Today has been an ocean of 7 years of accumulation. Did it all happen just today? No.
About 7 years ago I started teaching Financial Literacy at the High School level and I was adamant that what I teach I live by as well. So it began, learning to truly live by a budget, on cash, and no debt. At the same time I was introduced to Dave Ramsey's Financial Freedom - no I don't use the entire system but so much of it blends with what I had learned in my Financial Planning courses at Ohio State University, and it was already student friendly so, for all intense purposes I taught "that" curriculum. Well, as we started living and seeing how our money flowed we were able to harness and make our dollars align with our goals.
Now, at the same time we had a growing family. Now 2 children and for most days 2 dogs. Kevin and I both have energy in surplus and (I will toot our horn) the desire to always help our friends and others. So being on the go is part of our nature.
About 5 years ago my grandfather passed away. He was a loving, stubborn man and often I left feeling respect for his generation, and wondering how my generation was going to pass along the core values of humanity that his learned through experiencing immigration assimilation and various wars. Technology seems to keep use linked but does it keep us connected?
During this time our children have blossomed and time now was not only split with the energy and focus of Kevin and I, but also our children - soccer, lacrosse, art classes, girl scouts, special clubs, play dates....
Kevin often stated that he wished he had a job where he made more money and could take care of us so that I could stay home and keep things balanced. When all parts are spinning (and often in different areas and at different speeds) it tends to lead to the disjointed family that we often see in our classrooms at parent teacher conferences, in the neighborhoods where "they grew apart", and in society in general. After all 50% of marriages ending in divorce, the increase in stress due to jobs, money, etc.. can't be a coincidence. We started our lives together - August 1, 1998 to be a team and to grow those around us (family and friends) in love. Being a part of the system is what we wanted - not to become our own system!
So 3 years ago I started to notice that we were able to make it on an amazing budget and live the life we wanted (within reason - trips to Europe and other exotic sandy locations - Aruba, etc.. will always be a wish). At the same time I had a major back surgery and I there was a great deal of time for reflection. I saw the imbalance starting to impact our children, communication and that we had to schedule time (literally looking at a calender to schedule time to go on a date!) - we knew that there had to be a shift in our lives.
Honestly - Kevin would have loved to have been the one to stay home. He is as much as an amazing cook as I am! However, when looking at our skill sets - my ability to stay focused and keep multiple events running (and not stopping to play xbox or build something out of wood in the garage) made for me to be the one to reduce the hours at work.
3 months into working part time last year (2013), we knew that things were not the way they were suppose to be and that working part time as a teacher, did not mean a reduction in time spent preparing and traveling. So, a deeper consideration was made to remove myself completely from the work environment. This was at the time a hard decision and I thought the hard part was over...
5 weeks ago when school started I had to fill out a form (yeah - a lot of forms! who are we kidding) and on it I had to put my occupation. I sat and cried.
Ocean waves of emotion into this new life and I can say that I am NOT settled in. Its not that I don't know how to settle in, its because I feel guilty enjoying this new life that we have carved out. Today, I broke a lunch date with an amazing friend because I needed to take time for myself - you want to know what I did, I took the dogs for a walk and I am now making chicken noodle soup from scratch. Why - because it gives me peace. For the first time today, in 5 weeks, I feel I have some control of my time.
For my friends who are "SAHM's" please remember you are not JUST a stay at home mom - it is because of the WORK you do every day that the other members of your family get to do what they enjoy doing. When people ask what I do, I am going to tell them - I WORK from home, I own my own business - for 2 years coordinating parties and fundraisers using the Tupperware product, and I am a consultant, currently working with a Farm to Fork Company - Azoti. But the BEST work I do from home, is be able to BE WITH MY FAMILY (mentally and physically) each day!
Strive to create balance in your life each day!
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