We made it to the pool today! After A’s morning nap – we hightailed it to the pool where we swam splashed and played for a couple of hours. After our walk back home, I was hot and the only thing on my mind was a salad: lettuce, spinach, avocado, edamame, peanuts, cucumber and almond butter + soy sauce dressing. The perfect decision for a hot day.
You know what else was the perfect decision?
Making the choice to be a stay-at-home-mom. I’ve been getting emails upon emails of people asking me if I miss teaching, and why I decided to stay at home this year.
The short answer is yes: I dearly miss being a teacher.
The beginning of the year excitement, setting up my classroom, a new set of expectant eight-year-olds. Making a difference in the lives of a lot of children every day. I miss it.
However. It just didn’t make sense to me to go back. Think about it, I would spend all day taking care of other people’s kiddos and making money. Then I would hand over (more than half of) that money to pay someone to else to take care of my kiddo. That is illogical to me.
Sure, we’re going have to sacrifice a little. But I’m willing to do without almost anything so I can stay at home with my girl. And I feel extremely blessed to have a husband who shares that same philosophy. Adrienne is number one. I don’t want someone else being there for all of her firsts. As a teacher, I sometimes (a lot) worked twelve hour days. Adrienne isn’t even awake for 12 out of the 24 hours in day. If she went to daycare – I would literally not get to see her (awake) for five of the seven days of the week – and that is a sacrifice I am not willing to make.
So there you have it. I do miss teaching. But I would miss Adrienne even more.
I mean..really?
***
Also, did you vote today?
I agree that logically the cost of daycare is insane. I heard on the news last night that in Texas it costs the same amount per year to send your kiddo to daycare as it does for one year at a public college. That is insane to me!!
Absolutely ridiculous! Who can afford that?!
BAHAHAHAHAHA THAT IS THE CUTEST PICTURE EVER!!
And I agree with you – I definitely want to stay at home once I have my own kids (at least in the beginning!) missing the firsts would just be the worst. My hope is that I can somehow work for myself/work from home so that I can always be there. My mom was and I will NEVER forget the impact it had on my life to have her there for every moment.
Same with my mom – she was always, always there and I can’t imagine not being there for Baby A! To me, it is so worth the monetary sacrifice.
ABSOLUTELY!!
Best decision ever! I love it and am so thankful for every minute I have been with my kiddos first, seconds and thirds!
I can’t imagine not being there! I hope to be able to stay at home for all of my hypothetical kiddos!
I faced the same when I made my decision to stay home and couldn’t be happier doing so. Love you feel the same.
I am loving every second of it!
I still love the fact that my mom gave up teaching to raise me. it DOES make so much more sense, doesn’t it? my dream is to be able to do the same with my little babes.
I hope you can someday – it is an unbelievable career.
Your babe is SO tiny and absolutely precious!! Do you think that you will go back to teaching someday once Adrienne is in school herself??
I think you made a fabulous decision that unfortunately isn’t an option for a lot of other Mom’s out there. You are very lucky!
Almond butter and soy sauce dressing!? Care to share the recipe?
Sounds delicious!
I hope to go back once I’m done raising babies (hopefully we’ll have more!) – once they’re in school, it would (again) be the perfect profession.
Sounds like you made the right decision, Katie.
You will never, ever regret your decision.
After trying for 10 years to have a baby, I did. At age 31. My “baby” is now 23 and I look back on those sweet years as the bestest ever and worth every sacrifice.
I was there for his 1st steps…not the sitter.
I was there for every nap, meal, playtime, waking-up time, cuddling time, story-time, bedtime…not a sitter.
I homeschooled my sweet boy through high school. He grew up to be a loving, caring, responsible, young man I am so very proud of.
Motherhood is one of the greatest blessings that is bestowed upon us, and we have these “treasures” that God has entrusted us with.
How blessed you are!
How very sweet your baby is, and you are also blessed to have a dear husband who wants his wife home!
Blessings on you and the wonderful adventures and glorious days ahead with your precious little one!
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That definitely makes sense! I’m so happy for you!
I agree with you wholeheartedly. It is a tremendous sacrifice but the pay off’s are ongoing. It is a huge responsibility and you are given a precious gift. I still can’t believe mine is in high school now. It goes way too fast and you will forever cherish all the small moments that make up our life.
i think its so brave of you to admit this but know for sure that you’re making the right decision
it reminds me of the sex and the city movie where miranda and charlotte had the talk haha. its so real and honest of you <3 love it!
Haha…”I CHOOSE MY CHOICE!”
Someone was telling me a little while ago that the cost of daycare was more than their actual paycheck. That just makes no sense.
I know when I have kids, I definitely want to take time off and be able to be there with them.
