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.

Why Not Wednesday? Yogi Tea

To say I've been stressed lately would be an understatement. I've been stressed on top of stressed coupled with hardly any sleep. I started to see some light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm almost positive that's just another train passing through. This Why Not Wednesday? is brought to you by stress.

I used to be a HUGE soda drinker. Spare telling me it's really bad and so on because I learned that the hard way. Soda was destroying my body. Copious amounts of syrupy sugar was destroying my body. (If you read earlier on, I was diagnosed pre-diabetic!)  When I buckled down with 21DF, my first goal was to completely cut pop/soda and sugar loaded coffee. But.... oh that caffeine.

Not to sound like an addict, but I did still need my caffeine. I do drink tea, but I would buy regular tea, and guess what- load it with sugar. While scrolling through my 21DF group, someone posted about Yogi Tea. I had never heard of it or seen the brand in store. My accountability group RAVED about this tea. So, I thought why not?

I mean the tea has to be amazing if it was first served by an inspirational holistic teacher to his class after a yoga session. If that doesn't scream relaxation. then I don't know what does. They now have so many rich flavors, variety of spices, and soothing aromas. Plus, each tea tag comes with an inspirational saying or quote. Each cup of tea makes me smile. If you're interested in their whole story, check it out here :)

 Currently I only have a few flavors- Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life, DeTox tea, and Raspberry Passion Perfect Energy. I LOVE every tea I have purchased so far. Also, I've not had to add any sugar to match my taste preferences. My personal favorite is the raspberry. The flavor is sweet but tangy, and it provides a natural energy. To date, I've replaced pop with my Yogi Tea. Instead of coffee in the morning, I reach for my tea!! (I would be lying if I didn't say... I have a McDonalds Coke on really bad day.)

If you're local, WalMart has very few selections. It is sold in most grocery chain. You can always find it online. I like to order from Amazon- mostly because I have prime. The tea can run $4-7 a box depending where you purchase.

If you're a tea drinker or looking for a natural alternative for caffeine- check out Yogi Tea!  Also, this is one of my top favorite cheesy jokes!