My name is Holly, I am 24 years old, and I am a SAHM [stay-at-home mom]. I have the most adorable son in the entire world, who is almost 4 months old now, 2 months adjusted. If you don’t know what that means, it means he was born two months before he was supposed to be here, so we have to adjust his age based on when he should have been born, versus his actual birth day for developmental milestones. I also have a wonderful, hard-working husband who I love with my entire being, he is truly my soulmate and I couldn’t be happier with my marriage and my son.

However…

Being a SAHM is hard sometimes…excruciatingly so. Don’t get me wrong, I love staying at home with my son all day and watching him grow and learn and slowly become more active and expressive. But here is something that only SAHM’s will understand…it gets lonely. You start to miss going out to your favorite places, miss going to bars to hang out and play pool. You miss having engaging adult conversations that do not involve the words: diarrhea, poop, diapers, formula (or pumping for breastfeeding moms), laundry, or spit-up. You miss being able to just get yourself ready and run out the door at a moments notice. You miss hanging out with your friends. Believe it or not, sometimes you miss being able to go to the grocery store alone, or just with your spouse.

When a baby comes into your life, no matter how much you wanted a child, everything changes and shifts focus. Now, at minimum, to go somewhere you have to pack a diaper bag full of everything that your baby could possibly need in the hour or two that you are out [e.g. an extra outfit or two, bibs, bottles, wipes, diapers, blankets, diaper rash cream, formula or breastmilk, etc.]. You have to make sure that the baby is dressed appropriately and in the car seat secured and safe. If you’re lucky, your spouse will then watch your tiny human while you get dressed and ready. Then you pack up the stroller in the back of the car or truck, and head off in a semi-timed outing, which is also more complex and complicated than it ever was before you were a parent.

These past few days, I noticed myself getting upset over the tiniest things that would normally never bother me. My husband was also at drill for the weekend, so I didn’t get any alone time from the baby, which may have led to my irritation and stress. We also only have one vehicle. So, leaving the house during this time was impossible. I felt like a trapped animal. It was frustrating and upsetting. Especially when my husband told me after they were released for the night he got to go to the bar and watch college football. I bawled my eyes out that night. I was upset that my old life was gone, my husband still got to have baby-free fun while I was stuck at home with a screaming baby. I was resentful that my husband got to leave the house everyday, knowing full-well he only left to go to work or to drill.

After a long talk with my husband when he got back to the armory, I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. I finally cried and expressed all of my anger, frustration, and sadness that has been building since my son came home from the NICU and my husband went back to work while I stayed home. Today, I am much better than I was over the weekend. Nothing has changed since the night my emotions exploded per se, but I realized keeping everything inside until I blow up, which is my signature move, is not the way to handle the cons of the SAHM.

So that got me thinking…

I decided to create a blog to share my experiences, emotions, and anything else that came to mind. I also decided to make some changes in my routine so that I wasn’t so under stimulated by my sometimes mundane life with an infant.

My everyday goals include:

1. Take a shower.
2. Put on clothes other than pajamas.
3. Put on make-up.
4. Cook a homemade dinner, instead of relying on Stouffers.
5. Enjoy an activity with my husband when he gets home from work. [e.g. We both like to play video games, and watching The Walking Dead.]
6. Enjoy an activity by myself. [e.g. playing a game during a nap time].

My weekly goals include:

Monday

1.  Write a blog post
2. Do any dishes that need done.

Tuesday

1. Vacuuming/sweeping/moping

Wednesday

1. Do all of the laundry that has accumulated
2. Fold and put away aforementioned laundry.

Thursday:

1. Go out to dinner with the husband.
2. Go on a family outing {if it is a drill weekend}

Friday

1. Collect any trash that has been hiding
2. Clean up the bathrooms and kitchen

Saturday

1. Go on a family outing, even if it is just to the mall to walk around.

Sunday

1. Do all laundry {again}.
2. Put it all away.
3. Grocery shopping.
4. Settle in for a movie or a show with the husband.

Hopefully, with this sort of routine, I can keep myself from falling into the pit that I found myself in.

What are your thoughts? What have you other SAHMs done to prevent the insanity from taking over? And for those working moms, how do you juggle your career and family life?

 

These are my thoughts and opinions. Nothing here is to be considered fact, I hope you enjoy reading into my little life!   

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