It’s been a few weeks since the wedding and honeymoon. Let me see what I can do to get things up to date. I’m not sure I can list everything in the correct order but I’ll try.
– Grandma doesn’t make it in housing
Katherine, (GMIL GrandMother In Law) was moved into Senior Housing the day after the wedding. Karen (MIL), moved her out as soon as she returned from the gift opening, on Sunday the 17th. Apparently for the first few days, Karen was going over to check on Katherine daily. She went Wednesday evening, skipped Thursday, and returned on Friday, when get arrived she found Katherine lying on the floor. Apparently she had fallen sometime between Wednesday night and Friday so she ended up in the hospital for a few days. She was deemed unable to take care of herself and Senior Housing would not take her back. She went to live at Shawnadee’s (Sister IL).
– Shane hates work
Shane waited until we returned from the honeymoon to inform me that he wanted to get out of the computer field. He no longer wanted to work with or on computers in any way shape or form. I was rather surprised, but looking back I probably should have seen some indications in his behavior earlier. Less than a year earlier he was burnt out of programming and started to take his computer experience a different way. He went into Computer Consulting and Repair, but even he ended up doing more program than he wanted. He was surprised at how well I took the news, but I figured that how would be a better time for him to change jobs than a few years, when we had kids. (Yes we both want kids, and prefer them sooner rather than later.) He didn’t really know what he wanted to do, but knew that he wanted something to do with children.
– Possible jobs
Shane’s first thought is to go back to school to become an elementary school teacher. But upon talking with a few teachers and others, he decided that perhaps that’s not the best idea. He’d have to go to school for 4 years to receive his teaching certificate. Then he’d have to put in at least 2 years as a teacher’s aide before getting a position as a teacher. Then he’d have to wait until achieving tenure before receiving such basic things as health insurance, and it can take up to 20 years to receive tenure. Now perhaps if he were 20 and deciding to go into it that would be one thing, but we’re not 20. Also schools in the local area are laying teachers off. While I wouldn’t mind moving if was what it took from him to find a job, he likes this area and doesn’t want to move. So teaching is out.
One of the thoughts, was for me to run a day care, perhaps while he was going to school. When he found out that logistics of teaching ruled that out, then we thought about jointly opening a day care. Then we found if you open a licensed home day care has a maximum of 8 children (including your own), a certified on has a maximum of 6. While that could be enough to supplement an income, it wouldn’t make enough for both of us. Also it doesn’t matter if we were both licensed or certified, those maximums would still apply. He couldn’t run a day care on his own because in our current society who would leave their children with a man all day? Then we’d have to consider a Day Care Center, and while we could make that work as a joint income, it takes a LOT of start up capital to get one running. So, that thought has been put on a back burner at least.
– New Job
Oh, August 8th I started a new job. I am doing payroll for a local company. It’s a part-time job, and I work about 5 hours a day Monday thru Thursday, with Friday off. While I love the hours, the job is something else. When I look at their system of doing payroll, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m in the 21st century. More of the job is done manually then is done on the computer, even in this day and age. And then everything has to be JUST SO. For example the attendance book, this is two huge binders, that have an overtime and an attendance form for each hourly employee. For each employee I go through and fill out the dates and hours of overtime based on the information from timeclock records, then, I look at the attendance, using the absent reports (slips), and vacation report. Then I use colored pencils to color in the attendance form. It’s very specific which colors your use for what, and some you write on top in pencil some in black pen. Then you write on the absent reports in red pen, and on the vacation report well some things on that are in pencil and some things are in blue pen. Yes it’s that specific on what you have to use, if you can believe it. I still have trouble believing it, but it’s still true. But then if that comes down from the owner I think. For example, if you three hole a report that is given to him, you had better make sure it’s punched perfectly straight, or you will receive it back with a note saying to go and see him.
– Heaven yanked away
While Katherine (GMIL), has been staying at Shawnadee’s (SIL), this past month has proved that that is not working well. We don’t have enough room here to move her in here, so a decision had to be made. In the end it was decided that probably the best course of action would be for us to find a 4 bedroom home (with 2 bedroom’s on ground level) and have Karen and Katherine live with us. While that was not my favorite idea, I understood the practicality of it. Especially with us not knowing or having a steady, regular income at the moment. Somewhere between the 8th and 14th, twice Shawnadee planned to leave her husband and would take Karen up on her offer of a place for Shawna, her boys, Katherine, and Karen, if she left her husband. Twice Shawna accepted, and twice the next day she changed her mind. While you may think it would be bad for Karen to offer such a deal to Shawna on the condition that she leave her husband, there is more to it than just that. John (Shawna’s husband), likes to drink, and is belligerent when drunk. I don’t know all the details but I’ve heard some stories about his poor character. Like when Shawna was pregnant with her six year old twins, he came home drunk one evening and shoved her, and she ended up on the floor. Earlier this year, he pushed/shoved/hit her 14 year-old daughter, Heather. Again he was drinking, and Heather wasn’t seriously hurt, but those aren’t necessarily the point are they? Shane, all of his brothers, and Karen, none of them like John and all of them think he’s wrong for Shawnadee. Of course I LOVED the idea of Karen moving in with Shawna, rather than remaining with us. It would give me a chance to live with just my husband. Shane and I determined that we could afford a place on our own, while we currently couldn’t handle the first, and deposit to get a new place we could afford to continue the lease here, and with just the two of us this place would be big enough. This place was big enough when it was just Shane and his mother. But they moved in before Shane and I started dating and certainly before he asked me to marry him. It’s too small for 3 people let alone any more. If it were he and I we could make it work, since it has 2 bedrooms, it would even work with a child, but it does not work with 3 adults. But all of that is just pipe dreams, since now we don’t have that option. No matter how much I want to be alone with my husband, it doesn’t look like will happen.
– Grandma moves in AGAIN
On Sunday the 14th, Karen went over to Shawna’s to check on Catherine, who was refusing to eat. Apparently while she was there she decided to move Catherine back here. Of course she decided that without consulting myself. (It’s her house don’t you know and I don’t have the right to have an opinion even though I live here and pay rent too, apparently.) I found out about it after Shane had received a phone call from his mother while she was over there. A while back there had been talk that if it were necessary to move Catherine back for a little bit before finding another place, then Shane and I would move downstairs. Well, on Sunday, Shane decided he didn’t want to move downstairs, so Karen needed to put Catherine in her bedroom. I guess that’s a half point in our favor. I’d still love to move out and leave Karen and Catherine to fend on their own. It’s not as if they couldn’t make ends meet, that’s not the problem. Of course part of the problem is that Shane and I don’t have the capital to actually move out, since we’d need first and deposit to do so.
– Summation
Well basically that’s what’s been happening recently. Although now Shane’s talking about building up the hosting business, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. We’re both talking about building that up big enough to be our monthly income. It doesn’t bring enough currently to replace an income from us both, but with luck it will soon be bringing enough to do so. When he wanted out of everything related to computers, I was willing to take the hosting over if he’d show me. I know when we have kids I want to be home with them, and not needing to go to a job that I didn’t enjoy so I could bring home some money. Which is part of why we’ve talked about doing the dare care. But if we build the hosting up it has the potential to bring in a full-time income for each of us, and still give us the time and freedom to be with our children when they come. As for Shane and doing something with kids, he’d be happy to even coach a little league team. His goal is to spend time and assist kids, maybe even some mentoring. He’s finally found some interest again in computers, and playing games, even working on them a little. So that means he work on building up the hosting. I just hope it is done quickly. As I said I don’t like were I am, and I’m not about to make it permanent!