Monday, October 15, 2012

More Than Just Mom :: 31 Days of Motherhood

And just like that I fell off of the 31 Days writing bandwagon. 

In my defense, I find it incredibly difficult to write on the weekends. After all, it's the only two days of the week that we have my husband home all to ourselves. With our weekends filling up like mad, I've been trying to cram tons of fun Fall activities into our all-too-short time together and have been a little selfish with our weekends at that.

Weekends also bring with them tons of sessions with little joys. When I'm not off galavanting through pumpkin patches or apple orchards with my little family, you can find me off galavanting through parks and pumpkin patches with other families. My days are full but I wouldn't trade these weekends for the world. 

I'm often asked the age-old loaded question, "so, what do you do?" and without hesitation I always reply, "I stay at home with my boys." Quite recently, however, it has come to my attention that I don't just stay at home.  

On top of my many responsibilities at home I also run two small business. Me! Running two small {albeit successful} businesses! I never would have imagined. 

Although it has been a little over one year since I've launched little joys. photography, I still find it difficult to call myself a photographer. Perhaps it's because it's more than a business to me. It's getting to do something that I love. To me, I'm still just a girl with a camera. I can say, however, that this past year has been both incredibly fulfilling and ridiculously exciting. Not only has it given me the chance to meet so many wonderful families, many of which have become friends but it has also connected me with some really great Moms. It has given me the opportunity to share my passion. 

There's also this little blog. When I started writing behind I Love You More Than Carrots in December of 2008, I never anticipated that it would become something I would stick with let alone come to truly love. Here we are almost four years and over 110,000,000 page views later and I'm so, so happy that I did. 

Writing each day is something that I pour my heart and soul into. It's opening myself up to judgement and celebration. It's also more than that. It's a business. It's the exchange of goods and services. It's pitching companies and supporting other moms. It's accepting sponsorships and working with some really great men and women not only for my own personal gain but also to introduce you, my readers, to as well. 

After all, why keep a great find a secret?

What I'm trying to say is that when I left my full-time job as a registered nurse shortly before having Carter, I worried about who I would become. Would I be able to stay at home? Would I feel less accomplished at the end of my days? Although it had always been a desire of mine, would staying home day in and day out be something that I could actually do? 

The answer is yes. I love being a stay at home mom but I also love sharing my time with other creative outlets. Being able to get out of the house for a few hours each weekend to capture a newborn's first few days or hole myself up in the basement playroom to write for an hour makes me a better mom. 

It makes more more than just Mom. 


6 comments :

  1. Pretty sure quitting my job to be a full time mom/blogger was the best decision I ever made! Love this gig!

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  2. You are so inspirational. I feel like I am just starting to get out of the "survival mode" phase and at times feel like I will need something a little "more" than mom-ing all day. Don't get me wrong, I love being home with my girl and feel so blessed to do it but I do think there is a little creative side to me or something that sometimes wants a little balance.

    So happy for you that you have found those outlets and are so fulfilled!

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  3. Maybe if we start answering that question differently people will start to realize it definitely isn't just staying at home :) Most people seem to really value it though. I always hear oh that's so great or you are so lucky.

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  4. So glad that you decided to quit your day job and pick up a few more! :)

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  5. I struggle with this too. Not because of my blog, but because I do work at home--and it's like "Yea! I stay home with my kids--but, uh..I have a full time at home job too..." my hours are just much more creative and I have to make mayjah good use of time. I feel ya.

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  6. I love this post! I can relate on so many levels!

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