Being a stay at home mom

Jesse and I were talking last night and it got me thinking about my life as a stay at home mom, and how much things have changed over the past two years. He was listening to Dr.Laura on the radio yesterday, and a women called in who was having a really hard time with staying home. Dr. Laura told her that it was really important for her to have girl friends around to do things with during the day, and to get dressed up at least one a week just for the heck of it (hair and nails done...the whole bit). It made me think about how having good friends to get together with has made such a huge difference for me! When I quit my job and started staying home, I became so depressed! Don't get me wrong, I was so happy to have the opportunity to stay home with our daughter, but I felt like I had lost my identity and social life. I had a very social job where I was friends with my co-workers, and was constantly meeting with and talking to students. I went from that to staying at home. Jesse wasn't home for me to talk to during the day...I was left with a little baby who depended on me for EVERYTHING, and she didn't talk back. It was so hard! I had also just finished my masters degree. Really, all that hard work towards an advanced degree and I was just going to stay home??!! The worst part was that I felt like I didn't have any friends around to do anything with, and it was winter so I didn't want to go anywhere with a little baby. But after a few months came the blessings. I had a new visiting teaching companion from church who was in the same situation. She had also just had a little girl, and quit her job to be a stay at home mom. We became friends, and our daughters became friends...and the rest is history! I can not even tell you how big of a difference having friends to get together with on a regular basis has made! I can tell that I am so much happier now than I was when I first quit my job! Don't get me wrong, I still miss working, but I know I will go back to work one day when the time is right! But for now, I will take on all the sacrifices that being a stay at home mom brings! I am so lucky to have a husband who is willing to work so hard at a job that is not what he dreams of doing so that I can stay home. Money is so tight on one income, but it is so worth all of the sacrifice! There have been so many weeks where after the bills are paid, there is no money left for groceries or some other necessity...but it always seems to work out! My crazy couponing and stocking the food storage is definitely paying off! Sorry for the rambling post today, I just felt like I should probably write more like this on my blog since I stink at keeping a journal right now!!