Being a mom is TOUGH

Well. My house is empty…almost.

Their are suitcases piled up beside the stairs, laundry baskets full of left over junk that needs to go to the storage unit sitting underneath the bar, and a bag full of leftover snacks sitting on my counter. Oh yeah. And there is a couch. And TV, that we can’t watch because we don’t have cable anymore. I managed to get everything done yesterday and this morning and I’m currently sitting in Barnes & Noble working on my photography business stuff, editing pictures and {obviously} typing. And I’m freezing. Seriously. Can’t even really feel my fingers anymore. Crazy cold in here. Brrr.

I’ve got to take a half of a second real fast to say that I got my SheyB camera strap cover yesterday!!! I am so excited. I didn’t think I was going to get it until I got to Alabama because they were forwarding our mail. And just out of habit yesterday, I went to the mailbox [keep in mind I haven’t gotten mail in over a week. Literally.] and there it was. In all of its Crimson and Hounds tooth Beauty. See?

Anywho. I was ridiculously excited.  And wasted no time putting it on my camera. My camera is feeling a little bit lonely right now. I’ll admit that with the house being turned totally upside down and everything else I’ve been up to [trying to get blogs scheduled for the next two weeks, editing pictures I’ve already taken, packing, packing, cleaning and packing], I haven’t really taken any photos in probably over a week. That will change when I get to Alabama on Thursday.

I’m really excited about Easter this coming weekend.  Hubby has a LOT of family with a LOT of kids which will make for a LOT of photo opportunities. I’m in the process right now of getting Facebook Page set up for my photography business and I’m hoping to do several portfolio building sessions this summer. I have got to stay busy or I’ll go insane.

I kind of got tickled at Hubby’s mom last night when she called. Hubby’s grandmother requires some extra attention so someone has to stay with her all the time. This past weekend was Hubby’s moms turn to keep her at  her house…and she had Little Man. When we talked to her last night she talked like she was just absolutely pooped from all of the ‘work’ this weekend that Little Man and Mama Nell [hubby’s grandma] required. She wasn’t complaining, more or less just making a generalized statement at how much of a handful they were together, especially when Little Man got in his “I don’t want to get down, I want you to hold me mood.” At first it kind of irritated me, but then I just laughed about it.

I keep Little Man all day, every single day, all by myself. I am mom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Literally. We’ve had no family here in Florida and no real close friends to leave Little Man with, so I quite honestly spend all of my time being mom. Hubby does as much as he can, but he worked a lot of long hours here in Florida so he wasn’t always available or up to being full time daddy so mommy didn’t go nuts. He’s good at giving me my ‘me’ time, but it’s not always possible.

When the MIL started talking about how busy and worn out she was, it kind of crossed my mind, “What do you think I feel like every single solitary day?” And I know that there are a tons and tons of you out there reading this that feel the exact same way. Being a mom is hard, especially when you don’t always have the options to drop the kid(s) off with Grandma or Grandpa and take some time for yourself. I take Little Man everywhere, all the time for everything: Doctors appointments, grocery shopping, bill paying, you name it and we’ve done it. It’s definitely not always easy. Usually it’s a headache and I end up feeling totally and completely overwhelmed and frustrated by the time that I get my tasks accomplished.

But I wouldn’t trade it for anything [most days. Haha. Kidding.] I try to remind myself how lucky I am not only to have a son, but to be able to stay at home with him and take him everywhere with me. A little bit more help would be great at times, but I’m kind of funny about who Little Man stays with and who keeps him. So that’s not always the easiest option either. But I’m thankful that I can be a stay at home mom, that I don’t have to work to make ends meat.

I also salute the Single working moms out there. And the moms who have crappy husbands. I know that sounds rude, but you know it’s true. There are a lot of good moms and wives out there that are married to men who are just really sucky dads. Trust me. I could name several as I sit here. I give much credit to the Military Moms who not only raise their kids away from family because that’s where the Military has put them, but raise them without their husbands around due to deployment. You ladies deserve the utmost credit for what you do. Same goes to working moms who run their homes just as well from the office as they do from home. I commend you for you awesome balancing act. I hope that I can be as good at it when my business gets off of the ground.

Being a mom is a tough job. We should get major props on resumes for it. Not just anyone can be a gourmet [or not so Gourmet…last time I checked McDonalds drive through didn’t fall into the ‘fancy’ or ‘5 star’ category. 🙂 ] chef, full time housekeeper, doctor [taking care of those ouchies and boo-boos], Fitness Queen [for you exercise enthusiasts out there], Writer [Bloggers! Hello?!], Photographers [We all take pictures of our kids], Organizer, Party Planner and Event Coordinator all at one time. It’s rough at times. But it’s worth it.

What do you find to be the toughest part of being a mom in your particular situation? The long hours? The lack of health? Doing it without the hubby at your side?