Casey Stoney is determined her final World Cup will be one to remember and has vowed to be inspired by the twin babies she could not afford to bring to Canada.
The former England captain turned 33 in May, and is eager to force her way into Mark Sampson's Lionesses team for the tournament.
She recently confirmed this would be her swansong on the world stage, and it is one for which she will be separated from son Teddy and daughter Tilly, who were born to Stoney's partner Megan Harris last November.
Stoney would love to have the family along for the ride, but in a blunt reminder of how even the best-known women players earn less in a year than many Premier League players pick up each week, she simply could not match up that desire to the financial reality.
"It's something we sat down and discussed and we decided not to, just because financially I couldn't afford to take them," Stoney said.
"It's expensive and we want a holiday at the end of the year, and I want quality time with my family then.
"We decided they'll stay at home - I haven't got to worry about them. I'll be on Skype and FaceTime an awful lot during the tournament. Don't get me wrong, I'll miss them, but financially I just can't do a holiday and fly them out. I've had to prioritise."
The children are not far from Stoney's mind as she looks to win over Sampson and press her claims for a significant role in England's campaign, which begins with a tough match against France in Moncton on Tuesday.
"They've just given me added motivation and drive to do well," Stoney said.
"I want to make them proud, and I go out every day with that motivation now.
"I've always been a hard worker with regard to my game but I just want to keep proving myself, and I want to make sure they can see mummy play at the highest level."
The Arsenal Ladies player has been a regular member of recent England squads, but has been mostly benched for the big games. Yet she has the knowhow to deal with the big occasions, having started all of England's matches at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups and won 120 caps in all.
Manager Sampson picked Stoney for last week's final warm-up friendly, a 1-0 defeat to hosts Canada, but appreciates the frustration she must have been feeling while seeing games drift by without being able to contribute.
Sampson told Press Association Sport: "From Casey's point of view, it's great we've got a player who is disappointed at not playing but who can still contribute so much to the group.
"She can still offer us a huge amount on the field. She's a great organiser, she's got great experience and is physically about the best she's ever been. If you watch her play, she looks as sharp as ever.
"Casey brings so much to the group, not just on the field but off it. Others can feed off that and realise how important it is to be a good player on the field but also a good person off it."
England captain Steph Houghton agrees, and said: "Casey is still very much a vital member of our squad. For me, it's great I can have someone I can bounce off and bounce ideas off and try to learn a lot from. She's a very influential character in our dressing room and it's important we have those big characters involved."
Source: PA
