When I decided to stop working and be a stay at home mom, I was super excited not be reporting to anyone and was ecstatic at the opportunity to be my own boss.  Who was I kidding?  My former boss, who was truly amazing, has been replaced by a pint sized CEO who is running a business without a business plan, sans weekly strategy meetings and loves to manage my calendar to his own liking with changes being made on the fly.   This little guy really knows how to work me and while the recent survey on salary.com said the work of a stay at home mom is valued at $127,000 annually, I think that is nice but hardly adequate given the 24/7 job we have.

The daily grind of the corporate world however, did prepare me for motherhood.  Shocking, I know.  But I came from a world that was fast-paced, forever changing on a dime and required me to master multi-tasking to be successful.  I was a planner, strategist, and executioner, and its a good thing I learned those skills because I am using them more than I ever thought I would as a stay at home mom.  It is truly a 24/7 position that you can’t resign from.  Once you’re in, you’re in and you will be busier than you ever thought possible.  And the sad part is night time will come around and you will think to yourself, what DID I do all day?

For me, the day begins anywhere from 6-8am, where more often than not, the start is closer to 6am than 8am, especially since teething has kicked in.  I usually awake to the little man talking up a storm and then slowly the talking turns to complaining as he’s wide awake now and ready to start the day.  A big smile awaits me as I walk down the hall and then the day officially starts.  The diaper changes, feeding, playing, getting him dressed, planning our day, packing up the diaper bag, heading out to whatever we have planned, doing laundry, making dinner, straightening the house, bath time and the list goes on and on.  David doesn’t have a true schedule as he is not a big napper some days so he is up and at it, looking to be busy every minute of his waking hours.  And for someone that doesn’t go to bed until after 9pm, those are a lot of waking hours to fill.  Lucky for me though David is capable of entertaining himself when necessary but he is one active little dude!

Feeding, diapering and getting dressed are the biggest time drains in my opinion.  Meal-time was once so simple, warm up a bottle and serve.  But now that food is in the mix, that adds another layer of complexity and takes more time.  Meal-time is a guessing game as to whether or not he will be interested in food on any given day.  Some days he is an amazing eater and the next his lips are locked tigher than Fort Knox.  Go figure.  In addition to feeding there are the diaper changes which normally can be quick and painless but with the introduction of food they have become more complex.  Either he wears the food after he rubs his face and then proceeds to rub it on everything around him, or he knocks the spoon and a nice glob of food ends somewhere other than his bib.  Thus, a wardrobe change is sometimes in order.  And of course there are the poops – the really big poops that manage to exit the diaper and end up on his clothes.  Time for a new outfit and thus, more clothes for the laundry.   These are all the basics.  We haven’t gotten to the phone calls that come in, the bills that need to be paid, the shower that needs to be taken and all the household chores to get done all the while you are taking care of the baby and entertaining him too.  There has to be time for fun and that is a necessity for both you and your child.  I am usually doing two things at once like folding laundry and playing peek-a-boo with David.  As I pull out towels from laundry and other items we cover our faces and guess who’s hiding.  Who said laundry is dull and boring?   Dinner time rolls around faster than you know it and before long Darren is walking in the door. I think I’ve done a good job of making a home cooked meal more often than not since David’s arrival but almost every day as I am preparing dinner I wonder where all the hours have gone.

I love being a stay at home mom and seeing everything first hand for myself.  I am really enjoying every minute of it but at times I do envy my friend’s who are still working just a little bit because they can have a warm cup of coffee uninterrupted, time to eat breakfast and can grab a few minutes to talk on the phone.   It’s all about trade offs, and what is best for each person and their family, and no one should judge.  No matter what your choices are you are a mother first and foremost and that is all that matters.