Perfectly said, Katie! Exactly how I would have written it – except I may have thrown in some Titus and offended some people. You and I were destined to be friends.
I should have thrown some scripture in there…it’s always on my mind. I am so glad that we are called to raise the kiddos and love the husbands!
Awesome explanation! Sounds like you’re an amazing mom
My honey doesn’t feel the same way about me staying home (one day…we’re not there yet!). His mom is a mile up the road and will be retired, so she’ll watch our kids for free. I feel the same way you do though- I don’t want her to experience and see all of my kids’ firsts and not me. Especially since I work an hour away from home…it’ll be interesting when the kids do come!
I’m a stay-at-home mom too and I feel the exact same way as you. Also, I am definitely going to make that salad for lunch tomorrow! It looked dang good, and I have all the ingredients on hand. How did you make your almond butter/soy sauce dressing? That picture of Adrienne was adorable.
Almond butter, soy sauce, water, and agave. Yum, yum. I just kept adding things until the consistency was right for me.
I too am a stay at home mom. I love it! I feel blessed that I have been able to witness ALL the firsts! (Some are better than others.) I can’t say I liked cleaning the “first bathtub poop” ha ha
Adrienne is so cute! I love the stage when babies have dimpled arms. Mine is growing out of his chubs ):
Haha, yeah – there are moments I think to myself…I could be in a nice, clean, organized classroom right now. Like when the diaper blows out all over the living room carpet. But – most moments are unthinkable to miss!
Best decision I ever made. Ten years later we have always found a way.
You don’t have to convince me; I feel the same way. Have a GREAT day every day with the beautiful little girl of yours!!
I completely agree with you rationale, perhaps because it is what we have chosen as well except my husband will be the lucky one and will get to stay home with our sweet Zoe. My husband was as middle school teacher and I (we) couldn’t wrap our brains around forking over more than half of his salary to day care. We both hoped that when we were ready for kids that we could financially swing one of us staying home part-time and I feel so blessed that he will be home with her. I know that I will have moments of jealous, but I also feel so grateful that my little girl will get to spend her days with her Daddy.
So happy for you!!
It is so great that your husband is willing to do that!
One of the joys of being a booth renter in a salon is being able to choose the hours that I work. Sure it’s hard when I have to say no to clients for an evening but I get to finally be there when my son comes home from school. For so long I had to pay other people to take care of my son (I was a single mother so I had no choice). But now I can do homework, teach him how to cook, play legos or whatever. It really is a dream come true for me.
I LOVE your philosophy on staying at home and agree with wi 100%. I truly hope that I am in the position to be able to do the same thing when the time comes.
I also look at it through my eyes. I loved being the girl who had my mother always at home (obviously I was older..) My mom could help with anything. I didn’t have to try and get rides to practice – and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I want to be able to be that person for mu (future children too).
After you are done having children.. and they are older.. do you plan on going back?
Katie! You are truly the sweetest person on this planet, and an AWESOME mom! I don’t know if anyone has told you this or not….but ADRIENNE is totally the cutest!!!
Aww, Nik! Thank you!! And yeah…I’ve heard it before, haha – but I love hearing it again.
She is the cutest. I definitely understand your decision. It’s a tough one!
Such a smart choice! Your daughter is number 1. You will never regret it!
Makes perfect sense to me! I want to be able to stay home with my kiddos, and would probably want to home-school them. Not to keep them away from the scary public schools, but because I think I could do best.
(Me = Very conceited teacher, right here!)
I feel the same way!
I think you made the best decision. For sure, I bet you would have felt really out-of-touch if you had chosen to go back to school to teach right away. I know some parents and mothers feel there is no choice, but when given the choice, staying home is probably the best decision. I know there is a lot of taboo now about stay-at-home mom’s just because of the idea that women shouldn’t have to stay at home and they should be independent working career focused and driven beings…but all that should be thrown out the window when it comes to parenting. you never want to look back and know you had the option to be there but you didn’t..and now you live with the regret. ok, hope im not going too deep into this..it’s just a topic i am passionate about. my mom chose to stay at home and raise us and i am so thankful she did…when we got to elementary school she took a volunteer librarian position..and then took night classes- now she is the librarian full time at the elementary school…it was a great transition back to work and it was nice to have her there when we needed her.
xoxo <3
you are an amazing mother- never ever forget that or ever doubt that ok!
It’s something I’m passionate about, too! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment!
Congratulations on this decision! I think it is wonderful that you have decided to stay home with your beautiful baby girl and give her your full attention and all the love in your heart!
I sure feel at home here! I find it hard to find such like minded people outside of virtuality.
