Only a stay at home mom

I was talking to someone the other day that was telling me about an experience they had. Someone had expected her to be able to do something and prefaced it with, "Well I thought you could because you are only a stay at home mom." Now it turns out she redacted that comment because she had too once been a "stay at home mom", but it got me thinking. I do not think people fully comprehend what it is and what it requires to be a stay at home mom. Only is the word that gets me. It is more than a full time job. No one can really know what it is like until they are in the thick of it. There are exhausting days with no thanks or monetary gain at the end of it. You can never leave work, even in the middle of the night being a stay at home mom is still with you. It requires being a teacher, a nurse, a counselor, a friend, a disciplinarian, a maid and cook, an accountant, a taxi, and so much more. Though I do not envy those that have to work, There are occasions (more than a few) where I offer to trade Grant jobs for a day...he does not hesitate saying no way, your job is way harder than mine. That said, I would not trade doing it for money, fame, praise, prestige or anything (well except maybe a break.) Because I am home I get to talk with my kids, laugh with them, cry with them, teach them, help them, and simply be with them. We need to get that only word out of there and proudly proclaim , "I am a stay at home mom...with ALL that it entails!"

Guess Who?

Guess who is sitting? And add rolling to that list too. In fact he tends to roll right off the couch. He is getting so big, yet somehow the eyes seem to remain proportionately bigger! Gotta love this little man!

Shoe Snob?

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE SHOES! I am not sure if it has always been that way, but it has been so for quite some time. When I graduated from the U, to celebrate I went and bought myself a new pair of shoes. I hardly ever wear them anymore, but I just cannot get rid of them because they are sentimental...they remind me of finishing school and having our first baby. That being said, I try not to have too many shoes. Even when I am buying new ones, I am donating old ones. Now I get to buy shoes for the kinds instead of just me. So the question comes, am I a shoe snob. My answer is yes and no. I have to admit I love my kiddos to have a good pair of Keens (how can you not just love these...well I do!) The beauty of it is, they are so durable that most pairs will be worn by all 5 children. (who does not love passing clothes down...I would venture to say I love it just about as much, maybe even more then buying the kids new clothes.) I am not a big fan of light up and character shoes, so maybe a little snobbish, but that is just me. In the beginning I loved shoes that were gender neutral so they could be passed down, but the older the kids get, the harder it is to do that. So, tennis shoes....there is where I feel I am not a snob. I have found that my favorite tennis shoes have been the Walmart ones. They last the best, way better than champion! So when I found these cute white ones with little flowers for James, I had to get them even though they were a little big. The fact that they were 7 dollars and super durable makes them even better!

So my new issue with shoes is finding ones that tie. Now that my two oldest kids know how to tie their own shoes, I purposefully buy only shoes with laces. Am I weird? I feel like it is something they need to practice, because after all practice makes perfect. You would not believe how difficult it is to find shoes with laces (hence the buying a shoes that is a tad to big...to get her size there were no lace up shoes.) So maybe over all I am a snob, but what can I say....I have an opinion.

The Masterpiece and the Artist

I get a phone call and someone is in need of assistance. I abandon my previous task and sit down at the computer for a brief moment to find a phone number for someone on the phone. Might I add it was a very brief moment, and when I turned around found the masterpiece... A work of art from head to toe...literally.

And the artist was none other than our sweet little 2 year old. She did not take her discovery too well.

What do you do? Draw on (anything or anyone apparently.)

Little Scavenger

The kids got home today from school and we were on the couch looking at their folders and reading a book. All kids were gathered round and then I noticed Mique quietly leave our pow wow and find Caleb's backpack. As there was hustle bustle about her, she was silently opening the backpack, found his lunch box, and went to work opening that. When she got it open and found that there was not anything left over, she threw it aside and hunted for other food sources. This is not the first time I have witnessed something of the like. This girl is driven by food!