Life with a 3rd Shifter

(I told ya I promised to write more blogs!)

This blog has been on my mind and heart for a while. My husband picked up a third shift job about a year ago. This was a the same time I converted to working from home. It literally turned our schedules upside down. We were two people working 9AM-5PM Monday-Friday for many, many years. We had a routine. We had a schedule. At first, it was an incredibly hard adjustment, but after a lot of trial an error, we finally found something that works for us.

I am incredibly thankful for a husband who works full time to provide for his family. He endures crappy hours for the greater good. Beyond work, he stays determined to stick to his prior commitments outside of his family life. Even more so, I am thankful he has a job he enjoys, and an employer who treats him so well!! They are caring, genuinely interested in their workers, and flexible. You can't find all those qualities in more employers. But don't let me fool you... third shift can still be tough.

The world still goes on. I have a husband who works a 12 hour shift and gets home at 6AM. Need to run errands? Doctor visits? Pay bills? Guess what? He sacrifices sleep to get everyday tasks done. Most places are only open 9-5, so he's forced to meet their schedules. We try to schedule on his days off, but it's not always feasible.

No more family meals on work days. I usually do not get off work until 5PM or later, and with my husband leaving around 5:45PM- there's not much room for dinner together in between. (I mean- unless it's cereal). We used to eat dinner together every day. Now, it's whatever he can grab, and he's out the door.

Adapting to cooking smaller portions. When I try to cook for myself, I have to make smaller portions. I usually still cook for two, so one of us can eat leftovers. I miss cooking full meals, but I just find it silly to cook a big meal for myself.

My husband never knows what day it is. Poor Joe can't remember if it's Thursday or Friday. When you work multiple nights in a row, I would say it's hard to keep track of the days. When it's after midnight, does he say it's still today or tomorrow?!

The misery when someone calls him repeatedly at 11AM, and he's trying to sleep. Would you like someone to call you at 3AM to chat?

Even on his day off, we still operate on different schedules. I still wake up when he's headed to bed.

I believe the hardest thing of all is the amount of time we actually have to see each other throughout the week. Like I said, before we were both home around 6PMish and had the entire night to spend with one another. Now... his two days off seem almost nonexistent. In the blink of an eye, they are over, so we try to take advantage of them the best we can.

Incredible, Edible Egg(less) Cookie Dough

Some days you just need to eat cookies. Today wasn't a terrible day; it wasn't even a slightly bad day. There's some not so great things going on behind the scenes, but I brush it off. After dinner tonight though, I just really wanted a cookie. Except, I didn't want really want baked cookies- I just wanted the dough. And I never buy cookies to make at home because I'll eat all the dough and/or cookies by myself. It's a vicious cycle.

 Thank heavens though for all the people who share eggless cookie dough recipes online, and I am even more thankful for those who post the recipe for just 1-2 servings. Because that is how I battle my cookie dough craving. I've tried a million recipes from Pinterest, and it took a lot of trial and error to perfect my eggless cookie dough recipe. Tonight I opted for a sugar cookie dough-

• 2 tablespoons of butter (softened)
• 2 1/2 ish tablespoons of sugar. I shy on the 2 side, so it's not super sugary.
• Splash of vanilla extract
• A shake or two of the salt shaker
• 1 3/4 ish cups of all purpose flower
• 1-2 1/2 table spoons of water

Mix butter and sugar together well. (If not, your cookie dough will resemble sand.)
Add all other ingredients- EXCEPT the water- and mix well.
Slowly, mix in the water a little at a time. Mix until you're happy with the texture of your dough. (You may need a little more or less depending on how you want the dough.)

Viola! Instant gratification. 

Think you're ready for a tattoo?

The topic of debate at my house recently has been the addition of tattoos. No, mom, don't worry. I am no getting any more. Joe has decided he wants another, and it has sparked somewhat of a debate.

Now, let me be clear. This is not a debate of whether he should or shouldn't. If he wants another... great. What this debate is about, what this tattoo should be. Joe has a knack for drawing and has developed some wicked designs. Most relate back to and honor his father in some way. The one I am not crazy about is the sugar skull. I found two sugar skulls that I said would look absolutely great on him, but for some reason, he doesn't think so.

 I am all for tattoos, and I have some of my own. Since Joe let it slip to my mother how many I really I have, I can now own up to all of them. Total of six, but let me share some things to think about before the ink hits the skin.

Disclaimer: I do not regret any of my tattoos. They are a part of me, and each have significance or a memory associated with them.

Things You Probably Should Think About:

1. It's there literally forever. (Unless you pay three times the money and endure three times the pain to have it removed.) Do you want to look at it forever? Everyday, every single day. Make sure it is exactly what you want and spelled correctly.

2. Is that song lyric, quote, passage still going to be cool or meaningful in ten years? If you don't immediately say yes, reconsider.

3. Are tattoos frowned up in your profession? Now, I know this is a heated topic, and as times change, the work place is becoming more cognizant and lenient towards tattoos as long as they are not offensive. (That is a whole different topic for another day.) All of mine can be concealed should I choose too. My feet are usually the ones people see when I have a dress or skirt and heels on.

4. How's your finances? Do NOT do this on the cheap. I am all about a deal, but when altering your body for LIFE, here's where you want to spend your money. If your artist is offers to do it for cheap, it's probably too good to be true.

5. Have you researched your artist? Again, you are altering your body FOREVER, Cleanliness and sterilization should be your top priorities. On top of that, you want someone who knows what they are doing. Review their portfolio. With today's technology, it's a lot easier. Artist's or tattoo shops have social media profiles with albums and albums of pictures.

Think about it people! Don't end up on Pinterest as a tattoo fail.