The Not-So-Stay-At-Home-Mommy

I promised a post titled "The Not-So-Stay-At-Home-Mommy", which was to center around the fact that SAHMs do not, in fact, ever get to just stay at home.  However, I have been running around too much to write the post, so here's the nutshell:

I knew being a SAHM would be the hardest job ever, even if it does allow me more time to keep up with chores and cooking healthy dinners, etc.  But I did NOT know that time would become a monster that would eat itself up each day before I could blink.  I had big plans for how I would spend my time each day.  I envisioned a sparkling clean house and children who would be enriched each day by their former-teacher mommy.  Instead I can hear my slippers stick to the kitchen floor as I walk, and my toddler is eating his fingernails and watching TV as I try to get the mess under control.

Like, seriously.  Where does the time go?  I have thirteen solid hours to work with from the time they get up until they go to bed.  How is it that many days find me at 8 p.m., laying my stinky, sticky kids down without a bath for the fourth day in a row because somehow we ran out of time?  And how has that pile of laundry STILL not been put away???  What the flip did I do all day????

Some days I think it's just me and my sub-par time-management skills.  This must just not be my thang.  But most days I try to give myself a break and realize it's the nature of the beast.

Granted, my part-time job adds to the running around.  But even if I stayed at home full-time, most days don't go as planned.  A teething baby, ornery toddlerist, flat tire on the jog stroller, unexpected poop, or realization that we forgot a necessity at the grocery store can completely rearrange our morning.  Booberries Mommy!  MO BOOBERRIES!!!

Most days, I accomplish at least one load of laundry; washed, dried, and folded.  On a rockstar day, I put it away.  So at least everyone has clean underwear, right?  Some days I do a craft with my toddler and I feel like I'm mom of the year.  Some days I get the chores done AND take the kids to the park, and I feel like pretty hot shit about it.  Other days, well, you know.

At the end of most days, though, I have played with my kids, read books to them, sung to them, fed them, and hopefully made them feel loved and cared for, and I guess that trumps putting away laundry.  SAHMs and working moms alike, give yourselves a pat on the back for keeping your kids alive and making sure all your people are wearing clean underwear.