A few weeks ago I found out that my employers were cutting back my hours and had no new work coming in, which meant they would no longer be needing me at all after a couple more months. The day she told me, all I wanted to do was cry. I knew of at least 3 other nanny's looking for work, and was a little worried I'd be out of a job for a while. I didn't know how we were going to pay our mortgage and keep our new beautiful home. In a week I had a new plan though--to open up a much needed--Drop-in Preschool on the island (something parent's have been begging for). A safe, loving place parents could take their children on an as needed basis when they have a Dr's appointment, need to run some errands, want to go to the gym, get things done around the house, or have a flexible work schedule and paying for a spot in a day-care doesn't make sense.
Parent's have been loving the idea, the children are loving the space, and I'm loving working at home. Each child that's come to visit has felt right at home. The children have ranged from 10 months-5 years. It's been so much fun! Last week was the first week I started watching children in the space, and it went great! This week I have more families signed up, and I'm sure as the word get's out, I'll have enough work that I won't have to worry about paying our mortgage. Right now I'm still taking care of my nanny family, but just watch them over at my house, that way when they no longer need me, I can make a smooth transition as my clientel builds. I'm not a big fan of change, but I think this change is going to be really good. I should be able to earn more money, while also getting to work from home, which will be fantastic when I do have a baby.
I pretty much worked non-stop on the classroom for a week--setting it up, buying toys and materials, making lables & signs, etc. Then I spent the last week building a website for the preschool. Marty got me started, but I was pretty much able to do everything myself, which was awesome. I've put in quite a few long nights, but I'm feeling really good about everything right now. If you want to see my website it's: http://www.loveandlaughterpreschool.com/
Marty has been very supportive of my new business venture, while also doing some of his own web design work on the side. He's slowly getting used to his new position at Adobe, and we're so grateful he wasn't part of the 600 who were laid off last month.
We had a great Christmas and winter break. We had the best time just hanging out with our family and friends--talking, playing games, eating yummy food, etc. We love you all so much!!
