One Dinner

Every day I watch my daycare kids I struggle with feeling like I am being the best mommy I can be for my own kids while also taking care of someone else's kids.  Jaxon is usually so well behaved and it seems like he has more meltdowns and a harder time obeying when the daycare kids are here.  That's a daily struggle too.  

Most days are fine, but sometimes I just about go crazy.  So, the other day was one of those really hard days.  I was counting down the time until the kids got picked up.  Not because of the kids, they are great kids to watch and really well behaved, it's just a lot to deal with all day every day.

Devin's parents were coming to pick up Jaxon so they could take him to a movie and then sleepover at their house.  At first I was kind of bummed he was going to be gone when I was looking forward to spending time with him without other kids around.  But, then I realized I could spend some one on one time with Henry and was excited about that.  

Along with Jaxon getting picked up, I also had to drop off my lawn mower to be repaired, and meet my Grandpa to drop off Jeni so I was stressing about getting all the timing right to meet everyone who was counting on me.  Luckily, I was able to arrange it all in one place.

After the daycare kids got picked up, a little stress was relieved, but I was still in a rush as I strapped the kids and Jeni in the car and headed to meet everybody.  I got there later than planned, but it was all right.  I dropped off Jeni, got the mower fixed, and met Papa to drop off Jaxon.  

As I drove home at 6:00, I was exhausted and not in the mood to cook dinner and didn't think it was a good idea to make Henry wait that long before feeding him dinner.  You know we are really trying to stay in the grocery budget so I didn't want to stop and buy food, but Henry is used to eating at about 5:00 and we wouldn't be home until 6:30, plus it will still take time for me to make something.  I tried to think of somewhere healthy but cheap to stop on the way home.  First, I decided I would just make something quick when we got home so I wouldn't spend any money.  But, after seeing that Henry was almost asleep, I changed my mind and decided he needed dinner sooner than later.  There were lots of choices on the way home and most of them sounded good, but I finally decided to go with Costa Vida.  I could and spend a few bucks on a large salad to share with Henry and he'd get his free kiddie cheese crisp.

We ordered and went through the line and as I got to the cashier I handed her my debit card to pay.  She ran it and asked if I had a frequent stamp card.  I thanked her for reminding me and told her I thought I had one that was full.  I was right!  I pulled it out and thought it would save me a couple bucks on the $8 salad I was about to thoroughly enjoy.  She said, "Actually it's all free."  "Wait, what?  It's totally free?!"  I couldn't believe it.  After the stressful day I had with the kids, then stressing over getting everywhere I needed to be on time, and stressing about getting home to make dinner then breaking down and deciding to buy it instead...it was FREE!  (I think I have too much stress in my life.)  It was a very small thing, and to most people this might be a silly story, but to me, it was practically a miracle!  It's not so much that I got an eight dollar dinner for free, it's the fact that it was right when I needed it (physically, emotionally, and for the sake of the budget).  It was a blessing and I was very grateful.  

My cute date enjoying his "chisp"

Employed!

Devin is done with his student teaching! His last day was actually October 31. We sent his resumes to the school districts around here at the beginning of the school year and let them know he'd be available to teach in November. They all told us to contact them when he was available and until then, there wasn't really anything we could do to pursue employment. So he finished his student teaching at Queen Creek high school and resent his applications in. Devin had 2 interviews, and another 2 set up, but the 2 he went to both offered him jobs! One was at Florence High School teaching Algebra 1, and the other was for Williams Field High School teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry. After talking about it and weighing the options, we decided to take the Williams Field job. He starts today!

Devin didn't get paid for his 12 weeks spent student teaching. It's like an unpaid internship. At times it was tight, but we were really blessed. I never really worried about him being able to find a job when he was done. I just thought we'd pray and do the things we were supposed to and everything would be fine. I was right! We are so blessed that our prayers were answered and within a few days of becoming qualified, Devin had a job! (Two to choose from actually!)

One of the interesting things that helped us was the fact that we didn't get our tax refund until the end of August! It was so late and we were a little annoyed it was taking so long, but it actually came at a perfect time. If we had the money earlier, we might have spend it and then we wouldn't have had it when he wasn't working and we really needed it. I believe my Heavenly Father's hands were present in our lives and he was watching out for us. He guides us in our decisions and through the kindness of others, we continue to be blessed daily!