I am currently on Maternity leave, and in Canada we get one year's paid time off from work to stay home with our new babies. My mat. leave will be up in April, and lately thoughts about what I'm going to do when it runs out have been creeping into my head. The wages here are very low, I think that if I worked full time it wouldn't even be worth it with the cost of child care, etc. Plus, we have only one vehicle and with two people needing to get to work that could get tricky. When we lived in Calgary Matt always worked downtown so he used public transit - unfortunately the public transit here *sucks*. The other option is working part time in the evenings, which would be OK I guess, but it means I wouldn't get to see my Husband much and the very little "me" time that I have would dwindle to pretty much nonexistant.
So, I'm frustrated. I do have an etsy shop, but the profits are very low, especially considering the time that I put into it. I wish I could say that it was a business, but right now I guess it is 'just for fun'. I can't seem to come up with any other viable work-from-home type ideas. I am just getting discouraged and sad about everything..
Anyways.. I'm just not sure about what's going to happen - none of the options look good :( I am worried for the future.. I really need to not let negative thoughts in, but lately it has been so hard to keep them at bay. If any of you have been in this situation or a similar situation and have any words of encouragement, I would really appreciate them.
On a positive note - I was featured on Cuteable today!! :) check it out:
This really helped to get a smile on my face today, at least for a while. I have been hoping to be featured on cuteable for a long time! yay!
15 comments:
Keep your head up! Your Etsy was featured and that is a start on the road to making it more profitable - who knows what will happen in 4 months...just keep plugging away and I am sure it will continue to become more and more profitable! I am a full-time working mom and I wish I could stop but...right now I can't, so if you can make it work - do it! And if you can't, I am sure something will work out - what about part-time work or something? That way you don't lose all your "me" time and believe me - all moms deserve that time. Best of luck...
Awww girl. I feel you, I was distressed when I had to go back to work from maternity leave (although I only got 3 months, wish I lived in Canada :(....).
You'll figure it out. Sometimes it is more financially stable to stay at home then it is to pay for child care. Right now, I work part time, usually 2 days a week, but they just cut me down to one day. We are making it, just doing it frugally. Sorry, I didn't mean to start my own blog on yours, lol.
Keep me posted on what you decide, and keep your head up. Your etsy shop could pick up, and take off!
Hi
I wish there was an easy answer to this one. I live in the US, and my maternity leave was 12 weeks. Yep...12 weeks. My kids are older (12 and 10) but I remember how it felt to have to go back to work. Try and think about ALL of your marketable skills, and then boil them down to what you do best. Then start looking around (in town, on the internet) for a way that you could offer your service as a Consultant or freelancer.
Good luck, and enjoy every moment with your precious baby!
First off, Irene (at Blue Banana) gave me a BIG HUG the other day when I was down.
Well, I am passing that BIG HUG onto you know. **HUG**
Second, you really need to look into the daycare costs. Most people do find they SAVE money by staying home with their children than working and sending them to daycare.
Plus, you will be there to see them grow up. I would do that and keep looking for a stay-at-home job. (I know it is easier said than done)
Congrats on the website!!
Keep me posted.
Good luck!
B
If you enjoy staying at home, what about doing at home childcare? Not sure if I could handle more than one kid at home, but, it is good money. Then you could still craft and do Etsy!
You are right - you maritimes are not necessarily the most prosperous in certain ways - great seafood... but that only goes so far :) I'm in Ontario - and since I'm adopting, I only get 10 months - and haven't been able to save up for parental leave... but it is better than the 12 weeks like the girls in the states are talking about.
hey..i'm sorta feeling the same way..but i'm not on mat. leave. i'm on unemployment. i was laid off in august and my unemployment runs out in january. i can then fill out an extentsion and "may" get approved until march.. anyway i don't have much more time..i've been looking for a job but nothing is really out there...and to a point i don't even want to go back. i'd love to stay home so that one day when we do decide to have kids i can stay home with them. anyways..i have an etsy shop too..i just started...but its more of just a hobby right now then a career too... maybe we can come up with something together to help eachother.
