Stay at Home Mom?

When Allison was born, I was fortunate enough to be able to become a stay-at-home mom with her.  It has been a wonderful experience.  I am especially so happy and blessed to have been able to be at home with her especially during those first few years of her life.  As she has gotten older, it's gotten to be more of a challenge, really need those "mommy time" breaks, as she is a great kid but can be strong-willed and challenging at times (as all kids can be at times). 

Well, Allison is in kindergarten now, and goes three days a week to school.  Next year, she will be in school all day, every day.  The dilemma I face is whether or not I should look to return back to work, full time or part time, etc.  Bruce has told me that I don't have to, and I definitely appreciate that.  I would really like to return to the classroom and teach again.  It would be a HUGE adjustment again, basically going through that "first year" again.  Plus, I really don't see myself teaching in the public school setting again.  I just find it extremely daunting, and looks very stressful.  I still really want to teach at Allison's school, but who knows when a position may open up.

Sometimes when I tell someone that I'm a SAHM, but then go into some of the other things that I do, they do comment that I don't seem to be at home all that much.  Then I think that they are actually very right.  I keep very busy, and if I did go back to work full time I would have to give a lot of this stuff up.   Let's see, homework center three afternoons a week, tutoring 5 to 7 or 8 kids per week, Allison's afterschool activities such as dance, subbing at Allison's school (although that ebbs and flows), our church's Board of Christian Education (which can take a lot of time, especially when it's time to prepare for VBS), teach Sunday School and preparation each week for that, two other volunteer board positions, which don't take a lot of time, but board meetings at least monthly; currently I am on a committee for school for Lutheran Schools Week in March, and that is starting to take a lot of planning and organization time.   Like, seriously, I don't have TIME for a full-time job!


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