If I was being paid for this job, I’m pretty sure I would have been fired by now.

I am a SAHM (stay at home mom).  The job description is pretty extensive and the rewards are the opposite of monetary.  I do love being a SAHM and spending time with my son – in fact, I am hard pressed to think of anything I’d rather do with my days.

I have the mom-thing down pretty well by now.  I am confident that I am doing a good job in that department (aside from the fact that he is sitting in his highchair, eating crackers and watching TV while I write this).  Q is excelling in his fine & gross motor, language, and social skills.  He is friendly, active and extremely good-natured.

No, the M in SAHM would not get me fired… but, the H might do me in.

Home.  I hate doing housework.  I do not keep up with dishes, laundry, vacuuming, tidying, sweeping, wiping, dusting (what is that), putting things away, making phone calls to get things done around the house, running errands, grocery shopping, cooking… the list is endless and my motivation, minimal.

Don’t get me wrong… I love, love having a clean, organized house.  It clears my head and makes me feel more peaceful.  The problem is getting it in that state and then keeping it there.

Right now as I scan my living space, I see a pile of dishes, clothes on the living room floor, toys strewn everywhere, and visible crumbs on a carpet that I could have sworn I vacuumed only yesterday (in fact, the vacuum is still parked in view as evidence).

So, here I sit thinking about the piles of clean laundry in our bedroom that desperately need to be put away, the bathrooms that need my attention, the garbage that is less than fragrant, the kitchen table that still dons a Christmas tablecloth, and the computer room  that is currently doubling as a storage area.

Thinking about it just makes me wanna take a nap.  Ugh.

So, my last employment contract ended almost a month ago.  Ever since, I’ve been a Stay At Home Mom.   However, for a stay-at-home-mom, I somehow manage to hardly ever stay home!

Although I hope to be promoted to a WAHM (work at home mom), I am relishing this guilt-free time at home with my son.  This is the best job I’ve ever had!  It’s challenging, but I prefer to be the one navigating the challenges.

My days are completely different than when I was working.  No day is the same and each is an adventure in its own way.  We decide, together, what we will be doing.  I sometimes pretend that I am in control, but it’s a collaborative effort; my plans can easily be derailed by a bad mood, fever, or extra long nap.

I take my job very seriously.  It’s a hefty job description (for which few would qualify if we needed to apply).  I have been entrusted to:

• create and maintain a clean, healthy, safe, and comfortable environment and shelter
• provide healthy nourishment, health care, and medical attention
• teach an impressionable mind (which often seems to resemble a sponge) to: speak, walk, go potty, eat, play, bathe, discern right from wrong, respect, love, colour, draw… the list is endless and will keep growing – read, write, DRIVE. ack!
• nurture, love, and encourage the growth of a kind, respectful, and considerate inhabitant of this world in which we live

It’s a tall order, let me tell you.  But, I embrace it – although I do struggle with the clean environment part. I’m not exactly a domestic goddess .

The rewards are beyond measure and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother and spend my days with this human being who just may be teaching me more than I am him.