The Big Picture

  I know that there are many, many moms out there who would love to stay home with their children but for whom that simply isn't an option.  I have been very blessed.  I have a very supportive husband who has told me that it's my decision and who earns an income we can live on- if we're wise in our spending.

  If I do stay home, I'm going to have to make sure that it is without putting my family (particularly Mike) under financial strain.  To do that, I am going to have to cut some costs.  The first thing I'm going to have to do is sell some horses.  The difficulty comes in choosing which ones.  The second thing I need to do is make sure we are staying on a budget.  My friend Chrystal does a great job of finding ways to stretch her family's budget.  I'll have to get some tips from her.

  Looking at my jobs, I have been wondering if I'm even making money with them.  Income from riding lessons varies greatly depending on weather and the economy.  The horses however, could not care less.  They still eat the same amount of food, still need their hooves trimmed, etc.  So, is it really worth hanging on to all of these sweet, beautiful money pits? Probably not.  One advantage to having my own barn is that, if I sell some of my horses, stalls become available for boarding other people's horses.  Hmmm... that may be an option.

  As for my "office job," while it pays more without the overhead, it is also more hours.  I can't bring Josh to work with me like I can at the barn, so I see him less (a LOT less) and have to pay for extra childcare.  It's also about 45 minutes away, so add extra time and gas money for that.  Since I don't have time to take care of the barn or work with the horses, I have to hire someone to do that.  Put these all together and suddenly it doesn't look so appealing.  Luckily, this particular job is on a contract basis, so I can simply say I'm unavailable if offered another project after the one I'm currently working on.

  Perhaps, once I've gotten some control over my chaos, I'll look at doing something part-time from home, but I think my days of full-time are coming to a close.  I have to remember that there is a bigger picture. One with a precious little boy, a sweet & handsome man, and another sweet little one who will soon be joining them.