My Backstory! Part One

When I was young I always wanted to be a writer.  I used to write short stories and plays for my friends to read and act out.  I was ok at it but I wouldn't say extraordinary by any means.  I didn't care though. To me it was fun. I could dream and get lost in those dreams.  When I got into high school I decided that writing books would be too boring. That a hard hitting journalist was where I wanted to be. I would move to a big city like New York or Chicago and I would be a top reporter and eventually a news anchor.

Life tends to be strange and laugh at us at times. I ended up not doing either of those.  I met the boy I would still love in that same high school.  We married right after graduation and found out we would be parents just two months later.

He worked as a machinist and I as an assistant at a chiropractors office.  We lived in a little one bedroom apartment and I thought it was pretty great.  We were pretty good with money and being frugal. We moved into a two bedroom rental right before we welcomed our son into the world.  About six months later we were told we would have to move because the woman we were renting from was divorcing and needed to move back into the home we were renting.

Not sure what to do and with very little money we were offered a deal from my husband's mother & step-father. We could buy half of their land for a decent price and build or buy a mobile home to put on the property. While we liked the idea we really weren't sure how it would work out being so close to family and all.  We looked around but with not having much time or funds we took them up on their generous offer.

A couple of months and lots of dollars later, we moved into a 16 x 80 new single wide mobile home. It was very nice. Due to the year we bought it and the current style, it was all decked out in maroon carpeting and a pinkish, maroon color theme.  I must say I really liked it.  Most importantly it was all ours.

During that time my husband and I both worked full-time.  He had changed employers and now was at a really nice tool and die shop and I had left the chiropractor for a receptionist position at a local hospital.  We had benefits, a little more money, and our own place.  We should have been so happy, right?  I think my husband was but I really wasn't.

Why wasn't I so happy? Mainly because early every morning I had to go drop off our beautiful son to the care of other people at a day care center. He didn't cry much but he would just look at me so sad. I'd have to set him at a breakfast table with a bowl of cereal and wave goodbye not to see him for about 9 hours.  While I do think it wasn't a bad center, it's not home with mom where children really belong. He got many colds and so would I along with whatever else these poor children would come to day care with. We spent much time at the doctor with ear infections and sinus issues.

I, at work in a hospital, thought that I had a pretty good job, but my boss would be very angry if anyone would have to take time off to take care of sick kids or anything.  She was a very angry spiteful woman. Mostly, other than the doctors I worked for were other women. Some nice and some very hurtful. Most of us really didn't want to be there but felt we had to. I think in some people this can be a trigger for making other people miserable. If I ever mentioned about feeling bad about leaving my son it was usually returned with the typical explanations to make working mothers feel better. "It's better in the long run for them to learn to stand on their own." "They need friends to play with."  "You want your child to be social don't you?"  The main one was "You'll get used to it."  Well, I never really felt that I did.

I started getting bad headaches and was diagnosed with migraines.  I didn't sleep well and that didn't help.  Eventually, I did get a promotion and was going to go work in another private office located off the hospital grounds. I was thrilled to get out of that mostly hostile environment.  Well the Friday before I was to start my new position I was told by that "lovely" boss that she had changed her mind and another woman would get the position.  That I also couldn't stay in my current position because the girl I had trained (her cousin) would still be taking my spot.  I would go back to being what they called a floater.  So my raise was gone and I was super confused.  There was no disciplinary reason she just "decided."  When I left that afternoon I was in tears.  I hated this job. I hated leaving my son all day and for what really?

That weekend my husband and I sat down and went though our budget. We decided that it made sense to stay home really but I didn't want to be a free loader and only have him work.  So I started looking for a part time job.  Come to find out part time jobs don't pay much and by the time I would have to get a baby sitter we would actually be paying for me to work.

So began my life as a stay at home mother.  I wish I could say it was all because we realized that this is God's intention for families and that is why we decided this but no, that was our realization a couple of years later.  By this time our son was about 2 1/2 years old.  He is now 24!

Want to hear the rest of the story? How we came to raise our own  vegetables and meat? When we added another child into the mix? How we were able to afford all of this on such a small budget?  Stay tuned.  I will continue the story on Wednesday.


*If you stayed with my story to the end, thank you!  I really look forward to getting more into detail on how you can thrive on one income, how Jesus is the key to it all, and my triumphs and failures on the way along!