My One Year Quit-iversary

We're coming up on my One Year Quit-viersary, the day I stopped working full-time. Yup, it's almost been a full year since I hit the bricks and did something completely ill-advised. September 23 was my last day at work.

The reasons I left were serious: I was tired of the type of work, after 15 years I was not challenged and there was no foreseeable career path or advancement. Most importantly, I decided to commit myself to "righting the ship" -- to point my career back towards what I'm passionate about.

Ultimately, the experiment was a success. Last month I got a full-time job offer in my ideal field. Huzzah! Just, unfortunately, I had to turn it down because ... I'm moving to Paris. So, yeah ....

Financially, this has been a good wake-up call. I was definitely buying way too much, and not watching my spending. But on the upside, I was contributing to my family's monthly budget. And once that stopped, well, it's taking me some time to get used to. I have been fortunate to find some freelance writing work and the direct sales side-gig is bringing in some income. So ... there's that.

And looking back on the year, I've accomplished a lot. I was very involved in our basement refinishing project and I think that directly contributed to it being done mostly on time, and mostly on budget.

I also did a lot of decluttering and organizing. And got into some arts and crafts I haven't had time for. I even established a gym routine! Not to mention I got to be a dedicated mom; at the bus stop, morning and afternoon, hear all about school/camp, help with homework and, most days, prepare dinner.

I also became the unofficial family taxi driver. And found out grocery shopping is way more enjoyable on a Tuesday mid-morning, instead of a Saturday afternoon. Yes, I learned how quickly my family got used to me taking care of everything around the house, too. (Not always a good thing.)

I'm learning that each week is going to be different, and having an "at home weekly schedule" (laundry on Mondays, vacuuming on Thursday) is not realistic. The "that's who I am this week" motto is powering me through that particular life lesson.

So, there are advantages of doing something crazy like leaving a perfectly secure job; for me, I opened up space in my life to say "yes" to a lot of things I would have ignored or avoided. It's been a time to take a breather and consider what I really want, what my goals are. Be more intentional about where my ship is heading.

Now, was one of my goals to move to Paris? Sure, but in a very day-dreamy kind of way. Little did I know that just one year after I quit I'd be preparing my family for that big move. But here I am. Ready for the next adventure.

Behold! Everard Blue!

Here's the After picture of our master bedroom now that the walls are a dark and moody blue. Maybe the best part is I was at work while the painters were here, so I walked in and found -- as if by magic -- the room no longer minty green but a bold blue. That's pretty awesome. They also painted the trim an eye-popping white, which I just love against this blue. And the angle is a dark beige-y, tan color that I hope goes with the headboard. I spent the evening cleaning and re-hanging the drapes, and moving the furniture back into position. It will be a while before I dare hang anything in here. I'm too in love with the walls to put too many holes in them right now. So, just in case I'm looking for this information later: The walls are "Everard Blue" by Benjamin Moore . And the tray is "Curly Willow" by Behr . Now, does that furniture look too dark against the walls or is it just me? And wouldn't a lighter wood or white look fabulous agains...

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France and the Third Baby

Odd fact of the day .... The French government pays for a mother’s tummy tuck after the birth of her third child (you do have to have at least 3 babies to qualify). Found on this blog about raising kids in Southern France. Yes, I'm day-dreaming again. Related posts: All the fancy quotes My love of France runs deep, people

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So Long, Hanukkah Part Two

And just as quickly it started (in New Jersey, on the night of Thanksgiving, no less), Hanukkah is over. Our eight nights were full of fun and squealing! And lighting many candles, of course. We missed one night because we were in a hotel room after spending the whole day driving home from New Jersey -- and I just didn't have the wherewithall to pull out the menorah. Speaking of menorah, we've replaced our old, wax-filled menorah with this lovely silver beauty given to us by David's mother. It belonged to her mother and sat in the dining room for years. Isn't it pretty?! And, the wax cleans off it much easier, so we're sure to hang on to this one for many Hanukkahs to come. I'm a sucker for traditions. Here's some photos of the last two nights: Leah Lighting the Candles - in an Eli Manning Jersey, No Less Alice Lighting in a Top She Calls her Genie Shirt David Constructing the Cardboard Pirate Ship The Last BIG Gift? A Pirate...

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