Why Doesn't She Work More Hours?

Trouble in Shangri-La asks in a comment:

Can't she pick up some hours at work to help out?

Not at her current job. A few months ago, they downgraded her hours to the current level because they are running out of projects to keep her busy. At one point, they wondered whether they would be able to keep her employed at all.

Since that downgrade, she has mentioned two employment alternatives:

1. part time at FedEx during the night shift. She brought this up soon after she was made aware of the hour downgrade. I was reluctant since that meant we would barely see each other at all. She would be napping during the early evenings when I would be home.
2. part time at Gymboree. She brought this up about two weeks ago, soon after she learned that they would be opening a store on our side of town. I know this would be a disaster because she would just plow her earnings back into buying clothes from the store. We'd lose money on that deal.

He hour downgrade also meant a change in department. She now reports to someone who is more of a hands-on manager and expects her to be available to answer questions in a timely manner. This has made her grumpy, griping about how much she doesn't want to work at all.

In a different time, I would have been more supportive of her being a stay-at-home mom. I'm still reluctant to put pressure on her to change jobs because she has made commitments to our kids' preschool co-op for the academic year. Forcing her to get out and get a job right away would mean that she would have to renege on them, and that could make things very difficult at home. I don't think I'm ready to fight that battle yet.