Tails of a Working Mom: Faith

Crazy is an understatement for what we have been going through lately. $880 dollars for a root canal for me. $500 for wisdom teeth extraction for the Weatherman. $100 for asthma medication for Goober. Goober was sick last weekend and I have been out of work for the last two days sick as well. And let's not forget the thing we have not mentioned, and are generally afraid of mentioning. It's like if we don't talk about it then maybe it won't happen. It's like if we actually admit that the Weatherman did not get his contract renewed for the next school year then it will actually come true. But we need to admit it, because we need to come up with some solutions.

We are trying to have faith. God is certainly testing us right now. And I keep reminding myself of all the blessings we have in our lives. Goober and Bubs being right up there at the top. But it has been hard. So hard.

The good news is the Weatherman will continue to get paychecks through July, so we have time to pray and figure things out. But after that I am not sure what we will do. He is working hard to finish his transition-to-teaching program which will allow him to get his teaching license. He has to finish up his classes this semester and then take one more class in the summer. He will continue to look for teaching jobs in this district and the surrounding ones so there is hope that something might become available. In the past he has been a sub, but a substitute pay with one child in daycare versus substitute pay with two children in daycare is not really worth the difference.

We had intended to pull the kids out of daycare for the summer since that would save us over $2,000. But there is a chance that we would lose our daycare spot and not be able to get them back in if this happens. So this is kind of up in the air too.

Despite all the extra expenses lately, we have still done pretty good and are still on track for being debt free (minus the house) by the end of the year. We have been brainstorming ways to accelerate the debt free process since this would help a lot when our annual income gets cut in half.

So much to think about. So many decisions to make. So many ways to trust the Lord. I know it could be worse. At least my job has the insurance so we won't lose that. At least the kids are mostly healthy, despite Goober being diagnosed with asthma and being placed on a variety of maintenance medications that she has to take daily for the foreseeable future. It could be so much worse! I am constantly reminded of a dear friend who lost her 5 year old to cancer. No mother should ever go through that. At least my babies are not fighting as her brave girl had to fight.

At least my job is stable and steady and safe. I just wish I didn't have to work quite as much. This weekend would have been the first weekend I had off since the beginning of the year. But now with me missing work the last two days because of being sick, I am going to have to go in to work this weekend to catch up. I don't want to give up time with the kids, so I will probably go to work when Goober is napping and take Bubs with me. The Weatherman has some big projects due for his classes so he is going to need to focus this weekend too. I have a big event in just 19 days (eek!) that I am nowhere near ready for. I know it will all come together, but until our annual Earth Day event is over, I will stress about it. There is so much to do! Then after Earth Day, there is my busy season with lots of field trips, and from there we jump right into camps. And oh my goodness camps! I haven't even started thinking about the two camps I am supposed to write. But I will get them finished. I always get my project finished. It will come together and things will work out like they always do.

Because I have faith. Because we have had hard times before and the Lord has never let us down yet. Even in our darkest times, such as when we lost our angel baby, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future.

I will hold on to these promises. And I will have hope. And faith.