Our life is perfect right now. Unfortunately, the state of our finances prevents us from enjoying this perfection on a long-term basis. The children will soon return to daycare and Mr. Smith and I will have to resume working full-time. All we can do is make the most of this time, while it lasts, and keep working towards our goal of semi-financial independence. We certainly enjoyed today, and bedtime is still hours away.
We’re about one month into maternity leave. Mr. Smith’s employer is a small remodeling company. As they are in between jobs right now, he has been home with us this entire time. It’s been a wonderful “party of five” since we welcomed home little Trey. This morning, we woke up on our own time and enjoyed breakfast together. Then, it was time for school with Mommy. In honor of it being May 4th, we completed some Star Wars worksheets. Tornado colored a picture of Yoda (whom she loves and refers to as Yoyo). Goofball worked on reading and writing words like “Darth Vader” and “light saber.” After school, we ate lunch together. Then, we headed outside to enjoy some sunshine. Trey slept away in the stroller. Mr. Smith and I worked on tilling the garden, where we plan to grow tons of vegetables to save money on food this summer. Tornado and Goofball played together (being reasonably nice to each other) with toy excavators and dump trucks in the dirt.
We made progress in the garden and had some fun, but it finally came time to wash up – Trey was the only one of us who stayed clean. Now, my babies are all napping peacefully and I am taking some time to work on this blog, and reflect on our many blessings. I do have money-making apps running on my phone and am clicking on videos in another window. The side-hustles help towards paying off our debt – every little bit counts – but would never be enough to offset my income. If only we could find a way to live off money earned on our own terms. Even with our debt, I refuse to believe that we can never have this life outside of short vacations or maternity leave. I remain optimistic that with an improved financial situation, we will be able to work flexible hours and spend more time together as a family.
It will soon be time to eat dinner. Then, maybe we can play outside with the neighborhood kids, depending on the timing of the approaching rainstorm. If it does rain, we could always make some popcorn and watch a movie . . . with Jedi? Either way, I am grateful for this precious time together, finite or not. May the Fourth be with you 🙂
