When I worked full time, I would dream of the day that I would be a Stay-at-home Mom. All of my chores and errands would be completed while the kids were in school, I would have fun activities planned for my children after school, I would try new recipes and plan our dinners a week at a time, I would be the best volunteer and friend, my husband and I would have more time for us...REALITY CHECK! I'm lucky to get the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and one load of laundry in the drier before it's time to pick up one child from school, much less run errands and do something else productive. Most afternoons I let the kids destroy the playroom in order to keep them occupied long enough for me to get another chore crossed off my list. A chore that probably should only take me 10 minutes, but when you are interrupted by a crash (usually Sissy dumping her brother's bin of action figures on the floor) or a whiney child (Brother asking to watch TV or play a game on the ipad or for a snack, or....) it takes closer to one hour. Oh, and then I realize it's almost time for dinner. Since I haven't planned anything I'll call my Hubby to pick something up on the way home (or if it's a tight budget week, it's chicken nuggets and frozen veggies again). After dinner, if I'm not running out the door to my part time retail job, I'm off to volunteer or participate in something else because I have justified this "me time" as being necessary to my mental well being.
Sometimes I wish I had a maid, or a live-in nanny. Not because I have more "important" things to do and want someone else to do the hard work, but because sometimes I am so exhausted that I just don't have the energy to be a Great Mom and my kids have to settle with Barely-getting-through-the-day Mom. So, on the days where even a super sugary Frappe from McD's isn't keeping me alert, I let my kids watch a movie and just sit and snuggle on the couch. The laundry is piled high, the floors need to be mopped, and I'm pretty sure the 2 hour movie we just watched had absolutely no educational value to it at all. But, we survived the day...everyone is happy and loved and that is what, in my humble opinion, is important.
1 comment:
Your post sounds like I could have written it myself! :) I too dreamed of being the "perfect" stay at home mom, that all those chores and errands would always be done and perfect dinners served each night, and reality is, it is so far from that. Thank you for your post, it helps to know other stay at home mommies serve chicken nuggets or eat out and have tight budget weeks!
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