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If you’ve been following this blog or any of my social media (not yet? Go check me out!) then you know that my big adventure this year has been to become a stay at home mom.
It has been a really long time since my last post and that’s simply because I’ve been focused on this new life and what it means. I’ve worked on getting a good routine for my daughter and me to have productive and fun days. I’ve also been growing a baby and that can take it out of you!
I have been a teacher for six years. I went straight into college after high school and declared my major right away to become an educator. It’s all I’ve ever done! On top of that, I got hired at the school at which I had done a full year of student teaching. I then worked at the same school for 6 years.
In other words, I don’t really like the unknown. Making a big life change to stop working was a huge leap for me. I mean, I have had some sort of job since I was 15 years old!
Becoming a Stay at Home Mom has Changed my Life
This big change has made a big difference in my life and the lives of my kids! I must say, most of the changes are extremely positive!
Teaching made me feel stressed and overworked. I basically always had the choice of being a good and prepared teacher or having a clean house and spending time with my family.
Other teachers are able to strike a balance and still be great teachers. I found that I simply couldn’t. When I tried to spend more time on my household and family I was just not a great teacher. I was Okay… but I wasn’t ever prepared for anything, grading was getting behind, lesson plans were out of a book.
When I really tried to make sure I was thriving in the classroom (great lesson plans, engaged students, graded work, cute bulletin boards, etc), my house completely fell apart!
On top of that, there was the emotional and mental toll that teaching was taking on me (read about that HERE). The decision to quit teaching and work from home (at least for now, maybe forever, I don’t really know!) has completely changed my life!
First of all… My house!…
Ok. I just want to start off by talking about the HUGE difference staying home has made in how my house looks. I mean, I’m still making up for the damage of years of me not having the physical or emotional energy to clean my house, but I am just amazed at how much more I do to keep my house clean.
At this point, I don’t even clean all day or really have a great system going. I’m simply doing SOMETHING each day. I’m usually ready to lay down and do absolutely nothing by noon (pregnant) but my house still looks so much better!
My Emotional Health
I’ll admit being home with just Harper all day (sometimes we go out, but you know what I mean) can sometimes get me down. I start to feel lonely sometimes. However, when I think back to how often I cried and felt just at a loss and overwhelmed as a teacher… Wow. I can’t believe I was living like that!
When Max comes home it lights up my day! I am excited to pick up my son from school and I love hearing his silly stories and laughing with him. Before, I would him up from the after school program, tired and ready to go home. We got food, washed up, and got ready for bed. I was just too tired and too stressed out to even enjoy my kids.
And that makes me so sad!
Time With My Kids-Quantity AND Quality
As mentioned before, my time with my kids while working was filled with just getting what needed to be done done. Now I get MORE time as well as real quality time.
Of course, like any mom, there are times when my kids are making me crazy! But now, I really get to enjoy them more. I listen more, I teach more, I explore with them more. We stop and look at bugs, we read more books, we take more time to learn how to clean up after ourselves, and so many other things that we were just too rushed for.
We’ve gone to the library every week (often multiple times in a week)! We’ve gone to the petting zoo! These are all things that even on the weekend just felt like too much!
Finances-the Not-so-great Change
Ok. It’s not all great changes. Our finances have definitely taken a hit since I’ve started teaching English online PART-TIME instead of having a full-time job.
However, I LOVE teaching online! I enjoy my job now and that, to me, is so worth eating out less.
VIPKid is an online ESL program that allows you to be in charge of your schedule! Make $16-$22 an hour teaching at home!
Many of the savings that have come with staying home have definitely helped. However, we still are having to make some changes. Budgeting has always been a thing for us, but NOW it’s extremely important.
We knew when I made the decision to become a stay at home mom that our life would look much different. It’s not a surprise, but it’s still a little difficult!
Should You Make the Switch to be a Stay at Home Mom?
I wish I could answer this for you, but really EVERY mom is different. Some families benefit more from the mom staying home and just learning to live on less.
For many moms, staying home is not for them. I have found more joy in my family now that I am more focused on them and have more time with them, but that may not be the same for you. Some moms really need that time away and the interaction that comes with having a job outside of the home.
Money is also a big factor. If you still have kids in daycare though, take a look at how much daycare is taking from your paycheck… What’s leftover? Could you make that or more working from home? For me, it was close enough to make the change.
