Being a stay-at-home Mom has it's perks, but also it's trials. I love to spend time with my baby and take pleasure in all the wonderful activities we can do together. However, because I'm at home all day, and others are at work, I am expected to do the daily chores etc. (which is fine) I completely understand that I have the time to do so, and most chores I actually enjoy doing. I love to go to the grocery store; it's an excuse to get out of the house, and I like to plan new recipes so I get excited when picking out the ingredients. I also don't mind doing the laundry. Though it's a tedious task to wash, dry, fold, put away and repeat each week, I like when everything is clean and fresh and we all have plenty of choices in our wardrobe to wear.
My issue is this; I already have a (full) list of chores to do in the day, I won't bore you with listing them all but they are pretty standard in running a household. What I DON'T want to do is other people's chores on top of my own! I don't want to throw out other people's mouldy leftovers that have been in the fridge for a month, I don't want to clean the toilet for the 2nd time this week because someone had an upset stomach. I don't want to rinse out and sort beer bottles, empty coffee cups that are stacked at the front door, find room for stray tools and nails that are lying around the house (with a baby that now crawls mind you). I don't want to sort through a pile of mail that isn't mine, and move it from room to room to try to get it out of the way. I don't want to step over piles at the front door of whatever was in your car this week, or whatever project you intend on getting to. I don't want to dust meaningless junk that should've gone into storage, or the dump, or another home in need. I don't want to empty all the garbages and sort the recycling and remind you to take it out on garbage day, and then two days later bring the boxes back in because they are still at the end of the driveway. I don't want to be the only one to scoop the cat litter, to pick up the cat's empty dishes, to clean up the cat puke...I could go on and on.
I'm sorry if I'm sounding a little like Cinderella, but I needed to get this off my chest. I can't help but feel overwhelmed sometimes of the daily chores, and just because I'm at home in the day, doesn't mean I NEED more things to do. Believe me, I can fill up my days (and evenings) with tons of household chores, however I feel like I need a balance of both work and play in my day, and it's especially important for my baby that I spend time with her, take her to programs, let her learn that it's ok to have a messy house sometimes as long as we're having fun. I sometimes wish I had a housekeeper just so that I knew that everything was done, and in one day. I have to space my chores out over the week because I'm not going to ignore my baby to ensure the dusting and vaccuming were both done on Monday.
Don't get me wrong, I love my life and love that I get to stay home with my baby girl. And my husband is extremely supportive and compliments me all the time on motherhood and 'doing it all'. I also know we all get a little frustrated at times and that's all I'm saying here, I hate that I'm constantly nagging about these things, I hate the way my voice sounds, I feel so mean, but yet, when I chalk up to all the things I already do in the day, I feel that these are the things I could do without..if that makes sense?
I know tons of parents that simply can't afford to be at home, and it would kill me to have to drop her off at a daycare each morning, and to make things worse, those chores still need to get done! It's a wonder how I used to do it with a full time job, and exercise programs, friends, family and time with my husband too... I really do appreciate mothers so much more now, and I just want the world to know that it IS hard work, but it's also rewarding. Also, to those sharing a house with a stay-at-home mom; whether you are a husband, roomate, in-law or relative, please make sure you clean up after yourselves so that your stay-at-home Mom can spend that time bonding with her new child.
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