It is hard to bank paid time off when you have a disease and a child. Between doctor’s appointments and random kiddo sick days, I always run out of days.

So when I needed to have a school related meeting about my younger son, boom. I had to apply for an unpaid day. These are worse than they sound. The way our contract goes, one does not just go unpaid for a day. The health care cost for the day is also billed, at 300 percent of the normal biweekly rate. Ouch!

I know my health care is normally below the norm expense, thank you, contract. Still, it is one big scramble to try to recover what I will lose.

It seems like I am frequently scrambling. That has been going on for a long time. Still, it is marginally better than it once was.

I remember the day I was at a doctor’s office with my older son and was informed that my health insurance was no longer valid. My ex had quit his job, and the insurance had been canceled. Surprise! This was immediately followed by the statement of what the visit would cost. That was part of the lowest time of my life. From that point, there was nowhere to go except up.

It wasn’t easy. I frequently remind myself of those very horrible two years between the demise of my marriage and the return of at least marginal financial stability.

Unfortunately, we are still at marginal. I am not completely sure how to get from here to somewhere more solid. But right now, I am just happy to be out of the bottom.