Positive thinking!

Oh my mind is always going a mile a minute; always has! I can't breathe sometimes!
So, lately I've been really thinking about what it means to be a Stay At Home Mom. It's different for everyone, but for me it's a privilege, tiring, rewarding, financial strain, depressing at times, getting to be there for the best moments and milestones!
Truth time, I AM LAZY! I like to watch TV A LOT! I want my house to be clean and organized but I lack motivation to do or it's just too overwhelming for me!

I've always wanted to be a SAHM since I was a girl! My mom was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with us and it was just really nice to always have her there! I'm a mama's girl :)
Fast forward to when I got married in 2002...we started trying for a family a month after we were married and when we were finally blessed to be parents I was already working full-time. I didn't get more than two weeks off to be with Dom because I hadn't worked there for a year yet and so didn't qualify for FMLA. So it broke my heart to bring my 5 lb preemie baby to daycare when he was just 4 weeks! I couldn't wait to see him after work and loved feeding him his bottle!
6 months went by and I was blessed to be able to cut work down to part time! I lost some of my benefits but I didn't care. When Dom was 11 months old he got really sick from daycare (RSV, Bronchialitis and Croupe all at once). We worked out a deal with my good friend and she was to become his new caregiver! She watched him for a yr...the company I worked for was bought out and some of our jobs were given to India which resulted in me getting laid off in March of 2008!
It was bittersweet! I lost my job and supporting income and my benefits BUT I was going to get to stay at home with Dom now!

So three yrs later here I am with three amazing children. The WOW factor of being SAHM has worn off; honeymoon stage over with for a while. It's lonely and boring and tiring and frustrating! I don't like being cooped up and NEED to get out very frequently! My favorite part of the day is when the kids go to bed! Isn't that horrible!

NEW plan:
So, I've been working on my patience and trying to understand my children and their stages more. BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!
We're barely making it on one income but we are MAKING it! Our house is about 1100 sq ft total! We're growing out of it and can't afford to move, but we DO have a house and more than ONE bedroom! We're fortunate! We have a lot to be thankful for :)
I am going to try to do more with the kids and be a better mom. Dom starts Kindergarten this Fall and it's all day and I'm a little sad. I need to do more with him and make our time count!
I'm working on my patience and feel like it's gotten better. Maybe it's the crazy hormones that have settled down finally?
I read two books to the kids yesterday and they loved it (just setting aside 20 mins)! The TV has been turned off more and music has replaced it! The kids love dancing around the living room and love to see Mommy acting silly :)
I'm learning to set boundaries. Dom is a great negotiator or manipulator and I give in way too much cause I don't like to be a mean mom and can't resist his gorgeous big brown eyes and "please mommy, just one more".
I'm trying to praise them more and appreciate their little qualities and silliness about them.

So, now that that part of the brain has been released I'll end this post.

I'm thinking positive!