My life

If you would have told me three years ago that I would be running my own business and be successful I would tell you that you were crazy. When I was younger and childless I always said I wanted to stay home with my kids but I figured that was an unattainable goal (kind of like winning the lottery, we dream but don't expect it). When teaching was so hard for me I thought I was going to lose both my dream of teaching and my dream of staying home. I was looking at going back to retail or being a secretary somewhere.

I then got this job thrown in my lap. When I started last Aug I had two kids and I wasn't sure how long I would be able to make it. I knew I couldn't look for anything else until after Colin was born so I knew that I would stay home until at least the first of the year. I took the opportunity of having full days of just Alyssa and I too get to know her better and enjoy the park and other outings.

By the time January rolled around I was so full I had to hire an assistant full time and my kids just kept growing. I now have a waiting list of kids and a full house of kids on a daily basis, yet I still have a low enough numbers one day a week that if I want to take one or both of my kids and go do something I can. It is like having my cake and eating it too. I get to see my kids interact and grow every day, yet I'm still contributing to our household income. I didn't make as much this past year as I did when I was teaching(probably only about half of it in fact).  But if you could measure my success and money in happiness, I would have made 100 times what I made while teaching.

As I sit figuring out my end of the year money situation for the daycare I have found that I am actually not in the hole for my first complete year of business. (Even though I did officially start in Aug of 2010 I consider Jan of 2011 my true start. I will walk away at the end of the year with a VERY small profit (which when tax season comes will put me back in the hole).

I am very proud of the person I have become in the last year and I love my life more now than I have in the last 6 years. I know that I couldn't have done it without my husband's support. He has been there to listen to me cry, worry and stand tall. I also couldn't have done it without my family that encouraged me when I needed the extra push.

I am excited to see what 2012 does for my business and my family. My life has had some rough spots the past year but I can say that I am honestly a little sad to see 2011 end but I will look forward to my opportunities of 2012.