Working Mom of the Week – Michaelle

Name:  Michaelle

Occupation: Registered Nurse

Describe Your Occupation: Nurses on our busy Med-Surg floor have an overwhelming amount of responsibility. Our patients are acutely ill, meaning they usually very sick, requiring numerous IV antibiotics and other meds, contact isolation for infectious disease, complicated dressing changes, etc. For those with fragile skin, we are on the constant look out for signs of skin breakdown leading to decubitus ulcers (bedsores).

Around 60-80% of our patients also have diabetes, so you have to make sure that dietary is bringing the right food and that family is not sneaking in the wrong food!

We see a lot of strokes, heart and blood pressure problems, staph infections and much, much more. Actually, I could write a book on what I have seen in 16 years.

Sadly, we also see nursing home neglect or little old people living in filthy conditions. It is really sad.

Tell us about yourself: I am 40 years young, have been married for eleven years to my good ole’ hubby Carl, who is the love of my life, and we have one 6-year old son, who goes by “Monkey” online.

As a family, we enjoy hanging around the house, spending time together or heading to St. Louis for the day, and enjoying the family fun that city has to offer. We also like playing Wii , riding our bikes and going to Monkey’s baseball practices and games.

My interests definitely lie in the creative realm. I love blogging and writing, working on my blog layouts, creating blog buttons and reading blogs and other interesting things online.

I also love photography and have actually started a tiny little portrait business on the side, taking photos of my friends and family. I have so much to learn, but I am having a blast! I also add my photos to my blog quite a bit.

I am an avid reader and I like gardening, yard sales, thrift stores and resale shops.

Tell us what a typical day is like for you: If I am working, I get to work at 6:45pm, get report on my 6-8 patients and take off running. Twelve or thirteen hours later, I am tired, hungry, hurting and have a full bladder. I drive home, sleep and then do it again for two more nights in a row.

On my nights off, our family tends to stay up late and sleep in. This year, Monkey was homeschooled. Come fall, he will be in public school (his choice), so we will have to tweek our routine a bit. When we all get up, we tend to spend time doing our own things. For me, I write or blog, edit my photography, pay bills, etc. Then we just get our day going. We are pretty laid back and try not to have too many things going on at one time.

What are some of your challenges?
The fact that every day I go to work as a nurse, all I can think about is when I can get off so I can write, take photos and be creative. After 16 years, it no longer holds any appeal for me as a stepping ladder to success. Nursing has changed a lot in the last ten years, and unfortunately, the reality is that we are being required to take on more and more without any raise in pay or benefits.

Literally every hour that we are on the job, we have someone’s life in our hands. We really have no voice. We are at the mercy of administration, stressed out doctors, and often extremely difficult to manage patients.

I have struggled with the guilt of knowing I should be thankful for a decent job, no matter the problems. But I also know that nursing has changed and I do not like what it is becoming. That is hard for me.

It is a challenge for me to be the Mom that everyone leans on and looks to for guidance, when I struggle with it myself!

How do find balance in your life? I leave work at work. When I am done at the hospital and I leave the parking lot, my mind is already onto other things.

I try to spend quality time with my son, my husband, myself and the dog….in that order. My grandma also has an apartment in the lower level of our home, so I enjoy spending time with her and my elderly aunt that lives nearby.

My husband and son attend church. I am not able to attend regularly because of my work schedule, but I am a spiritual person. I find time every day to reflect on the good things in my life I have been blessed with, and to pray about things on my mind.

What do you do to take time for yourself?
I try to have “sacred” writing time, which doesn’t always work. I will also sometimes leave the house alone for an hour or so to take photographs.

Sometimes when I need quiet time, I will even go to the basement to clean and organize things. I know for sure that no one will bother me there for fear of being put to work!

Do you have any advice for other working moms? Wow, That is a tough question. My advice to you would be that if you have the opportunity to stay home with your kids and not work outside of the home, do it! They are only little once! If you really do need to work, try working part time or only three days a week.

Remember to not let your job entirely take over your life. Some bosses will totally do that and before you know it, you see more of the office than your kids. Maintain work/home boundaries and stick to them!

Do you have a favorite tool or resource that you use to help stay organized?
I am a list maker. I get satisfaction from marking things off as they are done. I also use a timer because I tend to get totally absorbed in what I am doing and lose track of time. The timer helps me stay on track and “dings” me back to reality.

I also love my iPhone! I don’t think I could live without it. Since I don’t have as much time to talk on the phone (and I really don’t like to talk on the phone), it is easy to keep in touch with my friends via text and Facebook on my phone. Not to mention that there are so many iPhone apps to choose from to make your life easier. Almost everything I need is now at my fingertips….literally!

Where Can We Find You Online? You can find me blogging at my personal blog, Monkey’s Momma (http://monkeysmomma.blogspot.com) or at my Reviews/Giveaway Blog, The Frugal Frog (http://frugalfrog.blogspot.com).

On Twitter, I am @monkeysmomma.

Are you a working mom? Do you want to be featured here at Not Just 9 to 5. Please fill out the questionnaire found here. Please also email me at laura AT notjust9to5 DOT com with any images you would like used. Interviews are featured on Thursdays.

Related posts:

1. Working Mom of the Week – Jennifer Belanger
2. Working Mom of the Week – Brandy
3. Working Mom of the Week – Joyce
4. Working Mom of the Week – Tanya
5. Working Mom of the Week – Deanna Gibbons