home perks

Before I met my husband, I always figured I would hopefully meet someone and have one or two kids and have to work like the rest of the world. I never really expected to be able to have the luxury of staying at home with my kids. It sounded like so much fun. What a perfect life! Make breakfast for my family, do some light housecleaning, play with the baby, go to the park with the toddler, hang with other moms at Starbucks as our babies slept in the their strollers of course and just do whatever I felt like doing.

Okay, obviously I did not have a clue what it meant to be a mom. I was in for a huge shock when I figured out that being a stay-at-home mom was the hardest job I would ever do. And maybe that is why I've complained so much about it. I've done way more complaining than I have counting my blessings that I actually do get to stay at home and raise my kids. Sometimes I act like I deserve to just stay at home and do nothing while my husband works his tail off to provide for us. Maybe I want to work hard, just not this hard.

Today, I had a thought. What would I be doing if I was not at home with my girls? I would be working. I HATED my job when I worked. I really did. It was not worth the pay. And I did not feel like I contributed anything to make the world a better place. I just listened to people complain about computer software. What if I did not have a choice but to work? Would I have gone out and gotten myself a new job? Probably not. Even if I did, I would rather be at home with my girls.

This thought has really never sunk in. This is what I WANT to be doing. Yes I am kind of slow to be figuring this out now, 4 years later. But it gives me a whole new perspective. God has given me the gift of doing exactly what I want to be doing. Yes it's hard. And sometimes, I want to throw in the towel (or my children) but I really want to be here. How freeing!

 

This gets me excited. It gives me a whole new attitude. Below is a list of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom instead of my normal lists of what makes staying at home crazy hard.

(Now before I read my list, I realize not everyone is a stay-at-home mom. Some work full or part time. So maybe hearing some of these will remind you of why you like to be home with your kids when you aren’t at work)

 

· 1. I am my own boss. I answer to no one. Not a fan of bosses. Never really had any good ones.

· 2. I can wear whatever I want. I have given away all of my work clothes. I can dress up or dress down, however my mood strikes me.

· 3. I have no alarm clock. I don't have to wake up at a certain time if I don't want to. If my girls sleep in, so do I! Or if I want to get up early before the girls and enjoy a quiet morning with coffee and a devotional I can.

· 4. I make my own schedule each day. No deadlines, no reports, no stress.

· 5. I get to be outside as much as I want. I used to sit at a desk all day. All I wanted was to go for a walk. Now I can be outside at the park, at the beach, walking around my neighborhood or anywhere that sounds good.

· 6. I get to spend time with my husband. He has a weird schedule so he's off for 4 days at a time sometimes and we get to hang out and spend time with the family. If I was working, I wouldn't see him until night time.

· 7. I am so much more active with my girls than I was when I was working. It's much easier to keep weight off these days then it was when I was answering phones all day. I used to count calories and go to the gym every day for at least an hour.

· 8. I don't have knots in my neck. For as long as I can remember, since I was a teenager, I've always had stress knots of tension by my neck and shoulders. Whenever someone would massage my shoulders they would comment on my knots. They are gone now. Since I stopped working, the stress in my life has disappeared. People always talk about how stressful kids are and maybe they will be one day but the kind of stress I deal with on a day to day basis must not be the kind of stress that builds up in my shoulders. It's just physically exhausting. But with each new day, whatever happened the day before is gone and the new day starts with a clean slate. I don't have worries I carry around with me for weeks and months at a time.

· 9. Having kids and being with them day in and day out has drastically improved my relationship with God. I have had to lean on Him like never before. I rely on Him for patience, strength, wisdom, companionship, and so much more.

· 10. I get to connect with other moms and build relationships I never would have been able to build if I was at work all week. I am so thankful for the other moms I have come to know through GUM and my church. I think having a community of moms who are going through what I am has really helped my attitude, my perspective and my sanity. It has been such a huge blessing.

· 11. No more sitting in traffic!! I used to commute from Azusa to Glendale, a relatively short drive if no one was on the freeway... It took me AN HOUR. There and back. Ugh, how I don't miss that.

· 12. I get to see my girls as much as I want. Yeah I know that's not always a bonus but I know parents that rarely get to see their kids. I get to be with mine all the time. I get to see all the major milestones, hear every funny word they say and be there when they accomplish something and want to show mommy what they've done. And I get to kiss their owies and comfort them when they are sad. I get the memories that come with BEING there during these little years. 

Now I know staying at home is not for everyone. Obviously, we do what is best for our families. I really admire moms who work all day then come home to do all the tasks that wait for them there. And I do believe that some moms should work because that is where GOD has placed them.

 

I'm mostly sharing these things because I forget them sometimes, well a lot of the time. I like to really take advantage of my thankful moods while they are here. That is the reason for this post.

 

So to all of you moms, I hope God has blessed you with what you WANT to be doing. And I hope you will make your own list.