Moth Crafts or More Money?

Day trip to a ghost town with grandpa after mommy puts the keyboard away.

This is my thinking today: I have to get a full time job so we can go on vacation! 

I am lucky as a freelancer to have work almost daily (including weekends), and be able to say that while making moth crafts with Morgan. She's terrified of moths, so, of course, wants to make one. So proud! 

In that respect, I am happy with my current job situation. I get to be with the twins from the crack of dawn (their unfortunate rise time no matter the circumstances) until a good hour after their actual bedtime. I write for national publications, have the opportunity to interview interesting people on a weekly basis about everything from gun control to "Duck Dynasty," the musical. I get to write every morning, while singing "Animal Crackers," unscrewing tricky glue stick caps or receiving "kissy-hugs," sometimes all at once. And I have the time to research such important things as moth crafts, not an easy task.

But it works. We've learned that Luna moths don't have mouths and moths pollinate yuccas, a favorite white flower of the Mugs. Morgan loves bees and is happy that the moths have an important job, too, and no mouth to bite with, so we have two checks in the pro-moth column so far. I even have a few story ideas to pitch to my regional editors about our winged friends.

Still, if I got a "real" job with a regular paycheck, we could take a train trip through the Rockies, which would be such a thrill for them! They are fascinated with stars and mountains. We could rent that beach condo from a friend of a friend of ours instead of staying at the remodeled La Quinta with its permanent "Please excuse our dust" sign in the lobby.

Trade offs. That train will still be there when the twins are older and possibly in school full-time. We can go another year at La Quinta, close to family we can't see enough of. The free continental breakfast includes hot, fresh pancakes, almost as yummy as the fluffy flapjacks I could whip up in that fancy condo kitchen. Trade offs.