Well, June 30th will be my last day at the playroom. I am closing down permanently. That is the badnews.

The reason for the sudden closing is also not so good news, but I don't view it as bad news.

My mom has been diagnosed with heart problems. Bad news for the obvious reasons, good because they found it early. She's not even been fully diagnosed yet, she has a procedure next week to dertermine what exactly is going on and what they plan to do to fix it.

Although there is no immediate life threatning need for me to be at home, I choose to be home now. I want to be here for my mom when she needs help to drs offices (something that is happening more and more each month as she ages) and I want to be here to go out and have fun while she is still capable of having fun.

Ginny, I think it was you (or maybe Pam), that has often posted that staying home to be with your dying mother was the best thing that was ever done in your life. It was someone here that posted often on this reflection of time well spent with their mom. And that was the first thing I thought of when my mom told me the news. I wanted to be home. I didn't want to regret wasted time on "work" rather than family.

When my mother told me the news, I quickly decided to stop everything NOW, so I too, can say I made the best choice in my life. Mom is still well and mobile. We still have LOTS of fun things to do together and with my kids.

I don't want to quit working when life is no longer fun for Mom. But now while things are good.

So, the bad news, I am I closing the business.

The good news, I'm going to be a SAHM again and have so MUCH more time with my family.

I will have lost 100% of my financial investment, I will not see my dream moving on. But on the up side, I put forth the effort and I brought a dream into existance and I can move on without regrets from not going into action.

I skipped trying to sell, becuase of the short time before closing. However, I had several calls re: info on selling, so it is for sell, but I will be shocked if someone picks it up.

Prayers that is sells would be wonderful. Miracles do happen. I would like that miracle to happen.

By Kym on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 09:18 am:

Dana, as a business owner AND a motherless daughter I applaud you. I would have given up anything to spend time with my mom before she passed/got very ill. As a blessing her death was very quick and unexpected so we did not have to make decisions based on her health like you are, however I KNOW I would have chosen exactly as you are had that been the case.

Many blessings!

By Dana on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 09:26 am:

Thanks Kym, that truly reinforces my decision, esp when I look at the "monetary" as well as my entire last years hard work going out the window. All the time away from my kids last year etc. I KNOW I have made the right choice, but that doesn't keep me from looking at the sad side of the things of loss. The playroom really was one of my dreams come true.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 09:44 am:

Dana, think of it as a dream deferred. You know now that you can do it, you learned how to do it well, and you know you can do it again.

I lost my mom in October of 1997, after we had been living together for 6 years. I cannot find enough words to tell you how much I enjoyed being with my mother, and how much I cherish the time we spent together, the time we had to enjoy each other as adults past the mother/daughter conflicts, and the time to say and do all the things that I might otherwise have wished I "could have done" after she died. I think you are right to take this time for you and your mother to enjoy. God bless you. You are truly honoring your mother.

By Reds9298 on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 11:23 am:

I applaud your decision and I know you won't regret it. You are a wonderful daughter.

By Colette on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 12:03 pm:

Dana, treasure these moments with your mother. My mil died suddenly in Dec 06, my fil went into severe depression and then was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. Dh, the kids, and I were his sole caregivers the last year of his life. He died this past September at home with us. It was the hardest thing in the world towards the end and it is still hard to accept that they are gone, but I will always treasure the time we were able to spend with him during the last year. We really got to know him, dh heard stories that he had never heard before about how his parents met, what his dad's life was like growing up, and what his experience in WW2 was like(and that was something he would NEVER talk about). I think you are doing the right thing. Take lots of pictures and write things down.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 12:21 pm:

{{{HUGS}}} Enjoy the time spent with your mother!

By Rayelle on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 12:24 pm:

I think it sounds like you are making the best decision for yourself. I am a firm believer that you can't go wrong following your heart. (((HUGS)))

By Enchens on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 01:56 pm:

Dana, when I read the first line of your post I gasped. When I read the rest of it, I understood. Like Rayelle said, "you can't go wrong following your heart."

HUGS and prayers.

By Marcia on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 02:48 pm:

Dana, I, too, think you have made a wonderful decision. I have been a work from home mom since my kids were born, and it has allowed me such freedom. Because my kids and foster kids are all in school full time, my days have been pretty much free. Before my dad died, and it was pretty sudden, I was able to spend some much time with him at home and in the hospital. I am so thankful for that. My mom now lives alone, and has moved 5 minutes away from me. I spend lots of time with her every week. She is well, very fit, so has an excellent quality of life. We have lots of fun together, and I know that I cherish every moment. You will, too!!

I'm hoping and praying that your next post is to tell us that the business has sold!

