I shall cry over the prices of the new items as i'm stony broke now. I had around 4.5k to spend on the last update because i knew what was coming and i saved, plus they took so damn long to release it
but this time it looks like i'll only have enough for one thing at first :(

plus i want to start salting money away on my mule for a rainy day.

*covers ears so she can't hear* LALALALALALA!

Oh wait...this is all typed text!

*covers eyes so she can't read*

^_^ I'm just happy I got all my butterflies!

I admire you for wanting to be a stay at home mom. I myself just couldn't do that, married or not. It's funny since I am a stay at home worker right now so I'm here all the time. They are older though so it gets easier with each year passing.

I have a lot of work to do to amass such amounts of gold. I'm talking more though jelly!

I cry over every update, because I came here in late April and every single update has been so awesome, but I was too busy focusing on getting the original dream avatar that I wanted to really stop and think "well if I were to get this outfit now, it would be cheaper". But then again, I'm glad that I didn't do that, because I would've just ended up with a bunch of scattered pieces from every update. I still find myself too broke to really be able to get anything but the donation items when they come out though, since I finally got the last item on my original list just today. I completely forgot that donation items come out soon and I looked at my 60g earlier wondering what I was thinking about when I bought the stockings. >.>

I'm so behind on getting items. D:

i want more of your butterflies yet Aliena, they're so pretty ^^

but now i really must go to bed!

Goodnight ladies

Man, I love being a stay at home Mom. I love the age Lauren is - she's so much fun. Plus, it's allowing me to focus on art commissions, which I wouldn't have had time to do, being an audiologist.

EDIT - goodnight, Jelly!

Hello hello everyone - it's strange to not have the carnival around anymore.

The week went really fast and at the same time I was so comfy there . . . funny how that works.

There can't be new items - I still haven't gotten the stuff I want from the last update!!! :shock:

Goodnight Jelly~

juru - Ah, I always thought before that I couldn't be a stay at home mum. Growing up I always knew that I wanted to have a little girl, but I feel like she should be adopted since there are so many kids these days in the orphanages that really need a loving family, whether it be one parent or both. But I always had this thought that I'd adopt a little girl and then travel the world with her, teaching her this and that about a lot of stuff during the summertime, and then in the winter and spring she'd go to school in one single town. But then again, those are such childish dreams in itself though, so now I realize that maybe I won't be a working mother because I'd want to be home all the time for my kids, whether they be adopted or not. I'm currently playing around with the fact that I really do want a couple children that are adopted, whereas my boyfriend really wants kids of his own... so that's the last thing really to figure out before I actually do anything. The only real big problem though is the fact that it costs a lot of money to live, costs even more to raise kids, and having a stay at home parent and having the other being the only one working is a very slim chance. I fear that I won't be able to do anything like this because I'll absolutely have to work, and although it's not something I really want, it's realistic. I want my dreams back. =(


Hi siaasgn~ I agree, it is strange to not have the carnival around anymore. It was pretty fun while it lasted though. =)

It can be done, don't give up. I've done it for years alone and no help at all from their father. Yes, I have familial support but it can be done. Aliena is a good example that it can be done, right?!

I didn't know that's what you did Aliena. I was telling someone else that's its funny. We spend so much time together, either here or on other sites, in some cases 4+ years and still it seems like we barely know each other.

Sometimes I'm not so sure, though, especially since I know my boyfriend can be just as lazy as I am. Everywhere I look, people that have tried have eventually given up and gotten a job and such, so it worries me. Thanks for the support with it though, I appreciate it. <3 Knowing that people are doing well with it makes me happy.

I have friends who I've known for a really long time online, and sometimes I'll find out the simplest things and I feel like I don't know them at all. ^^;

Yeah, that's my profession. I worked in a hearing aid private practice with mainly the geriatric population, but when my husband and I moved 4 years ago, I landed a job in the school district as an educational audiologist and would drive around from school to school, checking equipment, hearing aids, making earmolds, doing hearing tests, etc. Man, that was the best job! I stopped, though, when I became a Mom - actually worked up to the day I went into labor. lol I was dilated to 4 at my doctor's appointment that day and asked if I could go back to work to finish everything up because I had a feeling I wouldn't be returning. The doctor looked at me like I was crazy! So I'm just keeping up my certification, but my husband's the only one with steady work. I do commissions for fun money, but my main job is as a Mommy.

Truthfully, we've not really felt the expenses all that much...the initial birth expenses, yes, as well as medical insurance (a little over $200/mo for me and baby), and diapers, but that's about it. Lauren eats what we eat, and not very much. I nursed her up til she was a year old, so we bypassed formula, which is a pretty big expense. I don't know - it seems like it'd be a huge strain, but with proper budgetting, watching your purchases, and cutting some things out (I don't shop as much, we don't go out to eat like we used to, and we keep our AC set higher), you'd be surprised how doable it is. Granted, we don't live in an expensive place like California or NYC or anything!

