You have all 6 kids in the photo! So how are the boys doing? Both are out of the hospital and home now?
Yeah, they're out of the hospital and overall, doing much, much better. Still, there are times when they (and Lexi) struggle with depression.
Ok - I will say something stupid now cos I am a mom too! Do you know your eldest kids are now BIGGER than you???
Uh yeah. Austin and Savannah passed me in height a long time ago. It's a good thing though; they can reach things off the high shelves for me.Oh, it makes me kind of sad to hear that you'll be doing most of your blogging over there. Can't you do both, since this one is more personal and the other is more public?
Here's my nice answer - I am blogging in both places. Both blogs are public.Here's my authentic answer - Are you for real?!!!
Yes we will go over to Babble to read your awesome writings because obviously it is too hard for you to copy-paste your writings in both places.
Sigh. That's not how it works. My posts on Babble.com as are Babble's posts. I can't copy them here. I link to them here to make it easier for you to just click and continue reading, instead of having to go over there and search for my blog (although Babble's a great site and if you have time, you should look around some!) Babble.com
How does it work? Do you just get paid to blog or do you get paid by how many people comment, etc? Want to help you any way I can so if you need me signing in over there I'll do it pretty much daily...
I get paid by impressions. For every thousand people who read my post there (by going to Babble.com and finding it, or by clicking the links I provide here), I get paid. I don't get paid for comments (although all bloggers love them!), and it doesn't count if you click on my blog multiple times a day to try to boost numbers.
Do you know where you'll be living? Are you planning a nearby moove, or is this a long-haul cross-country marathon?
I don't know yet. First things first. I'm cleaning out my house and having some realtors give me a market analysis. If I sell the house, we'll be moving out of the area. It's much too expensive around here. Even little one bedroom apartments cost almost as much as my mortgage payment and I don't know how I'd fit 7 of us into a one bedroom apartment. I need to find a place that has good schools, better weather, is not too far to come back here and visit, and has much cheaper housing.
I was really upset about moving. I mean, I'm personally okay with it because it's just a house. You should never get so attached to material things. God is all I need and He goes with me wherever I go. Still, I worry about my kids. I hate to uproot them and take them away from their friends and everything familiar, especially at this point in their lives when other things suck for them.
I don't want to sound callous, but have you thought about going back to work, at least part-time? Since Brooklyn's in school at least part of the day, I thought maybe you could find something to help you out. Maybe a bakery needs a good cake designer! Or Starbucks could be hiring to make fancy drinks. That would at least bring in a little extra income.
It's not callous. I think of it every day. Brooklyn goes to school 2 hours a day, 3 days a week which is hardly enough time to get a job. I could put her in the low-income daycare and find a job that would bring in about as much as I make writing. The only advantage would be better insurance for me and my kids. The disadvantages would be giving up writing because I don't think I can work full-time, take care of a house and six kids by myself and write. And, of course, leaving my kids (especially the boys who are still quite depressed) alone.
I make enough money writing to squeak by as long as I get regular child support. However, I'm not getting regular child support. Yeah, I'm taking Joe to court. Yeah, he'll probably be put in jail. Big deal. It still doesn't get us child support. So, bottom line is that I have to cut my expenses while working to increase my income because it's all up to me.Don't think, because I don't write every detail of what all I'm working on, it means I'm doing nothing and waiting for an opportunity to fall in my lap.
Dawn, I am praying for you and your family. I wish I could do something to help out. Do you have any manuscripts that you could publish on Kindle? There are no guarantees, but it would be worth a shot, don't you think? Do you read J.A. Konrath's blog? Anyway, I sure wish I had a way to help. I will be in prayer that God will intervene for you.
Funny you should mention Joe Konrath. I went to high school with him, and was just talking to a mutual friend about his passion for self-publishing on Kindle. I think I need to take him out to lunch and pick his brain. Did the bathroom project stall out? is it done yet? Photos?
All done! Here's the BEFORE picture. . .
Here's the AFTER picture. . .