I have been waiting for this moment (having a family) all my life. I can’t imagine having anyone else be with my kids all day. I can’t wait to get to know them and teach them everything.
It is truly an honor. I am sad to see that people see it as a luxury… Looking around the world, it is certainly not the case – it is a necessity!
I am glad to know you as another example.
Isn’t it funny how supportive the blogging community is?! I just love it – I wish all of my blogging friends lived in my neighborhood.
Who wouldn’t want to stay home with that cutie pie?! Your reasons for the decision make perfect sense!
Staying at home is the best. Even when you’re covered in spit-up and changing the umpteenth diaper of the day. One little smile makes everything worth it. I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with our little man. I don’t know how people afford daycare, and it only gets worse with more kids! You are such a wonderful mom, to one of the cutest little girls
Glad you are enjoying your new job!
I’m glad you’re enjoying yours too!
We are twins – that is exactly my mentality when it comes to raising children! So glad you decided to stay at home with baby A!
I definitely agree with your reasoning to stay home… And I hope that I’ll be able to stay home once the hubby and I have kids. And that last pic made me smile. She’s so cute!
You should move to Canada where the standard is 1 year of mat leave! Makes more than sense to me that you would stay home with your own baby!
I voted again today, hope you win!!!
I fully support you, lady! And I fully support some serious nibbling on those cheeks, MY GAWD.
That’s one of the reasons we’re still waiting to have babies… I’d really like to stay home but right now it’s not feasible. My mom stayed home with us and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yep, how could you NOT stay home with that precious face. I don’t know if i will ever get over just how cute your baby is!!! geez, tell her to share! But really, I think you made a great decision, and i love how important she is to you <3 such a good momma
I’ve always supported stay at home moms and have always (since 18!) wanted to be a mom and that’s what I yearn to do. Now at 29 I want it more than ever! I hope we can just financially make it happen or if need be, I can find something to do from home or work part-time. Thank you for sharing your story and decision, I will always fully support stay at home moms
And your baby girl is absolutely precious!! I love love the name Adrienne too
Thank you so much! I hope you can make it work someday, too…it’s incredible!
Seems like a good decision to me. She is so little & will only be that size once.
You’re salad looks great btw!
Its so wonderful that you are able to be a stay at home mom. I too am a teacher, but we live in NYC and I would never be able to afford to stay home. I am grateful though, being a teacher, I work 180 day a year, so I will be able to spend a lot of time at home. I can’t imagine how hard it will be to leave my baby.
Teaching is the PERFECT profession for mamas…it’s the next best thing to staying home!
Beautifully said Katie! As little A and future kiddos get older it does get more challenging( we have a 2 and 4yr old) and at times you may WANT them to be in someone else’s care for a while….but the blessings far outweigh the challenges! It is a blessing to have a hubby that feels the same and wants you to be at home with your kids!
On a less sentimental note, I have request for ya! I really like your new haircut and been thinking about cutting it as well. Would you mind posting a few more pics of your new do, maybe styled a few diff. ways? I would appriciate it!
I know we have already had this conversation, but just want you to know that you will never, ever regret this decision. I mean- just look at that face!! Love you all!
oh amazing decision…you have your whole life to work and righ tnow your job is being a mama. Spend every moment with her and embrace each day. Sure you can always go back to teaching, but you cant reverse her first years
I’ve been away on vacation and haven’t been around the blogging world as much as usual, but I came across your post today and I couldn’t agree anymore with you. I think if a family can afford it, it’s so worth it for the mother to stay home raising the children instead of paying someone to do it. My husband and I already discussed that when we have kids I won’t work anymore. I would like to do something on the side from home though!
I think you made a great decision!
props to you. i think it makes total sense…how could you leave that adorable face!!!
Ahh! I couldn’t agree more about staying at home! I’m about to venture into that land for a little while myself because of the reasons you listed. Totally doesn’t make since to have to ‘work’ to pay someone else to care care of my kid!
Great blog
Found you via Lindsay’s List 
Hey Sweet Sis,
LOVE her sweet beenie from her auntie. Miss you and love ya.
I am so proud of you, but I knew you would never do it any other way. It goes unbelievably quickly, and I am reminded of that all the time w/these 3 nieces/nephew of yours! I feel like I am doing some first “lasts” as Easton is starting preschool on Tues. My baby…
There are some great options for Stay-at-Home mommies like us, and I have such a heart for women who want to be at home to help them find something they can do to supplement the income. I’m grateful for what God’s given me to do w/my business, but even more so that I have a husband (you know him!) that knows and determines that I need to be home w/the kids.
I miss you! Can my niecey be almost 4 months!? How come I haven’t seen her more? I want her to myself soon!