Just a Mom

There is nothing that irks me more than hearing a stay at home mom respond to the question, "what do you do?" With the answer, "I'm just a mom."

Way to sell yourself short ladies (or men for the awesome stay at home dads of the world). I'd like to know when exactly giving up your life, body and financial independence become something we are ashamed to admit to. As if because we aren't earning a paycheck we are somehow less valuable humans.

Here is an example of what an average day of being "just a mom" looks like.

5:45am - my 4 and 5 year olds come in my room announcing that they feel like getting up early today. I've looked and they don't have a snooze button. It's time to get up. I bring them back to their room and set them up with books or some other quiet activity in hopes that they will not wake the babies while I scramble to get dressed.

6:15am - the baby wakes up and wants to be nursed. Typically by this time the boys have found something to fight about and a WWF match is taking place in their room. With the baby still attached to the boob I run to their room and play referee.

6:45am - I get all the boys dressed. The older two can do it on their own but need frequent reminders about what does and doesn't match, the fact that it is winter and that underwear doesn't go over your pants.

7:00am - we go down stairs and I make breakfast for everyone and pack lunches for Brett and Peter. My own breakfast consists of bits of what I am making for everyone else while I am standing in the kitchen. I also run downstairs and throw the laundry into the drier if I get a minute.

7:30am - I work with Peter on some of his monthly homework tasks. He gets a calendar of tasks at the start of each month. We usually do them in the morning since he is typically too tired at night.

8:00am - most days our daughter is still asleep at this point, so I pack her a breakfast to eat in the car and get her up and dressed.

8:20am - we are out the door to drop Peter off at school.

8:30am - grocery shopping with three kids under 5 - this is about as fun as it sounds and happens about 3 times a week because they eat through fresh produce and milk so fast.

10:00am - we typically go to whatever playgroup or activity is on my MOMS Club's calendar or have a play date. During this time I nurse the baby again which usually happens around the time that one of the other kids gets hungry or in a fight.

12:00pm - home for lunch.

12:30pm - put Campbell down for a nap. Grab the clothes out of the drier. Fold laundry. Aaron "helps" by talking my ear off and matching socks.

1:00pm - start figuring out what we are going to have for dinner. I do all my prep work at this time when there is a mini break from kid madness. If he had been good, Aaron is allowed to play on the computer while I'm doing this.

1:30pm - nurse Steven

1:45pm - work with Aaron on "home school" - his letters, numbers, etc. usually this means games or pages from his workbook. Since we have such an active MOMS Club, I have never seen the necessity of putting my kids in preschool.

2:45pm - Campbell wakes up from her nap. I get her some milk and a small snack.

3:00pm - we leave to pick up Peter.

3:30pm - "crafternoon" we usually do a craft or play dough or if the weather is nice we will play outside.

4:30pm - Steven nurses while we read library books (or the kids watch TV).

5:00pm - Brett arrives home (hallelujah!). He takes the three older kids for a walk with our dog while I finish up dinner (baby strapped to my chest).

5:30pm - dinner (we are old). Dinner for parents of four is 85% telling your kids to eat, sit down and stop playing and 15% shoveling food in your face as quickly as possible so that we are nourished enough to make it through bedtime.

6:00pm - bath time. Brett usually gets the kids bathed while I am folding and putting away the laundry, setting out clothes for the next day and tidying up.

6:30pm - get the kids dressed in their pajamas and read them the three books they picked out.

7:00pm - lights out (yay!). Oh wait... We have a baby too. For the next hour or so Brett and I take turns playing with the baby and doing chores (clean the kitchen, take out the trash, tidy the house, start a load of laundry - have you noticed how much freaking laundry I do?)

7:30pm - Steven nurses.

8:00pm - Once Brett and I are done with chores we will typically turn on the TV to catch up on our DVR (soon we will be watching NHL hockey again!). While we are watching he is checking work emails and I am paying bills, working on my MOMS Club stuff, working on my paying job (I do a little book keeping on the side) or something else (crafting, pinning stuff on Pinterest... Trying not to fall asleep). When we want to spice things up a bit and get all romantic we play rummy. Wild, right?

10:30pm - Steven nurses for the last time and we promptly all fall asleep hoping tomorrow starts just a little bit later than today did (it won't).

As I said, this is an average day (it was pretty much my day yesterday) - some are easier, most are harder.

Regardless, I don't think that when people ask me what I do, that "just a mom" covers it.

"I'm a personal chef, teacher, accountant, maid service, cab driver, professional organizer, event planner, therapist, dog walker, human food source, day care provider, referee, AND a mom" would be more accurate.

Or as I always write on forms that ask me my occupation - "Super Mom" - and I am absolutely not afraid to say so.

I think more full time stay home moms should adopt that job title, because let's face it, we all deserve it.