I've written some articles for Circle of Moms and you can read them HERE. Also, I've been nominated as one of the funniest moms by Circle of Moms. You can vote for me once a day until the 23rd. Top 25 Funny Moms Thank you!
And the winner of my Sonic giveaway is. . .
My kids love to ride bikes to the park. I LOVE me some Sonic!
Congratulations!
Have you thought to ask the older kids to get jobs to help support the family? In times past, that's what kids did. Maybe if you told them how much you need each month to survive, what you are making now, and gave them the choice to get jobs and contribute, or move, they could and would like to help out.
ReplyDeleteYes, having to uproot everybody and move will be hard. But change is not all bad, it can, and hopefully will, be good - it will be a breath of fresh air for you all, an adventure!
ReplyDeleteCome on people if we all go vote we can easily make Dawn the funniest blog! VOTE VOTE VOTE!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took the "why don't you get a job" question so well. I also appreciate the commenter starting with "Not to sound callous". My husband and I have tried and tried to work the numbers over the past few years. With younger ones, there's cost of daycare...which pretty much swallows any extra income you'd make at Walmart...and so therefore, you're still not out of debt and you don't see your kids. So we've made the terrible decision to stall and stall and stall as much of our debt until they all get into school and it becomes actually worth it to get a second, third or fourth job.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I teach college history classes and I teach part time at 4 colleges. So for me, that would be a 5th job. My stepmom tried to get me a full time job, which paid less than what I make adjuncting but naturally would have insurance...but wait...I wouldn't see my little ones.
I'm so selfish that way... :-)
"...I need to find a place that has good schools, better weather, is not too far to come back here and visit, and has much cheaper housing...."
ReplyDeleteUmm you should move to Arkansas. It fits all of these requirements and I SWEAR it's not the backwoods/redneck hillbilly place people make it out to be on Television. :-)
Thank you so much for including the link to your Babble posts here! I love simplicity!! :)
ReplyDeletePlease tell me that you put up your smoke dectetor. :) My firewife inside of me is cringing when I think about it. And since my friends lost their house this weekend, and barely made it out all intact, I get nervous. :)
ReplyDeleteMy firewife self is hanging out with scrapingirl's firewife self too re: smoke detector. Remember, if your smoke detector is not up, you have less of an excuse to call the hot firemen :D.
ReplyDeleteRe: babble...if we read babble via a reader does that count towards your impressions or do we need to go to actual babble (which I'm entirely willing to do, I just tend not to wander out of my reader...I'm so spoiled :D).
I'm glad you had a productive weekend.
Look into Quincy Il, the cost of living there is super low and only about a 5 hour car ride from Chicago. I grew up there and can't wait to move back after college.
ReplyDelete"Oh, it makes me kind of sad to hear that you'll be doing most of your blogging over there. Can't you do both, since this one is more personal and the other is more public?"
ReplyDeleteKind of unfair that you left out the next part of my comment that said, "You ARE superwoman, right?"
And yes, I am for real. I've been a real, loyal reader of yours since the Pokemon incident.
The money situation makes it sound like you need to move to North Dakota! No, I'm not putting down North Dakota or you. I live in ND, the cost of living is relatively low, the schools are decent, and the people are amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh, that bathroom makeover looks great!
ReplyDeleteAnd why would you need to self-publish on Kindle? Don't you have an agent?
Dawn I think it is wonderful that writing is allowing you income and it's something you love and enjoy doing! Shouldn't anyone's job be something they love and enjoy. Jeesh some people!! So have you hit that 1000 mark on any of your posts? Thank you for linking them, it's great and EASY.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask you about your children. I have three and one is in a stage where he is so stubborn! Not sure if you have/had one like that? My son is 4 will be 5 in June. He wants everything to go his way and if he doesn't get his way he does nothing. Older brother was not like this. Also if he does not get his own way then he tells me I hate him and don't love him. Sorry this probably is not blog material but I think you are an awesome person and wanted to see if you had gone through anything like this. Thanks for any advice!
We may not be right beside you in this particular trench but we are praying for you! Keep digging deep!
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