Last night I completed the transformation of our computer/scrapbook room to a new playroom. Why? I decided to take the plunge and begin watching children in my home.
It wasn't an easy decision to make...in fact, we've been hemming and hawing for almost 2 years about it. But the simple fact is that we could benefit from extra income and, while it's nice to raise children in a small town, the job opportunities for me are quite limited.
I have a degree in Childhood Psychology...translation: school student counselor, and also one as a Teacher's Assistant. Both are basically un-usable in town, as with three kids its too hard to be on the schedule as 'casual', and have had to say no too many times to last-minute phone calls. I applied so many times that the Superintendent and I knew each other's first names. But the job was always just out of my reach, due to other applicants having more experience than me.
After I had Charlie, I found being at home a godsend, and was happy that I was a stay at home mom, able to take my kids to any function they had going on after school. And I was holding out for a career, not just a job, as my own standards for myself just wouldn't let me pack groceries or work in a store downtown. Not only that, but I knew I'd have to get a pretty good job in order to pay for the daycare for my own kids. Without a career opportunity I knew I wouldn't be able to justify paying for someone to watch them.
That brings me back to daycare in my own home. I have done it before, as I was a nanny in Moose Jaw for a family of three busy boys until I got married and moved to Lloydminster. There I watched kids in my home for a year or so there, and had 5 at a time on some days! So, being as it was nothing new to me, I decided to jump in with both feet and take it on again!
And while it wasn't my first choice as a way to make a bit of extra money, I am happy with the decision, as it fits my lifestyle right now.
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| Before we did anything to the room, it was an unfinished sun room, with a gravelled floor 3 feet down to the ground. We added new windows on two of the walls, and Mike insulated the entire room and built a drop floor. We re salvaged some flooring and then Mike mudded, taped, and painted. |
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| Jacelyn sitting at the computer. |
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| Toys in the playroom |
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| I love these Home Depot shelves, by Martha Stewart. We now own 3 in the house! |
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| The girls are watching Toy Story 3 on the new TV in the playroom. |
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