I'm doing something new this fall.
Since I quit my full-time job to stay at home with my family, I have had resume fillers. I've edited newsletters, written travel articles and taught music classes. I've been paid token amounts of money for each of these. I didn't do them for the money - I did them because it would be fun. Fun, with the added bonus of honing my writing and editing skills, or of getting my kids free music classes!
But all that changes now. This fall, I have a job.
It began in much the same way as the little resume fillers from before. Annika benefitted from music classes when we lived in Virginia, and no such classes exist here in Caracas. So, I toyed with the idea of teaching music classes in Caracas. As it happened, I mentioned that idea to my friend Jeannine last fall. She arrived in Caracas a few weeks before me, and the seed had already been planted amongst the other embassy parents before our family even touched Venezuelan soil.
Interest grew like wildfire, and so I began the process of opening my center. What felt in January like another resume filler has grown organically and beautifully into what now feels like a legitimate small business.
Registration is now open for my Fall Session of Music Together. I've got more people interested than I ever expected and I plan to run two classes per week beginning in September. When I first began the process, I set a goal of filling two classes per week by the end of the year. I'm nearing that goal before I even begin teaching, and may need to raise my expectations of this little business!
Friday, August 23, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Nanny Diaries, updated
I think we have a winner!
Maxima is on her third day here, and I have no complaints. She keeps the house neat and tidy, notices when I need help and keeps fabulous hours. We need to have a little chat about cleaning the floors more regularly, but otherwise I'm sold.
And she cooks. This is my lunch today.
Maxima is on her third day here, and I have no complaints. She keeps the house neat and tidy, notices when I need help and keeps fabulous hours. We need to have a little chat about cleaning the floors more regularly, but otherwise I'm sold.
And she cooks. This is my lunch today.
Who can complain about that?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Nanny Diaries, Part 2
We let Viviana go after she finished the ironing last week. There was a lot of ironing.
Over the weekend, we interviewed two ladies. Neither of them had any references; neither had ever worked for an embassy family before. Both primarily had experience as nannies, but were willing to clean as well. Since I am at home with Annika, I like someone who will interact with her but I need someone who will clean. A nanny who will clean could be a very good fit. Carolina was young, with a 3 year old daughter at home. I liked her immediately. Maxima was older and has no children. She made a good impression as well. But at the end of the interviews, the fact that we liked Carolina and Carolina seemed to like Annika so much made her the winner. We asked her to arrive at 7:30 on Monday morning.
At 7:00 on Monday morning, she texted with an excuse for not coming to work.
It is certainly a shame for her if she makes it to work every day, but something extraordinary arose that night to keep her from our house that morning. But skipping the first day of work is unacceptably unreliable. We asked her not to come back.
We called Maxima. Amusingly, we both liked Maxima on Sunday during the interview. But once we decided on Carolina, we both focused on her negative qualities and forgot the positives. She was coming this morning, but I was nervous.
She arrived at 7:00 in the morning and immediately made herself useful. She cut the fruit for the school lunces. She fixed the cereal. She acted as my soux chef while I prepared sandwiches. And she cleaned up after everyone. Now, I am a mother who appreciates personal responsibility - but our house moves very slowly in the morning, until moving very quickly in the ten minutes before the bus pulls up outside our building. On this school morning, everything went smoother when Maxima swooped in and cleaned up our messes.
She spent the day helping me, chatting with Annika and cleaning the house. I did not watch her much, but I did not see anything disappointing after she left, either.
If every day is as good as her first day, I think I will be quite pleased with Maxima.
As an added bonus, she told me today that she enjoys baking. She had guessed that I enjoy it as well. She also enjoys cooking, and hopes to cook lunch for us sometimes. This leaves all sorts of exciting time-saving options open for our family down the road. We'll see where this goes, but so far the direction feels positive. And I feel relaxed.
Over the weekend, we interviewed two ladies. Neither of them had any references; neither had ever worked for an embassy family before. Both primarily had experience as nannies, but were willing to clean as well. Since I am at home with Annika, I like someone who will interact with her but I need someone who will clean. A nanny who will clean could be a very good fit. Carolina was young, with a 3 year old daughter at home. I liked her immediately. Maxima was older and has no children. She made a good impression as well. But at the end of the interviews, the fact that we liked Carolina and Carolina seemed to like Annika so much made her the winner. We asked her to arrive at 7:30 on Monday morning.
At 7:00 on Monday morning, she texted with an excuse for not coming to work.
It is certainly a shame for her if she makes it to work every day, but something extraordinary arose that night to keep her from our house that morning. But skipping the first day of work is unacceptably unreliable. We asked her not to come back.
We called Maxima. Amusingly, we both liked Maxima on Sunday during the interview. But once we decided on Carolina, we both focused on her negative qualities and forgot the positives. She was coming this morning, but I was nervous.
