The Perks Of Working

So you have all been so patient with me as we've adjusted to our new fall schedule, specifically the part where I went back to work full-time after having been a stay at home parent for almost four and a half years. I've definitely whined shared about how tired and overwhelmed I've been this fall. So while we're still not quite adjusted to the full swing of things, I thought I would take this post to share some of the perks I've discovered about working.

The first, and maybe most obvious one, is the extra income. It's been great to be able to purchase some things without having to be as aware of our budget. And sometimes it's as simple as picking up a frap at Starbucks. It has also been nice to see some of our savings accounts increase a little. And of course, there are the benefits I see every day like our newly refinished floors :)

The second perk is I like putting the bookkeeping part of my brain back to work again. One of the things I'm responsible for is the finances for the organization where I work. I like keeping track of the nitty gritty details. It's nice to measure my days in terms of "I balanced the books for September" as opposed to "I kept the kids alive for eight hours." Not that keeping kids alive isn't important, but it's nice to have a change.

The third perk is that I have rediscovered that I (mostly) like mornings. If I've had enough sleep (unlike this past week when I've been sick), I like getting up early, making a pot of coffee for coffee-hot chocolate, and heading to the basement to answer e-mails or print out documents.

The fourth perk is related to this specific job: I like the flexible hours and the partial work from home aspect. The flexible hours mean that, except for this summer, the kids haven't had to be in childcare. I appreciate Dave flexing his hours a bit so he's been available on the mornings I go into the office early. The work from home aspect means that I can hang a load of laundry out to dry during the work day. Yay!

The fifth perk is adult interaction during the day. I like my co-workers and it's nice to be around adults for extended periods during the day. It's an added bonus that my co-workers are completely responsible for their own toileting needs :)

The sixth perk is that weekends and long weekends are actually exciting again! We're heading into a long weekend today and I'm so looking forward to having Monday off. I'm looking forward to some quiet time with very few commitments.

So these are just some of the perks I've discovered from being back at work. Of course, I've only been working for a little less than three months so I could still be in the honeymoon period. I'll try and check back again sometime and let you know if these perks are still exciting.

For those of you who work outside the home, what are some of the perks for you?