Switcharoo!

Well, we're doing it again!  Taking chances, making changes!  Let me tell you about what is to come for the Brooks family!

First of all.......I need to preface this post by saying this:  This idea is not OUR idea.  It is completely from God.

Secondly.....negativity is 100% unwelcome.  I am not updating the world with our big changes to get anyone's approval.  So, if you think this is a stupid or horrible idea.....I'm gonna let you take that up with the Lord, because, again, this is not OUR plan.  It is HIS plan.  And as always, HIS plans are way better than our own plans, right?!?

Here's the story of about how our life got flipped, turned upside down..... (hehehe)....

For a while now, I have been really longing to return to the classroom.  I feel that God created me to be a wife and mommy, and also a teacher.  Three years ago, God told me it was time for a little break from my teaching career, and it was SO scary, but I did what He was telling me to do, and I took a break.  To make ends meet, I continued doing home parties for my favorite cleaning products, and began watching some children in our home.  It was great on many levels:  I was able to be home with my girls, I was providing income, I was able to devote my time to my family.  My childcare business has been a blessing to our whole family!  We have been able to form relationships with some amazing families who have become extensions of our own family.  I have a sweet one who LOVES Ms. Kyle and gets excited to see Pappaw (my dad), and Granny and Grandaddy (my grandparents), and begs to go see them right along with my girls.  Talk about heartwarming!  Even though being home the last 3 years has been awesome, I have never been able to tamp out the desire to return to teaching.  Now that the baby is no longer nursing, and very independent, I felt like maybe I should pursue my dream again.

Kyle and I had planned to hire a sitter to come to our home to keep our girls, get Ava on the bus, and love them just like we do.  That's a hard person to find, I tell you!  Especially when you aren't rich!  But that was our plan, and we were determined to stick to it!

Until one day.......

Kyle and I had an Advocare mixer at our house (somewhere in the last few months we had tried the product, fell in love with it, told some others about it, and became Advisors!  More on that later!)

Anyway our mentors came up all the way from Mississippi to meet us and said they don't do that with just anyone.  Well, that was sweet.  I was on board, Kyle was just bored with the thought of it all.  Even though he wasn't really considering Advocare to be any type of income source for us, he sat through the mixer and I am so glad he did.  Listening to my friend, Jenn's story about how she was able to leave her corporate job and pour everything she had into her family and church.  Kyle was flabbergasted and inspired.

Later that weekend he asked me....."If you get a job, what if we just switched places?  I can take care of the girls....you wouldn't have to worry with finding a sitter and being out all that money.  I can even keep some of the kids who are currently with us....that will bring in income, and Advocare can supplement for us."

I tossed that around in my head for a bit and it wasn't a crazy idea.  I asked him if he was sure that's something he would want to take on, and this was his reply...."I have missed out on SO much our girls' lives.  I'm gone all the time (yes....teachers work A LOT more than the world believes), and I miss them,  I WANT to be here when the big things happen.  I've missed out on first steps and other big things, now it's my turn."

I mean, who can argue with that?!?

So....it was time to pray.  We knew everyone would think that was a crazy idea, we kinda thought it was crazy too.  So our prayer was for God to make His plan very clear to us.  And HE has!  Every door has been opened and now it's time to walk through those doors by faith!

We are so excited to see what the next years have in store for us!!!  Our long term goals are for him to stay home til Adley goes to Kindergarten, continue to take care of the little ones who are more like family than friends, build up our Advocare business, and in five-ish years, decide where we are going from that point,  He may decide to return to education and use his masters in special ed, he may decide to do something else entirely, he may just be rocking our Advocare business and not need to return to the corporate workplace.  God only knows, and at this point we are doing what He has told us over and over.  Trust and Obey,

We are both thrilled and looking forward to our future!  I will be returning to the classroom THIS August teaching 6th grade.  I have been given a job at an amazing school with an amazing faculty and administration.

Please keep us in your prayers as we start this exciting transition!