Sweet summer vacation

So the small trickle of job leads fizzled out before they began. At least we truly know we cannot go backwards. It is scary to realize that he's lost 6 years on his career if he needed to go back. Even so, it pretty much guarantees my wish that if he doesn't get into medical school that he rebuild in computers and not manufactoring. With the part-time jobs he currently holds, he's actually showing more current experience in that career than the one he accidentially built in Production Control. After some long and hard thinking, I have decided I will not return to manufactoring. That lifestyle supported, encouraged and condoned his behaviors.

I am nervous though. The data entry boss informed us that summer is his slow time and he would send us more work when and if he had it...six weeks ago. II has had more IT work at the Inn so we have the bills covered for the summer. Financial aid comes back in August that gets us through the fall. I have NO idea how we're going to make up the shortfalls for November and December. Specifically, I don't know how we're paying rent, much less accomplishing Christmas this year.

Today, I'm not going to panic about what isn't here yet. The plan is to try and 0put aside bits and pieces towards the rent money now (and we should have a tiny bit to put towards it this month). We were sent annonymous money and used it to buy a trampoline. They were actually rather cheap and its now locked up in the storage shed as the big Christmas present for all 8 children. II is going to try to buy wood in bits and build a gift for each child. I'm going to use yarn and fabric from that comfortable middle class life we used to live and make a third. If we can accomplish that, then all we have to still find is PJs for the kids, which we sew anyway because they want to match and you cannot buy them matched in their size spans. Then, we have stockings to fill. But, honestly if the stockings have to be fruit and candy this year because food stamps will cover those, then so be it. I keep reminding myself that II finishes his pre-med courses in May, sits for his MCATs by end of May/first of June and will work his rear off until he hears about med school admissions after that point. If he gets in, he'll have a stipend for living on. If he doesn't then he'll work hard to rebuild a career and make a livable wage for this family again. Either way, next Christmas should not look anything like this Christmas. That's what I tell myself anyway.

For now, I'm on break. I finished my last 2 freshman classes, outside of PE, for my degree. I finished them with 2 more solid As. Okay, not surprising but it sure helps restore the hit nursing schook did to my GPA anyway. II got an A in his lab science class. Worked his rear off, learned what it takes to finally make an A and did well. He's already back in more classes and will only get another 2 week break before fall starts. I'm out until August and enjoying the time with my babies. I had hoped to get busy earning data entry pay, but that's not happening. I've applied for several nurse aid positions, but haven't hear anything back in spite of having a personal reference from a classmate who works at one of the places. Focusing on the homeschooling and just loving on the babies now.