Just a little extra

    We've been going over our finances, eliminating bills and practicing vigorous budgeting skills over the past few months. We've finally gotten to a place of comfort and stability but we are anxiously awaiting Chads next raise to help us get ahead and start towards our dream of having a ranch someday. We've been getting really creative with our income strategies, we've babysat, painted, sold fruit, the list goes on, but something that was always in the back of my mind was working a part time or night shift job, just for a years or two, to get ahead and to attack our student loans. I've gotten so close to applying for a number of jobs but stopped myself because I knew when it came down to it, I wanted and needed to be home with Liam teaching him and "making home". If I did get a job, it had to be perfect, the hours had to be perfect, the environment enjoyable, and the punch line, it needed to allow me to work without hiring a nanny for Liam. Don't get me wrong, if we were in a different position where Chad was unable to work or his job wasn't making enough for us to live on, I'd get a full time job and I'd carefully consider a nanny, but this job is to get ahead not survive, I'm not willing to sacrifice time out of the home and away from Liam for extra money. Plus, for the type of part time job I'm looking for, a nanny would take away too much of the earnings to make it worth it (which is pretty true for most part time jobs). I DO have my sister and my mom close that could watch Liam but I see them often enough to know that they have lives and schedule, BUSY lives and schedule, always serving and helping others. I know they would be happy to help but I know what a sacrifice it would be. It's not something I would ever ask them to do on a permanent basis.

 Like I said, if I did get a job, it would have to be perfect.

We prayed and hoped to find something soon. It took awhile, i interviewed with a few companies but never felt good about it. I turned down a job with Nordstroms, which was tough becuase it was perfect on paper but I just had a feeling it wasnt going to be a good fit for our family. But now I'm so glad I did. A week later I found a craigslist ad for a Music teacher position at a studio in Chandler on Saturdays. As I read the requirements and preferred skills and experiences, I knew I had the job if I wanted it. Within 10 minutes, I had written and sent off a cover letter with my resume attached. I got a call the next day and set up an interview for the following Friday.

    After meeting with the owner of the company I knew this was the job we'd been praying for. We finished eachothers sentences, she explained my responsibilities and we were talking about the companies future and plans for expansions to Queen Creek after just 30 minutes. She offered me the job and I accepted! I'll start small but I've got plenty of room for growth too. I'll be teaching Music and dance to kids with ages ranging from 0 Months-3 Years. We use a method created by Musicology an based off of the neuroscience research from Dr Jill Stamm who co-founded the New Directions Institute for infant brain development. All the songs we sing, motions we do and props and insturuments we use are to help develop strong fine motor skills, verbal skills, emotional and physical awareness, strong parental bonds and teach focus and attention skills that will help the kids succeed in school and social situations.

  I've always been passionate about establishing and providing an environment of learning and security for children. The brain develops and absorbs the most information between birth and age three so I'm so grateful to be apart of that learning process for the kids and their parents. Most importantly, no nanny. I get to spend all week with Liam. I even get to practice my lesson plans on him at home. I'll start with only 4 classes on Saturday, then possibly some night classes if the Chandler location gets the traction we hope it will. Since all my classes take place on Saturday, Liam gets to have a Boys Day with dad all afternoon (which is much needed after daddys long week at work) and I get to go to work doing something I LOVE, making a difference, and knowing Liam is with his dad, having a great time.

   It's not a huge income, it's once a week after all, but every little bit helps when you've got big dreams. This is the perfect time for me to have another job, our family is still small, our schedules are flexible and we have a close strong family support system. I've been training the past two weeks and it requires a little more time than I'll have to once I get going so my family has been so helpful and I've been so blessed with that advantage. I'm also so grateful for my degree that instantly raised my starting income along with my years of music experience.

   Family and home is my passion so if I have to work outside the home, this is what I want to be doing! I have already fallen in love with my students and their parents and my mouth aches from smiling after each day of training. I have to admit, I cried the first few times I dropped Liam off at Aunt Danis and Grandma G's house but I know the training's only a few weeks longer and I have a new found respect for those mamas that are supporting their families by working full time and courageously leaving their little ones for the day to better their family circumstances. It's something I hope never to have to do but I now know just how hard it would be.

  I could go on and on! I have learned so much the past few weeks, had so many awesome experiences and seen some amazing milestones in the classroom but I'll end with saying that I'm so blessed to have been lead to this opportunity and you're sure to hear more about it soon!