Break with no break

Today I did some of my homework and managed my home responsibilities. First, I read the gospel of Matthew and took notes. Then I cooked breakfast and made sure the boys had lunch. In addition, I made burgers for dinner (my wife helped too). I was also able to get in a little time to play my PlayStation 2. Despite all my best efforts I still ran into some difficulties in my day.

My oldest son "Mooky," the two-year-old, refused to eat anything that we provided for him. He repeatedly told my wife and I that he was in fact hungry but unwilling to take what we were offering. He lack of nourishment and sheer frustration with us fueled his foul mood. By the time my wife began working on our taxes, I needed some fresh air. The food war with my son finally got to me. "Meatball," the eleven-month-old, was taking a nap so my wife suggested that I just take a drive to clear my mind.

While I was getting dressed to leave "Meatball" woke up and "Mooky" was saying, "socks and shoes on." He wanted to leave with me which defeated the point of me leaving in the first place. I put my own feelings to the side then I put his socks and shoes on so we could leave the house together. I took that time to go to the library to return a past due Thomas (his favorite character that we must watch each day) DVD.

I intended on just staying at home today, but with "Mooky" my plans don't mean a thing!

I love him anyhow.

Looking back and moving forward

It has been almost 8 years since I first attended Dillard University in New Orleans, LA. During that time up until now a lot has change for me. When I left Dillard back in 2003 one thing that I knew was that I needed to finish school. Yet at the time I didn't know how I was going to be able to get my degree. I had a balance with Dillard and could not attend another college until that debt was paid. I would constantly think about what was I going to do. I needed to get a job. I did get employment; however, I was not making enough to pay any bills and my college tuition debt as well as student loans. In 2006, I was working at US Airways as a Parts Clerk as a recently married man with a new born baby living in my mother's apartment. Less than a year later I was promoted to Manager and moved my family from my mom's. I began thinking about going back to school when my wife started working for a Historically Black College in the city.

In the back of my mind I was always interested in finding out about school programs for employees' families at her school, but a year later I lost my job. I then fell into the job of being a stay at home dad (we could not afford daycare anymore). I did what I had to do for my family and once again placed my desire to go to school on hold. In addition, within two months of losing my job my wife and I found out we were pregnant again. I didn't know how I would be able to attend school with two babies under the age of 2 and make it off of 1 income, but my thoughts were still on going to school and finishing my degree.

In 2008, God was telling me it was time for me to finish what I started back in 2001 because Dillard some how wrote off my debt (I suspect it had something to do with Hurricane Katrina). Then one day on the radio I heard about the Adult Degree program at Belmont Abbey College and I went to their informational session. I learned that they offered classes at night or on the weekends, in addition, to affordable costs. I went home and told my wife that I wanted to go to Belmont so I could stay at home with the boys during the day and attend classes at night. Surprisingly she said, "let’s make it happen!" And we did. I am now in my second semester at Belmont Abbey. This blog is going to be about me as an adult student and a stay at home parent.