2 Peas Challenge- What did you think life had in store for you? Where did you think you'd be today? What surprises has life brought you?

Ooh I love the interesting questions.... I am now at the ripe old age of 27. I thought by now my life would include a husband, and two little kiddies. I thought I'd be a stay at home mom, with a small side job that was more meaningful than necessary. I'll never forget a lady at work asking me one day what my goal was in life -and when I responded with 'I want to be a stay at home mom' -she laughed and said 'honey, that's not a goal'. There were a few that came to my defense, and I do honestly believe it is a goal. It's something that you have to fight hard for. In this day and age, families are barely making it on two incomes, let alone one. So I do think it's a goal. I want my children raised by me. If that means I have to cut back on this high speed internet connection, and on the frivolous things I purchase, then so be it.

Alas, it is not heading the way I'd planned. Tom and I have spent many, many nights discussing this. He just doesn't think we'd be able to make it. He wants to be able to provide our children with things we'd missed out on- vacations every year, the newest clothes, the best cars. He's not a very materialistic person, but it's important to him that our children don't miss out on that kind of thing, so we're trying to meet halfway. It's such a hard thing to back down from what you've wanted all along. I love our parents, but I don't want our children raised by them. I want them raised by us.

I'm not saying I wanted to stay home for their entire lives. Just until they were all safely in school during the day. Then I'd go back to work and be a teacher. But it doesn't appear that is going to happen. I mean, who knows, right? Maybe, down the line, we will be in a financial place where we can do that. We are just preparing for that not being the case. Not that I think our incomes will be amazing as teachers. But at least there will be two of them.