I have to admit I am way jealous of all of those weeks off you ladies got for maternity leave. I got 6 weeks. Then it was back to work full-time. I would love also to stay home with my son but it doesn't really work into the budget! I'll be reading the comments to see if anyone has a great solution to all of our problems!
It is a tricky one - I'm lucky enough to be able to stay at home with my daughters and I too have an Etsy shop. I also run Cuteable so I do make a little money but really not much at all. Keep your chin up and just so you don't feel too alone - we all have days like that :)
When I had Morgan I actually went back to work early (she was 6 months old, I still had 5 months of mat left!) I went back because there were better jobs hiring at the time and I knew I wouldn't make it on my old salary. I was working full time (40+ hrs/wk) and I spent almost an entire biweekly paycheque each month to have someone else watch my daughter so I could do it. I am literally making more money now that I'm back on mat leave waiting for number 2 and watching her myself! I have already informed the man that I will not be going back to work unless someone throws a once in a lifetime, super paying job offer at me when I'm done. I'm not going to work so that my paycheque can basically be direct deposited into my daycares bank account. Your Etsy stuff is super cute and your store is still really new, so maybe by the time your mat leave is off it will have picked up! Being featured on other sites will only help to bring new customers in too!! My advise is to try and not let the worrying get to you too much because it will only make everything seem bigger and worse than it is! Do what you feel will be right for you and your family and what will make you all the happiest in the long run!
PS, don't worry about blog-ranting lol, I do it at least once a month. It's always better to get things off your chest than keep them bottled up!
I'd look into trying to get some of your stuff in the stores locally.. places like Luna on Victoria Row or the Best of PEI stores are always looking for local crafters.
oh sweetie...
i do know how you feel...
and i wish i had
words of wisdom for you
but
sadly,
i don't.
i do hope that your etsy shop
takes off like wildfire
and that you can spend
your time doing the things you love.
:O)
oh...
i can tell you though
that i did take in other children
while mine was of preschool age
which allowed me to stay home
plus make a decent income.
it's not for everyone though...
but it's just a thought.
I'm right there with you. I was hoping Etsy would be more of a career, but your stuff is sooo cute.When my oldest was a baby, I worked nights at the hospital.There are sooo many different jobs there. I only worked part time, but my baby was home with Dad and no childcare costs. I was tired for years, but it was so worth it. I even had a little me time.
It occurred to me the other night that I could make in a few hours at the hospital what I've made in a few months at home. I might do a little part time work soon.
Good luck to you! Enjoy your baby.
Just stumbled onto your blog. Had to comment
I understand your problem. Our first baby is due in May and I'm a teacher, which means I have until mid-August off with it. I don't get paid well (I'm not a real teacher) but I get great benefits. So do I stay home, saving on child care or go to work to get money and insurance, but spend who knows what on child care? But without a job, I'd be paying extra for insurance for me and baby. Decisions, decisions! Good luck with your decision!
Hello - Here is some advice from a Mom who did not return to daytime or fulltime work. My best advice is to make sure to live within your means & don't run up any credit card bills - we watched every penny & did without alot (like a 2nd car), but I had my daughter to play with so what else did I need? When she turned 1 we bought a small house - which 16yrs later we still live in - then I got a job part-time on weeknights - I'd leave right after an early dinner & be home around 10-11pm. I was ALOT younger so the tired part I don't really remember...lol. We have a son as well & I've never returned to daytime work other than substitute teaching now that both kids are in school. We are not rich, but we're not poor either, so I just wanted to let you know it can be done w/o sacrifice on your marriage or your kid's homelife - you will lose some of your freetime, but probably less than if you returned to fulltime work. P.S. - We do have 2 cars now...lol
Good luck whatever you decide :)
-DianeM
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