After I had given birth to my second child, going back to work didn't really seem like an option. I already had a three year old daughter, and putting two children in day care seemed like a financial impossibility on a teacher's salary. If my entire paycheck was going to pay for childcare, wouldn't it really be cheaper to not go back to work? My mother took care of the children while I finished out the school year, and then I prepared to stay at home full time. A noble goal, don't you think?

Flash forward two years. My daughter is now 5 and starting Kindergarten. My son is now 2. My car has been repossessed, and our finances are in the toilet. I have gone into a deep depression because I am trapped in the house until my husband gets home from work each day. I have almost no social life unless someone picks me up and drives me around like a child.

Depression can be like a deep, dark hole. Unfortunately, no one can show you the way out. The ladder is something you need to discover on your own, or you will never escape. I think I have finally found my ladder. Our finances are slowly starting to right themselves. Not having to pay insurance or put gas into a second car helps. I decided to use this time to figure out a new kind of me. To reinvent myself as a different person. A happier, more satisfied person. I am starting to wonder if I had only become a teacher because my mother was a teacher ,and it was just expected of me. I was told by friends and family that I was a great teacher, but I never felt particularly talented. I usually felt like an imposter, working much harder than everyone else just to be passable.

I started thinking back to when I was a child. I tried to remember what my dreams and talents were when I was in elementary school, before everyone starting thinking for me about the future. I remembered that I loved doing arts and crafts, and several teachers had told me that I had good writing skills.

The writing part is easy. I discovered this wonderful website, and have been plugging away every day hoping other people will enjoy what I have to say. The art concept was a little harder. There are so many forms of media out there, but I needed to find the one that fit.

The arts and crafts studio around the corner provided me with the answer. The building was close enough that I could walk there, and they didn't mind if I brought my son. They offered many forms of crafts for me to discover. I tried painting, paper crafts, mosaics, and sculpture before I found my true medium: jewelry design. Last week I worked my first show. I only sold three bracelets, but other vendors around me didn't do any business at all. I think I have finally found a version of me that I can live with.

My daughter started Daisy Scouts this week. I had to fill out a form giving family information. In the spot were it asks for “mothers occupation” I usually put Stay at Home Mom. This week, I shot for the stars. I wrote “jewelry designer” and felt a new pride sweep through me.