They say to dream big. Aim high. Chase your dreams.

What does that mean for our family? When we first decided to emigrate, we had a conversation with our daughter about how we think life would look like in a different country. We shared our dreams with her, and asked her what she imagined it would look like. Her answer was the start of the goals we set for when we moved to America.

She wanted to come home after school. She hated what she described as: “Going to school twice in one day”. She didn’t like having to go to aftercare. She wanted to do her homework in her own room, at her own desk, and she wanted one of us to help her with it. She absolutely loved the teachers at her aftercare and she didn’t complain about having to go, but it was a sobering look into the way she saw things – and especially because she was just resigned to the fact that it probably won’t change. She wanted to be in her own space after school, and with a parent. We understood that. Neither one of us went to aftercare as kids. I can’t imagine it would have been nice to me either.

So, we set our first goal. We were to find remote jobs. Or, at least, if we had to compromise, one of us had to work from home.

I am fortunate in that I was able to say no to multiple offers (and in some cases, I said no to more money), and found a position that offered a work from home option. It just wasn’t worth it to move all the way across the world and do the same job I did back home, and be unhappy. We knew what our family needed and we wanted to make it happen.

This has changed our life in more ways than just being there for our daughter after school, although, that is a big part of it. We can walk her to school and I fetch her again in the afternoon. We get to catch up while walking back home, and I can listen to her babble about her day. Sometimes she says nothing at all, and just holds my hand while we walk home. I see how much she loves this; the smile I see when she looks up at me, tells me so. I love it too. We have more quality time together. I no longer have to think about the commute to and from work (apart from one day during the week). This means we gain 50 minutes to an hour daily. I’ve often thought about the fact that no one pays us for the drive to and from work. It frustrated me to no end. We have slower morning starts. I no longer have to sit in an office during my lunch and wait to start the next part of my work day. I have a whole hour to myself in the middle of every day. No one needs me for that hour. I can spend it working out some days, or all the days, if I wanted to. I no longer need to fit that into my day before or after work. I haven’t had that for over 13 years! For years I just gave up on it. I just didn’t have enough hours in the day to workout at a decent hour and not feel like it is another chore to fit into my day. Some days I read or sit and watch the birds. Other days I do a load of laundry, or if I feel like it, I do some cleaning. This again frees time over weekends. I no longer have to do those chores on my two off days, or in the evenings. Again, time gained with my family. I feel calmer. Less overwhelmed. It’s amazing what just two free hours a day can do for this mum. In the evenings, everyone had supper come 6 o’clock, and we have two full hours of downtime before the bedtime routine starts. No making supper, no homework and no chores. Just time to relax.

Like so many of us, the pandemic showed me what my time is worth. It showed me what really matters in life too. We all have to make a living somehow, but I realised that I didn’t want that to be at the expense of my family anymore. I didn’t want to be overwhelmed and exhausted. I didn’t want to rush through life, and I definitely did not want to live for the weekend anymore. I wanted more time. On weekends, and during the week. Definitely with my family. I wanted more control of my time every day and not just when I didn’t have to go to work.

We wanted a completely different life.

That was the start of our 5 year plan. The big goals we set for ourselves to make our life fulfilling and less stressful. While immigration is life changing in itself, we wanted to make sure we lived a full life. A life our kids will cherish forever, and talk about with a smile on their faces when they’re grown up and looking back on the memories we’ve made.

And so, we are aiming to make another dream a reality.

We’ve always wanted our own homestead. This is one of our big goals. It takes centre stage in our 5 year plan. It is a big part of our retirement plan. We knew we wanted out of the cities and suburbs. We want less traffic and more nature. We want a piece of land where we can grow our own food, spend hours around the fire pit, and we want a view. Of the mountains or ocean? We haven’t decided yet. Is there a place where we can have both? We are excited to find out. What we do know is that we want a homestead. A little paradise of our own with chickens and a goat. Where the food we eat come from our own garden. A place our grandkids will love, and where they’ll spend their Summers. Where we will have family gatherings. Maybe a wedding or two. A little pumpkin patch and a Doris field. A place where dreams come true.

I am looking toward a future full of possibilities. I am sure the road will be long and oftentimes stressful. I know there are many obstacles to overcome. I refuse to give up on any of our dreams. Travelling is definitely still in our future. We want to see as much of our new home country as we can. We still need to figure out how to generate a passive income. A way to make money without having to clock in and out of work every day. A way to make a living for ourselves without working for someone else. This is another one of our goals. Ultimately, it is top of our list. It will afford us the time to travel and build a homestead. We’re working on that one.

Our goals are our children’s future. I read somewhere that we struggle now, so our children don’t have to later. I cling to that, knowing that it is all worth it. Every sacrifice and frustration is worth it, if it means our children never have to go through it all.