I have a goal!!!

[mommy4ever]

I'm feeling burnt out. Been sick, ok not horribly so, but unwell for 2 months now. I am homeschooling and running a home business AND running kids to sports etc.

Something will need to change. I love homeschooling. I love the sports. I am NOT loving the daycare right now.

We can't afford to quit, not right now. BUT... I have a plan.

Now, if I can do it..lol... dh will be wondrous. I want to take a year off of working next year. I don't qualify for any ei or anything like that.

We can cover the basics on dh wage, no problem. BUT the extras would hurt. I don't want to accrue debt to do it.

I have my FFEF about where I need it. I don't want to touch that. It would cover 6 mo of bare necessities if needed.

So I'm building my vacation fund . I'm calculating everything we need for the extras next year. Sport fees, team budgets, tournament travel fees. Classes, education programs, gift budgets. And I'm dumping money into that fund asap. If I have that saved, and all cc are clear(which they are), then I should be able to take the time off.

I am always working. I work 11 hour days, 5 days a week. I'm always planning, cleaning, wear and tear on the house.

I just want a break! I had planned on dumping money onto the mortgage and get rid of it. But I REALLY need a break from the daycare. Today I had to walk away as I was going to lose it.

A little guy, 3yo is potty trained, but is in pull ups at nap. He refused to pee before we left the house, I knew it was going to be a problem. SO I was proactive and put him in a pull up. He over flowed it 15 minutes later soaking the carseat...arghh! Ok, whatever.

Get home, change him, new pull up at nap time. After nap he comes up stair to go potty as is routine. BUT, he's dirty, I didn't know, he hasn't had a bowel movement here for over a year(his cycle is weird). So before I get up there, I was waking another little one, he's taken off the pull up, dumped the mess on the floor, stepped in it, smeared it around the bathroom. This is about 45 seconds time. So I go in, tell him, next time he needs to wait for help if he's dirty. I start to lift him onto the toilet, and he pees all over me.

I sat him on the potty told him he was NOT to move(as there was poop all the way down his legs, on his socks) and I walked away. I don't paid enough for this. I'm tired of it. He's a good little guy over all... but REALLY?

So.... I'm planning a daycare hiatus, where I can take the year enjoy teaching my girls and JUST be mom and not worry constantly about finances. Then we'll see how it goes.... maybe we'll find another way after that.

So operation Vacation is on the way

[mauimagic]

How exciting!! You can and will do it and I cannot wait to hear about this great new journey you are creating!!

[Mom2-3]

Yikes! What a day you had! I agree, some vacation time is in order

[MaryCarney]

What a brilliant solution to the problem!!! I'm also a homeschooler (for 23 years) but now that I have only teens in the house I've gone back to outside employment a couple nights a week (I'm an RN) - I know all about the burnout, and think you've come up with a great idea - keep us posted!!!

[mamamia]

Now that sounds like a plan...and like you need a much needed break! Good job on your planning. Sounds like you thought of everything. And I'm positive you'll pull it off, because you know how it is when you want something bad enough! And after all that poop, I can tell you REALLY want this one bad enough.

Hoping the best for you!

Theresa

[mommy4ever]

You don't know HOW bad I want this. I get times where I want time off, you know? A couple days. But this morning laying in bed, I'm dreading getting up. I used to enjoy this. But not right now.

I'm trying to think of what else I could do after my time off to earn that would allow me to homeschool easily. I feel bad, whenever there is a function, I have the daycare kids. I can't go into watch swim lessons and visit with moms, as I have the little ones asleep in the van. When we go to the park, again, little ones. I am feeling that it controls me. When the kids were in school it was fine. When i did an outing it was about the littlest ones only. But now it's about the older ones too, and they aren't getting my attention. I feel guilty. And if the little ones aren't behaving volume wise, it's so distracting for my kids to do school. They are doing fine. I'm converting dd6 to afternoon schooling so she is focused, but she likes her afternoons outside when it warm. I can't blame her.

But, we will trudge through this the best we can. Taking days when we need them. I did next week for a science olympics, and a 1/2 day for a ballet. As well as a day off around remembrance to give me a long weekend.

I'd take an evening job, but with their sports, we can't make that work. So I don't know. I wouldn't need much to make it work. But dh likes the extra money, we've gotten used to it. We lived paycheck to paycheck for years, we sacrificed alot for the kids. The extra money now has really made it easier, I don't want to go back to that completely, I want to have a little extra. But not sure what.

But I do know I need time.

[mommy4ever]

Creating the plan.

So I have played with numbers. And I am thinking I can swing it.

In fact, the new budget I'm working on, we actually COULD live solely on his income and STILL contribute to savings, not as much. We'd just not be quite as relaxed with our money.

And looking ahead... Dh would get a substantial increase in his income tax return. More savings. There would be a few more perks to it.

I put it down on paper. The goal is to work until end of July, give notice, and a full month of nothingness before school starts.

I don't think dh will object. he's been concerned about energy levels, I've been sick frequently, not seriously, but continuously. He's hounding me to go out and get involved in something. We don't have time. The few daytime ones that are available, I can't do because I have daycare. Even homeschool functions are a challenge as I have the little ones. But if I didn't, for me to take an afternoon a week and go do something, I'm budgeting for a family membership to a rec center for next year so we could go to the gym, swim, play racquet ball etc. We'd be able to do it every afternoon, we'd have TIME to do it. I can't do it now. DD6 can't go on her own, and it's not fair to let the others do it and not her, and it's not fair to not let them either. We'll figure this out.

BUt I have the makings of an initial plan.... and I'm hitting hard.

[Natalia]

Just an idea:

What about after your vacay, of after say a month off, you convert from "daycare" to "after-school care"? In fairness, I have never done either, but I would have totally tried it if not being on disability and not allowed to earn money..

Around here, you make about 75% of a full day daycare just by doing after school care. After school care would be about 3 hours, from around 2pm or 3pm to 5 or 5:30.. you would have every morning and early afternoon free to focus on your own family, go to appointments, and feel less smothered overall. And you would still have most of your earnings

[Natalia]

Plus, with after school care only, noone is super dependent on you. They're going to be a t least 5. No butts to wipe, no one to carry, change, etc. Helping with homework and feeding a snack would probably be pretty much it. To me it totally seems the way to go , childcare wise.

[Debbie-cat]

Great plan and good luck!

[mommy4ever]

I don't like doing after school care. But it is good to keep that open mind for it. But it doesn't pay so well here but it is a potential idea for at least some income....