Lifestyles of the NOT so Rich & Famous

in Giggles on January 27, 2022

In 1994, Country Music singer, Tracy Byrd, released a song entitled, Lifestyles of the Not so Rich and Famous. If the stigma of country music fans being less-than sophisticated ever needed proof of that—THIS song would definitely serve that purpose.

Lifestyles highlighted the ordinary and the mundane. It spoke of working class people and their daily struggles to not only make ends meet, but actually enjoy that process. In my opinion, the folks that Byrd sings about, are the best part of our society.

Contrary to popular belief, the community in that song, are actually MY people.

I realize that it seems easy for me to sit in my warm house, trendy (sometimes) clothes, and full pantry to write down my musings for the domesticated suburban housewife. That is what I choose to show you.

Like so many other social media platforms, a blog site only reveals what the writer wants the audience to see. It just so happens that on this site, I poke a great deal of fun at my kids, myself, and sometimes even my husband…and I do all of that comfortably and safely.

But, what you see here, has not always been my life.

Believe it or not, I do know what an empty refrigerator tastes like. I know what an empty bank account sounds like. I know what the weight of pretending everything is totally fine feels like. And I know exactly what fear looks like.

I come from a dual-income family. My parents both worked incredibly hard to feed us, clothe us and keep a roof over the heads of me and my three younger sisters. As hard as they worked, sometimes the wolf who was supposed to just be at the door, would sit at the dinner table with us. That is an unnerving feeling. My sisters and I worked in several of the family businesses, even before we were tall enough to fully see over the countertops. We stood on milk crates. We all learned customer service skills. We all learned how to count back change from a twenty dollar bill—without the assistance of a computer print out. We learned the value of hard work and perseverance.

That same work ethic followed me to Houston. As a matter of fact, that work ethic brought me to Houston. I worked in a salon for years, both in Austin (where I grew up) and here in Houston (where I made my home). The salon industry is not for the faint of heart. The hours are long. The work is tedious. And, more times than a few, the people are frustrating. But, there is something extremely satisfying after a long day’s work.

I know that feeling, too.

When I met and married Jeff, my office hours changed significantly. We had only been married about six months before I got pregnant with our first kiddo. Then, fourteen months after Ethan was born, I delivered Emma. And, twelve months and a week after that—I delivered Elliott. There are no lunch hours or “smoke” breaks when you are a mom. (For the record, I am NOT, nor have I ever been a smoker. That was simply an example of required break time in the workplace.) There is no five o’clock whistle at the end of the day. My office hours were 24/7…nonstop.

I go into the logistics of all of this in my book. But, for those of you who have not yet read it, please allow me to summarize: When I married my husband, I was working full-time as a nail tech. I very quickly had three babies in the time span of roughly twenty-seven months. I also had incredibly life-threatening pregnancies, which meant keeping my job in the salon was an impossibility. Once I had finally finished incubating all those babies, in order for me to return to my job, I would have had to put all three of the kids in day care. Now, day cares can be, and are a blessing for parents. However, here in Texas, we have laws and limits as to how many infants, babies, and toddlers can be with one caregiver. And, the younger the child, the more expensive the care.

I had THREE INFANTS at the same time. That was overwhelming for me…can you even imagine what that scenario would have done to a stranger? Not to mention the fact, that day cares (even twenty years ago) were at max capacity. So, for me to enroll my children at places equipped to handle their young ages, I would have gone to a least two different places, if not three. And, honestly, the expense of three itty-bitties would have cost more than my paycheck.

So, yes. Jeff and I decided that I would stay home with the kids. It made better financial sense, and it was what we wanted to do. We had kids because we wanted to raise them; not be separated from them for ten hours a day. Having me stay home put a heavier burden on my husband. He had more to think about than just himself, or even me; He had the lives of his three children depending on him as well.

I enjoyed my time as a stay-home-mom. But, honestly it was the hardest I have ever worked. And I don’t even get to file a W-2 at the end of the year!

We’re coming to the end of January. Most of the time, January follows December, and December is home to the most expensive holiday of the year—Christmas. I’m not sure how you do Christmas, but I tend to put reality on a shelf, and dive head-first into the magic and indulgence of the season. It makes for a very merry Christmas, but in most cases, it also makes for an “Oh no” situation in January…when the credit card bills arrive.

Do you know that the number one reason married couples fight is finances?

Think about the fights or disagreements you’ve had through the years with your significant other. How many of those were about money? Thankfully, Jeff and I are now in a place of moderate comfort; however, that fact didn’t save me last week from the Spanish Inquisition level of questions about my spending in December!

I hope if you’ve stumbled across my blog that you find humor, joy, and at times comfort in the words that I write. I wish those same things for people who read my book. I try and bring a little levity to the everyday chores of life. And with that said, I have not forgotten where I came from, and all the feelings—the good and the bad—from my origins. We don’t ever know ALL of each other’s stories. Please remember that this site (and my book) are here to entertain. If you cannot find joy, happiness, or even a little contentment in knowing that others struggle in life, too, then maybe you should have a little snack and go take a nap. When my kids were grumpy, a nap usually helped.

And just like my Mamaw used to say, “If you can’t saying something nice, don’t say anything at all.”