Jen of all Trades: Hardest $15 I've Ever Earned

Happy belated Mother's Day blog readers! Hope you all had a relaxing Mother's Day. I know I enjoyed a nice breakfast in bed delivered by my 4 kids, a lunch made by my 12-year-old son, and a night out at the theater to see, "Beauty and the Beast" with my daughter and oldest son. My husband also cleaned out my minivan, two bathrooms, and the kitchen. So nice! Ahh, Mother's Day. What happens the day after such a lovely holiday?

Well, for me, it was back to reality. And back to school for the kids. But today my friends, was no ordinary Monday.

As most of you know, since I left my technology job in September, I have become a "Jen of all Trades." I consign things monthly at a local consignment store; I write freelance articles for the newspaper; and now--I am adding "daycare" to my list.

I have started watching my next door neighbor's 3 kids (ages 2, 4, and 9) from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. three to five times per week, as needed.

My neighbor went back to work as a nurse (night shift) to help support her family. Her husband leaves for work at 7:00 a.m. and she gets home at 8:30 a.m. or so; that's where I fit in. $15 bucks a day is nice money, and I thought the work would be easy. Right?

Wrong!

Last Friday kicked off with my own toddler screeching at my neighbor's 2-year-old because he wasn't used to "sharing" toys; my daughter got up early to "help" with the 4-year-old and 9-year-old boys from next door to race around the basement, throwing around the dirty laundry and jumping on furniture; and when the three kids left at 9:00 a.m. my house looked like a tornado hit it! I found a yogurt melting in the "babies" toy microwave, and I had to spend their nap time recovering the kitchen and basement from a sea of toys.

Today, I vowed, would be different. I told my 6th grade son to watch "Today Show" on the basement TV while he waited for his 7:25 a.m. middle school bus. I had my daughter "sleep in" until 8 a.m. instead of waking up early to "help" me watch the neighbor's 3 kids. And I prayed the "babies" were sleepy enough to sleep in until 8:00 or 8:30 a.m., leaving me with just the neighbor's 3 kids to watch instead of 7.

"The new rule is, we all eat at the table," I said, proud of myself for setting some boundaries for my new little visitors. The 3 sat at the table, quietly eating their Cookie Crisp cereal, and sipping juice. Ahhh...it felt calmer. "I can do this," I thought. "This is much better than Friday."

But what happens after the calm? The storm!

7:30 a.m. and my eldest son's bus had not arrived. Colin, who has Autism, did not like schedules to change without warning or explanation. He lived by his schedules and plans. "But Mom," he said, "What about my field trip? We leave there at 8:15 from the school." Indeed, he was correct. The clock was ticking. 7:40 am and still no school bus.

I called the school and learned his special ed bus had broken down. My son panicked; he had already texted his best friend that morning and asked if he could sit next to her on the field trip bus. I had to get him there, or he would be the only 6th grader to miss the trip.

But the school said they "couldn't guarantee" that his replacement bus would be to our home in time to get him to school for the field trip.

So, I had a problem. A pickle. A lemon. And I made lemonade.

"Get dressed," I said to my sleepy daughter who sat on the stairs wondering why her eldest brother was still home. "Let's wake the babies."

As luck would have it, I had an extra car seat. My sister, good Samaritan that she was, bought one of the "babies" one. It is too large for my toddler, but the right size for my neighbor's daughter. I loaded them - all seven kids - in the car. Slowly.

Let me tell you, I was the mother of an "only" child for many years until just 2 or 3years ago; so for me, loading 7 kids ages 1-12 was no easy chore! I don't know how my sister does it with 6! I am not cut out.

But somehow we made it to the school in time. Hurray! Colin got to go to the field trip and to sit by his best friend. I got the kids home in time to be picked up by their mom. My daughter got on her own school bus to the elementary School. And I earned my $15 bucks.

And by 9:00 a.m., I needed a nap!

I know it is hard for my neighbor to go back to work. And it is hard for me to stay home, too. Especially when I try to earn money with all of my "side jobs." Either way, a mother's work is never done.

That is all for now. My recessionary tale will continue Friday.