I Couldn't Have Said It Better

My husband sent me a blog link this week. You may have already read it, but if you have not read Matt Walsh's Blog Post  on Stay At Home Mom's you should. It's an interesting perspective. One I find most people don't take. He wrote on his Facebook page that some people claimed it to be very "controversial" and he didn't understand why.

There are many moms who cannot stay home, specifically for financial reasons. I'm not going to criticize a woman's choice for choosing to go back to work. However, he makes a great point. Yes, I may have to sit and play blocks or read the same book to #1 and her pretend puppies she says are sitting next to her 10 times. There is always something to do. Somewhere we need to be. I can't leave my "desk" at 5. I don't have a lunch break. I don't get sick days and I don't get vacation. Granted, my husband does let me have some getaways. Those require very strategic planning and sitter scheduling if he has to work on a day I'm gone.

Americans are "granted" probably the shortest amount of maternity leave, 6-12 weeks. In other countries women are given a year to stay home with their child without fear of losing their job. Now, all of that might not be paid or paid at 100 percent salary. I'm no international HR. Why do other countries have such great vacation time? Three months? Taking off a month or 6 weeks at a time? Unheard of here......unless you have a baby. I used to rarely even take an entire week off when I worked claims. It just wasn't worth the two weeks of stress when you got back to catch up and listen to people stop yelling at you, because heaven forbid, you took vacation.  You're a claims adjuster. You should work from 7-7 and on weekends because these people have been "greatly inconvenienced" by a bumper that needs replacement.

The choice is not easy either way. Work or Stay home? Stay home. Work?

Anyway, read the blog. As I said, he says it better.

Xoxo
The Housewife

Fifteen Months

The Single Gal has been keeping up this charade and I think she might murder me if I don't blog. I just haven't felt like doing much lately.....more on that later (maybe). This was a big month around here because #1 is 15 months old now and it's also the one year anniversary of me quitting the old ball and chain of what I used to call my job. Best.thing.ever. Except that I don't get to see the Single Gal everyday. Total sads there.

Obviously it hasn't been all picnics and peaches but still one of the best decisions I made. Each to their own but this is what works for us, for me and for this family. I am here for all of the giggles and hugs. I didn't miss first steps, rolling over or crawling. I don't have to drag her out of bed at a ridiculous time in the morning just for me to go to work. I get to cloth diaper.  AND I got to train for a marathon. I mean, whoa I was able to do something for myself.

Sure, sometimes the days are a little long.....but that's okay. Then you get to worry about noticing a house plant leaf which suspiciously looks like a little mouth took a bite of it. People don't keep poisonous house plants do they? This plant was K-Woww's and is almost as old as me. Guess I would have known by now? I'll leave you with exhibit A.