Yet again, I can't keep up with the blog. Sigh ...
I haven't been doing a whole lot of sewing, but am in the process of binding a quilt and have a few others partially completed that I'm hoping to get to after this Saturday. I want to attempt to sew some clothing for ME soon ... maybe skirts and tops? I'm not exactly sure what but I know there will be a few things made by me in my summer wardrobe.
I've mentioned that I do some babysitting while home schooling the kids and raising the baby. Last week I had a visitor at the door letting me know that an anonymous male had called DCF and told them I was watching a bunch of kids and was unlicensed. Turns out I was in violation of state codes because I watch children from more than one family on a regular basis for money (three kids from two families). And I had five business days to find other arrangements for the kids I watch because I cannot legally watch them. Oops. And yikes.
I needed to register or become licensed as a child care provider, or find some other way to earn money - with 6 kids, home schooling four of them, and taking care of a toddler ... I've looked at the situation from every side and staying home and watching a few kids while doing so is the best solution for my family. The registration process is tedious, time consuming, and fairly confusing. I've placed many, many calls and gotten different answers from each person I've talked to. I think though that I've worked through most, if not all, of the requirements and am hoping to be registered within the next week or two. I don't mind going through this at all, and had planned to when I found the time (whenever the heck that was going to be!), but having to do it ASAP is pretty stressful. The requirements themselves make a lot of sense and are very practical, it's just maneuvering through the system that's tough.
Luckily, I've been able to continue watching the kids I care for by making some changes and adjustments. I'm so grateful for that ... because of the money, certainly, but mostly because I feel like these kids are a great fit for us and we're a great fit for them ... and I'd miss them all terribly.
Anyhoo ... that issue put a stop to everything else going on as I worked through the paperwork and classwork (35 hours of classwork ... not easy to squeeze in!). I have finished taking the classes (online, thank goodness!!!) and take the tests for them on Saturday ... wish me luck, I haven't had to do schooling of my own in many, many years - my kids love it, they spend half their time making sure I'm not screwing around on facebook and youtube (I've been guilty of both) - and my brain is pretty rusty.
The anonymous caller? Not all that anonymous, really, but certainly not worth discussing.
Next week ... sewing posts, I hope!
I haven't been doing a whole lot of sewing, but am in the process of binding a quilt and have a few others partially completed that I'm hoping to get to after this Saturday. I want to attempt to sew some clothing for ME soon ... maybe skirts and tops? I'm not exactly sure what but I know there will be a few things made by me in my summer wardrobe.
I've mentioned that I do some babysitting while home schooling the kids and raising the baby. Last week I had a visitor at the door letting me know that an anonymous male had called DCF and told them I was watching a bunch of kids and was unlicensed. Turns out I was in violation of state codes because I watch children from more than one family on a regular basis for money (three kids from two families). And I had five business days to find other arrangements for the kids I watch because I cannot legally watch them. Oops. And yikes.
I needed to register or become licensed as a child care provider, or find some other way to earn money - with 6 kids, home schooling four of them, and taking care of a toddler ... I've looked at the situation from every side and staying home and watching a few kids while doing so is the best solution for my family. The registration process is tedious, time consuming, and fairly confusing. I've placed many, many calls and gotten different answers from each person I've talked to. I think though that I've worked through most, if not all, of the requirements and am hoping to be registered within the next week or two. I don't mind going through this at all, and had planned to when I found the time (whenever the heck that was going to be!), but having to do it ASAP is pretty stressful. The requirements themselves make a lot of sense and are very practical, it's just maneuvering through the system that's tough.
Luckily, I've been able to continue watching the kids I care for by making some changes and adjustments. I'm so grateful for that ... because of the money, certainly, but mostly because I feel like these kids are a great fit for us and we're a great fit for them ... and I'd miss them all terribly.
Anyhoo ... that issue put a stop to everything else going on as I worked through the paperwork and classwork (35 hours of classwork ... not easy to squeeze in!). I have finished taking the classes (online, thank goodness!!!) and take the tests for them on Saturday ... wish me luck, I haven't had to do schooling of my own in many, many years - my kids love it, they spend half their time making sure I'm not screwing around on facebook and youtube (I've been guilty of both) - and my brain is pretty rusty.
The anonymous caller? Not all that anonymous, really, but certainly not worth discussing.
Next week ... sewing posts, I hope!