Spring Break with the daughter

With spring break starting today, I am looking forward to taking my daughter and her friend to Florida again this year along with my mother. This is one of those times we get to just hang out and catch up, from the ride down there and the ride back to the time in between. When you are on vacation (or at least when I am on vacation), what I expect is to be able to relax and spend time with my family. This year we are going to be visiting some family in New Smyrna Beach for a few days and hang out at their house on the beach. My aunt and uncle have a windjammer, parasail and a boat that we are going to be able to use while we are there. None of us have used a windjammer or a parasail but I’m sure it will definitely provide memories for us. The photo moments alone will capture the moments of us trying to learn this together and I’m sure they will show the fun we will have while doing this. We are also going to be visiting Universal Studio’s Adventureland themepark and The Holyland in Orlando, FL. Again, I know this is going to keep us busy but we are going to be busy together.

Recession and the Single Mom

Although every one has been affected in one way or another over the last few years in the recession, it seems as though single moms are even more affected than most. The excerpt below is part of an article written by Megan Carpentier of The Washington Independent. (http://washingtonindependent.com/78683/the-recession-came-for-single-moms-too). This is just a portion of the information was pulled from a feature written by the U.S. Department of Labor on The Bureau of Labor Statistics website (http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf ).

*The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report that showed the unemployment rate for married women at 6.1 percent, while that of single women “who maintain families,” reached a whopping 11.6 percent — 68 percent higher than when the recession began. Add to that the fact that women, as a whole, earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man brings home, and you find many single women whose situation has gone from difficult to dire.

It’s hard enough on single moms to financially cover all basic expenses of a child(ren), plus the additional burdens left unspoken for by the dads. (If they didn’t this would all go against their credit because in most cases the mom is listed as the primary caregiver of the child(ren)). Now combine this with being laid off and that is whole other mess entirely. Statistics have shown that most women are currently making less than a man (77 cents to every dollar to be exact) so we actually start off with a financial disadvantage in the beginning, but with such a high percentage being laid off it has really taken a toll on the single mom and the children. Even with the grants issued by Obama for the single mom to go back to school, what income do they have coming in while they are in school?

Back in School

This past year I was laid off due to the bad economy so I thought I would make great use of my free time and I enrolled myself back into school. And though I am receiving an unemployment check I am still actively looking for full-time employment. The downside of this is that when I find a full-time job I will be working 8-5 then coming to class in the evenings. Right now I am just a part-time student trying to complete the rest of my pre-requisites before applying into the Respiratory Therapy program. Once I enroll, and am accepted to, I will be taking a full course load. This means work and school nonstop for fifteen months.....where am I going to squeeze in time with my daughter? Does this make me a bad parent? Several questions that I am still asking myself!!