I never imagined that someday I would be a stay at home mom. I didn’t go to college to change diapers, but once our son was born I had a complete change of heart. The desire to be there for every moment of his life-the good, the bad, and the unbelievably messy-was all I wanted. Being a stay at home mom allowed me to take advantage of opportunities that would have been difficult in the 9 to 5 world. It is crazy some days juggling and multitasking, but it makes me a stronger individual and role model to our son. I was grocery shopping a couple years back and a cashier asked what I do for work. I told her I was a stay at home mom. She said that it must be nice to do nothing all day and not work (I hear that a lot, unfortunately). I had a doctor appointment days later and when checking in, the receptionist asked what my occupation is. I told her that I am unemployed. She asked what I did for fun and I told her that I am a stay at home mom. She looked at me and told me never ever say I am unemployed. Being a stay at home mom is one of the most difficult jobs. She told me to say it loud and proud when someone asks me what I do for an occupation. Meeting people like her, that change my outlook on life, is so inspirational to me. Staying at home means more meals, dishes, messes, laundry, sweeping, and activities with smudgy little fingerprints. Being at home means I get to be a teacher, a chef, a referee, a nurse, a counselor, a pastor, a taxi driver, and that is just getting things started. Some days I feel like I am doing the same things over and over again. I fortunately get to choose the mom life and I love it. I have worked really hard (and so does my husband) to make it work. It doesn’t come easy, but all the negatives outweigh the wonderful positives. I get to teach the best parts of what I have learned in life and be a mentor to our son so that he can be the best he can be. I get emotional seeing our son grow up to be a little boy. I love seeing him learn new things and remember that I had a role in that. It warms my heart to know that someday he will appreciate it. My support system has meant more to me than anything in this world. Our family members have been there every step of the way supporting us and I cannot thank them enough. To my husband- the only thing better than having you as my husband is our son having you as his dad. You have been my rock and been with me through thick and thin. We have accomplished so much together. To my parents- you have taught me many of my values. You showed me what true respect looks like. You poured yourself into nurturing me and raising me to be a good human being. I will forever be grateful for all you have done, do, and will do for me. I have often asked myself “what can I do from home for work?” When you work for someone else you are rarely given free reign to create what you want, when you want to. It inspired me to work hard and lay out all my options to make my dream come true. I love being challenged and rise to that challenge. I enjoy building relationships that have come with starting my own business. It is a reminder every day that we made my dreams come true. It encourages me to break through my comfort zones and try new things. I have always been the person who does things to make other people happy. That is one of the many reasons I enjoy this so much. I am able to make custom projects for customers that no one else has. I truly just love making creations from the heart for people who support small business.
