Wall-mounted changing table - A flexible solution in our small home 

  

Before you have your first child, you do not realize how much that has to be planned and acquired to make life easier. I guess more than us are going through this awakening. As usual, I have made a list of things we need to deal with, mainly to increase security in the home, but also to make it as easy as possible for us as parents. The focus is on the little one to feel as good as possible, so in the end it’s simply about prioritizing the right things. 

 

One of the first things I noticed is that it does not work in the long run to use our bed to change diapers. Not only because it feels a little stale, but also because I already after 2 weeks feel that my back will not be able to handle it for a longer time. Of course, the changing table was one of the first things we acquired, but at the moment it is in the bathroom downstairs and we would have to run up and down the stairs if we would use that every time the diaper has to be changed! Those of you who have been to our home know that we do not have the largest bathroom upstairs. And since we barely have room with a sink and toilet, we do not see it as an alternative to put that changing table in there. 

 

But then I remembered that I have seen wall-mounted changing tables and after a bit of research online, I found a company that sells just that. I understand that these are usually found in a bit more public places but I can’t help but think that it would have fit perfectly here with us! Since it can be folded up when not in use, it solves our problem of space in a simple and flexible way. And since it doesn’t have to be visible all the time, I also only see it as a plus. Apparently I can even get it delivered with a picture on the front and what would be better than a cute picture of Ellie there? Then it's pretty much like having a picture of her in the bathroom too! 

 

Now all that remains is to convince my husband that this is our best option, but I am convinced that he will agree with me. There have been some discussions about it so he will probably just be happy to have one of all the things on the list crossed off. 

 

 

Folded sunglasses – a game changer

Have you ever experienced not having anywhere to put your sunglasses while not wearing them and therefore end up losing them? I can’t even count how many times that has happened to me. My purses are always too small to fit my sunglasses and I really don’t like to wear them on my head as many others do. Because of this I always forget my sunglasses everywhere I go. Well, I think I finally found a solution. My friend told me about foldable sunglasses but I never looked into it since I thought they probably wouldn’t be that cute. However, when I lost a new pair of sunglasses again yesterday I realized I needed to find a solution to my problem. I looked up the folding sunglasses my friend told me about, and let me tell you how wrong I was! The Wolt, the company that sells these sunglasses, has a variety of folded sunglasses in multiple models and colors. They have something for everyone. I chose a round model with a rose gold frame since I always wear rose gold jewelry, so my new folding sunglasses will match perfectly with it. The sunglasses fold down to only 2 cm, which means that they will fit perfectly in my purses. Another thing that sold me on the foldable sunglasses is the fact that the case has an anti-lost function. There is a Bluetooth device in the case so that you can see where you have left them with the help of an app in your phone. This is a game changer for me. I no longer have to buy sunglasses on a regular basis since I am now able to always find them. I can’t wait for my new folding sunglasses to arrive so that I can start wearing them!

I'm moving to Norway

My employer has operations in Norway and now I have received an offer to move to Oslo and be part of the team there. I will be responsible for sales to our customers in Norway which I think will be good. I do the same work today in the U.K and I do not think that sales are particularly different in Norway.

My company sells software for logistics and our customers are often international so many of our customers in Norway are the same as in Sweden. There are of course local and national transport companies, but they often cooperate with a major player in order to be able to offer transport across national borders.

When you're moving to another country you can´t just pack your things and go. There are many things you have to keep track of and many practical things that need to be done.

My employer have used a company called Alfa Moving and they will help me move to Norway.

When you move to another country, you have to have a work permit, visa, residence permit and much more. You must have a bank account, be insured, and so on. Since there is a lot to think about and keep track of, I am glad that we have a company that helps us with this.

Alfa also has help to get me an apartment in Oslo so I have somewhere to stay.

2021 will be an exciting year and it will be interesting to see how it feels to move to Norway.

 

It’s become clear to me now how important it is to have a secure job. We are relatively lucky in Australia as we have pretty low unemployment. And I can’t say I have ever had too much trouble getting a job. Sometimes you have to change your preferences a little bit in order to fit in with what’s on offer but I think we as Australians are doing far better off in this area as opposed to Americans. I guess it’s only clear now why it’s so important is because my partner and I now have a mortgage. Without a regular pay you can’t pay off the mortgage and the banks don’t take to kindly to this. I’ve found many of my friends in this position and they end up staying in a job that they are not happy with in order to continue paying their rent, mortgage or bills. It’s a slight catch 22, as we need to work to live but most of us end up living to work. Most things in life can’t be done without the security of a job and regular income so what happens if you suddenly lose this? And what would you put up with in order to not have to go through this?

