SAHM Dying to Gt Out!!!

Do you like to work with kids? If so, try substitute teaching! Thats what I do . And now I am studying for my teacher certification. I already have a degree, but have to stay home with my two year old because of daycare cost. Substitute teaching gives me that flexibility in need. I can work when I want to, and If my kid gets sick, I don't have to call in and neither does my husband. By the time he gets ready to go to kinder we will be going to school together!

Have you tried going online? I am finishing my Masters degree online and it is way easier than having to go to class! Try National University or Pheonix.

Do as many online classes as you can now. You can work on them during naptimes, or in the mornings or evenings while the girls are in bed. SOME, not all, schools do offer a free or reduced childcare for students by those majoring in early childhood. You may want to check into that.

I can certainly understand where you are coming from. Is it possible to go to school in the evening when your fiancee comes home? That way you can watch the girls during the day while he is at work and he can watch the girls in the evening when you are at school. That way you won't need childcare at all. It will be hard to do it this way, but perhaps you will be ready to go to work when they start school instead of starting school when they do. Plus you will still get to spend the day with them.

Is there a cooperative preschool in your area? Or could you work at a mother's day out program and have them enrolled there? You'd get a break from them, make a little money, and still be keeping your resume full. You could also join a MOMS Club and swap childcare, giving you a few hours to yourself each week.

I started school when my son was 2mo old. For ME it was the best of both worlds: SAHM &WM.

This is going to sound "easier' than it actually is but:

- Made the same $ in financial aid & student loans as I would have working
- Only had to cover 10 hours of childcare a week instead of 40-50
- Our killer preschool (NEVER could have afforded it) was paid for out of the childcare subsidy from the university (money on top of my financial aid, paid directly to the DCP)
- Kiddo was really excited about school since he saw me with my books/ kissed my good bye/ HW/ etc.

Don't get me wrong, it's not easy...
- I don't have the kind of child who can play quietly... and quickly learned that trying to do schoolwork while he was awake I was both a mediocre mother and mediocre student... so I learned to only study while he was asleep (naps and after bedtime), or elsewhere
- Financial Aid is *very* strict (can't drop classes, amount of $ is determined by number of credits, etc.) and it takes almost a solid year from filing one's FAFSA to getting a check
- For myself I learned I could only ever go part time (but by taking classes over the summer I was only 1 class "behind" per year).

To know: Most nursing degrees (in most states) take 5 years at a minimum. 2 years of prereqs, lag year, 2 years of nursing school for your RN... 2 years for your AS, lag year, 2 years of nursing school for your BSRN. BSRNs make at least half again as much (and sometimes twice as much) as RNs... but it's the same time commitment as far as schooling goes. Many people then go on to "5th year" (6 years total including the lag year)... which is an extra year of school to specialize in pediatrics/ surgery/ psych/ trauma/ whatever. Even with just a straigh RN or BSRN... your youngest will be in school full time by your last year of school (when practicums eat up a lot of time).

Anyhow.. just something to think about.

first look into financial aid and see what you can and cant afford- next look into community colleges or university extensions near you. Dont look into those "quick fix" colleges they are a ton of money and will rack you with debt for ever. Back to my point- there are a lot of courses offered on line or evening it might take a little longer but you could keep your class load small and still be able to handle your life

okay, you're at home....open an inhome daycare & save as much of that income as possible. Do this until your youngest is school age.....that's only 4 years! & then you'll have a nest egg for your education......

You may find that you'll even be able to do online classes & get some of the work done beforehand! Good Luck....

This is something that I have struggled with ever since we decided to have kids. There is no easy solution. If you go to school, it's going to be hard as hell. You will struggle every step of the way. You will have to find childcare, which costs money. You will have to get financial aid. If you go to work, you won't make any money after childcare.

For us, the only thing that really worked was waiting a while. Yes, money was so incredibly tight, but nothing else was really realistic for us.

Some thoughts -

Financial aid and student grants that will pay your tuition and offset the cost of day care a few days a week - talk to the financial aid office at the college.

Assisted day care for your children - here it is called "The District" and helps pay day care expenses for lower income families.

Trade child care days with other students with children. You go so school Monday-Wednesday-Friday, they go Tuesday-Thursday, and trade off Saturdays for study time.

If you want to make this happen you need to do some research and find out how to make it happen. Best place to start is with a college - they should be able to give you lots of information.

I agree that you should try an on-line class and evening classes. Your fiance should help you with this.

Also check our: http://www.dcccd.edu/pages/default.aspx

Only you can make this happen for yourself.

Good Luck

If you decide to wait until they're a bit older, it will be alot easier on you. For now though, to feel like you're doing something toward your goal:

Get yourself a good medical terminology book and study it! Sign up for email updates on medical websites. Maybe subscribe to a medical journal. Get a babysitter occasionally and see if there is someone in the field you wish to go into (RN, PA, NP, MD, OD, OT, PT, whatever) who is willing to let you "shadow" them once in a while. It's a great experience.

If you lived closer, I'd love to have you over and let the kids play and we could talk about medical stuff! =0) I was a PA in my "past life" and I LOVE to teach. Dh is deployed, but when he's home, he cannot stand "medical chat" at the dinner table...grosses him out! LOL

Good luck!

Most of my daycare moms in the last few years have been taking 1-2 classes at a time, living on loans or even in full-time when possible. They've lived on their loans, received enough to pay chunks of their daycare every semester when they get help etc. With 4 people in your family and only one job between you, I can imagine there should be quite a lot of help for you.

You could also try and do this.. Take all your classes in the morning between 8 and say 1pm. Find a mom or a few moms that need daycare in the evening. Trade daycare. They watch yours while you are in class and you watch theirs while they are at work or school. This could take awhile to put together. You can also learn about CLEP exams while you wait for financial aid to come through.

I wish I had been a harder worker when I was young. YOU CAN DO THIS. You really should.

I am in your same situation but I only have 1 child....check into ccms its a government assistance program that helps you pay for day care if you do need to go that route!:) Good Luck!:)

Updated

I am in your same situation but I only have 1 child....check into ccms its a government assistance program that helps you pay for day care if you do need to go that route!:) Good Luck!:)

I don't know if I have advice but I had a similar situation.

I had my first child at 21 and then my second at 23. I was a stay-at-home-mom because we felt it was best for our kids, but we made very little money and I was bored and depressed. I often considered daycare and pursuing a career but we couldn't afford either.

I am now 28, adopting 2 more children, homeschooling and cannot imagine not being with my kids all this time. Though it is challenging at times I absolutely LOVE being a SAHM.

So getting from where I started to where I am took several things. I think the biggest thing was that I asked God to change my heart to give me a love for serving my family as a SAHM and He did. This happened as I became proficient at the practical aspects of being a mom and homemaker, gained a deep appreciation for (and therefore satisfaction in) my role at a philosophical level and as I surrounded myself with support from others moms in similar situations and more experienced moms.

When the kids were older I considered pursuing a higher degree and instead became a labor doula and childbirth educator because it took less time and would allow me the flexibility to still be with them most of the time.

So I'm not saying that you will or should do what I have done, I'm just offering my story as an example of how it can work out and to encourage you to have hope for your situation. With good support, creativity and a positive attitude there's a good chance that if you choose to continue staying with your kids, this will get easier :)

you can start by taking a few online classes. then when you do get a chance to actually get on campus you will have few classes under your belt.

What does your fiance do? Can one of you work nights/weekends to make more $$ without having to add a significant childcare expense (whoever is home covers the childcare). You could start taking night classes or fitting in part time study. The extra $$ from your working would likely pay for enough childcare that you could take some classes. You can also apply for financial aid.