by Hope
All of my kids are home. Grandmama is moving into an assisted living facility.
History Buff is still working full time. And Sea Cadet is actively looking for work while on leave from Americorp. (He believes he will have a full time job in the next week or so with the local EMS. *crossing finger) And we are getting tons of together time. Tons!
Princess has started online schooling along with an online drivers ed course. We are waiting to hear from Gymnast school, but we are pretty certain they are going online as well. (Technically, this is their originally scheduled spring break.)
As anticipated, work has been a bit wonky…clients have cut hours and tightened their belts but there are requests for new proposals coming every day. I’m spending equal parts of my day working and marketing.
Overall, I am just enjoying this time though. Having all the kids together, cooking and trying new recipes, and now that Grandmama is moving, I have much more latitude in my schedule.
Handling the Change in Life
We are working on establishing routines and boundaries for this new normal. Other than the bathroom, no one really has any privacy, so practicing patience and grace has become a running mantra. We’ve settled into everyone fending for themselves for breakfast and lunch and then I cook one big meal a day.
Still have some rearranging to do as Sea Cadet is technically living in the middle of my office and Gymnast doesn’t have a dedicated work space for when school starts back. But we know where there’s a will, there’s a way. And after our time of living in the tiny 900 square foot apartment with two bedrooms, and then in the camper with essentially no rooms, living in an 1100 square foot house with a good size yard is like heaven.
On the financial front, we are still living on last month’s income so no big changes there and haven’t had to look at savings. But it sure feels good to have it!
We are not spending any money to speak of…not going anywhere so no gas (Grandmama lives a mile from us,) we have picked up take out once when it was just Princess and I, otherwise we are eating at home and we are well stocked on everything else. We are all healthy so far. But I have also stocked up on the recommended medications should any of get sick.
How are you doing? What are your biggest joys with this new way of life? What are your biggest challenges? If you could use some support in this time, I am happy to jump on a call and brainstorm together in ways you can evolve your business or homeschool your kids…(You can book a Strategy Call using this link.)
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.
Good to hear you are able to cash flow for now and have an emergency fund if you come up short.
Maybe I missed it in an earlier post – why did Gymnast leave his home in Chicago to come and stay with you?
Safer and supervised. Not to mention, I can help with online learning where his father can’t. We just felt it was better all around.
Why would your son be looking for a job when he just had surgery and has been sent home to recover during a leave of absence? That makes no sense. Being EMS is strenuous work and puts you in close contact with many people. And who would invest in an employee who will turn around and leave after a few weeks?
He wasn’t sent home to recover; he’s already been cleared by the doctor to return to work.
Americorp suspended their program for at least 60 days due to the virus. After that 60 days suspension, there will only be 5 days left in his service period. We don’t believe he will be called back. But he is explaining to this position his situation.