The search...

I took a break from the search, after emailing the same woman twice. I called some daycare centers but they were too far away. I don’t want this to sound negative because if I lived in the South Bay, my search would be over. If I lived in the OC, my search would have been over as soon as I said, “I need a sitter.” But I don’t live in either of those places and after this never ending remodeling job, I feel like my future husband, Jorge, would have to move into this house cause I’m never leaving it until God calls me home or the terrific trio’s gold medal winning swimming endorsements means we get to move on up to the Eastside.

Time was ticking away so I decided to get back into the fray, a grandmother at the park gave me the cross streets of a daycare she saw near her home. I found the in-home daycare, but they only took infants to pre-schoolers, but she gave me the number of another in-home daycare. I called this other in-home daycare and scheduled a visit.

The place was easy to find and was in between home and work. The outside was nicely manicured. The yard was fenced in. I had a good feeling. I was running a bit behind, but after my third knock the door was answered. I had just caught the women as they were headed out the backdoor. They ushered me and introduced themselves. The owner was an RN and her afternoon assistant. As soon as I sat at the table, they started drilling me, asking me questions. Uh, wasn’t this suppose to be the other way around?

The assistant started listing off other Christian schools in the area that I hadn’t heard of or checked out. I wondered why she was giving me the names of these schools when I was considering hiring her place of employment to watch my son, but I let at go. I just nodded my head.

The owner showed me around, informed me that I would have to fix Jory a lunch and that he would have his own shelf in the pantry to bring his favorite treats, but that she did give out three healthy snacks a day and even listed what they could be in her handout. I guess it was for just in case I had no idea what healthy snacks could be. Part of my mind was stuck on making Jory’s lunch. How does one do that? I’ve never had to make Jory’s lunch or breakfast during the week. Happy made his breakfast and lunch, along with the healthy snacks, then Mrs. Wilson at his pre-school did the same. I only made breakfast and lunch on weekends. What was this world she was trying to force me into? And how much earlier would we have to wake up to make this happen? Because sandwiches made the night before didn’t taste so good the next day.

Everything looked great, sounded great, and then she said the cost. A grand a month?!?! A grand a month?!?! Are you kidding me? And for a grand you can’t make my son two hot meals with food from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?!?!? She was one hundred to seventy-five dollars more a week, then all the other places I had called. No wonder the assistant was telling me about those schools because they were much cheaper than this daycare. I mean was I paying for the owner’s student loans from her RN schooling days.

I kept it all inside, took the handout, thanked them for their time, and left.

I'm not saying this search is hard, but it's maybe the right word is challenging. I live in one of the biggest cities in the world. A city with the most children in foster care at any given moment out of all the US, but I can’t find one Christian, affordable babysitter or daycare near my job or between my job and my house? It boggles my mind, but I know at the end of the day or rather this period God’s plan will be fully revealed and Jory will be right where the Lord wants him to be.

Homeschooling for the 9 to 5 working mom ain’t cheap that’s for sure. But I’m okay with that, I know God will provide because I’m doing what He’s calling me to do. He doesn’t always call the qualified, He qualifies the called. And I have definitely been called cause throwing Jory in a private school or free daycare aka what Ro has taught me to call public school, would make my life easier, a whole lot easier. But to quote Colin Raye, “Nobody said life is fair/We've all got a cross to bear…/Just think about him hangin' there”

Yep, the search is still on….