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by Hope

Our fun long weekend is over. We are home. Princess is wrapping up her Winter Break. And I’m looking forward to the next 3 months. Three more months until school is out and summer officially begins.

At this point, I will continue working my business full time plus while care taking for my grandmother Monday through Friday from 8am until 5pm, or whatever time I have to pick up Princess from school. My uncles approached soon after my last post on the care taking situation and offered me $300 per month for my care taking duties. I accepted it gratefully.

We are all on the same page as far as what needs to be done right now. And will revisit if her needs become more than I can handle while juggling my clients simultaneously.

Care taking and Working

I know several readers were a little peeved that I would work while care taking, but it really does work. She can move around on her own. We also have a roller walker for her which she is starting to use a bit. But she gets a bit confused at times and is not very stable. So my duties really just involve being present and available and making sure she eats and takes care of herself with some support.

Thankfully, I don’t have many duties that keep me from jumping up at a moments notice to check on her, stabilize her, etc. If I know a call will require my attention for more than a few minutes, I get her settled somewhere before getting on the phone. And she is always in my sight line.

I also get to snuggle with to her in her bed and have conversations as she is waking in the morning. Have conversations with her as I work and she sits in the den. I get to rub her head as she falls asleep and help her dress when needed.

We all believe this is the best of both worlds for everyone involved. And I will cherish this time with her. I don’t know how long this situation will last or be needed. But we are already talking about and preparing for what is next…and it’s definitely better to have a plan ready for when the time comes.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.