What Do You Do All Day?

People often ask, "What do you do all day?" when they find out I am on maternity leave. Silly question. What else is there to do? I take care of my baby all day, init? What else could I be doing? People that ask that question seem to think that I am sitting pretty eating bonbons and watching tv. While I must admit to having watched more than a few Bridezillas, What Not to Wear, Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, and just about any other show on WE tv or Style Network, I am all tved out at this point and there is a lot more to this phase in my life than leisurely living.

Seriously, I don't know how full-time stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) do it. I get so tired trying to juggle everything! There's always something to do. Whereas at work, my nine to five, I get some downtime and a lunch break on top of that. I just had an epiphany - the difference between moms who work at home and outside the home is that one has a start time and an end time. A nine to five can be just that - from 9am to 5pm. Not so much when you work at home. Not that I am complaining - I get to be with my son Blu all day long and his dad is jealous that he can't do the same. It's a blessing and a privilege to be able to spend this time at home with my son. Apart from the obvious bonding, I get to see him smile (which is still rare at this stage), hear him make the funniest noises, and decide which of his baffs he is going to wear that day before he gets too big and outgrows it.

I am really not looking forward to going back to work at this point. Well, sometimes I really really want to go back. It would be nice to get away from the expectations people place on a wanabee SAHM. I feel bad when my house is in a mess and people come over. Surely, they must be thinking, "What does she do all day?" Also, shouldn't there be food - cooked food - in the house if I am home? I think it is rather expected and sometimes I just want to go back to work so that I don't feel as guilty for not having it together. It is safe to say that I couldn't a full time SAHM. I am not cut out for housework. I would love to be a SAHM but don't nobody expect me to cook and clean. If we ever decided that I would stay home, my job would be to hang out with Blu - feed him, dress him, take him to the park and on play dates. I can do laundry and cook a few times a week but that's the most I can commit to.