She arrived at 7:00 in the morning and immediately made herself useful. She cut the fruit for the school lunces. She fixed the cereal. She acted as my soux chef while I prepared sandwiches. And she cleaned up after everyone. Now, I am a mother who appreciates personal responsibility - but our house moves very slowly in the morning, until moving very quickly in the ten minutes before the bus pulls up outside our building. On this school morning, everything went smoother when Maxima swooped in and cleaned up our messes.
She spent the day helping me, chatting with Annika and cleaning the house. I did not watch her much, but I did not see anything disappointing after she left, either.
If every day is as good as her first day, I think I will be quite pleased with Maxima.
As an added bonus, she told me today that she enjoys baking. She had guessed that I enjoy it as well. She also enjoys cooking, and hopes to cook lunch for us sometimes. This leaves all sorts of exciting time-saving options open for our family down the road. We'll see where this goes, but so far the direction feels positive. And I feel relaxed.
Grocery Store Economy
I went grocery shopping yesterday. Here are the spoils:
The majority of the cart was produce. I spent around $10 on a cantaloupe, a pineapple, two mangos, a bag of carrots, a bag of peaches, a bag of green beans and two onions. The selection never really varies, but the quality of the produce frequently compares to the quality in the states - if you're willing to pick and choose here.
For the same price - around $10 - I bought two sticks of butter. Granted, this is fancy butter, imported from Ireland. And its delicious. But its also the only butter in the store. And our family can not live without butter.
The majority of the cart was produce. I spent around $10 on a cantaloupe, a pineapple, two mangos, a bag of carrots, a bag of peaches, a bag of green beans and two onions. The selection never really varies, but the quality of the produce frequently compares to the quality in the states - if you're willing to pick and choose here.
For the same price - around $10 - I bought two sticks of butter. Granted, this is fancy butter, imported from Ireland. And its delicious. But its also the only butter in the store. And our family can not live without butter.
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
The Nanny Diaries
We are on the market for a new housekeeper.
One of the best things about living abroad - or at least, about living in hardship countries - is that we can afford to hire household help. I struggled with this for an entire year in China. Arriving in the foreign east with two children under the age of two, I needed help. I felt guilty about needing the help, and about being able to afford the help, and so I didn't hire anyone. But lets be honest - plenty of moms need help. It takes a full 7 hours to clean the house we live in right now, and its filthy again in less than a week. I am fully capable of doing that work, but I will be much happier if I spend my time somewhere else.
And here's the best part. We are paying well if we pay a housekeeper $10 a day. That is United States dollars. Ten of them for a full day's work.
So, we are in the market for a housekeeper.
We arrived in Venezuela in January, and I immediately hired Mariluz. She loved Annika and she cooked well, but she didn't like taking instructions or advice from me. She was rude, and so she had to go. Soon after, we found Blancina. She cleaned extraordinarily well and I enjoyed her company. She showed no real fondness for Annika, but she kept her safe and happy. But we exhausted her. She fell in the rain, was sent to physical therapy, and seemed glad of the need to leave our employ.
We just went without after she left.
Until now. Now its time for a new housekeeper.
A friend sent over her housekeeper last week, just to give the house a thorough cleaning. And then yesterday, we interviewed Viviana. She seemed to want the job, but she didn't seem very happy about it. She made a face when we told her how big the house is, and she said she has never worked with children before. We gave her a shot today. She spent most of the day cleaning the room that we were in, which was a bit awkward, and she rarely moved any furniture to get underneath it. She didn't talk to anyone all day, but the kitchen was spotless when she left. About an hour later, I got a phone call from an acquaintance who had employed Viviana earlier. And fired her. We had a nice little chat, and after Viviana finishes ironing the laundry tomorrow I will send her on her way.
After that first year in China, I decided to join the crowd and hire a helper. We hired Wendy, and Wendy became an integral part of our household. I missed her when we left her, because she was my friend. I miss her now because she was an amazing housekeeper. This search is challenging, because I am looking not only for someone who cleans better than I do and amuses my children, but also someone who can fit into my household. Annika and I spent much of the day at home, and a person who helps us should not also make us feel uncomfortable. All these things you can not learn in an interview, so we will be cycling through housekeepers this month. I have no interest in hiring someone only to fire them after 4 miserable months, and so we will cycle.
But I must admit. Even with a brand new and rather uncomfortable housekeeper in the house all day, I feel more relaxed this evening than I have all week.
One of the best things about living abroad - or at least, about living in hardship countries - is that we can afford to hire household help. I struggled with this for an entire year in China. Arriving in the foreign east with two children under the age of two, I needed help. I felt guilty about needing the help, and about being able to afford the help, and so I didn't hire anyone. But lets be honest - plenty of moms need help. It takes a full 7 hours to clean the house we live in right now, and its filthy again in less than a week. I am fully capable of doing that work, but I will be much happier if I spend my time somewhere else.
And here's the best part. We are paying well if we pay a housekeeper $10 a day. That is United States dollars. Ten of them for a full day's work.
