It's my life.

This post has floated around in my head for some months now with zero structure and in need of an impetus to get it going.  That impetus occurred this morning while grocery shopping with Liza.  I must admit I didn't think hearing a Bon Jovi song would give me the reason to sit down and write these thoughts out....but after all, "it's my life".

Yes.  It's my life as a stay at home mama to two toddlers.   It's not my job.  A job is somewhere you go, come home from and get paid to do.  A job you leave at the office or in my case, I was always quick to leave my job in the classroom at 3:30 on.the.dot.  Jobs have a start and end point.

Life marches on whether you like it or not.  There are no sick days.  There is nobody to take over if I don't feel like working.  There are no 'mental health days' and no boss to monitor the quality of my work for yearly evaluations.

I'm on duty 24 hours a day.  I cook and I clean but it is so much more than just cooking and cleaning.  I work hard to prepare nutritious food for my children to nourish their little bodies and to teach them that whole foods are a wonderful thing.  I clean because my children deserve a neat and organized space to live and play.  I take my children to the library, the park, friends' houses, on long walks, and shopping because kids need constant exposure to new things and it is important for them to learn how to interact with other adults and children.  Nighttime requires just as much parenting, patience and love as the daytime.  I nurture my relationship with my husband because we are raising our children as a team and we must stay close in order to provide a stable homelife.

I live for my kids.  They are my life.

But, this is my life too.  I enjoy cooking and find pleasure in developing a weekly meal plan and taking my crazy children to the grocery store.  I am not a neat and tidy person by nature but life is so much better when things are where they are supposed to be and I'm not embarrassed when people randomly drop by our house.  When we are at the park or the library, my children are my only focus and I have so much fun seeing them experience the world.  But, mainly, I go crazy when we are home for too long and I need adult interaction with my friends and I need to use my energy as much as my children need to.  I like my sleep just as much as the next person and cosleeping is the way I get the max hours of rest and really, who can sleep if your baby is crying anyway?  And, I like Taylor.  I like being with him and I like chatting him up in the evenings irregardless of the fact we are raising our babies together.

This blog started as a baby book of Henry's little life but since Liza's birth is has become my platform to write about things I am passionate about.  My brain needs much more than cooking, cleaning and choochooing.  OMML is thethe springboard to keep my brain busy even when  I'm up to elbows in poop.

So there.  Being a full-time mama is not my job.  It is my life.  And I am just as important as my children.