I have worked in the oil and gas sector my entire adult life, since I graduated university (10 years ago). We all know that oil is down right now, and my company made the decision to downsize. I was one of the people that was laid off, as I played an administrative role and was not a necessity like an engineer or I.T. I was very upset with this, I was losing my pay, my benefits and my work friends. My boss wrote me a very nice recommendation letter to give to future employers during an interview (which I was grateful for). A lot of my family members were pushing me to go get a similar job and stay in the corporate world. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, I had other plans! For years I have thought to myself that I wish I could spend more time with kids and more time building my Homestead. So, I have made the decision to open a home daycare. There are pros and cons to all the decisions we make in life, but I felt the pros outweighed the cons! I am so excited to be employed by self, and I pray it is busy enough to pay the bills! Time will tell! Sometimes when one door closes, another one opens! Daycare in my area is so expensive! I have three children, so for before and after care for two children, and a full day spot for an infant I was looking at $85-$100 a day. The. You factor in gas and wear and tear on your vehicle (commute was 100km daily), buying more take out food for lack of time and energy, I would have had to get a high paying job to make it worth my while! However, I now do not have a pension or benefits, but my husband does. So we made the joint decision that I would stay home with our children and care for a few other children as a small source of income. Sometimes you ha e to follow your heart and hope that everything works out for the best! ❤️

Miranda, XO