What do you do all day?!

A friend sent this article to me. It spoke to my life, so I thought I'd share.

Like most SAHM, I am asked more often than I like how I fill my time. After all, other moms are able to work and raise their families. I mean no disrespect to working moms. I frequently ask myself, how would I ever get all of this done and work 40 hours a week. At the same time, this question is kind of insulting, as if I am being accused of watching soaps and reading romance novels while my child entertains herself. 

What do I do? I don't know why I feel the need to justify my use of time, but I just want to say this. Why is running a day care or nannying considered a full time job, but staying home with your kids is not?! No one would be happy with a day care that consisted of individual pens in which children were dropped and expected to fend for themselves all day while the workers watched TV. Similarly, SAHM's can't put their children in a pack n' play or swing and skip about their business. Just like children at a day care (where the facility is built just for them I might add) need constant supervision and direction and engagement, so do children at home. They're demanding, wonderful little buggers who take up your whole day. I get all of my work done in the 3 1/2 hours a day while Baby G sleeps. Otherwise, I'm on baby duty.

It might not sound exciting to everyone, but child care is a full time responsibility that you never really get away from. The minutia of my day is just that, minutia. But the overwhelming portion of my day is taken up by the nurturing of my darling girl, a job I wouldn't trade for anything.

Where I come from

I would be remiss if I didn’t explain, at least in brief, how I got to this point in my life. A little over a year ago, I was consumed by my third year of vet school - cardiology, radiology,respiratory systems - more than half way to Doctor Ellis. I loved school. I loved learning and solving puzzles “House” style. I even wanted to tack on four more years to complete a residency and PhD.

God changed me. I’m not sure that I ever really asked God whether I should become a vet. After my first James Herriot novel, I was hooked. With all of the motivation I could muster (which is quite substantial), I fought for my dream of a hooding ceremony in May 2010. Looking back, I wonder if the Lord let me carry on for so long because He knows how determined I am.

A friend of mine wrote a name on my hand, “Voddie Bauchum,” telling me to download his podcast. This friend is particularly good at deeply convicting me, so I procrastinated for months. Finally, someone gave one of his sermons to my husband Tim. Being reminded of what my friend said, I synced his podcast to my iPod and headed to class. On my way home, riding the city bus, I listened to the sermon that would totally change the course of my life.

Confronted with my selfish pursuit of my career goals, I began to cry, sob actually. Tim and I took a week to pray through the decision then sent in my resignation letter. I was done. My deepest longing was to love the Lord from home, to support my husband and to become a Godly mom. The Lord blessed us with Gwennan exactly a year later.

I can confidently say that was the best decision I have ever made. It was the first time I ever gave up something I wanted to keep in order to pursue God’s will.

However, I had a new challenge before me. For seven years, I lived with the single-minded pursuit of a very difficult degree. My brain functions best in overdrive - I’ve trained it that way. The first few weeks home resembled a vacation. I completed all of those little things on my “to do” list - painting the living room, continued training with the dog, handmade Christmas presents. Eventually I ran out of things to do, just as we found out that Gwennan was on her way.

I lived a few months in preparation mode - just wait until the baby gets here, then I’ll have something to occupy all my time. However, when she arrived, I realize that, yes, she does take a lot of time and energy, but I still have time and energy on my hands. Afterall, she goes to bed at 6 pm. So, I started tackling less convenient, less expensive but significantly more fun projects.

A few months of being at home have changed how I spend my time. I’m no longer short of things to do - I just get to do new things that I love, and I do a lot by hand and from scratch. If a penny saved is a penny earned, I double our income. My favorites will most certainly be included in this blog, as well as my favorite sources of inspiration.