The blog in which Geoff asked me a favor.

Stressful times call for... a headache.  And a headache, calls for sleeping.  And sleeping, calls for my daughter, the budding novelist, to write a story about it.  The story about it- calls for me to quickly try to have my daughter rewrite her work since that is not how I wanted the story to end.  I changed the ending to be something about how I quickly got out of bed, dressed for a workout, and called a friend to meet me at Zumba and then headed upstairs at the YMCA to do weights.  After that, I did my grocery shopping for the week, and that took a mere 12 minutes due to the fact that I had less than forty dollars for groceries this week.

"It is a nice day outside but me and my brother and dad are inside and my mom is sleeping but me and my brother and dad are having fun."  Story by Shayna Ahrens, translated by Erin Ahrens- the aforementioned sleeping mom 

Why is that you ask?  Well, to begin with, it is the reason I am having stressful times.  And Geoff has asked that I share this on the blog so that he might be able to find a job sooner.  He needs a job that pays all our bills.  After taxes, and without any overtime the last few months, he brings in $1,600 a month.  I normally only need about $70 a week for groceries, but that is not happening anymore, and with summer coming up, grocery bill is going to have to go up, and it's just not in the budget.  (I am a freakin' amazing frugal chick, but there is only so much I can do with that amount.)  While we don't want anyone really to freak out, I have to say, we do have money in the bank, but we have been chipping away at that for years, and I am not okay living outside of our means.  I will not allow my children to be without food, and luckily, we are okay this week since I had some frozen meals prepared to draw from this week.  Kids get free breakfast and lunch at school, albeit not the healthiest, and I supplement with a very healthy dinner and snacks.  

So, for Geoff to stop getting the cold shoulder from me, since I have asked him for years to find employment that at will afford us to live humbly, and he clearly only heard the word hum, therefore, we are humming and not affording food this week, and he needs either a second job for nights and or weekends, or he needs one job that will bring in enough so that we don't qualify for free food at school and scholarship at the YMCA.  It is time we start supporting ourselves.

I am a mom.  I am raising my children, and have not yet found employment that would allow me to to be off the nearly 14 weeks each years that my children are off, and allow for me to leave at a moments notice to pick up a sick child at school.  I refuse to let someone else raise my children, or drive Chaz to speech therapy, or do their homework with them.  That is my job.  I am not a single mother.  I am a wife and mother that devotes every second to caring for everyone in the house, as well as the house and managing all that on VERY little money.  (That was my answer to all those that suggest I find employment.  Don't go there.  I will most certainly have a rebuttal to that.)  Although, if that dream job were to become magically available, I would magically find the nicest jeans I own and slap those on with a smile the size of my heiney, and off I would go each day.

So, per Geoff's request, if you know of a company seeking to hire a college educated man that is currently employed as a loan processor with the same bank for the past five years, please pass that information our direction.  Geoff is willing to do anything, so long as it truly pays all the bills, and he doesn't have to drive into Atlanta to do it.  (He currently spends 45 minutes in the car, each direction, in Alpharetta.)  Thank you for your time.  (PS  He needs benefits as well.  Tall order?  We can do this!)