Kitchen Duty

Today I'm thankful for:
1. Z finally got his reimbursement check for his trip to Colorado (yes, it's been a month)! What a relief!
2. Today being hump day – almost the weekend again!
3. Making friends at work. I went to lunch with some women today, and I'm starting to feel more comfortable around them. It takes me longer than most.
4. Our ability to get Z's diplomas framed. Even though it was crazy expensive, they will improve the look of his vacant office and make him feel proud every time he sees them. I'm glad that as tight as things feel, we are still blessed.
5. The Prattvegas high school football team being pretty talented (they won some championship or other…) because this year we won't have the spare money to go to many, if any, Alabama games. This will hopefully make Z feel better, and it will let us become more involved with our new community.

I have volunteered for Kitchen Duty at work. Each month they ask for volunteers to be responsible for the kitchen ("break room" at normal workplaces) for the whole month. I figured this would let me leave my desk 10 minutes early each day, and earn brownie points too. So I'm in charge of turning off coffee pots, pouring out old coffee, wiping off counters, tables, stove, and microwave. I'm not saying this is a glamorous job, but, like I said, it's better than sitting at my desk. A weird twist to this situation is that nobody here uses daycare for their kids. The kids go to school and then miraculously show up here at work. Out of earshot from their parents. Running through the halls. Splashing water in the bathroom. And, you got it, watching cartoons and eating snacks in the kitchen. Around 3:30 or so each and every afternoon, at least 5 kids, sometimes many more, begin shouting and running and eliciting threats from their mothers. It's slightly less than professional. And it makes it more difficult to clean up the kitchen. Personally I think that they should clean up after themselves or, if they're too young, their parents should clean up after them. Wiping down the counters is one thing. Sweeping up crushed animal crackers at a workplace is another. This isn't daycare.

I got caught in the bathroom one day when one mother chose that particular room as time-out. I was standing at the sink washing my hands when I hear a loud shriek. I just rolled my eyes at the kids in the kitchen. Then the door banged open and an angry mother dragged her daughter AND SON into the ladies restroom to yell at them. She didn't care that I was there or that I desperately wanted out. Talk about awkward. Work something out with a family member if you can't afford daycare, or just work part time and quit at 3:00 each day, but in my opinion, bringing your kids to work really shouldn't be an option. It's too disruptive for other workers, and as the parent, you can't be focused on your job either if you're worried about the kids getting you fired.