Why I Stay Home

Ultimately it boils down to the fact that I am a control freak.  No, really.  I've been working on it for a long time but the truth is I like to control my life, to every degree possible, as much as I can.  But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning.  Before I got pregnant, I worked at a Child Development Center.  I really liked my job and I made really good money.  When I got pregnant, I decided that I would take 6 months of maternity leave.  I felt sure that I would eventually want to go back to work.  I just couldn't imagine myself staying home all the time with Hannah.  At the 6 month mark, I went back to work as a flex position, like a substitute teacher.  I lasted 3 days.  

My infant room.  I'm pregnant in this picture.  

My birthday, 2007

Our neighborhood walk.  Staying home allowed me to enjoy the little moments with Hannah.  Granted, David and I had many discussions about my not working, before I went on maternity leave.  It was going to be a big reduction in our monthly income and I wanted to make sure we'd be ready.  And it was a change, but it was as traumatic as I feared.  David supported me from the beginning.  We had less money to walk to our local pizzeria but we had less time to do that with Hannah.

Love this face

At the pool.  So I stayed home with Hannah.  Got together with my girlfriends 

weekly.  Went on day trips through Italy.  

Out and about in Italy

Four and a half years later, we're still managing with me being a stay at home mom.  It's not so cut and dry though.  I'm a full time, online, college student.  And it's much, much harder because of job changes David has gone through.  He still supports me though.  Love this face.  

Even when it looks like this!

I find that I really enjoy being a stay at home mom.  Even though it makes me crazy sometimes.  Sometimes I just want to scream "leave me alone!"  But most of the time I take joy in the small moments.  Like lunch time with Hannah, as she tells me about school.  Every moment with Riley, they change so fast at this age.  She used to have hair.

Now she doesn't.  It happened over the course of 3 days!

At this point, I like the control I have over my day.  And Hannah and Riley's day.

I can't imagine giving CONTROL over them, to someone else.  They might mess up 

my parenting.  Joking.  But not really.  

I read this article: 5 Reasons One Parent Should Stay Home this morning.  That's where the idea for this posting came from.  Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying I think other people should follow this.  This is simply my reasons.  I am grateful a million times over for having a husband who not only supports, but encourages, this desire I have.  

I do plan on going back to work.  I'll have my BS this year!  (YAY!!!)  Right now, I'm studying for me Personal Training Certification.  I hope to take the test next month, another post on that later.  

But for now, I'm going to enjoy all the little moments.