I love being a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM); and trust me, it's a JOB. I wrote a post awhile back about the schedule of a SAHM and now that Bubba is running, climbing, and talking back, it's a lot more difficult. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I think I left out one key component from my post yesterday; I want a job that I can do from home. But the even bigger problem? I don't know what I'm passionate about, enough so that I would do a job from home and take away from my time with Bubba.
Putting the whole "not living up to my potential" aside, the biggest factor is that we could use the money. And it's mostly my fault. As Kaitlyn mentioned, it was a big adjustment to stop shopping every other week and eating out all the time. I was used to my single life and receiving a paycheck that after a few bills were paid, I could spend on whatever I wanted.
Well unfortunately, I'm still trying to live like that and I can't. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home and if I want to continue to be able to do that, I'm going to need to stop spending like I do. I don't need another Coach purse or lens for my camera; I just need to stop.
My husband called me "deranged" the other day because I legitimately have a shopping problem. When I'm stressed or down, I immediately turn to the mall. Target? Forget it. Hundreds of dollars later and I'm walking out with pointless dollar aisle items and clearance shoes out the butt.
Bubba and I have story time everyday. We draw pictures. We bake cookies. We build castles out of blocks and tear them down. We take walks. We play on playgrounds. And we cuddle. I really do have the best job in the world, and although I'm not making money from it, I don't think any amount of money could replace those blessings.
I commend mothers who work outside the home; I can't imagine going to work all day and then coming home to be a good mom. When I worked in corporate America, I was a zombie by the time I finally left the office. I see these mothers in blogland who work full time and then come home to be the most amazing mothers ever and I just can't applaud them enough!
As a fellow military wife pointed out, it's important for her to stay home with the kids because it gives them stability. With the possibility of Daddy being gone for extended periods of time, it's important for them to know Mommy WILL be home for dinner, or to pick them up from school, or cheering them on at their soccer game. Although some may think Bubba isn't old enough yet to know when Daddy is gone, he does.
And of course there is the issue of childcare. Given the job opportunities in my area and the types of jobs available, I would be barely be making any money when I factored in childcare costs. To make it worth my while, I would need a job that paid way more than what I've been offered.
This past week has been hard, like really hard. Bubba has taken on a whole new personality of independence, attitude, and testing my patience and it literally happened over night. I've slipped on my housework and other things I've needed to get done and just feel like a failure. Pity party on me. Because of this, I have felt that I needed a "break" or to get out of the house, but when it comes down to it, I could never leave him.
After talking with some of you ladies and reading some other people's input on this topic, I realize that I have to count my blessings and that the grass is always greener on the other side.
So I guess what I was trying to say in my last post is that I would love to make some extra income while being a SAHM, not trade it for a career. Maybe one day I will stumble upon a passion and make the decision to work outside of the home. But for now, I'll enjoy every single second I can with my little one and cut costs where needed.
Who cares if I wear the same outfit over and over? Bubba sure doesn't :)
