Life always changing

Whew. What a month.

My hubby went back to work full-time. The whole part-time work to go to school full-time stunt didn't work out in our favor. But, now we know why we were prompted to get into our house. We surely would've been asked to leave our previous home because we wouldn't have met our required classes for the semester. This was the fourth attempt to get my hubby through school using different ways: full-time, full-time; part-time, full-time, part-time, part-time, full-time, part-time. The latter, we have yet to try. That will be the last resort, or this fall, whichever comes first.

He has recieved confirmation that he needs to be in school. So, we are trying to make it work. It's so confusing. We have recieved confirmation that I am to raise my kids, complete my Master's degree, not work during the day, keep my night job and my husband works and goes to school. That is a heft load to recieve confirmation for. Too much for me. Again, we make it work. Lots of tears, lots of stress, lots of faith.

Because of these confirmations, though, we have done serious investigating into what we are studying. My husband's dream of engineering changed on him a while ago. Only I saw what is passion really was. He knew it, too, but as a career didn't want to focus on video games. I agree, but computer's are where he is at. Engineering for him, is a wee bit too hard for the stresses he's under. It is a dream of his that he left as a "would be nice, if ..." So, he changed his major. He's half way through it and didn't know it, can get his Master's with one extra year, in the department he already works for and in a field he loves and knows already ... Information Systems. Practical, well-paid, not too narrow and plenty of different tracts he can take. He wants to take the data security tract. This semester is his first in the degree and we are all rooting for him.

On top of that realization, he asked for his full-time position back and was able to get it RIGHT (we're talking TWO days) before a hiring freeze took affect. Now all we have to do is wait 30 days and we'll have paid vacation days again, sick days, insurance, 401(k) package, again! YAY. However, now my hubby thinks since he has is full-time job back, I can quit my part-time. Yes, it is time consuming - 4 hr shift with 1 hr travel time (total), at night when I normally do my homework, shifting things around makes it so there is a lot less wiggle room and now I babysit swap for three families, 8 kids and 10 hrs/wk so I can make it to work on time. So, it is a sacrifice. He doesn't think it is worth it, but I do. I feel comfortable there. I feel that it is the right decision. I don't mind the work and I get along with the people. It can be hard work and it is hard work to re-do life, but totally possible. I don't see my husband but every other Friday afternoon, every other Saturday night and Sundays; we don't have family time anymore other than every other Friday afternoon and Sundays, but, again, I feel confirmed that this is where I should be. Maybe not long term, because, really, I don't need the job, but I feel confirmed and I'm FREAKED out about the economy. Plus, knowing that my husbands job is taking a 19% cut and possibly LOWERING wages, rather than giving annual raises ... I'm a little nervous.

All things come with good, though, right? My daughter is no loger sick. My son had croup for a couple days and then a nagging cough and congestion for a couple weeks. In that couple weeks, my daughter got croup that lasted a week and now she is doing well. Nothing lasting.

We converted our large unfinished basement (about 900 sq ft) into a big play room for the kids. (I'll post pics later)

My son's new bedroom almost has a heater vent in it. He still hasn't moved in until the vent is finished. Then it will get painted and carpeted. It should've been done over the FOUR week vacation we had for Christmas, but we all decided to play and hang out instead. :( It was nice, but now the room is taking that much longer. My son and I finally compromised on how his room will be painted and decorated. He wanted to paint it all black!! His favorite color is black. So, I talked him into living in the bat cave. His latest superhero fix is Batman. Because he changes fixations, we will paint the walls yellow (all superheros that I can think of have some yellow or some color that works with yellow). The ceiling will be black with stars affixed on the ceiling. His walk-in closet won't be finished because that will become his BAT CAVE. We will hang black material up on the walls and put a black curtain over the door. His bed will be in there and we'll make bats that will be above on the ceiling, that will remain white. That way, when his phases are all done, he will still have a closet! I still haven't decided if I'm going to go to the trouble to repaint his dresser and bed black to keep up with the theme, but we did buy cheap wooden letters for his name that we will paint black and stencils that we can write BAT CAVE on his door using. Sounds good to me. :) Any other ideas or suggestions? I'd love to hear them!