What Really Goes On

I used to have a job. I mean, a job that paid. But after Claire was born, I quit my job to stay home with her. When Claire was a couple of months old, I remember one of my close friends asking if I was able to get a lot of projects done now that I wasn't working anymore. Unless taking a shower and brushing my teeth everyday counted as projects, the answer was no.

Now that I've got three and a half years of stay-at-home mom experience under my belt, things are much easier and basic hygiene is no longer a luxury. While I'm still not getting around to any big projects, we do manage to have a lot of fun. So I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what really goes on around here...

Here is what happens when Claire is allowed to dress herself. Please note that this picture was taken last week, and it definitely was not St. Patrick's Day. Also, those shorts are a size 24 months. Claire wears a size 3T. Don't ask about the goggles.

This is Arden caught in the act. One of her favorite activities is to unload my kitchen drawers. It is especially helpful when she takes all the pots and pans out and leaves them in the floor.

Claire loves craft time because it means she gets to use glue and scissors. This is actually not a fair representation of craft time because it appears that she has completed a craft, when usually, she just smears glue sticks all over the construction paper and then cuts slits in it.

I've mentioned Arden's love affair with toilet paper before. I was not exaggerating. Given the chance, she can unravel an entire roll in 30 seconds. That's got to be some kind of record.

This is by far Claire's favorite activity, and one I'm sure we'll be doing a lot this summer. Again, with the goggles.

Staying at home isn't exactly what I imagined it would be (before I started doing it). My house isn't as organized as I thought it would be. It's never quiet. I don't get the sit down and watch Oprah or the Price is Right. I haven't gotten around to cleaning out the attic. There is a never-ending pile of laundry to be done. The girls' baby books aren't up to date. The list could go on and on...

But who else, besides a stay-at-home mom, gets to dance with their kids in the middle of the afternoon? Or eat Popsicles on the patio before nap time? Or play Candyland at 8:00 in the morning (OK, that one is actually not a highlight and if you've ever attempted to play a board game with Claire, you know what I'm talking about). I may not get very many projects accomplished, but I wouldn't trade this for anything. Well, if you catch me on a bad day, I might say I would, but I wouldn't mean it.