POST CATEGORY : SAHM

What Do You Do All Day?

   Okay, so ever since I became a stay at home mom, a lot of people have been asking me what I do all day with these two kids. I have to admit before I joined the SAHM club I wondered the same. I would often ask my mommy friends. Now I know how they felt! I know everyone’s day is structured differently, but I think a lot of us do the same things and run in the same circles. It’s inevitable.

   I really try to start my day at the gym. The goal is to get my butt there three mornings a week including a 5:45 a.m. spin class. That has happened once. But, I can though usually get there for a half hour workout and then back home in time to shower and to start the day. Once the kiddies wake up, the real fun begins. If I’m lucky I get to kick things off with a daily breakfast brawl with my two and a-half year old. She hates anything that has to do with the most important meal of the day. If I’m lucky I can get her to eat a piece of toast or an Eggo. As for the baby, we’ve moved on to cereal and fruit. I pray she does not take after her sister!

   So now what? How do I entertain these girls ALL day long? No, I don’t hire a circus. I try to define each day with an activity. Some days we go to story time at the library. Other days it’s the play gym. A good day includes a play date. When they’re really lucky they get to run errands with Mommy! My older daughter loves Target and “Shop Shop” as she so lovingly calls Stop & Shop. Then there’s play time at home which includes puzzles, blocks, dolls, and anything else that magically appears in my living room, kitchen, etc. Don’t forget ABC learning time with the Leap Frog letters. When Mommy has had her full load of caffeine there are dance parties. My girls have “Moves Like Jagger” I’ll have you know! Now that the weather is getting warmer, we’ll be movin’ it outside. Nothing like some fresh air to tire those kids out!

   That brings us to naps, that is if I’m lucky. The baby is a given, but my older one hates to sleep so it’s a real gamble. In this casino, the house actually loses! When that happens, it’s quality DVD time with either Barney, The Wiggles or Elmo. This is Mommy’s down time to get some chores done, make some calls, and of course check Facebook, Twitter and a few other sites. OK, we all know that happens more than once a day!

   If all this activity is not enough, there’s still the evening. My kids are really not down with DBB…that’s dinner, bath, and bed for all of you who don’t know. Dinner and bath are usually good. It’s just bed time which is the real chore. We are slowly working to get out of some bad habits. But, that’s a whole other blog! Once they’re off to sleep land, it’s time to chill with the hubs and catch up on the DVR, but more often than not, the sandman buries my TV time.

   So, this is what I typically do all day. Glamorous? No. Boring? Sometimes. Rewarding? Definitely.   

 

You’re a What?

   “You’re a teacher, wow, that’s great you help kids.” “Wow, you’re a nurse. That’s nice, you help people.”  “You’re a lawyer. That must be a tough job.” “You’re a what? A stay-at-home mom?” Silence.
Wait for it, wait for it…”are you okay with that?”

   It’s been really interesting to hear people’s responses to my decision to become a stay-at-home mom. While the majority have been positive, there are many who feel the need to continually ask me if I’m alright with the situation. They look at me with sympathetic eyes, like someone died or something. They feel the need to tell me that being a stay-at-home mom is a whole new world (cue the music, minus Alladin, mind you). Well, yes, Sherlock, it is a whole new world, but having a child does that to you whether you stay at home or not. I am constantly asked if I miss work. I constantly say I miss the people, but not necessarily the work. It was time for a change and there is a time for everything, simply put.

  Every time one of these conversations happens I think to myself, would you say these kinds of things to me if I was a doctor? You and I both know the answer. Sometimes I feel like I get scrutinized more for staying at home then if I went to work and put my kids in day care all day.  It’s kinda sad that we’ve come to that in the wonderful U-S-of-A.

  While many have had their share of criticism, one person said something to me that’s really stuck with me. Someone recently told me they admire me for my decision and for what I’m doing. Admire me? I get spit up on and peed on constantly, and if I’m lucky I get to stick my hand in poop once or twice a week. I spend a lot of time reading board books, playing with dolls, and finding kid-friendly activities. I usually have to cut  phone conversations short because someone starts to scream for attention. Sometimes going out means going to WalMart for diapers. In between I’ll clean something or put some clothes away. Glamorous, I know. I guess I never thought of all of that as something to be admired. Tiring, yes. Admirable, no. But, from the outside looking in, maybe it is. I have to say that during all my “working” years, no one ever told me they admired me for the job I did. Maybe, that’s why it came as such a shock!

   So, this “new world” is one that never sleeps. It’s one that can be thankless at times, but hopefully rewarding in the long run. So, maybe there is something there to be admired. Who knew?