I know that not everyone “gets” to be a stay-at-home-mom. I know that not everyone wants to be one. I know that some women want to be home and for some reason or another, it isn’t working for them. I know.
But I still feel the need to express how thankful I am to have the honor of staying home to take care of my family.
I mentioned here that we spent all day Friday at a track meet…then turned right around when we got home and left for a birthday party. We left the house at 7:30 am and got back home after 9 pm. It was a full, fun day and oh my goodness the boys slept like rocks that night!
After getting the boys to bed that night, I looked around at the piles all over our house. Piles of clothes both from the track meet and from swimming at the party. Piles of dirty dishes. Piles of trash and etc. from the cooler we’d taken to the meet. Piles of jackets. Piles of mail. Piles of soccer shoes, shin guards, socks and shirts from the day before when we arrived home late from game and needed to head straight to bed.
Piles that I was too tired to mess with.
I was once again reminded: Being away from home – even for one day – makes keeping up with housekeeping quite difficult.
I was tempted to listen to lies about what a terrible job I sometimes do with keeping up with things around the house. But, no. It really was simply that being away from home and on the run all day had put me behind.
And again, I was reminded of what a blessing it is that I am able to be a stay-at-home-mom. It’s a blessing that I take for granted.
I’m thankful that my husband agrees with my desire to be home. I’m thankful that we’ve found a way to make it work financially. I’m thankful that most of the time, the kids and I are able to hang around our house together making messes…and then cleaning them up!
I LOVE being home. It is my favorite place to be in the whole world.
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Join us for Gratituesday! Read the details here, then come link up with us. If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment letting us know what you’re thankful for!
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YES! I am thankful that I have the priviledge of being a stay-at-home mom too! I have really been enjoying your website =-)
Me too very much grateful. I miss my husband very much right now. He works a second job.
By the way, I am always making a mess in my home…but I look at this way, we are keeping busy and the house is well used and loved!
I love my job as a stay-at-home mom and wouldn’t trade the time I get to spend with my family for anything.
Oh, Laura, I feel exactly the same way! Being out of the house too much makes me feel a little crazy. (But we’re going to do VBS anyway!)
I could not agree more!! So well said!
Oh, when you said that your were at T&F I had to stop and figure out if you lived near me (you don’t). Our church hosted track and field on Friday for our Christian school, other local Christian schools + the area homeschoolers…about 475+/-. I was in charge of discus!
I too am thankful to be able to be home with my littles too!
I couldn’t agree more. What a blessing it is to be able to be here. I’ll admit, there are times when I want to be anywhere BUT here. I don’t want to quit…I think I just want to go on strike for a while, you know? But over all, I echo your gratitude for the privilege of being here with my boys.
Love how you worded that! So many people on the outside have no clue how we do what we do!
Thanks for the reminder.
Jen
Thanks for posting this. The PILES are my least favorite thing about working outside the home… and I have always had lots of respect for those moms who are home with their children all day. You guys are amazing.
I’ll be joining your ranks for the summer (for the very first time) and I’m practically paralyzed with fear! I have no idea how you guys accomplish this challenging and most important job of all. I hope that I can handle it as well as all of you do.
Laura, thank you for this. I am overwhelmed with gratitude too, for being able to be home as much as I am.
I didn’t write our story for your Valentine’s Day collection, but in a nutshell– I was single until I was 40. Never had anyone to take care of, other than myself and my teaching job. All along, I wanted very much to have a home and family, instead of heading off to work every day. Even though we know we won’t have children, we have a great life. I still teach part time, and there are moments when the piles of clutter start to take over our home. But really, I consider myself so blessed because I have a wonderful husband who was worth waiting for, and I have a home and loved ones and a meaningful ministry at work and at church… it’s incredible, really.
Always good to stop and remember the blessings. Thanks.
I agree!
I woke up this morning feeling so thankful about, well, just about everything, that I participated this week in Gratituesday for the first time.
I may make it a weekly event, because I really feel a boost this morning after writing up my blog post.
I love it to! Being home is awesome!!!!!!!!
I too am blessed to be at home! God is good, all the time :)
I also love, love, LOVE being home!
After being away for a family getaway this weekend. I also realize how lucky I am to be a stay at home Mom. I was able to catch up from the piles made by unpacking the car! Which I would still be trying to do if I had to go to a 9-5 job!! Thankful indeed!! :)
Hi Laura,
I’m a new reader. I came to your site through moneysavingmom and realized you write in our local newspaper! Wow! Small world. My hubby always points me to your newspaper columns because he thinks I’ll like them… and he’s right. I have a 4yr old who played soccer through the same soccer program – we probably played you- wow! REALLY small world.
I loved your post. We too have piles when we go, go, go and I can very quickly start to grumble, and then I remind myself that I am acting as an ungrateful Israelite and praise our Lord who blesses us so abundantly with children who make piles. Lord bless you!
In Christ,
Ashley
Great Gratituesday post Laura!
Truly, it is a wonderful thing to be home!
-and tis so true, how a little time away from home can cause weird piles and other strange things! ;-)
Love the post, Laura.
Have been a SAHMom for over 30
years and would not change anything. You know how you wrote about our callings? I have been
content about mine.
Oh, yes, there have been numerous piles/messes/what-have-you, but I have never felt that I was “behind”.
It was just a fact that there was a little more to clean up or do.
And I had the satisfaction that my family had had more time together than apart. That someday those memories that had been made would be worth more to them than a sparkling house.
My darlings are grown and flown now with little ones of their own. Now my house is quiet, but yet I can still hear the laughter and feel the warmth of the hugs and love we shared. And I love, truly love having the ‘mess’ to clean up after their visits.
I applaud all those great women who have taken the road to be SAHMoms.
God bless us all.
Your post really helped me put things in perspective. I work PT and crave being at home more – because I love all things HOME!!! but I also love what I do. I am reminded that I need to be realistic about my expectations of myself and I am grateful for my ability to be PT instead of FT!!