I know, there are so many things I don't know about people I talk to regularly!

Ah, I see. Well hopefully I'll be able to make it too, then. The way my parents talk about raising me, you'd think that expenses would be a million a year and such.. but I suppose I shouldn't listen to them considering they never liked me to begin with. I think I was a mistake. ^^;;

That's an interesting profession though. I haven't heard about that one~ it sounds like it would be pretty fun. ^^ Do you think you'll go back to it once you don't have to worry about your kid anymore, or do you think you're done for good?

No, don't listen to them. You are a beautiful young woman with lots of life ahead.

It does cost alot to raise a child and parents do have to sacrifice. Your life changes but as long as you roll with the changes and welcome parenting it works itself out. Sure you can't go out on a bender for three days with friends or jump in the car and go somewhere as readily as you can when you don't have children but it can be done with planning.

The biggest costs for me coming up are my daughter starting high school next year and school tuition.

If I could find a school district job again, then yes, I'd love to go back to it. Or if I could hook up with the hearing aid manufacturer in the city (I think it's Starkey) as a rep possibly, maybe I would. I didn't like having to sell hearing aids to people - they're very helpful, but it's sometimes hard convincing someone they need to spend $5200 for a pair! My boss placed an emphasis on sales and that wasn't more forte at all. But being a rep would mean introducing new products to the audiologists, not the patients. That would be fun. And the school job - I loved the flexibility and of course, working with the kids!

But truthfully, I'm not married to the profession. I wish I had done what Sia did and pursued library science or something. My dream job is just to work happily the rest of my days in a bookstore, maybe be a manager of one of the sections.

Your life definitely changes when you have a child and there are things that you can't do as much anymore and you do have to curb your spending, but I don't think it's as impossible as some people think. I guess it depends on your lifestyle. We've always lived rather modestly while friends of ours have always splurged. So it wasn't a huge shocker for us.

I think I would not do well being a stay at home mom. Although it's great for some, I think I would get lazy and probably end up spending way too much time online. I spend more time than I should now. I admire those that are stay at home moms. I think that in today's world, one of the problems is that kids are not with their parents enough because of both working. They don't get the attention and family time needed. Just my 2c on the subject.

I'm able to get some good time online, but I do it either before she wakes up in the mornings, during her naptime, or when she goes to bed at night. That's when I do my art too - I don't want to be sitting on the laptop while she's up. I like cleaning and doing chores while she's up, though. It's fun getting her involved. She especially enjoys helping me do the laundry!

*pokes head in*

hi everyone!!!!

*hugs Jaz*

Jurupamae - you were totally in my dream last night. lol...I'm not sure what you look like and we never called you by name, but I swear I just knew somehow it was you!

Originally Posted by jellysundae

lololol.

Kat's after a new item for Madeline, but we think it's going to be male only :lol:
It might be for girls too yet! she might be saved from gender re-assignment at the last hour

Ohhhhhhhh. I was so horrifically confused. I had no idea what was going on. xDDD

Well i hope i managed to clear things up Chi ^^
We shall have to wait and see whether Madeline's RP'ing may be taking a very interesting turn yet though.. :lol:

Aliena here's the lovely Jaz on her wedding day ^^
http://i17.tinypic.com/6g2eog2.jpg

Such a pretty photo. I can't take a good one. Every picture of me is screwed up unless I didn't know a camera was in the room. I'm nervous for my own wedding in a couple months, but over pictures for crying out loud. x.x

A dream about me? *curious*

My picture is on Gaia in the purkle photos section somewhere.

Hope everyone is having a good day today. I just got home from having breakfast with my son. My daughter is still in bed. I'm letting her enjoy it. They start school tomorrow so this is the end of summer for her.

Already Kat? Wow that's early. They don't start here for another few weeks.

I don't remember ever starting school this early. Usually it was the end of August when we went back, but yea, they start tomorrow. I think they are both ready to go back and see their friends and get away from their mother for a while, lol :lol:

Wow, that is early! Here in Texas, they're trying to move back toward starting school nearer to Labor Day, so I don't think they go back for another few weeks at least.

And yeah, it was funny...there was a huge group of people at this place. It was a concert of some sort, and one of my best friends from high school (and the guy I actually had a crush on whenever I wasn't dating anyone else - you know, one of those types of friends) really wanted to meet you and hang out with you. lol...it's funny how your dreams pick people so randomly to be in there! I've not seen my friend since our high school reunion a year ago. But he thought you (or the person who represented you in my dream) was so cute. ;)

And what a beautiful picture of Jaz! Wow!