For Stay At Home Moms Everywhere...

• I didn't get to go to bed until midnight last night so we will start there.


• then I was awoken twice during the night by my son.


• I got up early just like every one else in the world except I had a three year old trying to pick my nose.


• Got dressed, ate breakfast, got son dressed, gave him breakfast (daughter and husband can get themselves ready and out the door).


• Took son to preschool 10 miles the opposite way of what I needed to be going next.


• Came back the 10 miles and then went 15 more to my daughter's school.


• Helped work at her field day.


• Left.


• Went to the bank.


• Went to the post office.


• Did my grocery shopping in record time....25 minutes b/c that is all the time I had.


• Came home,unloaded groceries and put them away.


• Jumped right back in my car and headed back to my son's school arriving 3 minutes late.


• Finally made it home.


• Fought with him for 15 minutes over why he has to wash his hands before he can have a snack.


• Fought another 5 minutes over what that snack should be.


• Started laundry.


• Unloaded dishwasher


• Picked up the living room for the first of many times.


• Talked Tegan in to laying down to rest.


• Thirty seconds later, Tegan is up and the battle begins again.


• Make a few camera strap covers that should have already been in the mail. (my work at home job)


• Continue to threaten Tegan with taking away every single one of his toys if he doesn't just lay down and rest for one hour!!!!


• Switch all the laundry around which involved having to fold stuff in the dryer, put them away, move the clothes from the washer, start more clothes.


• Clean up the living room again b/c Tegan came out of his room while I was distracted with the laundry and managed to destroy the place and dump 3 cups full of sand in the floor that apparently was hanging out in his shoes from preschool.


• Spend the next hour fighting with Tegan over how I think he would feel so much better if he would rest.


• Give in and give up on any hope of ever getting Tegan to rest which then hits me that I will spend my whole summer with this kid going 100 mph for 14 hours out of the day with no break at all for myself.


• Clean up his bedroom since he destroyed it while he was not taking a nap.


• Did I mention that he got up to pee one time and wasn't watching his aim??? I cleaned that up.


• More laundry.


• Rylee gets home.


• I remember at 3:00 pm that I forgot to stop and eat lunch. Oh well, to late!


• Help Rylee with homework while Tegan tries to sabotage the process.


• More laundry....I'm quitting that for the day.


• Break up a fight between Ry and Teg.


• Update my etsy shop and check emails.


• Crap...the living room is destroyed again and some one (not naming any names) unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper b/c the nameless person thought it was funny.


• Start dinner.


• Break up a fight between Ry and Teg.


• Eat dinner but get up no less than 12 times to get stuff for everyone but myself.


• Get ready and go to Rylee's soccer game or practice...whichever the day holds.


• Fight Tegan to keep him off the field the WHOLE ENTIRE GAME!!!!


• Come home.


• Break up a fight between Ry and Teg.


• Give Tegan a bath.


• Get Rylee in shower and then get all her stuff out for school the next morning.


• Get kids a bedtime snack.


• Break up a fight between Ry and Teg.


• Clean the kitchen from dinner.


• Put the kids in the bed.


• Spend the next one and a half hours fighting Tegan to stay in his bed and go to sleep.


• Pee for probably the 12th time today but yet it is the first time that I have done it without an audience.


• Shower.


• Do more sewing.


• Eat me a snack b/c let's face it...it is the first time I have really gotten to eat and enjoy it all day long.


• Clean up the living room again.


• Fix my husband's lunch


• Fix Rylee's lunch


• Get the coffee ready to start.


• at 11:30 at night I finally sit down for a moment to myself....very tired.


• At 12:00 I finally goo to bed only to be awoken by either my sleep walking daughter or my orange juice drinking thirsty son just two short hours later.


• Tomorrow....same cycle yet always a surprise.

During all this I dealt with the phone ringing, the man painting the house, the dishwasher not working, 31 three year old temper tantrums, a sassy talking eight year old, potty breaks and so many other things that I just can't keep up.

I know that it is hard to work and have kids. I did it for 4 1/2 years...I know what it is like. It is just as hard as what I am doing now. We live off of one income in a two income world. Gas prices and rising prices of pretty much everything has us home bound more than I would like so I will have to get creative this summer. I don't get to sit down and kick my feet up and I suspect that every mom, working or not, feels this way too.

Things I miss about working are: driving to work in dead silence and saying my prayers, being just Tabatha who only has to take herself to the bathroom, eating my lunch alone, getting dressed in something other than a t-shirt, adult conversation, having a sense of purpose outside of the home.

Things I love about being home: Raising my kids!!!!!!!!!!! Yes they drive me crazy. Yes I want to cry some days but I love these little people more than anything so for them I do this routine (give or take a little) every single day just like a working mother gets up and goes to work for her kids every single day. I give of my time just like every woman who goes by the name Mommy. It is not lost on me that I give the greatest gift ever to my kids, my time but I also can't buy them the things they want at this point. They have everything they need but when it comes to the wants there is a lot left to be desired. All that being said...I love staying home with my kids but there are some days that I envy the working mother just like I envied the stay at home mother when I worked. Apparently we can never be pleased!