Why I don't "work"...

I am the oldest of 4 children. I have been looking after children for as long as I can remember. My mother had an in home daycare for kids(about 4 kids on top of her own 4)when I was in elementary school. In junior high school she became the director of a daycare at the small private school I attended. I babysat on weekends from the time I was 13 and worked in the daycare after school when I turned 15. I love kids!

I worked my way through college at a bank and at a medical billing office. When I got pregnant at the age of 25 I had no doubts I would go right back to work and my child would go to daycare with my mother. I could not have felt more comfortable! When Anna Grace was born at 26 weeks weighing 1 pound 12 ounces, it still did not register in my mind that I would not go back to work. We were told she would be in the hospital for months and that when she came home she would need to be isolated from other children to prevent life threatening illnesses. A common cold could have killed her. Knowing they would not let me live at the hospital, I went back to work part time 2 weeks after I had her. Still reeling from the jolt of having a baby so early and dealing with blood pressure issues as well. I lasted about a month. She spent 2 months in the hospital and we brought her home weighing 4 pounds 4 ounces. I was elated to finally have her home and the thought of leaving her to go back to work never crossed my mind. As a matter of fact I stressed over the idea that I may have to eventually go back for financial reasons. Through faith and help along the way, I have been at home ever since.

I have struggled with the importance of contributing to my family financially over the years. The subject has been brought up many times and has often caused many arguments. I could not have left Anna Grace at daycare, and by the time Emily came along there was no point in me returning to work just to pay for childcare. There were tremendous sacrifices made by Scott in giving up a career he loved to support his family. I am forever grateful to him for allowing me the opportunity to be a mommy full-time! A job layoff nearly did us in, but we survived.

I have recently become involved in selling Scentsy to provide Buddies for Autistic kids. I use my commission to turn around and send out Scentsy buddies that help calm kids on the spectrum. I know that we could use the income, but I feel so passionate about giving back. I was also asked to be on the board of a non profit organization called Very Special People,Inc(a part of A4cwsn many of you hear me talking about). As with any non profit, it is about giving back. So while I don't technically "work", my time will be spent raising awareness for things that I am passionate about and there is not a salary that could compare to the feeling of pride that comes with that!

Dogs~Man's Best Friend

This post has been a long time coming...

We are a canine loving family. I had a Shih-Tzu named Buddy for 15 years. He was the sweetest dog ever and it was the hardest thing I EVER had to do putting him down. It was like losing a family member. I grieved over the loss for almost a year. Everyone kept telling me to get another dog right away.  I felt as if I would be replacing him by doing so, so I kept saying no. Buddy was a comforting presence to the kids. They never really played with him though since he was older.

Almost a year to the date, we decided it was time to love another dog.  Stewart is a Shih-Tzu as well, but looks completely different than Buddy! I knew that Anna Grace and Luke would love him and play with him, but I worried about Emily. She has always been a little afraid of dogs that jump on her and I knew that a puppy would be very active(unlike Buddy). She was not interested in him at all for the first 6 months. As he calmed down and outgrew some of his puppy behavior, I noticed her following HIM around and her watching what HE did. We had some bad weather one day and Emily and Stewart were in my bedroom. Stewart had gotten under the bed and Emily was sitting right beside him looking very intently at his eyes and saying something I could not understand to him. I left the room and came back in just as a firetruck went by with the sirens on. Emily(who has supersonic hearing) went and got into a corner in the bedroom near the bed between the wall and dresser and said to herself, "It's Ok". She sat for a long time and then emerged, went into the kitchen to get a snack, and brought it back to her corner. She had NEVER put herself in that spot before.

I few weeks later, I could not find Emily. I was slightly terrified as she is UNDERNEATH me at all times. After calling her name for several minutes, I finally found her in my closet with Stewart. Stewart likes to sleep in our closet when we are gone during the day. It is his comfort spot. Emily had obviously been watching him and knew that if he felt safe in there, she would too. She began going in there often, usually taking her iPod touch or iPad with her. It is her "safe place" now!

Emily has severe anxiety and separation has always been an issue for her, The fact that she can go into a room by herself without me being close or within earshot is HUGE! I know that assistance dogs are trained to pick up on cues from Special Needs Kids. The fact that Emily picked up cues from Stewart reminds me of what her Neurophychologist said about her brain. She has a prehistoric brain that relies on her surroundings and watching others to process data and learn about the world around her.

MUST LOVE DOGS...