Being a stay at home parent is not a luxury or "the easy life."

I work hard every day to do this. It's my career choice. And I do get a paycheck. It's the same one my husband works hard out of the home to get. I know folks that work out of the home work super hard and make tremendous sacrifices to provide a good life for their families. I give out of the home careers props all day long and extras on the weekend. How could the economy run without those jobs? It's a necessary component in this world that I'm grateful people go do.

But the deal is, I deserve respect too for equally hard work I do and the (different) sacrifices I make. THIS IS A CAREER TOO.

Why do folks that pay tons of money to have people take care of their children talk to me like what I do is easy? Do they think the folks that care for their children have easy jobs? If that was true, why is childcare so expensive? Or is it that they believe my kids just have sub-par childcare from me and would be better off with professional caregivers?

I'm also tired of folks saying, "Well, what a luxury it is that you can afford to stay home." Luxury? My clothes come from Walmart and Target. And they have to last a LONG time. My children get consignment store clothes, and hand-me-downs from friends and family make me dance like I've hit the lottery.

We drive 7-10 year old cars. That new kitchen the neighbor put in that looks so fantastic? I'll get one, but it's going to take us 5 years to save for it.

Anything we buy new, we've planned and saved for weeks or months and it also means that something else probably got postponed on the priority list. Sharing one income means no impulse buying in our household. Zero tolerance policy on it here.

So that's the honest truth......we live on a lot less than many people to have me stay home to work. That's the sacrifice Buzzkill and I make to have careers we both want to do.

I LOVE my life and have all my needs met. I'm also really grateful to be aware of the difference between my wants and needs.

PLEASE, stop acting like I've got a free pass on hard work. If I don't do my job, the consequences are exactly the same as everyone else - we go broke, we can't pay bills or eat food.

And also, sorry for the ranting, but I figured over here I could vent without starting huge drama on Facebook.

A little late, but "getting real" just the same.

I hope that most have you have read Amy's blog The Lawsons Did Dallas linked under the blogs I read. If you haven't yet, pop over to one of her latest hilarious posts. It's a challenge to us mom-types (dads not excluded I'm sure) to "get real" about how our houses look on a day to day basis. Not to embarrass ourselves, but to let go of that self-condemnation that we're the only ones that have dirty dishes, laundry that needs folding, toys on the floor, unmade beds, and general clutter.

So here's my "confession." Our Achilles heel is toys. I pick them up during nap and before bed, but they're everywhere. I WANT A PLAYROOM for the toys!

The first photo shows what happened after I went to Target for an hour. The toys were under control before I left Buzzkill and Punkinhead to play.



The next photo is just funny; it actually looks a little neater than the night before, but I think is a better illustration of the general chaos that can and does occur an a daily basis.

Remodeling Bug

I've caught the bug. When we bought our house a couple of years ago, we knew eventually we'd pour a bucketful of money into this place in flooring, kitchen, and master bath. But we had a live-with-what's-here-but-paint policy for 4 to 5 years.

The Punkinhead pregnancy interrupted the completion of some rooms being painted and up until now I could live with it. Unfortunately, two things have happened this summer. One, our neighbors sold their house and I saw the upgrades they put in just before. Two, a playgroup mom and her husband have done AMAZING things to a house in our neighborhood and I got to see them when I took them a post-new baby meal.

These visitations have infected me and there is no cure other than.....REMODEL NOW!

Clearly, the budget still isn't ready for a flooring, full kitchen, or full master bath gutting. But I CAN paint. And maybe a little more.

So the plan:

1. Repaint all the mismatched trim throughout the house as this bothers me every where I go in the house.

2. Repaint the kitchen.

3. Do a cosmetic update on the master bath including: rent a steamer to get the border off the walls, repaint the walls, paint the cabinets, replace faucets and fixtures, maybe replace the mirrors, and hire someone to lay down the tile left in the garage by the previous owner so that the shower room matches the rest of the bathroom Here's an inspiration room:



It's probably going to take me a full year to do all this since I'll be a DIY queen. I'm going to budget for a tile guy 'cause I KNOW that's not something I want to learn in the tiny, awkward shower room, but I think the rest is totally within my capabilities and I know it will make me happier at home.

Georgia historic home tour

They're not a part of any history but ours - the homes we grew up in! Buzzkill had two stops. The house near Oglethorpe and the Brookfield house. I just had the one stop in North Point.

Buzzkill's first neighborhood is slowing being torn down and rebuilt with giant McMansions. His street seemed okay though.



The next visit was to his home in Brookfield. Lots of memories in this neighborhood including our wedding reception at the country club. Buzzkill's folks recently sold it since the last of the kids is finally grown and moved out. Just too much room for two people. But we stopped for Buzzkill to say goodbye to it.



The last home tour stop was at the house I grew up in. It had changed a little (particularly the color!), but all the lush landscaping felt so familiar right down to the honeysuckle smell.



If you don't already know, Punkinhead's middle name belonged to my friend that grew up next door to me. She passed away when I was 18. Age wise I was right between her and her younger sister and we three played all the time growing up. Their family is my second family and they still live in the same house, so I was over the moon to introduce Punkinhead to her Auntie S.W. on our home visit!