So, we are in the market for a housekeeper.
We arrived in Venezuela in January, and I immediately hired Mariluz. She loved Annika and she cooked well, but she didn't like taking instructions or advice from me. She was rude, and so she had to go. Soon after, we found Blancina. She cleaned extraordinarily well and I enjoyed her company. She showed no real fondness for Annika, but she kept her safe and happy. But we exhausted her. She fell in the rain, was sent to physical therapy, and seemed glad of the need to leave our employ.
We just went without after she left.
Until now. Now its time for a new housekeeper.
A friend sent over her housekeeper last week, just to give the house a thorough cleaning. And then yesterday, we interviewed Viviana. She seemed to want the job, but she didn't seem very happy about it. She made a face when we told her how big the house is, and she said she has never worked with children before. We gave her a shot today. She spent most of the day cleaning the room that we were in, which was a bit awkward, and she rarely moved any furniture to get underneath it. She didn't talk to anyone all day, but the kitchen was spotless when she left. About an hour later, I got a phone call from an acquaintance who had employed Viviana earlier. And fired her. We had a nice little chat, and after Viviana finishes ironing the laundry tomorrow I will send her on her way.
After that first year in China, I decided to join the crowd and hire a helper. We hired Wendy, and Wendy became an integral part of our household. I missed her when we left her, because she was my friend. I miss her now because she was an amazing housekeeper. This search is challenging, because I am looking not only for someone who cleans better than I do and amuses my children, but also someone who can fit into my household. Annika and I spent much of the day at home, and a person who helps us should not also make us feel uncomfortable. All these things you can not learn in an interview, so we will be cycling through housekeepers this month. I have no interest in hiring someone only to fire them after 4 miserable months, and so we will cycle.
But I must admit. Even with a brand new and rather uncomfortable housekeeper in the house all day, I feel more relaxed this evening than I have all week.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Home
When we talk about home with our kids, we teach them how lucky they are to have multiples. We teach them that home is wherever we all live together, and is not defined by a space. Right now, our home is in Caracas - but it won't always be. But we also teach them that they have loads of homes. They felt at home in Arlington, and so Northern Virginia is absolutely one of their homes. They feel at home in Nana and Poppa's house, and in Grammy and Grampa's house. They feel connected to St. Louis, but the two oldest were born there. Annika feels connected to China for the same reason. This is a blessing, we teach them. And we believe its true.
We just returned to Caracas after 6 weeks in the states. And in our sixth week, Lilly did not feel the blessing of multiples homes. She felt at home in Nana and Poppa's house. And that made Caracas feel far away and foreign - certainly not like home. I agree with her. Our home in Caracas is nothing like Nana and Poppa's house. It is modern and airy and simply decorated. It has neutral colors and walls of windows. Nana's house has a different color in every room and beautiful old woodwork and loads of plants and the detritus that gathers when you live in a house for a long time. Nana's house is cozy and comfortable.
Moving in the middle of the year was hard, and I don't think Lilly felt like she fit into her class until the last few weeks of school. By the time she had spent the summer surrounded by family and old friends, America felt much more like home to her than her memories of Caracas. She did not want to come back.
This afternoon, after a few days back in Caracas we went to a birthday party at the park. And good news - Lilly fit in. She played with old friends and she played with a new friend. She liked them all and she felt comfortable in the crowd. I had the same feeling. I enjoyed catching up with friends, and the casual comfort of being with the people who you see every day, with whom you share the little frustrations and the little joys of life. We don't have old friends here, but we do have good friends.
I wouldn't want to live in Caracas forever, but I feel fully at home here right now and I'm happy to be looking toward a full year in this place.
We just returned to Caracas after 6 weeks in the states. And in our sixth week, Lilly did not feel the blessing of multiples homes. She felt at home in Nana and Poppa's house. And that made Caracas feel far away and foreign - certainly not like home. I agree with her. Our home in Caracas is nothing like Nana and Poppa's house. It is modern and airy and simply decorated. It has neutral colors and walls of windows. Nana's house has a different color in every room and beautiful old woodwork and loads of plants and the detritus that gathers when you live in a house for a long time. Nana's house is cozy and comfortable.
Moving in the middle of the year was hard, and I don't think Lilly felt like she fit into her class until the last few weeks of school. By the time she had spent the summer surrounded by family and old friends, America felt much more like home to her than her memories of Caracas. She did not want to come back.
This afternoon, after a few days back in Caracas we went to a birthday party at the park. And good news - Lilly fit in. She played with old friends and she played with a new friend. She liked them all and she felt comfortable in the crowd. I had the same feeling. I enjoyed catching up with friends, and the casual comfort of being with the people who you see every day, with whom you share the little frustrations and the little joys of life. We don't have old friends here, but we do have good friends.
I wouldn't want to live in Caracas forever, but I feel fully at home here right now and I'm happy to be looking toward a full year in this place.
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