When it rains, it pours.

Yesterday was a pretty hectic day. We only have one vehicle, so I was up before dawn to get ready to drive Helen to work so that I could run errands, which included a health center appointment (unfortunately, we've been on some government assistance since I've been out of work--which has helped immensely but still not the most encouraging activity to do), get Menalaus's birthday gift from the mall, and stop off to get some bulk goods at Whole Foods at the way home. Boy, do I miss making Whole Foods a regular stop. Anyway, I was pretty sacked out, but I got everything ready for today's agenda-- set out my breakfast, vitamins, running stuff, etc.

Well, I'm only happy when it rains, but today it's been raining since before the sun came up and it's been the day from hell. The rain itself caused me to cancel my run; although I have absolutely no compunction about running in the rain, after having a week off from a head cold and being 5:30 a.m., it just wasn't going to happen. Plus, I sleep like a baby when it rains and I just couldn't rouse myself.

Despite the schedule change, I continued with the routine. Ajax got up early, but was pretty cooperative, and the day moved along swimmingly. I was getting ready for lunch (burgers and fries--fast food style at home) when I offered Ajax the opportunity to watch Star Wars for the morning. When I went to the basement to get the movie, I noticed the foundation had a long, dark streak of gray coming from the hot water heater. Of course, the heater leaked somehow and soaked the bottoms of a half-dozen boxes. When it rains...

I got the movie started and called the local plumbing company that we'd worked with before when the water softener exploded like a lawn sprinkler all over Helen last year. They made super arrangements to come after 3 p.m. today, which was cool since we're meeting to do the business plan for the preschool at 4 p.m. So, I asked the admin to make arrangements with the payment/financing company, and she called me back to tell me that the local branch of the lender closed and our $4000 line of credit for home improvement and repair is no longer available.

Add to this the fact that Menalaus has been screechy and fussy all morning, and has not wanted to nap a bit, and therefore has required pretty much my constant attention.

...it pours.

And so it begins...

It's not like I'm exactly new at this...if there's one good thing my mother instilled in me, it was definitely how to manage and care for a family and a household. Physically, definitely, if not fully emotionally, but that's a matter for my shrink.

Maybe a little background is important. Following graduate school, I followed my future wife south because she was a teacher and had a job, and my employment prospects were just as good down there as they were here in Michigan. Well, after 3 years, we were at a point where we (mostly me) decided we hated where we lived and wanted to be closer to family. In reality, she liked more than she disliked, and I was the opposite. But it was a compromise so we moved back.

The downfall of that, however, was that she didn't have a job teaching here in Michigan, and probably wasn't going to get one any time soon. I was "fortunate" enough to get a job, but the position, expectations and culture were a horrible, stressful fit and we parted ways. So, for the past year, aside from my wife subbing, babysitting and tutoring when she could, we've both been unemployed.

Enter July, where my wife finally got a teaching position and was going back to work full time! Definitely a life-saver, but for me, after a year of fighting the Michigan economy trying to find a job, it was fairly devastating to my sense of self-achievement. Before, when we were both out of work, we could pretty much relocate anywhere for the right job. Now, we can't sacrifice her position and we don't want to split up the family, yet the available positions around us are pretty slim and highly competitive, even for someone with my credentials.

And so, about 2 weeks ago, I resigned myself to the fact that, at least for the time being, that I was going to have to be a stay-at-home dad. And I'm OK with this--it's just another opportunity to demonstrate the same sort of excellence that I would bring to a job. Plus, it affords me more time to do things that a job can't afford, like freelance/consulting work (and some business development work that will hopefully take off), learning some foreign languages, volunteering, more fitness, etc. I guess the only downfall is that by staying with me, the kids'll be probably pretty screwed up, but you can't win them all.

Since not too many guys are either like me or in my position, I figured that a chronicle of the highs, lows, and adventures of watching a 4-year old and a 1-year old should be either entertaining, inspiring, or fear-instilling. Regardless, I'll try to blog every morning, after the bride heads off to work and before the daily circus commences.

And so it begins....