Current happenings

Well dh is technically still on strike.... almost been 5 months!! This company still doesn't want to negotiate and it should be clear to everyone now that it wasn't about the contract - it's all about breaking the union.

Though we did get some good news - Dh just got a job making about a $1 less an hour but no overtime. He starts on Jan 2. Thank goodness because he hadn't been called back to work yet (they've been on strike since August, union proposed to work under the old contract, company denied, then the company a week later called an impasse = which means that they could call back who they wanted, when they wanted and the employees would be working under the last proposed contract - which essentially was the contract proposed in August). They took back about half the workers so far but the people in there say it is a very bad environment. (you have to ask to go PEE!!!). So he's glad to be out of there. He will be training during 1st shift for a few months and then will be working 7pm-7am Fri, Sat and Sun and getting paud for 40 hours. This is actually great becuase he will be able to take classes to get his associate degree. And if we need me to go back to work we would only need a sitter when he has classes. So, we will have about $500 bring home a week that I will now have to budget. - down from about $700 (he worked OT whenever he could) If it gets tough I will either go back to work or maybe babysit a kid or two. Also have been looking for ways to reduce our spending.

Today I decided to continue taking classes this semester too. I had been working on my associates for computer information technology and had to take the fall off to have our new little guy. I already have a bachelors in history but that's the worse major unless you're going to teach. Plus I've always like computers and feel that that's the job market I need to be in. I'm going to take 2 internet courses for now until dh gets on his normal weekend schedule. I will be deferring my school loans so this will reduce our montly payments by $140.

The baby has been sleeping better - we've been putting him in this little baby seat to sleep for now. Starting next week I will start trying to put him in the bassinet. I want to get him sleeping in it before dh goes to work. I have to say though when I do get him to sleep he does sleep quite a while. I fed him around 8pm last night and laid him down around 8:30. He slept until 3!!! I was amazed. Of course, I didn't get much extra sleep because I didn't go to bed until late. There's just so much to do, plus sometimes I just need quiet time on the computer. We will be paying off what little cc debt we aquired for Xmas (about $150 - all else was cash this year) when we get income taxes back in spring and that will help our budget tremendously. $500 a week seems so low for income in our budget but I know I was making so much less than that when it was just me and ds - about $250 a week - and did just fine. Of course now we have student loan debt, an extra cell phone line (we don't have a home phone) and other debt. Of course with 5 of us now it would be more expensive. More diapers, food, etc.