Top Five Signs you are a SAHM who Actually Stays Home
/So many factors actually surround the words stay at home mom. For instance, do your kids attend school, or do you homeschool? Do you volunteer in the classroom, or take daily trips to the gym? Do you care for others kids in your home, or work from home in the silence? Do you have frequent lunch dates with friends or forget to brush your hair on a near daily basis? Do you have one precious dumpling or four wonderful little hooligans?
Before anyone snubs this title like this is some kind of "I'm a better stay at home mom than you because...." NOT EVEN! This is a job like no other, and I've had a few in my life. No rat race type living, but I've served, taught, lead, and cared for others across several fields, and I can tell you, nothing compares to the daily job of 'Momma-ing'. If you have chosen the path of staying home with your brood, I don't care how you do it, it's tough, so cheers to you!
But, because I am in fact a homeschool stay at home mom, I do actually stay home most of the time, so I can speak candidly about 'this mom' and would like to share five signs of said mom.
1. That hair. It may or may not have seen a brush since yesterday. Luckily "messy bun" is a popular style right now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was made popular in circles of stay at home moms.
2. You know there is actually no such thing as 'fashionable mom clothes'. If you actually wear this adorable ruffle, lace or soft as butter stuff, you are likely wearing it when you know you've got to take a kid to the doctor or it's grocery day. Because, let's be honest, the days you know you're staying home, it's sweats and t's, and most likely the oldest most broke in pair you have because...comfort. And comfort rules. Period.
3. The kids. There is a better than average chance one of them will still be in pajamas and at least one will be in dress up by the end of the day. If you fall under this category of mom, no explanation is needed here...of course they are in jams and dress up!! If your kids are under ten years old, I'd be a bit concerned if they weren't! They are kids, after all.
4. Dinner. There are probably two camps here and on any given day, most moms probably fall into either camp, full throttle. Camp 1: you have a menu prepared and ingredients on hand, ready to toss it all into the crock pot after cleaning up breakfast, or by late afternoon your casserole is prepared and ready to put in the oven by five. Or..... Camp 2: dinner!?! Crap! Grab the instant pot and that hunk of meat! I'll toss in some BBQ sauce and make a salad. Dang....why can't I remember dinner?!
5. The house. You think this mom would have hours each day to spit shine the toilets, have the floors mopped and waxed weekly and keep the dust bunnies at bay. As I toss my head back in a maniacal laugh, then snap it back with eyes that scream "are you KIDDING me!", let me tell you, no. Not the case. This mom is sun up to sun down wiping butts, reading books, teaching something, feeding vultures (I mean kids), refereeing fights, playing games, playing catch, racing hot wheels, issuing consequences and naps and rarely finding time to relieve herself without a child talking her ear off about something that obviously cannot wait the three minutes for her to use the pot. And this is a never. ending. loop that plays all the live long day. And should a broom happen to make its way across the floor it was likely because it finally got so gross she just couldn't take it one more minute, dropped everything, sent the kids outside under threat of reentry and finally got it done.
Husbands of 'this mom', you are probably the unsung heroes in all of this because your wife likely doesn't look much different on these days as she did when she first got out of bed! Yet, you love her and adore her hidden beauty as she tends to the little people in your home, and you most likely tell her so as you hit the door, high fiving her efforts and lending a helping hand. I know your type too, but you deserve a blog post of your own.
There's a good chance much of this rings true for moms in the work force as well, and my hats off to you ladies. But staying home is the path we have chosen, and as I write this in my worn out leggings, fifteen year old Limited shirt, hot pink socks, unbrushed hair and messy office....I wouldn't change a thing!
It's only for a season, albeit a long one, but when this season changes we will look back wondering where the days went of dress up and messy hair.