Daycare

I don't really like to make two posts in one day, but my daycare issue is really bothering me. The last three days I have been calling daycare providers and it's opened up a can of worms that I have been avoiding for quite sometime. My husband and I originally discussed that we can do with my making less and going to part time. Well.... after crunching numbers and asking my husband how much I need to bring home, I basically have to bring home half of my full time salary. Problem is, if I continue to work full time, daycare eats up half my salary right off the bat. And that is using a mid range daycare and not the expensive Kindercare type daycare. There would be no way we could afford one of those corporate centers... Now, if I work part time, I could find a job working about 30 hours per week, (3, 10 hour shifts) that would equal half my full time salary. It would be difficult because I would have to make more than what a typical retail store would pay an employee, but seeing as I worked at a vet clinic, if I made that salary again working 30 hours, I would be able to pull off half my current full time salary. However, that does not include daycare... Which means for part time to work, I would have to find free daycare... That is the problem. My husbands mom (who works part time) said she could do one day a week, Tuesday's. That leaves 1-2 more days I need to find care for. Before our friends nephew passed away at an in-home daycare a few weeks ago, our friends dad probably would have agreed to watch Kaylin 1 day per week for us since he is all ready watching our friends daughter 4 days a week for them. Now he is a bit freaked out about watching somebody elses child, and rightly so. I really can't fault him for that. And my husbands step-mom, who doesn't work, travels a bit and I think is pretty busy, so I don't know how consistent she would be in regards to watching her one day a week. Granite, we have not asked her yet, so who knows. I could be pleasantly surprised!

I think what gets me most is that my mom has said numerous times that she would have gladly watched Kaylin had we lived in the same state. Which would have meant no daycare fees at all for full or part time care and we would not have had to worry about money or fees or disposable income. I really just don't know what to do. I hate the idea of having her in daycare full time. I would SOOOO much rather her have to go part time and for several reasons. One being I can work, make money and have adult interaction and two being she will be socialized, which I think is important. I just didn't want this to be 5 days a week. I can handle 3 days, but 5 days hurts me. Even if I have to continue to work full time, if we could find somebody to watch her on Thursday's than we would still only need to find part-time care and she would only be in a daycare for three days a week, and with family or friends the other two days (and what's the next best thing than spending time with mom? spending time with grandma!).

I hope and pray that we can figure something out that makes me comfortable, whether it be full time care or part time. Why does this have to be so difficult!