After years of working in the corporate world. And raising 3 kids as a stay at home mom the past 5 plus years. I decided I will never return to work at least not in the traditional way.
I intend on staying home even after the kids go to school.
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One day during a casual conversation my husband and I were talking about our future. Every so often we have these where do we see our selves in the next 5 years conversations.
This particular conversation started out with:
“you know when our youngest starts school in a few years you can maybe find a part-time job again. Something that you would enjoy on a schedule you prefer.”
“Something that will allow you to work around the schedule of the kids.”
That was key for me. That was one of the main reasons for me being home. But I wanted more than that. I wanted something I could control. Something I could do from anywhere. Something that could work around our family, my pace, and schedule.
Being home for the kids
I became a stay at home mom for many reasons. Daycare cost, work-life balance, family values, and a few other reasons. I wanted to be there for my kids whenever they needed me. Especially when they got sick.
You see I have a huge age gap between my kids. 16 years to be exact.
I missed out on a lot when I was a single mom trying to raise my oldest. That’s why I think that doing what is right for your family is based on WHAT YOU DEEM TO BE IMPORTANT.
I don’t think working moms vs stay at home moms are better than one another. Each choice has positives and sacrifices.
Leaving my corporate job to be home with the kids was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.
I wanted to be present with my kids. I wanted them to by the priority while I still had time with my oldest. I wanted to be there for the little ones.
The opportunity presented it’s self for me to become a stay at home mom during my second pregnancy.
Oddly enough the opportunity to become a stay at home mom was also during the peak of my career.
I finally had reached a salary that supported our family even without my husbands salary. I had achieved position/authority in my field that took my experience and deemed me an expert in the Human Resources field.
So, of course, the choice to become a stay at home mom would have probably been crazy to most. Leaving all that behind. Losing that experience and authority.
But I believe there is no job more important than raising your own children. Though I have to admit after leaving the corporate world I struggled with an identity crisis.
With my husband’s position also in human resources demanding more travel. This meant that the duties of getting to daycare, cooking, cleaning, etc all fell on me. I would have to single parent with multiple kids when he traveled.
It made the most sense for me to be home.
Have you ever had to pay for late fees for daycare? They charge about a dollar or more a minute. If I was stuck in a meeting or an employee relation issue. There would be no way I could leave work on time. Not to mention daycare cost for multiple children was like having two mortgages.
The conversation
During this conversation I mentioned above we discussed me maybe working for the school district. Maybe expanding on my part-time role I have now teaching babies to swim.
I took that job as a stay at home mom and have been doing that for a few years now. It was a fun way to stay connected in the work world while being able to take my kids to work with me. I also believe in the importance of swimming lessons for children.
In addition, I met a huge portion of my support network and my village of moms by working very part-time as a stay at home mom.
It’s hard making mom friends as a stay at home mom. But SO IMPORTANT!!
Anyways as the conversation continued with ideas. Something that had been on my heart was starting a mom blog. Crazy huh! I didn’t know a lick about starting a blog. I had no idea about the blogging world.
However, in my second year of being a stay at home mom I stumbled across the blogshere as we bloggers call it.
I learned how women were able to earn an income at home by helping others. Welp that is right up my alley. My gift is “service” it is why I loved human resources. Nothing lights up my day then doing something positive in another persons life. Helping them to propel forward.
That is why I spent 5 years of my 10 plus years working in employee benefits. It was the best thing for me. I made an impact on people’s lives and I enjoyed it.
In addition, I felt blogging would be an outlet for me, something creative for me to do, a way to make an income, and lastly a job that let me work around my lifestyle.
That’s why I decided that it was the perfect career change for me.
Starting a mom blog
As I did more research and learned more about this blogging world I knew that this was the job for me. It was a calling. I felt it on my heart.
Learn how to start your own blog here
So at the end of the conversation, I told my husband “well I intend to never go back to work in my same role. Not because I don’t think I can. But because I am done with that chapter in my life.”
I told him “I am starting a blog/business of helping other moms and will make an income doing it. !” He looked at me and said “well how does that really work?”
I really had no answers, at least at that time.
But the calling to start was there.
Then my husband got sick a year later. The night before a work trip he was ill but he thought it would pass so he still left for the airport. Hours into the trip he texted me that he was very sick and felt like he was dying. Midair 10,000 feet I felt helpless as I scrambled out of the zoo with the kids.
Hours later he was off the flight sick, blacking out and somehow trying to manage to get himself to an ER. That time in between was hell not knowing if he was stuck in a ditch dead somewhere.
He called me from the overflowed hospital after they did some tests. It was bad really bad. 16 hours later I was in a hospital leaving all 3 of my kids home with family. Where I spent 11 days next to my husband in the hospital.
My world was messed up. I was scared in all sorts of ways.
One night while sleeping in the hospital chair I just decided to go for it. I bought my domain and said, “I am doing this, I am going to make this work.”
The thought of my husband never recovering crossed my mind, losing everything, and raising 3 kids without my husband scared me.
I buckled down and just said in my mind I am doing this for us.
3 surgeries later and 11 plus days under medical care my husband recovered. But I was changed. Life looked different to me. And my mom blog was going to be a business.
Helping other mothers
This blog has been hard work but I truly enjoy it. I have met so many people (mother’s especially) along the way. Awesome stay at home moms like me. Moms who are crushing it and making big business moves.
This journey has given me opportunities to share my motherhood advice and give other women a platform where they don’t feel alone. Where they can be honest and free from judgment.
When all my kids are in school full-time I will have more time to dedicate to the blog and continue to support career women who become stay at home moms. This is so exciting to me.
What does a SAHM do while all her kids are at school?
Well, I have yet to experience fully being home alone while all my kids are in school. However, I do know that not much will change for me.
You see with having a teenager who is mostly gonna all day. The duties of a stay at home mom aren’t less in nature.
I still will be doing my daily cleaning schedule. I will be cooking and prepping lunches, snacks, and dinners. Laundry will need to be done as that never ends.
Grocery shopping will be have to be done.
Home management and maintence will need to be done. Scheduling doctor’s and dentist appointments. Bill paying etc.
All those task remain.
The difference though is that I will be able to work on my blog full-time with more hours available in the day.
However, let’s not forget. The schools PTA, I will probably do that more. I will also volunteer more in my church.
Lastly, our children are envoled in sports and so pick ups and drop offs will need to happen. Many practices along with games. People don’t tell you about how parenting prepares you for becoming a glorified taxi/uber driver.
So while my kids will be in school I will have plenty to do.
But I will be working from home in my business as well.
In conclusion
I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be able to stay home with my children. I know that not everyone has this opportunity. Which makes me sad. But I also know that not every mom dreams of staying home either.
This wasn’t though always my perspective. I spent many years as a single mom. I also never in a million years thought I would be a stay at home mom.
However, staying home is still the best choice I could have made. Which is why I fully intend to remain home even after all the kids are in school full-time.
I will continue to build this business and will transition to a full-time work from home mom.
I will continue to support mothers on their journey.
What is your stay at home mom story? Will you go back to work when they start school? Interested in starting your own blog- click this