March 3rd marked my official 2 year anniversary of being a Stay At Home Mommy. A lot has changed since those very first days at home. Things have changed a lot just since last year! We no longer have a baby at home, as our baby boy Asher is now 2 years old and on his way to thinking he is a big boy. I also sometimes only have 1 kiddo at home (Asher) while Addison, now 3, is in preschool and Alivia, now 5, is in Kindergarten! Crazy!
I enjoy almost every moment at home. I have to say, I still would not change a thing. Okay, maybe one thing...I would have quit my job the moment Alivia was born 1 month early. That is my only regret. I am now proud to say that I am a full time parent, not a part time one. So, if our children are ill behaved, that would be my fault too. :) So, I guess I have work to do. Gotta have goals, right?
I love all the activities I get to do with the kids. We go swimming, to the community center for open gym, to the library, shopping, to the zoo, to the forest, to the Children's Museum, and we try to hit all the local hot spots. We love going to new parks, the jumpy places and visiting family. While at home, the kids do not sit idle. There is a no TV policy during the daytime. Addison and Asher don't even care! We read books, sing our address and phone number song (Addison knows both our address and phone number, but Asher is still working on it), learn the days of the week and month, and learn other basic preschool skills. Many times during the week we are cutting, gluing, painting and making a mess. That is what being a kid is about, right? Now, if I can just help them learn to help me clean up.
There are things that I am still adjusting to about staying at home (the "almost" part in "I enjoy "almost" every moment at home"). Remember, my previous job was working alone out of my car. Yes, I would go in and out of doctors offices promoting my products. But, I would actually get to talk to them very little. I met a lot of people, though. It was overall a quiet job with a fair balance of conversation and cell phone chatting with my co-workers. On the other hand, there are no quiet moments now. I mean NONE! I miss the quiet! I miss the alone times where I could pop into a store to pick something up during lunch. I miss getting my haircut whenever I want. And, occasionally, I miss talking to adults. Seriously. There are some days that I go from morning until night and I do not talk to a single adult. Chris gets home and ask how my day was and all I can do in respond in whine, the new language. :)
But, I love that I gave up the quick shopping trips and the overall meaningless conversations for being at home and watching our kiddos grow. You know, I had no idea how to be a wife until I quit my job, either. It was really difficult for me to be a really good wife when I was trying so hard just to balance my worklife with motherhood. Chris and I rarely went out on dates before I quit my job because I thought, "We are away from the kids all day long, all week long! We do not need a "break." " Now, we go out on dates a lot, however the expense. I work hard on making our home a home with the laundry generally caught up, the house cleaned and picked up, with happy & healthy kiddos. Getting it all done is my biggest challenge.
I have one more year with Addison at home. After doing some research, we have elected to only put Addison in 2 day a week preschool. I am excited to get that extra time with her during her last year at home, we think. Asher will be going to school in 3 years, so I have 3 more years of being a SAHM full time (although I still work very part time as a night nurse).
Lastly, I want to thank my amazing hubs, Chris, for working so hard so I can stay at home. He told me to "just quit" right after Alivia was born. I should have listened to him. In these next 3 years, I will savor every moment as a SAHM like it is my last. I want to remember these precious years and enjoy every moment. I can work when I am older, but I can never get the time with our babies back.
No comments:
Post a Comment