Stay at home Momma...Is there a handbook??

I have always worked....My first job was at 12 or 13 delivering newspapers.I am now 39 (cringe) and last December I stopped working. If I do the math that means I have worked for 26 years. I enjoyed working, most of the time. I really enjoyed the freedom of having my own money, and I liked dressing for the corporate world....

I have been a "stay at home mom" for almost a year now. I still can't seem to find my groove. I have calendars and whiteboards that are supposed to keep me organized but the last time I checked my calendar was still on August and my whiteboards have been over-run by the writings of my kiddos. Note to self - I guess I actually have to use the calendar to make it effective.

My Husband says to designate certain days to do certain things. Laundry on Monday, Bathrooms on Tuesday, etc...Ha, that is so much easier said then done. I don't know why I can't get a grip on this but it is starting to make me really mad. After a while I begin to feel like my worth is based on how clean the house is, whether the laundry is done, was dinner on the table, are the boys pj's matching? and on...and on...and on...

The difficult thing for me about being a stay at home mom is that I am in my workplace 24/7...Which means that my "work" is being evaluated and critiqued 24/7...I remember working outside of the home and if I had a bad day and didn't feel like working I would just not work. I would spend time chatting with my employees, I would sometimes just it and stare at my computer screen while my mind wandered in a million different directions, I would talk to my Husband , my Mom, or any number of other personal phone calls. Then I would call it a day, my boss was none the wiser, and return to work the next day and get the job done. I can't have those days at home because the unfinished work is glaring at me, telling me in effect that I am a slacker, i'm not getting the job done....and this is life, day in and day out.

Except for the days when I wake up with a sudden burst of energy and tear through the house dusting, mopping, vacuuming, organizing closets, cleaning out the refrigerator, the pantry, washing, drying, and putting away every last stitch of clothing....Wow those days are good ones but so utterly unrealistic to maintain on a daily basis.

I am tired...Some days all I want to do is watch A Baby Story, What not to Wear, and Say yes to the dress...If I'm lucky I'll get to see a marathon of Mystery Diagnosis and wish that I were organized enough to keep a running tally of these strange and random illnesses that Dr's can never seem to figure out.

So what I really need is a handbook on how to be a stay at home mom...Perhaps after I get my act together I will write one, but in the meantime, if there is one out there I would be eternally grateful, as would my Husband, to anyone willing to share it with me.....

Time for a change

I have seen this happen with several blogs and am excited to say I have finally reached this milestone too....My blog has been pretty much limited to our adoption of Oz and Ahbie...I have loved having this focus and am plaeased I did it this way....However, the time has come to eaxpand my blog to include all things family...This means no one in my crazy housesold is immune from my even crazier writings.

Confession: I tried to incorporate Shabby Blogs into this, as I am totally a shabby chic kind of girl, but my never-ending computer illiteracy has stopped me cold in my tracks. Grrr is all I can say, well I can (and did) say a little more then that but this is a G/PG blog so I wont dare repeat what came out of my mouth.

I am looking forward to branching out and writing about all things Family....This should be fun ;)