Do I really want to leave a good job, with a decent pay and my friends behind? Do I want the stress and pressure of having to find another job whilst still having to pay off a loan? What if I can’t find another job? These are all decent and relevant questions that keep me where I am at the moment. Even if it means having a manager lose the plot at me for not putting a glass away or eating tuna for lunch because it’s too smelly. It’s just so much easier to stay in a place that is secure and has a nice looking pay cheque at the end of the week for you. Besides I spend most of my day with my friends and I wouldn’t have this at another job. It’s not often you make such a strong connection with your employees. It’s pretty amazing what’s you’re willing to put up with in the return of money and security. I mean if I can get used to seeing a narcissistic, psychopath every day and humour her into believing that I actually like her, that’s saying something. So I guess I’ll stay in the job for the next few years, or until I’ve at least payed most of the mortgage off. There’s nothing like debt to keep you in place.

All business owners should be told having two emotional female managers is not a good idea. There is nothing worse than coming into work and having your mood decided by the mood of your managers for that particular day. Or being the punching bag of the week. It was fine if you were chosen as the flavour of the week but god help you if they were on a war path and decided you were the cause of it. Emotion should never get involved with business and sadly that usually means women. I have no problem with women in management, just don’t be emotional and be good at your job. It is hell going into work and having the manager backstab you and hear it from another employee only to have the manger be sweet as pie to your face. But the other problem is I actually like the job, and my team that I mostly deal with have become some of my best friends. The pay is fantastic and the work is quite easy. But is it worth putting up with a psychopathic manager for this though. I find myself asking this every day.

 When I started on my first day one of the other employees asked what the business owner said to me when I was hired. I explained he looked me up and down and asked one question and that was it. She said that’s how they were all hired. And that here you were hired more for looks than anything else. I was shocked! But after looking around I noticed that every single female employee had long dark brown hair, olive skin, brown eyes and a slim build. Baring in mind though, this was the cosmetic surgery industry so we were all expected to look a certain way. It was fine with me because the pay for this role was fantastic and the perks of the job were really good. I could put up with a superficial boss for this surely. But once I got my mortgage I realised how much I really needed this job. I relied on each pay check to come through so I could pay off the minimum requirements on my mortgage. Although I quite enjoyed this job there were lots of things about it I couldn’t stand. The managers were a big part of that.

To give credit where credit is due they handled it relatively well. They were fine with giving me time off but weren’t happy I had neglected to tell them the truth. It was also really frustrating once I got back to work having people walking on egg shells around me all the time and having to tell management every single little thing going on in my life so they felt like they were on the same page and being included. Once I was well again I decided I couldn’t put up with being the unwell employee anymore and decided to leave. I managed to find myself another job rather quickly in yet another totally different industry. The interview process was very strange though, two middle aged women interviewed me (rather unprofessionally) I might add as they didn’t seem prepared or even that interested to be honest. I was called back for another interview with the business owner this time. He kept me waiting for about an hour and I thought he had forgotten about me. Finally he walked in, looked me up and down and asked me where I lived. Then he told me I had the job. It was very strange.

One of my biggest hurdles was getting back into the job market after I had been off ill for over a year. How do you explain to a potential employer that you have a chronic illness that still affects you but you would love a job. It was frustrating and disheartening being turned down after explained that I couldn’t work full time due to being unwell. So I decided that I wouldn’t tell them. I went through a recruitment agency and told the agent that was looking after my file about my illness and he also agreed that it would be best not to tell my future employers. Needless to say I no longer had any trouble finding a job. I explained my year and a half off was for travel (not illness) and it was never even questioned. I got a job for part time work and I told my employers I was studying on my time off so I couldn’t do any extra hours. This worked for quite some time but it all came crashing down when I got ill again and needed time off. I had to explain to management was my situation was.

And being in the same room as the regional business manager and Australian manager asking you how you would handle certain situations was enough to make me sweat. But yet again I got through and was called back for another one on one interview. It was after half an hour of more questions and back and forth banter they offered me the job. I was so pleased that I managed to get through this. I don’t care what anyone says, the interview process is a nightmare. Now after about a month of this particular job I realised it wasn’t for me at all but the pay was really good. The money kept me in this job for over a year. The other problem with the job was my manager. She was completely incompetent at her role and I did most of her work for her yet she took all of the credit. Looking back at the situation I could have done more to stop this but I was young and didn’t want to be out of work as I was saving for a big overseas holiday.