I am finally alone...well, not really alone...I'm in a coffee shop, but Caden was well enough to go to school and is apparently doing great (thanks to amber for the update via text message).
He will start attending school on Tuesdays and Thursdays only from 9-1, starting next week. For now that is the most cost-effective and sensible option. He'll still get to socialize while I have time to write, then every other day we'll be having a blast together. I'm still actively looking for some part-time work/piano gigs, but in the mean time, I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't enjoying this stint of stay-at-home-mommyness. I wouldn't have pegged myself as the SAHM type before having Caden but I love it.
I love being home with him. I feel so less chaotic and stressed right now. I am able to take the time to grocery shop and finish a load of laundry and clean the bathrooms without everything falling down around my ears. Don't get me wrong, tending to a toddler while maintaining the house is much more strenuous than going to my cubicle from 9-5 but for me, it's so much more rewarding as well. He's too much fun. At the end of the day, I can say I spent it with him. On the days I don't spend with him, I can say, "WOOHOO! I GET A BREAK!"
I've been pumping out some serious book today. Divinely inspired, I pumped out 4 complete chapters this morning and am hoping to tackle at least 3 more this afternoon. 1/3 of a book down, 2/3's of a book left to go.
Our 3 month contract with our realtor is finished (thank goodness!) so we are pursuing another option. We found a real estate investor who is wanting to buy our house as a rental property if he can get it for the market price, which is MUCH less than what we owe since we bought at the worst possible time. He is trying to negotiate with our lender on our behalf to forgive a portion of our debt, given that we bought right before the market fell to pieces and we've seen some personal financial blows like job changes and losses. He seems optimistic and it appears to be a win/win. I hear that a short sale could possibly ding our credit score, but we refuse to be slaves to our credit report. We believe this would be a responsible and great option for us at this time of our lives.
He also said we could rent one of his Tallahassee properties for free or next to nothing for an entire year if this thing goes through. We looked at one of his 3 bedroom houses and it's adorable, about 3 minutes from Caden's school and 10 minutes from Jay's work...just the thought of not commuting makes my heart sing. So we walk into a cute and cheap place and Mr Real Estate Man gets a great house for a steal. It's probably going to take several months to work this out, and it might take a miracle for it to actually happen, but luckily God is in that sort of business.
With the sacrifice of Jay's motorcycle we are officially credit card debt free for the first time since before we were married. Having to pay for pre-natal care and a birth out of pocket was quite the blow. Here's my credit card commercial:
Last Discover Card Payment: $????.??, Cutting up the card: Priceless.
I rememeber when we first moved to Tallahassee, we wrote out our debts and they were a page long. Now we have 3. House (hopefully soon to be gone), car (2.5 years left, less if we can swing it) and student loan (the last to go).
We're proud of ourselves for knocking all of this out in only 2.5 years.
With the hope of a house sale, a book in the works, more time with Caden, strengthening finances and an overall optimistic outlook on life, I'm feeling pretty fantastic these days.
Alright, back to the book....
4 comments:
Thank you, Kathy, for your open heart and sharing with the cyber world, i.e. whoever the Lord leads to read your heart on a page.
I am in a similar place. Crossroads. God asking me to do something bigger than my pee brain can even imagine. Not knowing how but willing to take the plunge anyway and GET OUT OF THE BOAT!
You are being blessed considerably for your obedience and surrender to the creator of the universe. Amazing! He is so much more creative than we could ever be, isn't he? All we have to do is obey. Pretty sweet deal when you think about it.
Once we finally get the whole "Seek me FIRST" idea and step forward in that truth... wow.
May God continue to BLESS YOUR SOCKS OFF every step of the way.
xoxo,
Anna St.
Awesome. The student loans make me growl every time I think about them. We're not on speaking terms.
Have I mentioned lately that you're awesome?! I need a Kathy fix...must get together soon!
I saw Jay outside the Pub that day. He said you were inside writing away, but I didn't see you when I went in to get my caffeine fix. He said you were in the studying section, where all the dorks go to do actual work. I would have gone back in to talk, but alas, I had to run off to school.
Post a Comment