My Stay-At-Home Mom Journey

If you would’ve asked whether or not I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom a few months before pregnancy, it might have been a flat out “NO”.

Seriously, it never crossed my mind UNTIL mama instincts started kicking in during pregnancy.

Once Liam was born, it was all the validation I needed that pushed me into being a full time stay-at-home mom.

In March of 2016, I was just finishing my masters in reading education and already had spent the previous nine months jobless because of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It wasn’t until beginning of 2017 that I started feeling lost and every bit of insecurity of the person I was.

I doubted myself and the decision of being fully at home while I could be furthering in my career. I mean I worked my butt off in achieving my degrees and, truthfully, missed every moment of  being in the classroom.

BUT I still couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety. I trust our families in helping us raise our child BUT I didn’t want to lose that experience. And I definitely didn’t want to look back at that very moment and regret not enjoying every moment before it was gone.

Finding My Dream Job

For months, I searched endlessly for a “work-from-home” job and wasn’t lucky.

And then VIPKID showed up as an ad on my Facebook feed.

“WHAT? TEACHING ENGLISH TO CHINESE CHILDREN FROM THE CONVENIENCE OF YOUR OWN HOME? “

It seemed to good to be true. I waited two exact weeks until I stopped fear dead in its track and applied. I googled searched it and found Youtube videos to help me throughout the entire process, which took less than a week.

I felt a huge sense of relief not because I was making money doing something I absolutely love. BUT because I found myself again. It made me feel independent and valuable.

What is VIPKID?

Long story short, I am a VIPKID teacher and have the opportunity to teach English to Chinese children across the world from my laptop. I am fully in control of my schedule and provide extra income for my family. Best part? I still have the flexibility of being at home with my little one.

Is it easy? Teaching is the easy part as no preplanning is needed BUT just like in the traditional classroom setting, no student is alike. You’ll meet many students with varying levels and needs.  You’ll need A LOT of coffee to boost your energy and get the attention of little ones through their iPads, computers, or laptops.

I make, give or take, about $18 an hour and teaching early weekday mornings from 5am to 9am and weekend nights.

Many of you will say “$18 an hour is NOTHING” but it is way better than zero while not worrying about commute, daycare costs, and clothing.I roll out of bed, throw on my orange sweatshirt, make a cup of coffee, and teach.

It is well worth every sacrifice, early mornings, and late nights in order to live life by my own rules.

PS: If you have a bachelor’s degree and are looking for a way to make money or even as a side hustle, let me know. I can send you my link, which you can use to directly apply. I can then help you throughout the application and process.

VIPKID is NOT for everyone. So feel free to comment below and/or learn more by checking out my previous blog post: My New Gig: I’m an Online ESL Teacher!

As always, thank you for reading!

Lots of love!

xoxo