I do work a REAL JOB!

I actually wrote this a few weeks ago, but felt it was a good place to start my blog, since it's really about me and what I do all day long. I'm currently a stay-at-home mother to two boys; my first is 3 1/2 years and my second is 8 months. And here is my job, in a nut-shell:

Before my children were born, I was already sacrificing. For nine months, I had to put my growing babies first, kicking my beloved morning coffee and passing on a glass of wine, paying close attention to everything that went into my stomach and all the stress that went into my mind. When they finally came, I still had to bear the scars left behind and had to learn how to work-out around naps or incorporate their crawling antics into my crunches.

Today I've done it all. I am on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to be the comfort in the night when Connor's hungry or Sean has a nightmare. I've stayed up all night, waiting for the whooping cough to subside or the fever to break. I've experienced and survived night terrors, teething, missed naps and potty training...And that was only round one!

I am the event coordinator, the one who's responsible for planning the parties and the vacations. I make sure the decorations and food are perfect, get the RSVPs or invitations mailed out and I'm always the one to buy the perfect gift. I arrange the vacations, find the cheapest hotel that's closest to where we want to be and book the flights.
I am the spiritual leader, the one who has to give a full two hours on Sunday mornings just to get two kids dressed and out the door by 10am, who sits and talks about Jesus & God with a 3-year-old because it's the most important topic of all.
I am the grocery shopper & frugal saver, not only responsible for buying the groceries, but for finding them at the best deal to save the most money. I clip coupons, I scour flyers, I shop at three different stores, usually pulling a double stroller while pushing a full shopping cart. When the groceries are home, I unpack them and become the cook, responsible for preparing every meal.
I am the interior decorator and expert mover, who lovingly packed everything every time we moved and when we upgraded to a 3-bedroom, I juggled two kids, boxes & bubble wrap. Once unpacked, I put everything in the perfect spot to make our house a home, finishing in just two weeks! I organized every closet and continue to keep up on them regularly so we always know where everything is. When the boys start outgrowing things, I sort through the old clothes to donate and get to the store to replace them with new outfits.
I get them to their check-ups and make sure they have all their vaccinations. I entertain them while I'm getting my check-ups. I organize playdates to assure they have a social life. I research schools and sports and clubs, so that when they are old enough, I know what they can sign-up for. I take them for walks to get fresh air and to the playground to exercise. Come the fall, I will be the one responsible for getting Sean to school on time.

I've pulled muscles while carrying a screaming 3 year old under one arm and a 7 month old on the opposite hip. I've been bitten, kicked, scratched, and smacked. I've juggled a migraine, a temper tantrum and a hungry baby all at once. I've been thrown up on, peed on, spit-up on and have had to clean up a poop accident that somehow ended up all over the bathroom. I've changed countless dirty diapers and washed more loads of laundry than one could imagine possible and still rarely see the bottom of the basket!
I handle numerous tantrums a day and have eaten meals with a baby in my lap. I clean my house, some days multiple times, and yet it can still look like nothing has been cleaned. I repeat myself like a broken record and have had countless sprinting races to see who would reach the parking lot first. And even when the day is done and everyone is asleep, I find that I now worry about scenarios that I never knew existed before I had kids.

As for time off, I personally get 3 vacation days a year on my wedding anniversary and enough date nights in the year to count on one hand. When I get a few free hours on the weekend, I'm trying to decide if I want to go to Walmart for household items or Kohl's for baby clothes. My biggest night out is a bookclub meeting once a month and I haven't had my nails or toes pampered since my wedding day 2 years ago. I don't have extra help to take a break whenever I want and when I need to getaway...well, I really don't get to do that. My biggest break is when one kid naps and the other is having 'quiet time' and that's for an hour a day, at the most, if I'm lucky!

Of course when the day is done, the bad stuff doesn't seem so bad when I get to hear the sound of their laughter and the little patter of feet in the hall. On the good days, I get to watch the clouds roll by, pointing out shapes, and I get to kneel down close to inspect the rush of ants in the sidewalk's cracks. Zoos & museums are magical places again and the imagination of a 3-year-old can be a pretty entertaining place to be a part of. My youngest has a smile that lights up the room and is so easily amused, that I become easily amused. I get to watch him grow and explore as only a baby can and I get to hear the silly things that my 3-year-old says on a daily basis. I have excuses to read my favorite childhood stories, crawl through old wooden playgrounds, visit the circus and spend all day at the beach just building sandcastles. I love my children with all my heart and though there are rough patches on our journey together, I wouldn't trade my days with them for anything in the world.

But even on the best days, nothing annoys me more than when someone confronts me with 'What do you do for work?' and when my reply is that I stay at home with my kids, I can't appreciate the remarks that say what I do isn't really that important or that my job isn't really that hard. But in the end, it's the most important job and the toughest one I'll ever love. I never punch out, don't get paid, and can never quit but I do it anyway, because I know that no matter what anyone else thinks, it is the most important job. So the next time someone asks me what I do, maybe I should direct them here!