It Ain't Easy

A lot of people will tell you that the ability to be a stay at home mom is a luxury. Perhaps it is. But it’s not all about soap operas, internet surfing and reading novels all day either.
I’m a chef, a housekeeper, a bookkeeper, a referee, a disciplinarian, a nurse, a preschool teacher, a driver, a psychologist, a dietician, a playmate… all of that and more. Imagine the paycheck! 

I’ve been a stay at home mom for over six months now, and I really feel it was the best decision for our family. I loved my job and I was good at it! But I didn’t like that I was missing all of those important milestones that are so important. 

With two little boys under the age of five, our house can get downright crazy sometimes. It’s noisy and messy, and most days I’m lucky if I can get a few minutes of peace. I don’t get days off. As a stay at home mom, I’m always working. Most days are a whole lot of fun, but then there are those days where nothing goes right. I try really hard to make sure we keep to some kind of regular schedule, but some days you just have to throw it out of the window and fly by the seat of your pants.

Every day I have at least two loads of laundry to wash, dry fold and put away. I have to wash dishes by hand, sometimes twice a day because even after five years of living in our house, my kitchen still doesn’t have a dishwasher. I’m always trying to keep both boys from hurting themselves or each other. 

I’m in charge of my oldest son’s education. He’s four with the attention span of a gnat, so it gets challenging to get him to sit still for more than 15 minutes sometimes to get him to practice letters or numbers.

Some days I’m lucky if I get to blow-dry my hair rather than just throwing it up in a ponytail while it’s still wet. I miss shopping for “work clothes” and putting on makeup every day. I miss three day weekends. I miss the days of the old me, when I wasn’t just “Mom.”

It becomes easy for a stay at home mom to neglect herself, especially if she feels that everyone’s needs are being met except for her own. It’s one of the reasons I try to make sure I’m awake and ready for the day before the kids are.

Despite all of the challenges, I’m learning to love my new job and I think that I’m finally starting to like the new me.