Making the Transition

I haven't posted a thing here in over a year and a half. To prove it, the Bear was 6 months in my last posting, and now he's almost 2. Scary.

So here's the short version of what I've been up to:

Worked my keester off for the world's largest specialty coffee company for over seven years. Went on maternity leave for four months when I had the Bear, went back to a workload that was totally different than my job description was designed to handle. Hated the work and the corporate dysfunction. Then got laid off (on my birthday, no less) in February 2009.

And getting laid off was The. Best. Thing. That's ever happened to me.

Spent four months looking in a totally hideous Seattle job market for some sort of project management position. Didn't find a thing.

Looked at our household budget, determined that we could (just barely) make it on one income. So as of June 26 (the Bear's last day at our wonderful-but-expensive Montessori daycare), I will officially bear the title of Stay at Home Mom. SAHM. A job title I never, ever thought I'd see on my own CV.

You know what I'm learning about myself? That looking fear dead in the eye and saying, "Yeah, so what?" really is the best feeling in the world. I've always been afraid of the finances of being a single income household. I've wondered if I have the chops to stay at home full-time with a wild and crazy toddler. And now I'm going to get to do both of these things.

Fear, take that!