I am a person that happens to be a Mom!

I painted this painting at a recent 'girls night out' event.
I have always hated art in school but this was so much fun!

I love being a stay at home mother. There is nothing I would rather be doing then watching my little ones flourish in front of my very own eyes. However, I never thought I would have been the stay at home mother kind of gal. I always thought that I would go to work and enroll my first born into the first respectable daycare that we could find. That was until I held my baby boy within moments of his birth and realized like most mothers it would take a pack of wolves to tear me away. I recall my own mother (who not by her choice was a working mother) telling me that I should be grateful for being allowed to stay home and to never take it for granted. Even now, when she calls and hears screaming in the back ground and me yelling towards the screaming, she in that somewhat irritating motherly voice reminds me to not to take it for granted. But, in all honesty I do enjoy my job. I have some “mom” friends who stay at home and some who work and I know that we all do the best we can do to be the best moms we know how. I remember reading a book where a mother recalled a day with her three year old child as the most excruciating root canal one could basically have and that made her reaffirm her decision that she wasn’t the type to stay home. I know it must sound bad but I say good for her to come to terms with that. I am sure there was some reservation in her heart when she realized that as a mother she enjoyed maybe a few hours a day instead of the whole day with her child. I think having an affectionate day care teacher is much better than a withdrawn mother.

As if this topic could be in disagreement with anyone but in my opinion every mother is a working mother. Period. I have never worked so hard in my entire life but the rewards are endless. Some days are definitely better than others and those are the days I can understand why the cocktail hour was introduced. In our house I can go from almost pulling my hair out to snuggling with three of the most important people in my life. I enjoy when Ethan comes to my room every morning and asks with such an innocent grin “What are we going to do today?” Because even though I am a “stay at home” mom, we seldom ever really find ourselves at home. We are either at a play date, zoo, pool, park, or some place that is fit for kids, and then when afternoon comes around after a busy day, Ethan asks once again “Well what craft are we going to do when Gracie takes a nap?” I don’t think there are enough craft materials in this world to keep this kid from wanting to do another craft. I have created a craft monster! Well I should at least be grateful that my kiddos would rather have busy hands or be out in about than stuck in front of a TV all day.

Now here is my point and trust me I got one. Even though I like being a stay at home mom, I enjoy my “me” time. There are mothers out there that can’t bear to be away from their little ones for any amount of time and I salute you! But, I am not one. I enjoy remembering that my name does not begin with Mom, that I am my own person and can finish a coherent sentence with another adult that has words with more than 3 syllables. I enjoy talking and learning from other woman without one of us having to stop every couple of seconds to make sure hell hasn’t broken loose. I enjoy dressing up and enjoying a night out with good friends who have that same ‘I know what you mean’ expression on their faces. I enjoy the moment I move my wallet from the diaper bag to my teeny tiny black purse. I really enjoy when I get to take my husband on a date to a non-kid friendly restaurant and instead of asking for a table for 4 with highchair we can sit together in a booth and act like love struck teenagers. Because after all that, I come home refreshed enough to relish my little creations and ready to take on whatever parenting obstacles that may appear. It not only makes me a better person but a better wife and a much better mother.

However, without the loving support, and yes, the financial support of my Eric, I would not be able to stay at home with my little ones nor would I be able to enjoy those nights out with the girls. He is such a good guy; I think I will keep him ;)