stay at home and love it, please!

I have been wanting to write about my Colorado experience, so that I would never forget everything that the Lord has taught me while I was here. I started out with this top 10 list and number one turned into a soap box, so I will just diverge on that as a whole topic.

I have been clearly disturbed by the actions of some individuals since being here. I was taking on a new career path, and they managed to suck the life right out of it. Yes, I am speaking of stay at home mothers. I must say to begin with that the only thing that kept my sanity was reading the mommy blogs of women who take pride in their job and their children. I am so glad that I started reading, God knew to have my sister keep begging me until I gave in and just joined the blog world. Also, my new good friend Jenny. We have sort of seen both sides of the coin. We both came from the same career path, and we have shared similar frustrations along the way. May God give her the strength to not get too 'crazed'.

These are the issues at hand. It is alright to have money and be a stay at home mom if...

* You don't use the leisure pool at the local rec. center to show off your tummy tuck scar while showing off your thong and chasing your 18 mo. old.

*Don't complain about spending time with your children! They are YOUR precious beings. If your trade off at home mommy can't complete the babysitting swap on your usual daily basis for you to go tan...you will likely survive and I am guessing no one will even notice.

*D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E-! Please don't depend on all the planets and stars being in alignment for your child to behave properly. Beat them into submission (joking, but all you who do discipline will back me on that one).

*If your nanny, or whomever generally combs your child's hair, is off that day...worry with someone else's looks other than your own. The kids deserve to match, have their shoes on the right feet all day. You know, not just sneak past you with them pointing outward, wrenching their little, big toe? I'm pretty sure if left in that position there would be long term damage.

*Your husband...Yes, when I first started this quest of not 'working' (hee, hee) I began to realize something. Not all hubbies are cut out to be hubbies with a wife that doesn't 'work'. It can be a thankless, red-eyed, no-money-making task. I was so blessed to have had this opportunity. Although, the women I have had the pleasure of meeting at various places along the way are miserable. Granted, some of this is due to the relationship with their hubbies, but I have never heard so much complaining in my life. Your husband should not have to watch the kids/KID (sad but true, several do not have multiple children) the second he walks in the door because you have been MADE to HANDLE them all day. What do these people thing Laura's mom on Little House thought when Pa came home from the fields? Excuse me while I go pamper myself Pa...I don't think so sister! Do they not realize that there are women who would pay good money to go through the agony of childbirth just to hold that baby until it was in college? I was around happier women and their much happier children when I 'worked' all day, every day!

You make life what you want it to be. You learn from mistakes, you love whole-heartedly or you won't ever know what it feels like coming back to you. You really do have to put yourself aside, but don't be afraid to remember that you are still there. I can't help but want to scream because there are deserving women all over the world who need the chance to have a child of their own, and other women waste away every day with their little blessings. To all you at home mom's out there (I'm not sure why I just said that, there are like two people who read this :) sounded good) you really do have the most blessed opportunity, the best 'job' (next to teaching that is) ever!! Don't take it for granted. There are women everywhere who will never have that joy. As I go back to teaching next year, I will be helping my oldest across the way to start his Kindy journey and will be praying daily for my little 2 year old. May he have all the fun in the world and take a big, long afternoon nap so that I don't miss too much.