Thank you to P&G and Kroger stores for celebrating “Team Mom’s Everyday Victories”! Please visit the P&G’s event page to play games, win money off your next Kroger trip and more fun!
Today I’d like to open up a little bit and share a part of who I am. I know I don’t share very many personal details about myself but I plan to open up over the next few weeks and give you a glimpse into who I am. I’ll start off by saying that being a stay at home mom is by far the best title I posses. It’s been a blessing to be able to stay home with my children and be the mom I’ve always wanted to be. But how I got here wasn’t exactly planned. When pregnant with my daughter I suffered many complications and was put on bedrest very early in my pregnancy. After two previous heartbreaking miscarriages, I welcomed the doctors orders to take a leave from work. The closer I got to my due date the harder it was to think about going back once my daughter was born. Then a month before my due date I received a letter saying that my occupation had to be filled due to the lack of staffing. I stood there reading the letter over and over again not knowing what to think. Shortly after the shock passed I realized that this letter was a blessing in disguise. This letter meant I could stay home with my children and be a full time mom.
Little did I know that this title would be a lot harder than I could have ever imagined. I hope I’m not alone when I say being a stay-at-home mom is not an easy task. The title quickly consumed me, stripping me of my identity as a working mom. It was all I’ve ever wanted to be yet there always seemed to be something missing. I can’t quite grasp why but I stopped talking to my friends regularly, going anywhere other than the grocery store, and you’d be lucky to find me in anything but yoga pants on most days. It was as if I lost a sense of who I was.
Earlier this year I realized it was time to find myself again. In February I began running. This task that I’ve always dreaded became the best way to clear my head. As soon as my feet hit the pavement, the world disappears. All the stresses, all the frustrations over a house that can never seem to stay clean diminish when I run. It’s become my necessary “me time” that provides me with patience to face the day. This is my everyday mom victory. Taking as little as 30 minutes a day to focus on myself is what makes me a better mom.
Three and a half years have passed since I stopped working and I couldn’t be happier with the direction my life has headed. I managed to take a situation that left me with so much uncertainty to making it one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Now I’m going to admit, being forced to become a stay-at-home mom was scary and I worried if it would work for our family. I began paying attention to sales and using coupons when I could. I’m not a frugal blogger but I do like to share a good deal with you when I can. Like right now until 6/23 Kroger and it’s banner stores have 30 of the best P&G brands on sale. Some of my favorite brands on sale are Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Crest, and Olay. So far this whole stay-at-home thing is working great for us and I couldn’t imagine having it any other way.
How do you find time for yourself? What do you enjoy doing during your kid-free time? I’d love to know!
