Happy Saturday, everyone! I'm feeling a bit lethargic today, and I only have myself to blame. I stayed up entirely too late last night, and woke up earlier than I wanted to. In spite of my lack of sleep, it has been an enjoyable day. I think I might call it a very early night, however, so that I will be feeling alert in church tomorrow. I really enjoyed the church I visited last week, and I'm eager to return for another service. I can't wait for James to get here so that we can attend church together again.
A few details about the events surrounding our new single-income lifestyle:
First, we are moving from Dallas, TX (James' home town) to Stockbridge, GA (a town just south of Atlanta, where my parents currently live). The plan, in its loosest form, is to stay with my parents for the next 6-12 months, rent-free, while we transition out of relying on me bringing in a paycheck. After this period, we will be moving back to New Smyrna Beach, FL (my home town, and the place we both want to call our permanent home). The opportunity to stay with my parents to relieve a portion of our financial obligations was one we couldn't walk away from. However, I'm sure there are going to be some cons mixed in with the pros as we adjust to this living arrangement. Thankfully, my parents are quirky but loving, and not overbearing. So there's that in our favor. I came out ahead of James, and he'll be coming out at the end of this month. We're talking on the phone every night like teenagers, but I really can't wait for him to be here with me.
Also, until just last week, James was making an hourly wage that would not make this one-income decision easy for us. We have been asking God to increase our faith, and we know that He will always provide for our needs. He has shown himself faithful, as He always does. James has been offered a promotion at his job that we believe will come with a raise of around $4/hr. If that increase is accurate, he will be making exactly what we need to fulfill our budget! We will find out the exact amount of his new rate on Monday. Even if it's not what we are expecting it to be, we still have absolute confidence in our Father to provide.
Finally, I don't really know how to be a stay-at-home wife. I know it's not rocket science, but that doesn't make it any less stressful for me right now. It should be simple enough. I'm looking forward to making sure James leaves for work with a stomach full of breakfast, lunch in his hand, and clothes on his body that don't look like they were picked up out of a pile on the floor. The part I'm really struggling with right now is how much of my day I need to fill with meaningful activities so that I don't feel like a slacker of a wife who is taking advantage of her husband's determination to provide for his family.
Is it ok for me to check my Facebook at 10 in the morning? Can I call my best friend up and have a two hour conversation after lunch? If I do the dishes, mop the floors, and grocery shop in one day, and all of that is done by 3, do I need to assign myself extra chores to occupy the remainder of my day? And the big question that's on my mind today, Saturday, is: if I'm home every day, do I still get a couple of days "off" each week, just like my husband does? I'd love to hear feedback from all of you about these pressing ponderings.
Make a list of all the regular things you should be responsible for taking care of since your job is being a wife now (btw: that is a REAL job). Then make a schedule for yourself to accomplish everything on the list. Remember, the main daily accomplishment is to make sure the house is tidy and your husband's food is cooked. All the other stuff like deep down cleaning, errands, yard work, etc are the things you schedule throughout the week. Get all those kinds of things done M-F, then all you have to do on Saturday is tidy up and maybe cook. Of course, you need to take one day completely off from everything including tidying up and cooking. I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteLove from your quirky mom :-)