These Are My Confessions

It's time to play a little catch-up, so I thought I would it of the confessional variety. It's always a little more fun that way.

-My husband comes home on Sunday. I plan on sending BK to the babysitter for a few solid hours on Monday night and locking S in the bedroom. It's been a long three weeks.

-I started reading Bared to You. {See above confession}

-We started researching preschools for BK. Very exciting and emotional time for mama

-BK loves festivals, especially the music, and is already dressing the part. Check out that flower headband. Coachella 2022 watch out!

-I have been stealing BK's headbands on the regular lately. It is wayy to hot to have my five pounds of hair down, and at least I accessorize my doodoo bun/topknot. 

 -Busch Gardens is BK's new favorite place on Earth. I mean look at that face.

 -Her beauty still stuns me on a daily basis. {Not so "new" news, I know}

 -Sassy Sunshine is rather bossy to all the other kids on the playground. Especially when they are bigger, and faster than her (i.e. most of them). She doesnt understand why she can't keep up and they wont stay with her.

-We had a few sleepovers with our best pals, and these girls are just the cutest, sweetest things ever. Vivi is a year older than BK and calls her "my baby", and the way BK says Genevieve is just about the cutest thing in the world. I am so blessed to have friends like these.

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back to school, back to school.... to prove to dad that I'm not a fool

I'm not sure if y'all remember, but my focus for the month of January is work. This month I've done a lot of thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life, because as much as I love getting to spend every.single.minute. with BK I know that it cannot last forever. While I cannot say that I have made any monumental decisions {yet}, one thing that has crossed my mind more than once is going back to school.
There are so many pros to going back.
-getting a degree in something that I actually want to use forever
-setting a great example for my child{ren}
-a better future aka more money

The main problem with going back is that it is quite expensive! I mean tuition, childcare for BK, and books. Oh the books! They're so expensive. That is where CampusBookRentals.com comes in. They are here to help make school a little less of a hit. Some of the perks of their program are:
-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-free shipping both ways
-can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods
-we donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

I mean how great is that? Plus you dont have to fight the bookstore crowds. It's always a nightmare that first week of classes.

And they just started a new venture that is truly so cool. It's called Rent Back. RentBack is a new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students... which is awesome because it makes them 2-4x more money compared to what they'd make through buyback options. Dont you absolutely HATE it when you go to sell your books back at the end of the semester and they offer you pennies? I mean sometimes I want to lash out at the clerk. Oh you'll give me $13 for a book I paid $134 just three months ago?!? That makes perfect sense, not. So here is a new way for you to actually get your cash back! I might just go look for some old books from my college days. You never know right?!?

I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do, but knowing that I have options like this makes me way more optimistic.



{I was compensated for this post, but the opinions are all my own}

She works hard for the money... dun dun dun dun

Today I am soul searching. I'm sitting here with a list of pros and cons for going back to work. On a separate list I have ideas of what kind of "work" I might actually want to do. Ha! Wish me luck. While I am letting my OCD get the best of me and my lists, I have a fabulous job related guest post by Melissa over at Grin and Barrett! ___________________________________________________________________________________

Oh, work life. 

It is one of those things that you don't really contemplate when your a child or even a teenager. I thought my adult working days were far ahead of me, but before I knew it, they were here. My first job I got at the ripe old age of 15. I was an intern at a ministry where my mom worked and thought man, I would love to work in an office all day. First off, they always have days where people bring in food. Second, you get to sit all day long. Third, no one really bothers you; you just kind of do your own thing. Fourth, you get your own space to decorate as you please! Score (especially for us ladies)!  My second job was at Chick-Fil-A. I really had that work cut out for me. Long hours, on my feet all day, and the "occasional" difficult customer. Not to mention of the high school/college drama! Man, I was ready to leave after my 6 year stint there! 

When I graduated from college, I immediately got a call to apply for a job on campus. It was full-time, benefits, and a break for my parents. They had been paying the majority of my expenses since I was a full-time student for nearly 6 years. I thought this is awesome! A lot of my classmates were still job hunting and applying, and here I was with a full-time position literally the week of classes. I think that is a major blessing in my life! Soon after I got my first big girl job, I met my now husband and began planning our whirlwind wedding! Then I had to think about sharing my life and balance work life and married life. I think when it comes to work life, there should be a healthy balance. I work for a college, so typically I don't have take work home. At times my husband has had to work two jobs to help pay for my student loan expenses and have time to devote to his education. I also worked full time and for a little over a year was completing my graduate program. We definitely had our fair share of busyness. I think its important to prioritize and devote time to what is important. My first thought when I graduated with my Master's was to teach college. Then, I thought do I really want to teach college, or do I want to make some extra money? After some thought, I realized that I am not passionate about teaching as much as I am passionate about helping people.

Truthfully, I started out as an education major, but after a year I felt like that just wasn't right for me. I am still searching for my "calling". I am still praying, seeking, and researching what options are best for me right now. Do I see myself working in financial aid forever? Nope. But its good to know that I have options. I can go and do whatever it is I choose. With a somewhat declining economy, I do want to make enough money to pay off my student loan debt and to cover our everyday expenses. That may sound like an oxymoron, but I paid for my Master's degree, and I want it to pay off in the future (while getting it paid off at the same time).

I think for now my job gives us the stability we need so desperately right now. I am not about to give that up!

What about you? Are you where you want to be right now?