Era to Embark

WELCOME TO MY JOURNEY! 

Over the next several months, I will document my journey from being a working wife and mother to a stay-at-home mom (SAHM).   Living in the DC area with 2 kids (while wanting more),  owning a home, and having a pet, it will definitely be a challenge, but I'm up for it! 

I will share money-saving and other tips I learn along the way to encourage those who may even continue their calling in the workforce and just want to manage time, resources, or whatever else...

Some background before I begin: 

    Before I had children (and even after my first daughter was born), I had it made up in my mind that I would be a working mom.  Part of it was for financial reasons... My husband and I had survived on two incomes the first five years of our marriage and had struggles even then.  We had a budget but would still get into credit card debt.  We would pay off one car loan just have another expense come up.  We started our marriage in a one-bedroom condo and decided once we were going to expand our family that we also needed to expand our living quarters, which in-turn, expanded our debt.  We bought a complete dump and with a hard-working hubby, lots of awesome friends, and the Lord, we turned it into what has been more than suitable for our family.  There are continuous expenses with owning a home (and our condo), which are sometimes in conjunction with owning a pet, such as needing a fence for our yard and replacing the carpet in the condo that Chai started to destroy before we moved out.

    With our current spending trends, especially on those that are baby and nursing-working-mother-related, my outlook on our budget and me being able to stay home was always grim.  We moved in July 4, 2009 with our first daughter.  And in 2011, we finally finished our basement... until Tropical Storm Lee rolled into town and flooded it.  After incurring additional debt to complete the indoor waterproofing and fix the drywall and flooring damage, there was still no end in sight to our expenses.  We're still in the midst of our goal of paying off the $10,000 bill for the waterproofing within one year while the payments are still interest-free (you do the math :). So far, we're on a positive track of accomplishing it!  Shortly after Lee, we discovered that our family vehicle needed major repair.  While it was nice we had decided years prior to take an equity line of credit out on our condo so had funds available in case of a need, we weren't thrilled with needing to actually use it - incurring another monthly payment.  Our debt seems to have leveled, so we have set the goal: PAY OFF OUR CURRENT DEBT (eliminating several monthly payments), and we can have a more manageable budget to get on the path of me staying at home, or at least working part-time at home to supplement the hubby's income so we can start putting money into savings again.  

    The other part of me continuing to work was for professional reasons.  A cousin in Newark, NJ was a firearms instructor with the Newark Police Department. Ever since my first time on the range as a teenager, I wanted to work in law enforcement.  That was my ultimate professional goal, though numerous open doors closed on me at some point in each application process...even to the very last step in one particular case.  I had worked since high school - first, as a cashier at a REC Center, then a front desk agent-turned supervisor at a Marriott hotel, to an armed ATM Technician-turned Vault Manager of an armored car company, then I took a pay decrease for various reasons and became a receptionist-turned Executive Assistant to the CEO of a government contracting company.  I started my educational path by going to community college right after high school, graduating in 2002, it wasn't until a few years after we got married in 2004 that I decided I needed a Bachelor's to further my career.  My husband worked endlessly to provide the resources for me to get my degree online without us going into debt, which the Lord provided for.  Even now, though (2 1/2 years after graduating), I haven't actually had to opportunity to go into that field and put the degree to use.

    Over the years, especially after my husband started working for a local police department, I realized my ultimate police-goal wasn't going to jive with our family situation.  Having one of us with an unpredictable schedule had enough of a toll on our household that having two of us in the same situation would be more stressful.  Anywho, I've continued to work, and it wasn't until recently that my heart has really been set on being able to stay at home, despite my desires to advance professionally in the government-world.  Being in the DC area, of course, having a role in a government-related field is quite attainable. 

    Nonetheless, my mind is made up.  Being a recent convert to the SAHM ideology ;)  I have a lot to learn, but I have decided to document this journey to show God's faithfulness in honoring his promise from Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  I am confident that although we may encounter more struggles (as His Word also gives us a heads-up on), He will bring us through as we stay committed to Him.  So... this is more than a blog; it is a window into our faith-journey.