Work Hours

So... I'm a house mom. I live where I work, 24/7, so I never really go off the clock. What are the hours like? Pretty good actually. I've been surprised that I haven't had a problem getting 9 hours of sleep a night... they just aren't regular hours. I'm officially back on "college time." I'm up late, I sleep late. But as long as I get my sleep I don't have a problem.

I have the flexibility to come and go as I please during the day. The only requirement is that I sleep in the house every night.

What are my responsibilities? Well, there is a staff I'm responsible for. We have four cooks in the kitchen, six houseboys who serve at dinner, and two housekeepers. From a paperwork perspective, I've got to make sure our invoices are getting paid and our staff is getting paid. We've got a budget we need to stick to, so I've got to pay attention to that. We have formal dinners and recruitment events I have to work with the girls to plan as well.

Most importantly though, my job is about providing a safe and secure environment for these woman. It's consoling the girl who just broke up with her boyfriend and came home to an empty house hysterical at 10pm. (Pepperoni pizza and a heart to heart solved that.) It's about cancelling the access keys to the house when the girls get home from the bar and can't remember what they did with them. It's letting the girls into their rooms when they get accidentally locked out. And then there are the not so fun rules to enforce- towing cars parked in the fire lines, asking boys to leave after hours, and making sure there is no alcohol being stored upstairs.

It's a unique position. Memories of my college experience have come flooding back to me. I'm enjoying my time up here, and can't believe how quickly the time flies by when you're staying busy. Before I know it, I'll be spending a long weekend with Layne in Illinois visiting Aunt Paula, Keith and the kids, and our friend Hannah's wedding... and I can't wait for that!