Today�s horoscope:

Today's a day for planning for the future. Begin visualizing ways to expand your career options. Create more success for yourself.

Woo! It just so happens I am in the process of polishing my resume and writing a cover letter today. I hope to have them sent tomorrow to some places that offer Internet applications. I am all about planning for the future today. As far as visualizing ways to expand my career options, hitting the �send� button for an application expands it immensely as it is. I sure love that most of the places where I�d like to apply offer this lovely service. I just have to finish the darn cover letter now, and I suppose finalizing the resume would be good too.

There�s a job listing that appeared in the Sunday paper that is absolutely perfect for me, yet I fear I took too long in getting off my fanny to write a resume and send an application. The job is a position as a PT/OT tech (that�s Physical/Occupational Therapy) at one of the new facilities here in town that just so happens to be associated with the school I would like to attend. Usually all the jobs in Physical Therapy require much more experience and schooling than I have, but this one asked for people interested in the field. That would be me! I need to get re-certified for CPR, but that will take no more than three hours, something I can do in a weekend thanks to knowing an EMT certified in CPR instruction. I do feel I missed my window to even have a chance at getting this job though. Other people already had resumes and cover letters ready to send out Monday morning. Ah well. I have no chance at all if I don�t even try.

The resume is nearly finished after much research on the Internet about writing a resume for someone who has been out of the job market for seven years. I was fearing the resume because of my lack of recent experience, but I gained much confidence in finding sites that supported homemakers looking to reenter the job market and in remembering I did run my own business as a Longaberger consultant for almost two years. Before that, I was an independent quilting instructor, so I felt like I was looking damn good working for myself like that. I got past being unable to brag about myself. I started out cutting and pasting applicable information from the web sites I visited onto a blank document. After that I just started listing my skills in no particular order. Using a few other resumes as references, I started putting my information in order and adapting some of the information I found elsewhere to my situation. It came together as a combination Functional/Chronological resume. I didn�t think it would be wise to use the Chronological format in any way, because the dates are so old, but I figure I don�t have anything to hide. If I didn�t put them on there, it might look like I was trying to hide something.

I�m proud to have stayed home with my kids. I also feel very lucky that I was able to do so. I see so many new moms, both online and in real life, that dread going back to work and miss their kids terribly. It�s hard to know you won�t be there for every step, word, scrape, and accomplishment. I was very privileged to be there for all those things. It took a lot of hard work to do it too. We had to live with one income and one car the whole time I�ve worked as a stay at home mom. I also had to deal with feelings of isolation and disrespect, some of that brought on by me and some not. It isn�t easy to stay at home, and it isn�t easy to go to work. I made my decision, and I�m glad I did. I don�t think I�m any more or less a better parent than someone who chose differently, and I hope others feel the same about me.

I do feel that for me, staying at home was a struggle that I probably wouldn�t have had if I went back to work. I deal with increased feelings of low self-worth. I do a job that doesn�t require a college degree or even a high school diploma. I felt like I was letting lots of opportunities pass while I aged away at home. It has taken a great deal of will and ingenuity not to go completely crazy some days. I do think I developed in ways I never would have had I went back to work, so I did gain life skills that are valuable no matter what I do.

It wasn�t easy for me to translate who I am and what I learned into a series of bullets and power verbs. That�s why I thought writing the cover letter would be easier. I could better convey what I wanted from a prospective employer as well as explain my situation more fully. Now that I�m supposed to be doing that though, it seems hard. I probably need to go at it the very same way I did the resume�just start writing stuff and then put it together nicely later. Sounds like a plan. So far, all I have is my name, contact info, date and �Dear Sir or Madam.� That�s not a great start�-necessary, but not great.

I�m now just wasting time by continuing here any longer. I want to send applications and such out by tomorrow, so I have to quit goofing off and start working.

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One Year Ago Today:

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