anticipated and some I didn't. Lots of things are better. A few things have been harder:

• Roo (still) doesn't nap well at day care. I'm glad we switched her, but I thought she'd be napping better by now. The reason it stinks so much because she is usually (over)tired when she gets home and that throws our preferred schedule off. She would like to go to bed at 5:00 pm when we get home, but that means we wouldn't get to see her, and she'd wake up at 5:00 in the morning. So, we've been experimenting with some things. It's fine, but we'd like to get better adjusted if possible.

• I am solely responsible for the day care pick-up, drop-off and overall day care relationship. Eric and I shared this responsibility before. Sometimes this wears on me to the point of frustration. It's just more to think about and lots of shoes, socks, coats and hats to put on, and buckling her in and out of the car seat twice a day. Roo weighs more than 23 pounds and I have to carry her quite a ways to get to the day care (while also carrying my purse, lunch, etc.). Not to mention when I need to bring extra diapers or formula for her. It sounds silly when I write it, but it's extra work I didn't anticipate, and a lot to fill Eric in on when we get home (which is already kind of a hectic, fussy time).

• As someone who values alone time, I am rarely alone. Not even in the car on the way to work. She is always with me. Of course, I love being with her, but it is something I will have to get used to. I have actually started to go to Target or run other errands over my lunch break to get alone time, break up the day, and get things done. That's been working great.

(I really don't want to sound like I am complaining! I am grateful for my situation...we are just still in transition-mode!)

Is it hard to go back to work on Thursday?

A couple times it has been. But I'm busy at work on Thursdays, so I keep myself occupied. I also tell myself that it's only two more days til the weekend, and that usually works! Sometimes on Wednesday evenings I am exhausted and actually am not sad at all that we both go back to work/day care the next day.

Do you wish you had even more days off?

Yes and no. I'm very happy. At this point, it works well for our family because I am able to receive (great) benefits, and those would go away if I cut down much more. If circumstances changed, we might consider it. But I don't anticipate that happening anytime soon. We're in a really good place.

The goal in switching jobs was to decrease my responsibility in my career and increase my responsibility at home. This has definitely happened. I am very happy. Maybe the happiest I have ever been. If anyone else is considering a similar switch, I say go for it! For me it has definitely been the right move.