told me why she decided to go back to work, she had three little boys at the time. Her DH had been out of work for sometime and they were relying on family to get them through. It made her very aware of the precariousness of anyone's financial situtation and so she went back. She even retired and then went back to work less than a year later!

All this to say, you yourself have experienced a lot of precariousness lately, financial and emotional, and a job might give you some needed peace of mind.

Also, if its giving you some joy (and there is little enough of that in the world) why not grab it with gusto? I am sorry if your friends don't seem supportive, perhaps they are conflicted about their own choices? I am a SAHM, I love that I can do that, especially now with DD #2 on the way, but when I was working to put DH through law school I was miserable. So my choice to stay home, really, truthfully is not that much of a sacrifice. There isn't a more appealing option out there for me. Unless they are hiring for you know, a 5'4" pregnant supermodel, that I could do. ;)