Last week, in addition to all of the many tasks I juggle and getting to the gym and making sure we have a meal plan in place, my son had his evaluation at our local school with the important departments at our school district. I hadn't heard anything as of the 4th of September and I'd expected to hear something from the district on the 2nd, so I emailed my contact. I immediately got a response back thanking me for emailing and asking me to meet for my son's evaluation TOMORROW (the 5th). I'm flexible. I have to be in order to ensure my autistic son gets the support he needs. At the drop of a hat, I have to be willing to stop whatever I'm doing and meet with staff anywhere at any time. But, more on that to come.
So, I attended his evaluation and they assessed him and took notes. I'd filled out the 40+ pages of my own evaluations so they could review it later. I filled out more while we were there with Joshua bouncing off the walls as a team of experts attempted him to jump through hoop after hoop.
At the end, they had all they could get and I'd be coming back in one week for the "report." Basically, they would sit down and discuss what their findings were and IF my son was eligible for special assistance and schooling through the school district.
Being a mother of an autistic child is challenging in general. My son is what the medical folks call "non-verbal." Mostly. He can't talk. Mostly. The "mostly" is what puts him into the "high-functioning" category on the spectrum. He's only, you know, a LITTLE autistic. Anyway, it's enough to make MY life essentially about my son. What is he doing? Where is he? What is he eating or not eating? What does he need?
I think I need to back up a bit. When my husband and I decided to have our first child, I was working a great job which I loved. He was making a decent wage as a truck driver. One month before I was due, my husband was laid off from his job. Actually, he was fired, without cause in order to keep a large customer happy. That much was proven true. While I was on maternity leave, I received a letter from the company I was working for letting me know that I didn't need to come back. They no longer had a place for me.
So, in two months, we went from having a comfortable living, safe and secure to having virtually NO security whatsoever. And now, we had a baby to deal with. And a mortgage.
Fast forward to today - my son is autistic, my husband is working again in the new economy meaning he works just as hard for less money. In order to survive, we've cut our budget to virtually nothing and refinanced in order to prevent foreclosure on our home. All this and I STILL NEED TO WORK. I just CAN'T.
The most flexible jobs are RETAIL jobs. What retailer is going to be okay with me saying, "Hey, I can only work two hours a day from 9 -11 am, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. MAYBE Saturday, but only Sunday afternoons. Oh, and if my son's teacher/babysitter/dad calls me, I will have to be free to go at any time. And, occasionally, I might have to go to appointments to meet with my son's special care team nevermind his dentist or pediatrician. So, when can I start?"
Not. Going. To. Happen. I can't think of a job in the WORLD okay with those restrictions. That leaves me starting my own business. I'm scared. In this economy, even the well managed businesses fail. So, what business is easy to start with relatively NO capital that doesn't require me to put in 14-18 hour or MORE days?! Avon. Pampered Chef. PartyLight. Mary Kay.
What is my passion? Cooking. Make-up/Skin Care. What do I have experience in and knowledge about? The latter. I've been doing my makeup since I was a dancer at 6 years old. I've been experimenting with makeup techniques practically my whole life. One of my favorite things to do is have an extremely LONG RELAXING facial system set up so I can pamper my friends. I love love love GIRL'S NIGHTS. It was just a no brainer that I should chose Avon or Mary Kay.
I've always thought Avon products were inferior to other products. I've always felt that they were fairly hit and miss on what was good and what was suitable for Walmart-level quality. And their stuff isn't as expensive. They sell it for less. AND, like you almost always DO - you get what you PAY for.
Anyway, this might not be the place to brag about Mary Kay and frankly, why should you believe me? I just started selling it as of LAST NIGHT. But, I will say, I've been using Dermalogica which is sold by professional aestheticians and I've switched to using Mary Kay. Mary Kay is less expensive AND SO SIMILAR that I hardly notice the swap. I'm thrilled to work for a company that can deliver that quality.
Okay, spiel over. So WHAT ABOUT THE WEIGHT?! Right?! What did I lose? A pound. Just a lonely pound. But, I'm one pound lighter than last week and that is a WIN! I'll take it over the previous week's ZERO loss, that's for sure!
In other news, I've had to stop using the patch. I ended up with very severe side-effects including sore/extremely tender breasts, chest heaviness, heart palpitations, nausea. It was BAD. So, I have an appointment on Friday to see about getting the pill, even though I really really wanted the patch to work out. :( Oh well. Hopefully, this will be the end of the insatiable need to feed. I've been SO hungry. I'll be glad to have that AND the HORRID acne I was developing gone. It was SO out of hand. Wish me luck.
And, on that note, good luck to you all. I wish you a light and healthy week. When you see me again, Joshua will have started school, I will have my MK starter kit and be on my way to making a few dollars, we will have had Josh's 3rd birthday bash, and hopefully I'll be on track to get a few moments of peace and quiet just to myself.
Blessings to everyone!
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