Why Don't You Use Your Degree???

In May of 2011, I graduated college with my nursing degree. Since then, I haven't even looked for a job.

But wait, let's back up. At the age of 20, I went to school and got my CNA. In fact, Sam did as well. As soon as that class finished, I enrolled full time, working toward my nursing degree. During my first "real" semester of college, I became pregnant with Parker. No big deal, I continued on with school. That fall I turned in my application for the nursing program. I also switched to all online classes since Parker was scheduled to be born during the semester.

Sometime in early spring of 2009, I got a phone call that I was accepted. Yay! Cheers were shouted, tears were cried. I was going to be a nurse. With a 7 month old and a soon to be 3 year old, I started nursing school. It was long hours and very hard.  Landon had only been in daycare for a few months when he was younger and only a few days a week. Sam at this point had gotten a job with the state, and between my mom and Sam, they were able to care for the boys while I was in school.

The first year passed, and I began my second year. We decided we wanted to expand our family, so we started trying for Alta, and sure enough, I trudged through my second year pregnant the entire time except the first month.

I had Alta exactly 4 weeks after I graduated. Time for a job, right?!

Not quite. My mom's health had steady began to decline. She had a terrible ulcer on her leg that needed dressed every day, someone had to do it. She was only eligible for home health 3 times a week, and sometimes only 2. Not only did she need her leg dressed, she needed someone to take her to appointments, go shopping for her, help her around the house, sometimes helping her get dressed, and to be a companion for her. Between Mom, my kids, my husband, and my home, we decided that I would continue to stay home until Mom got better. For over a year I was her nurse.

When she died, I thought I would get a job then. I pretty much had one guaranteed at the wound center she went to.  Again we talked and decided the kids and Sam needed me at home more than we needed the money. Sam is an awesome provider and while we don't have everything, we have what we need and some of what we want.

Now that we have made the decision to homeschool, I am home indefinitely. I am keeping up with health news. And eventually I would like to get my bachelor's degree. Maybe when the kids are out of the house, although that doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon. Or maybe by that time I will be watching my grandchildren while their parents work. Who knows. What I do know is, I do not regret going to school and getting my nursing degree. I was able to prove to myself I could do it. And I did it.

Forty Little Piggies

That's right, our family is growing by 2 feet. Our newest addition is set to arrive sometime toward the end of May.

This has been almost a year in the making. In fact, we had been trying for a baby long enough to have had one and be pregnant again. I was beginning to think it wasn't going to happen.

We had been using natural family planning for 2 years, since Alta was a baby. And when we decided to start actually trying, I started charting my cycle. I thought it would take a month, maybe two. In fact, I joked with some friends that I would be pregnant before we started trying because it was always that easy for us.

And then the first month came and went. No baby. The second month, no baby. I was still optimistic. Still certain a baby was coming. By the third month, I was in tears every month. I was starting to think we weren't meant to have another baby. By June, I called my doctor and had an appointment set up for August 15.

August came and Sam went away for training, and I rescheduled my appointment for September 19. Alta had her check up on the 15, and besides, what good would it do to go to the doctor when Sam was away? I obviously needed him to make a baby.

September 12, my mother in law and kids were heading up to Springfield to watch Sam graduate from his training. I hadn't been feeling great the last few days before then and was extremely tired. I knew I had one more First Response pregnancy test, so I went ahead and tested. And it was positive. And I cried and cried and cried some more. I couldn't believe it.

My first test, it was very early and the line was very faint, but a line is a line!

So in a happy daze, I finished getting everyone ready and we headed up to Springfield. Sam had no idea, and I wasn't able to talk to him until the following day. 

In my past pregnancies, I wasn't able to announce it to him really. With Landon, he came home from work as I was getting up, I took a test and he had already fallen asleep, so I woke him up with a frantic, I'm pregnant! With Parker and Alta he was with me while I was taking the test. 

I knew I wanted to do something special. Eventually I settled on getting him a congratulations card and in it I wrote "I am proud so proud of you, so I got you a gift. Unfortunately, it is still being made and is set to be delivered May 26, 2014." 

Reading his card

I also put a newborn sleeper in a bag for him. 

We thoroughly enjoyed his graduation and the mini-vacation. But as soon as we got back, I had to take another test. 

And two more a couple days after that.

After our  journey of conceiving this baby, I will always have compassion toward the people who still haven't conceived their first child. It is a heart breaking journey.

A Typical School Day

Well now that we are a little into the school year, I thought I would share my schedule and how we do school.

First we wake up when we want to, usually around 8:30 or 9. We eat, maybe watch some TV, or hang around while I toss in a load of laundry and do dishes or other quick cleaning. Then around 10 or 11 we go up to our school room. The first thing I do is put a movie on in the boys' room for Alta. Usually she doesn't watch it, but sometimes she does, sometimes she play with toys, but mostly she stays in the school room with us.

Then we do our devotions and pray, do the Pledge of Allegiance, and check out the calendar.  Next I get Landon set up with whatever subject he wants to do first, Language and Phonics, Math, or Spelling. While he works through his subjects, I work with Parker on learning whatever he is working on, a letter, number, shape, color, etc. Alta will do some of these things too. Then while he works, I help Landon with anything he needs help on. We also do Scholastic's Weekly Readers on Thursdays. On Wednesdays, Landon also reads a short story and takes a test on it.

When Landon finishes his subjects up, we move onto either Health, Science, or Social Studies. On Mondays, we do Health, on Tuesdays, we do Science, and on Wednesdays, we do Social Studies. On Thursday and Friday we do any extra Science projects or we do art or PE.

After school, we head back downstairs for a late lunch, I work on the house some more and we all have down time. We also watch a Liberty Kids episode or an At the Center episode. In the evening, after baths, we read a Bible story, and Landon reads a chapter or two in the book he is reading, right now he is reading the Magic Tree House series. All in all, school takes anywhere from 2-5 hours a day, with 3 hours being the norm. It all depends on the kids' moods. And that's our school day in a nutshell.