We discussed about it and decided that i would go back to work one more day a week, maybe after this year. However, because of some plans Ww's' planning, we decided i could start going back a little earlier to start saving up earlier. At the same time, my boss popped by my table talking about getting me to have more role in the projects than just doing drafting work...and my decision to work an extra day a week is even better for such an arrangement. Personally, I would like to do a little more, yet don't wish to have to spend time OT-ing...or having to come back another day. Then again, 3 day or not...i felt busier these days that I'm still leaving work 1/2-1hr late. :(
My confusion and slight regret started when i was reading the book "A Mother's heart" by Jean Fleming. I quote:
"I cringe when i hear, 'It isn't how much time you spend with your children that matters, but whether the time you do spend is of high quality'. High quality for whom? If we define quality time as that which meets a need, we must ask, 'Meets a need for whom? .... The decisions these mothers made are based on their values. By working, each feels she will benefit her children. Each of these woman must judge whether her absence really benefits her family. ...must confront the question, Is money for college, nice things, or a Christian education more valuable than my being there? Each family must come to grips with the issues and the alternatives. They should weigh the pros and cons, and make their decision in light of biblical values."
If we could, I would love to stop working altogether, stay home and play with Eliza all day and get on with the day in and day out of home life. Miss out on the corporate world? Actually i don't really bother.
To a certain extent, we can't live with one income. Even as it is, we can't save. Although we could try to cut down on some expenses, still there's always the extra stuff we didn't expect to spend, or stuff we just had to spend.
So why do i still work? Because we still need the money. Even if we manage to get by with 1 income, sometimes it seems quite silly to not work when i have my mil to take care of Eliza, and do it so well too. We didn't really need to 2 people to take care of her, though it would be definately be great.
Maybe when baby no.2 comes along, i might take that drastic plunge, as we have planned to & hoped to, By then hopefully i have enough savings, maybe a hobby income or some passive income too. Well...at least when the maternity leave comes, it'll be based on my 4-day week pay instead of 3-day week one?
Quirky & fun stuff Eliza's up to
- she holds me hp to her ear like i do, as if talking on the phone. (she's starting to imitate what we do nowadays...my fil taught her to do it too with her toy phone)
- she understands the word "NO" but it doesn't work all the time
- she understands 喝水 and drink water...and so will turn to get her water or point to her water bottle
- she can understand & sign 'milk', though it can happen all out of the blue, as if practicing the hand sign
- she responds to music most of the time by clapping her hands, she especially enjoys worship time in church, and sometimes hums with you, as if she's singing along with you.
- she used to climb from the low coffee table in the study room to the sofa...now she has moved on to climb up to the study table...or any higher stuff by lifting her legs really high
- she loves scratching out stickers/price tags on things with her salvia & two bottom teeth
- she can now open caps, those lift up types, with her two bottom teeth. so no more giving her the diaper rash cream or whatever container tubes, and even our new Nalgene bottle to get the contents out.
I didn't catch her in time,. I left her to her own devices for a while and later found her with one of the tubes open, and smelling of the fragrant cream.
- she's into pulling out drawers
- she'll sometimes pretend to be in sleeping position, or lying down on her tummy when you tell her to go to sleep. how you know she's pretending? she's smiling away while she does it, and few seconds later gets up, pleased with what she has done.
- she's still playing peek-a-boo with us :P
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