Part 2 of the new Quigley's Quest!

     You now know that we are a family of 5. 

    We are still getting adjusted to having a newborn in the house. Gemma is definitely a lot different than Emily and Allison at this age. 

    Onto the news you're looking for, I'm sure! 

  After some discussion, praying, and calculating finances, we've made a decision. I am going to stay at home with all of the girls, starting...now! Yup, I will be a Stay at Home mom to 3 amazing little girls. I get to spend my working days with Emily, Allison, and Gemma! 

   When looking financially at day care or a nanny, the cost is at or above my total take-home pay. Day care for the twins (at 18 months old) would be $300 a week, then with a newborn is an additional $180-200; totaling $480-500 dollars a week. Outrageous! See, my entire paycheck in a month.

    Besides the cost, then we would have our children with someone else for 8 hours a day. I get it, some families have to do that. We just don't want to do it. We don't want to come home at 4:00 (5:30 for Brian), have to rush around to make dinner, bathe the girls, and put them down at 7:30; only getting 3 hours of time (and it's not even solid connection time, but broken up with nightly routine) with the girls. We want to be the primary source of education for the girls. I'll be able to teach, discipline, and play with my girls the way Brian and I want to. 

  It will be an adjustment financially. We are dropping to one income, losing roughly $40,000 a year. Thankfully, we just paid off our car with our tax return. We are practically debt free, minus the house and our newly-added medical bills. It can work.

   The only thing that would benefit me going to work would be health insurance. However, when you add in work stress and the time with the girls that we would lose from me working, it's not worth it. We will just look for private insurance (since we have to have insurance now) for the girls and me. 

   I'm looking forward to this new change! Being a stay at home mom is something I always wanted to become. If you know me, I have always felt that my first love is my family. Growing up I said that God created me to have a family and to be a mother. This is my true job. 

    These first few months with stay at home, we will pretty much do that, stay at home. Like I said before, I'm still adjusting and managing three little ones. So I'm doing anything that requires little packing, traveling, and freedom (for Emily and Allison). 

   I'm going to start getting involved in the MOPS group at Discovery and scheduling play dates with friends with kiddos. We are getting a small kid pool to keep us entertained during the summer months (as Emily and Allison love water). 

  I think as the girls get older and can be trusted more independently, it will be easier. That just makes sense. When I can say let's walk and the girls aren't running out into the road or trying to run away from me, of course it will be easier. They are almost there, so soon we should be able to venture out anywhere we'd like! 

   I told my principal my decision last week. I told her a lot sooner than I wanted to, but OCPS and CTA contract states if you're on medical leave you have to give your intent to return by March 15th. I was trying to contact her earlier in the week (to make sure if I went there she would be there), so she got a little confused as to why I was calling. I gave her a little heads up and then scheduled a meeting with her. It wasn't a complete blindside. She thought I'd prefer part-time, but after discussing that with her, even part-time wouldn't work. We would still have to pay for care for the girls. Of course, one or two teachers found out and now the rumors and all are storming the campus (but that's for a different time).

   Well, now you have it. The Quigley's new quest is maintaining our family with our adjusting circumstances. Continuing to trust that God will provide in any and all areas. God has walked with us in this journey of life already and we know He will continue!  <3