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Oct. 22, 2007 At times I would become so annoyed when people would ask me “And what do you do?” When I replied I have six children and am a stay at home mom I received what I call, the look. The look is an expression of so you just don’t do anything? Eye brows raised and a twisted smile on the face and an uncomfortable laugh. A moment or two later as if they cant believe I am a stay at home mom they ask, “So you don’t work at all?” I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, “Work? That is all I do is work!” People seem to have the picture of a stay at home mom as someone who is really not smart enough to do anything else. They vision this stay at home mom as a person who is not going anywhere in their life. Someone who contributes very little and has nothing much to offer. Perhaps they envision a stay at home mom as someone who is lazy and sits around watching soap operas from sun up to sun down. If anyone were to ask me what time in the morning I began working I would not be able to answer that question. The reason is because it would all depend on if I stayed up all night with a sick child so my work began the day before the morning even began. Otherwise I would say around five in the morning, unless my husband had to start his construction job earlier then it would be four AM. As you can tell its hard to know when I began work. Every morning I would prepare three breakfasts, one for my husband and also pack his lunch and help him find his clothes. Once he was off I would quickly grab a bite to eat while ironing some clothes my children needed for that day. The third breakfast was for my children who would always have to be encouraged to get out of bed in the morning, well unless it was summer and no school then they got up with the chickens. As they all eat, almost always someone knocks the milk over and makes a mess that I try and clean up while holding the baby who is just not happy at all. Without stopping for a rest I run to find the schoolbook that one of my children can’t find and at that moment two of my other children start to argue over a stupid toy. Its mine one yells, no it’s not the other screams. Quickly I rush to settle the argument using my diplomatic skills and bring peace to my world. A field trip slip must be signed, lunches handed out, and I need to find my keys to the car. When I think we’re about ready to go to school the baby takes that moment to wet her diaper. Running like a racehorse trying to win the Kentucky derby I set a new record for changing a diaper. I put on my taxi hat and drive toward school. When I drop them off a teacher is waving to me and so I gather up my remaining kids not in school and see what she wants. Danny did not turn in his homework twice last week she informs me. I promise her I will get to the bottom of it and get back to her tomorrow. Off we go to shop for food. I have carefully budgeted a certain amount of money for the week and grab my coupons in hand and begin to shop. It is so important to plan every moment of the day when you’re a stay at home mom. You must be a great manager. Forty-two minutes from start to finish. Next stop the dry cleaners and the post office for some stamps. Now we’re ready to go home and put the food a way. The baby has a dirty diaper so a bath is clearly in order. I set all three down with color books and I grab my bookkeepers hat and begin to do the finances for the month while putting away the groceries. Writing out checks and checking dates as to what must go out now or later in the month. I file them in order, as they must be sent out and then check to see if there will be money this month for the new tires we need for the car. As I finish the kids are bored with coloring so outside we go for playtime before lunch. Outside I become activity director and referee as well. It is decided after much debate and complaining that we will begin on the swing set and then to kicking the ball around the yard to relay races. There are two swings however two children both want the same swing. They both say it goes faster. After decusion we agree to just take turns. Playing kick ball is not an easy task, at least not for me. Always like some evil plan one child kicks the ball unto the neighbor’s yard that is fenced. I began to climb the fence and in the background I hear giggles and one say she won’t make it. Well I did and every time too. My cook hat is on as I do my best to prepare a balanced meal for my kids who will take one look at the green beans and hide them under the tablecloth on the table. I don’t like this James says as he makes gagging noises. Its good for you I assure them all. Jason wants to know why food that is good for you doesn’t taste as good as cookies or ice cream. I explain about healthy food but realize they are not really listening, however they eat the green beans, so job well done. Yea its naptime. I put the baby down first and then the other two who seem to always have excuses as to why they can’t fall asleep. I have heard them all. When I at last get them to sleep I put on my housekeeping uniform and do my best to get the house in order before time to pick up the other children. I finish just in time to gather them up and back in the car and off we go. At school I make appointment with all the teachers for the next week to see how my children are doing in school and what we need to work on. Once home we go outside and as the kids play I become the Gardner, I pull weeds and water the flowers and work a bit with my tomatoes that I planted. In between my work in the yard I make sure to cheer my kids on while they play ball, teach one of my younger ones to ride a bike and pick up and cuddle the one who fell and skinned his knee. We all go inside and I begin to start fixing dinner for my family. There are potatoes to peal, a salad to make, vegetables to wash, and on and on. While I try and make a meal fit for a king my children were aloud to watch TV or visit with friends till dinner was ready. The first argument comes before I get one potato pealed, I don’t like that show let’s watch something else. Before it becomes a screaming match I quickly say if we fight over the television it will go off for the night. It is then I hear my daughter jenny coughing and I go to check her out. Its clear when I realize she has a little fever that I must become a doctor that makes house calls. Off to bed I send her while I pour a glass of juice and grab some children’s aspirin. I do my best to make her comfortable and run back to finish dinner. While preparing dinner I must run to jenny’s room ten times when she yells for a glass of water or her book she wants to read, sometimes just because she wants someone to talk to. I don’t know how, maybe by magic, but I think by a lot of hard work and great skill dinner is ready and on time. We all enjoy the meal that I eat cold as I take soup into my sick child and help my baby crissy eat. A mother is used to eating cold food when we eat at all. Its time to clean up the kitchen now where I am sure that every dish in the house is dirty, maybe it just feels that way and yes I wash them by hand. I now get ready to become a teacher while I help my children with their homework. Not an easy task as they will try to get you to just do the homework and save them the trouble. Peter and Danny were very good at that. I do my best to get them to see the importance of learning and doing it for themselves. I encourage them to think about a problem and to discover the answer. One by one in a kind of orderly fashion everyone gets a bath and there are time limits, there has to be when you have six kids. I remind them all to brush their teeth and make sure to get all the shampoo out of their hair when they wash it. I hurry between this and spending time with my sick child who is feeling lonely in her room. This is also the time I try and talk to each of of my kids to see if there is any problem they need to talk about. I guess I become a psychic as I try and sense any trouble that I need to deal with. Kids will not always come and talk to you and you have to learn to see a problem when there are no clear signs. At last its bedtime. Three of my children go to bed by eight and the rest at nine thirty. My husband makes the rounds for me after I have said goodnight to them all. Making the rounds means making sure they’re not up playing or talking, in each other’s room having an argument and so forth. I rush to the bathroom strip and soak in a hot tub. Its quiet and every bone in my body screams I hurt and I am tired. This is the first twenty minutes I have had to myself all day long. Most of this night will be spent up and down while I check on my child who is not feeling very well and while I decide if tomorrow she should see a doctor. When do I go to sleep at night, I am not sure that I ever do. Being a stay at home mom is not for the faint hearted, it is not for the weak in the knees, it is not for the timid. It takes strength and determination as well as devotion. It takes knowledge and great skill and know how. It takes very hard work and total love for your family. A stay at home mom is special and she will sacrifice because she adores and loves her children. Work, yes I work all the time. ------------ About the author: Judy Ann Eichstedt is Co-author of Weary Souls Shattered by Life. http://www.wearysouls.com Email: judea777@msn.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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