Back in 2010 after Arty(husband) received his master's degree we found out that he was accepted into dental school in West Virginia. At the time we were living in Arizona. We had been talking about having babies for a while but we decided that when he got into any dental school it would be the green light to start trying. I got pregnant in February, on just our second month of trying for real. I know how blessed we are!
So at the time I was working as a property manager for single family homes(and had been for a couple years) but in April I lost my job. So there we were, I was suddenly unemployed and my husband had just finished school and was preparing for a move across the country to start school in August. We barely scraped by that summer, barely. Needless to say things worked out.
We both knew that I would definitely not make as much money as a property manager in West Virginia. Even if the salary was the same, I'm not sure that I could imagine having anyone else watch Sullivan daily. When I was in college taking classes I had a hard time committing to a specific degree because I couldn't decide what I wanted to "be". I always knew I wanted to be a mom. There was never any doubt in my mind about that.
That's not to say that I still don't feel like I want to contribute and help us financially. I love taking pictures and I am exploring that possibility. I may get my real estate license up and running here sometime so that I can help people buy homes, which is my favorite part of the real estate business. I also love making things and sewing so that is another place for me to grow. I am trying to figure out ways to use the things I am passionate about as a way to provide a little extra money for us because if I am being honest things are tight in the money department. And that's ok, I know things could be so much worse. Like the time I was 21 and lived by the beach in California and was out of money and on the "donut diet" where all you eat is a donut for each meal. I also did the "big lunch diet" where you eat the biggest lunch you can find for the cheapest amount of money and that's it, I always picked nachos. That's a story for another day :). Right now we have everything we need, a great townhouse, cars that work, yummy food in the fridge, and so on. We are on a student budget with a family of three but we make it work. I like to think that this experience will make us all around better people. In fact, I know it will.
~Megan
Sounds like you and your hubby made the best decision for you guys. I'm sure you'll cherish the time with Sullivan forever! The money won't always be tight....but your baby won't always be little either.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for participating in the link-up! So nice to "meet" you and read about how you made the best decision for you.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to that feeling that you've always known that full-time motherhood was going to be for you, though the initial challenges financially can be daunting. On top of loving being at home, I also see it as a great opportunity to find something I'm passionate about for if/when I start working again.
Thank you again - have a terrific weekend!
I love this! I, too, just can't wrap my mind around giving my baby girl to someone else all day - and I don't care one bit that it means my degree is collecting dust on a shelf. I will NEVER regret spending "too much" time with her...but I know I'd regret not trying, even if it means sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteI love taking pictures, volunteering - and even make money blogging :) It's so much more fun to fill my days with homemaking, mothering and hobbies than a 9-5 as a school social worker :)