working mom

I'm a working mom. Newsflash: every mom is a working mom.

Before I had kids both Mr. Foxwood and I worked full time jobs and spent our time off together skipping through fields of daisies, spending the endless amount of extra money we had, watching movies undisturbed on the couch in our really clean living room, and taking our fast little cars out for joy rides through the countryside after an indulgent meal at a quiet and romantic restaurant. Ok, I might be remembering this a little different than how it actually was.

The truth is that I had a job that I loved. It was (for the most part) challenging, rewarding, creative, exciting, and all around pretty awesome. When I started to realize that my heart was opening up to the desire for a child I tried to start imagining what it would look like once that day arrived. Working full time was always a part of that picture. I envisioned working through my pregnancy, taking my 3 months off to be a mommy, and then coming back to work with a renewed sense of purpose and confidence.

After encountering a few bumps in the road along this path I thought I would be taking, one thing became really clear to me: I want to be a mom. Just a mom. I want to focus all my attention and energy on this whole mom thing and do it right. I want to be there. I knew that I could not spend my days at a job, away from all that was really important to me.

It is funny how challenges and heartbreaks can change you.

Relying on one income definitely took some adjusting and rearranging but thankfully Mr. Foxwood was totally in agreement on how important it was to have me at home with Ponygirl (and later Hazelnut, too). It gave him a renewed sense of purpose to be the sole breadwinner and take care of his growing family. It made me love him in a whole new way.

While I knew that I needed and wanted to make my home and family my focus, I began to realize after Ponygirl's birth that I could take on some very limited part-time endeavors. There have been different opportunities that have come and gone and a couple that have endured. The two part time jobs that I enjoy now are things I love being a part of and also provide additional benefits beyond a paycheck. It has been and continues to be an evolving landscape of what works for all of us at each moment.

Every family is different and I think that every mom who does what she feels is best for her and her family is doing the right thing, whatever that may be.

I love my day-to-day life and that each day is different. I love being here with my kids. I love creating a home for Mr. Foxwood and our awesome little family. Most of all, I love being a mom.