Mommy Talk

This week mommies are talking about the sacrifices we have made as a SAHM or a Working Moms. Share your story too!

In the three short years that I've been a mom I've been a working mom, SAHM, and a WAHM so except for putting my kids in daycare I've done a little of everything. When Sam was 4 weeks old I started taking him to my nanny job with me. I feel like Sam was the one who had to make sacrifices in that situation. He had to share his mom and leave the house at 6:30 every morning. After a year of being away from home 11 hours a day I cut back my workload to two 12 hour days. That was a fun time for us. Enough money was coming in, but I still had 5 days a week where Sam could sleep in and we could do whatever we wanted. When I got really sick with my second pregnancy I resigned and stayed home to get my strength back. Financially it was a terrible decision, but I was able to spend quality time with Sam and do all the fun stay at home activities like play dates and kids concerts, as well as the housework that never got done when I was gone from 6:30-6:30 every day. We desperately needed more money coming in to cover our expenses so I started my own daycare. It has it's ups and downs. While it's great to not commute anywhere and still have an income, it's nowhere near enough to keep us ahead of the game. I think that is the biggest stress I carry every day as a mom. We cut corners wherever we can, but it never seams like enough. If I brought 5 more daycare clients into our home I could make a boatload of money, but I wouldn't be able to be there for my kids the way I want to. Since reading, painting, tickling, hugging, exploring, learning, loving, snuggling, singing, talking, dancing, and tons of other mommy time activities make up my days, I try to give my worries to the Lord and cherish these exciting first years with my children.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer McKinney photography