Well, I tried... (and failed.)

So, after going to my end-of-year staff luncheon and then freaking out, I took a leap. I'd been thinking for a long time about how I could teach art classes at local daycares as a way to halfway stay at home. I teach elementary art, and I do art camps each summer (even last summer when I was pregnant and babysitting fulltime and TIRED) so I'm well prepared to do something like teach a bunch of kids in daycare. I'm talking the four year olds though. Maybe three year olds. Much looser expectations, of course.

So I called, like, ALL the local daycare centers. A bunch of them. Pitched the idea. Most were like, "eh... send us a flyer" without so much as a hint of enthusiasm about it. Some flat out said no ("We're an inclusive preschool.").

One center was excited for the idea and we set up a meeting to discuss logistics. Classes on Fridays, four classes to a session, $10/class, I'd have to bring my daughter, etc. That meeting was a couple of weeks ago. I created a flyer for the parents, she sent it home to the two four-year-old classrooms and I waited.

Today was the deadline for signups, with classes to start tomorrow. I called this afternoon to see how many kids signed up, and was hit with a bit bummer. One parent paid, one promised payment tomorrow. That's it.

Such a disappointment. I put a lot of hope in that this could work. Of course it would not be enough to let me stay at home, but a little bit of extra cash would have been really nice (we need more diapers, a breastpump, and our anniversary is coming up). But for only one kid for sure, maybe two, I can't justify dragging Adelaide along without knowing that she'd be in a good mood.

So, I canceled the class for now. I plan on trying again next summer while Adelaide is still in daycare. I plan on having her keep going for a few half-days over the summer break so that there is still that consistency (and give me time to do camps and take lots of early morning naps.... ahhh...).

I am SO bummed. BUT! At least I tried. I went for it instead of wondering what if. I put myself out there which I rarely do. I tend to stay where I'm comfortable, and even though this didn't really work (ok, didn't work at all), I know I want to try again. Later. When Adelaide is older and I'm not tired all the time and I'm not as emotionally tied to the idea of it being a way to stay at home. Later it will be something fun to do to expand my career as an art teacher, and make a little bit of extra money.

Have you ever put yourself out there? How did it go?