I don't know how they do it...

I'm starting full time work next week... I'll be gone during the day when I'm normally home with She Who Rules, and picking up Future Cardiologist. Mr Epi doesn't typically get home until 1700 or so (Sometimes he doesn't leave at all, other times he gets shipped out of town for a few days, you just never know.)

Daycare is in our immediate future. Like starting next Tuesday, to be specific.

We're lucky, Mr Epi makes a decent wage considering the fact that he doesn't have a college education. We're lucky that Mr Epi has wicked computer skillz :)

I have a point... I promise.

Here's what I want to know. How do families who make "just enough" to not qualify for public assistance, pay for child care?

Seriously..... I'm looking at paying close to a grand a month for daycare between my two children.

I'm conflicted. These are my babies. I'm paying someone to care for them in my absence. If I could pay them 5,000.00 a month I would. But I can't. And no one I know can. My children have been in my care since their births (with the exception of She Who Rules who went to daycare for a whole month back in October).

I'm beginning to think I'm not equipped to handle this. How do you send your children to childcare when you can't afford what's considered "the best"? (I'm not saying that the best daycare in the city is the most expensive... I'm saying that out of the ones I was able to research, my picks were all over 130/week for the litle one).

And for those of you who might respond with "don't do it", I say this.... We can't continue on the path we're on, financially. We're going paycheck to paycheck as it is. Obviously I'd rather stay home with the kids every day, but that's not in the plans right now. If I can get a 24/48 shift at the nu job I'll take it, but chances are VERY good that there's a substantial waiting list for this.

How do you do it? Thank God she's only two and a half years away from kindergarten.