Cardigans and Yoga Pants

I'm going there.  Prepare yourself.  No, not the yoga pants.  The working vs. stay-at-home-mom debate.

I have now officially lived for 2.5 months as a stay at home mom.  Making me TOTALLY not an expert, but has that ever stopped me from weighing in before?  Nope.

For 13+ years I worked full time.  8 of those years while also parenting children along with my husband.  I assure you that it is absolutely possible to work full time and raise children well.  It involves careful scheduling, freezer meals and cramming a lot of stuff into weekends.  Also, if there are two adults actively participating in the parenting, that is a major bonus.

To be honest with you, I never understood why anyone would want to be a stay at home parent.  I'm sure some people adore being home all day with babies, but I liked working outside my home far more than that experience.  I loved the creativity, energy and interactions that my job as a teacher allowed me. Once children went to school I was extremely baffled by what someone would DO all day. It does not take 7 hours to produce food for your family.

After 2.5 months, here are my very un-expert findings: Being a stay at home mom allows me time to devote to my family.  I don't mean that I cater to their every whim, or even make their beds for them in the morning. However, I'm not trying to straighten my hair at 6:25 a.m. while yelling "Is everyone wearing shoes?!?"

I have 5 minutes to sit down with the girls after school.  I have time to reflect on things and think them through instead of running non-stop and making snap decisions because I forgot to research something or talk it over with my husband.  At night, when I would have been simultaneously emptying the dishwasher, packing lunches and brainstorming lesson ideas, I am now able to play with my kids (At least every once in a while.)  While it is not the challenge for my brain that teaching was, being a stay at home mom has brought some calm and balance to my life and therefore to my family's life as well.

I once read a hilarious list about ways to know if you're dating/married to a teacher. One read "At the end of the day, she resembles a frizzy witch in a cardigan." That was me in a nutshell- frizzy, witchy AND cardigan-y.  I can safely say that being a stay at-home mom has eliminated much of the witchy-ness at the end of the day.  I no longer yell at the kid who is taking an extra long time in the shower.  And while I haven't broken out the cardigans yet, I do find myself slightly overdressed much of the time since I don't seem to own a lot of yoga pants.

Exactly how I felt at the end of every work day.

Just in case you're wondering what I DO all day... I go to the gym instead of paying for a membership I never used.  I grocery shop so that I'm not taking up half of Saturday.  I clean and organize stuff so that we can actually find it without running around screaming at the last minute.  I go to programs at the girls' school.  I've been to 4 of these in the past months, compared to 2 the entire 8 years I was working.

What else do I do?  I look for a job.

Exciting news!  I am now a contributor for the NW Arkansas Moms Blog.  Look for a link to my first post coming soon!