By Dana on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 03:25 pm:

Thank you everyone. I also hope I will be posting a "GREAT NEWS" post soon. Thank for your prayers on that matter as well as moms health.

By Joy~bundles on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 06:43 pm:

Prayers for you, your Mom and your business, Dana. {{{HUGS}}}

By Karen~admin on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 06:16 am:

Ditto Ginny, think of it as a dream postponed. I hope your Mom will be OK. Let us know what you find out.

By Happynerdmom on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 10:22 am:

Thoughts and prayers for you and your Mom, Dana. (((Hugs))

By Dana on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 11:35 am:

Karen, unless there is a huge change in my future, there will be no playroom again. It was a substancial investment, and I won't have that chance again.

Mom's "procedure" as they call it, is tomorrow, so prayers for the drs and their associates during the procedure. It's minor but if they find something it will be a full surgery. I'll let everyone know late tomorrow how things went.

By Vicki on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 11:57 am:

I too think you can't go wrong if you follow your heart. I can't believe this is something you will ever regret. Prayers for you and your mom tomorrow!

By Dana on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 12:27 pm:

Vicki, I am so excited about having free time again. But then I look at how much I have to do in the next few days and I am overwhelmed. What am I thinking?????? Closing down virturally overnight? I am terrified of the next 3 wks. I barely slept at all last night. And ofcourse, just the simple sadness of closing in the first place.

I wish I could skip the next three weeks and jump straight to July.

By Yjja123 on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 12:36 pm:

Could you hire someone to run it?
If not, I hope you can sell it!

By Cat on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 02:12 pm:

When my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer I packed up me and the kids and we went home. We spent the last 6 weeks with him and although at times if was really hard, I wouldn't trade any of it and I'd do it all over again. Granted, my kids were 1 and 3 and not in school. I don't know what we'd do if we were in that situation now. With my business, the kids school and activities and everything, it'd be really hard to do that. Hopefully I'm never in that position again.

Good luck with everything and keep us updated on how your mom's doing. Lots and lots of hugs and prayers.

By Dana on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 02:32 pm:

Cat, mom just lives 7 houses away from me. She moved here about 5 yrs ago to be close by after other family members moved away from a city near by. Mom and I had a great time galavanting around town for 2 yrs. Then I got pregnant, then I had the baby (my second child) and was home thru all of that, then I was in a car accident and didn't do much for several months, then I started babysitting 32hrs a week and THEN I opened the playroom. So for the last 3 yrs my mom has been living near by and we quit going out less and less with each passing month. She has gently let me know she misses our time together. And she doesn't go out on her own, so she sits around alot.

She is unaware of WHY I am closing down so fast, but she is very excited to have me back at home full time. Even my babysitting job ends next month (not that I wanted that to happen).

Mom is 78 (shhhhh, don't tell her I posted that publically, LOL) and who knows how many years we have left where we can go out and do as we please. I am just so thankful that I am not quitting when it is too late.

It really does feel good to see others who have done similar changes and know they would have done it no other way. And I appreciate my time even more when I remember stories from other women who were tied to work or lived too far to enjoy the last years.

Thanks for sharing and thanks for your support. Thank you everyone.

By Karen~admin on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 04:27 pm:

Well, Dana, I have to say, when I first read your thread yesterday, I was wondering to myself *why would she close her business when her mom hasn't been fully diagnosed yet?* And of course, I didn't want to post that to you, so I didn't say much yesterday.

Now, 24 hours later, rereading the thread, what I want to say is this: If my mom had lived, she would be 78 this summer. She died in 2005. Her relationship with all of us was rocky for many, many years due to her alcoholism. It was only after she was diagnosed with cancer and stopped drinking that she - and we - were able to mend the relationships. So, the twist was, we got closer and spent a lot more time together, but she was already dying and most of that time was watching her slowly go downhill.

So - that said - I will say this: Enjoy your time with your mom. It sounds like you are really excited about it, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it means just as much to her. There is nothing in this world that can replace that. In a way, I envy you that, and in another way, I am very happy for you and your mom, that you have this opportunity to nurture what is obviously a very close relationship. :-)

By Dana on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 06:12 pm:

Yes, Karen, I am "jumping the gun" so to speak on closing down, but I want my time with her to be during the good times, not the down hill times.

I have no clue what I will do when that day finally comes. My husband, since he has known me, has told me I will be a basket case when it happens. And I will be. I sure hope he's ready for doing alot of support thru that. But God willing, he still has a while to wait on it.

I really am looking forward to our fun times together. I'm already getting the itch!

By Tunnia on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 06:24 pm:

Enjoy your time with your mother and prayers for everything to work out for the best.