What I Learned from 7 Months as a Stay-At-Home-Mom

My time as a stay-at-home-mom wasn’t exactly by choice.  We had always planned for me to work after baby came.  But there I was with an unexpected break in front of me.  After years of being at someone else’s beck-and-call, I could take the time to be a SAHM mom for a little while, then decide where to go after a few months off.  I had my own ideas of what life would look like at home, but I had no idea about the lessons I’d learn from 7 months at home.  Now that I’m back in the 9-to-5, I’m reflecting on my time.

1. Time flies.  Holy moly.  I can’t even tell you how much I was shocked at all I didn’t get done.  My kiddo was even in school.  As in, I was home by myself and didn’t get everything done in a day that I set out to do.  It was beyond me how this happened day after day.  I kept trying to set “office hours” for when I would complete my freelancing work (full-disclosure: I was a freelance from home mom.  Is that a thing?), but something always came up: doctors appointments, network lunches, trips to the grocery store.  Who has time for work?
2. Don’t go back to bed.  Most mornings I get up to make breakfast-to-go for my hubs before he heads out to work at 5…30…am.  Days when I stayed up, mornings with my son went much smoother than the days I slipped back under the covers.  That set the tone for the rest of the day, and even when my intentions were to get it together, the days slipped away.  (See #1.)
3. Spend time with your kids. I tried to spend as much fun time with my kiddo as I could.  On days I had it together, we refreshed our morning routine, which laid the foundation for our new routine now that I’m back to work.  We eat breakfast together, read a Bible story, and talk about the day.  I kept him out of school and took him with me for a few fun field trips: Epic Waters, Perot Museum, a few days at grandparent’s.  I enjoyed getting to spend the extra time with him that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
4. Schedule time for you. I’ll admit, I’m sure this was much easier for me to do because our Little Man was in school, but is no less important.  If you find yourself as a stay-at-home-mom who wasn’t planning on it, for your own health, take time for self-care.  I had time for Bible Study at church, which I’d never been able to do before.  I was able to build relationships with women I wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to meet.  I went to yoga and worked on handstands for the first time ever!  I am more refreshed heading into a new job than I have ever been.

Seven months off wouldn’t have been my plan, but I try to make the most of everything.  I’m grateful for my time at home and I’m grateful to be going back to work.  What about you?  Have you gone from working mom to stay-at-home-mom and back again?