The First Month

Hard to beleive, it has been almost 4 weeks since my farewell!
Actually the farewell was so good that it gave me a hangover for a few days. I felt so honored and touched by the way my team had bid me a bye bye. My cold feet had gotten even cooler after that. But, alas, it was too late. Thanks guys! Look I am still talking about it. :)

The first month was not easy but definitely relaxed. The morning craziness has dropped considerably. But, with R at home, having a routine still looks like an impossible task. I am looking for a pre-school for him but a part of me is actually enjoying having him at home.

R's sickness and visit to the ER also took away a week.

There was a lot to be done in terms of taking care of the home. Home was surely a little neglected with a full time job and two kids with busy routines. In 4 weeks, things look more in control and organized. And a lot of old clothes and toys that R has outgrown have been shown the door.

One major change which is worth a mention is that I have seen a huge change in kids' emotional behavior during the last 4 weeks.
A is less fussy and less complaining and is a much happier girl.
R has also started talking a few phrases- over due first few phrases. Also, a major change is that he is sleeping sounder and longer! I am not sure if it is because he knows that mommy will be around him but this has happened in the last 3 weeks.

Or may be I am just justifying my decision to myself. ;)
Only time will tell. But for now, this positivity is good to keep me going.
Here is another Mommy reality:

In the supermarket was a woman pushing a cart which contained a screaming, bellowing girl. As they passed the cookie section, the little girl asked for cookies. When the woman told she couldn't have any, the girl began to cry. The woman kept repeating softly: "Don't get excited Monika, don't scream Monika, don't be upset Monika, don't yell Monika, keep calm Monika."
A woman standing next to her said: "I couldn't help noticing how patient you were with little Monica!"
The mother replied: "I'm Monika!”

 

About Mommy

Hello Blog,
Finally pulled out some time today to blog today.
I have so much on my mind to put in here but my younger one who is about 2 and a half does not let me even think about the computer. Leave aside having a quality conversation with my blog. :):)

Let me tell you a little about me. I am a mother of 2 loving kids. My daughter,A, is 7 and my son, R, is about 2.5. (Of course they have names. but lets address them as A and R for now)

A goes to second grade and is a very busy kid. Besides homework, she learns dance, swimming, public speaking, a foreign language and a sport after her school. These classes bring their own share of homeworks, practices and performances/ matches. Not to mention the time that goes out in driving her around and managing a toddler while she is busy.

R is going through his terrible twos and making mea terribly tired mommy along the way.

Oops, I gave you my motherly introduction. Such is motherhood!!

I have a masters degree and have worked for over 7 years now. Took a few breaks in between to address family needs but they were more temporary in nature. My area of work is HR and I enjoy every aspect of it. Let me correct- Enjoyed.

Have been married for alost 10 years now. My husband works more than fulltime and we can blame that on jargons like "globalization" and "globally spread out teams" and "time differentials" and other such phrases.

So, to cut the story short, most of the family and home related tasks fall on poor mommy. Owww...Poor Mommy!!
For now, I saw an awesomely creative take on the situation in which mommies like me are. It had me laughing for a long time....after a long time...:)

 

Why mommy decided to stay at home?

Let me begin by saying that I love working. I enjoy interacting with people and I beleive that I am good at what I do for work. And I think most of the mothers reading this will agree with most part of it.

Everyone has his/her ow reasons for working and whatever your area of work is, it adds a very important dimension to our lives. Specially in a Mom's life.

It brings financial dimension- there is no doubt that families where both couples earn are much better financially.

It brings a social dimension- Workplace gives opportunity to interact with people of similar interests and different backgrounds. It also allows us to step out and have a normal adult conversation besides, homeworks, diapers, Soccers, ballet, and the list goes on.

Taking care of myself dimension- Who can deny that a mommy gets to get ready in time, stays groomed more regularly, dress up (even in scrubs or something other than PJs), put some makeup on and most importantly, a smile on! (And I am talking about an average mother. Not the always looking fabulous mothers I always look upto).

Intellectual Dimension- For me, work gave me an intellectual satisfaction. Not that I was a rocket scientist or a modern day Einstein. But whatever I did, gave me a chance to make me feel that I am worth more and much more capable. Also, that I was putting my education and training to right use.

Keep counting...

Still, I chose to be a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM)!! Why?

Well, it took me 3 months of thinking and about 3 months of execution to start this new journey.
Kids were taken care of well while I was off to work. My work hours were not long and office was at a very short distance. And there were very very few occasions when I was required to work beyond regular hours. Still? Why?

I do not have an absolute answer to this big why but definitely it was for family. Mainly for kids.
This is a decision which can only come from within. No one can tell you or force you to do it and still be happy.
As for me, it is not a very happy decision but it is a call from within and I beleive, that with this call there is no way I can go wrong.
I have no family support available locally. Not even within 1,000 miles radius. My only support system is daycares and nannies. This adds a few new factors to the already complicated life.
Examples- Lots of coordination, cost, dependability on care providers, limited extra curricular activities for kids, etc. etc.
After weighing my options and playing with all the numbers, I made this choice. And trust me, so far, I am quite happy with it. And quite at peace too.

And if in future I ever feel low, I will blog and vent out! hee hee hee!

Stay tuned. And enjoy this (In honor of all mothers- Working, Non Working and my kinds):

 

The Prologue

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for stopping by and sneaking out some time to read my blog.

As a literature student, I have seen that great literary works start with a prologue.
Well, there is nothing great here but I would like to compose a prologue and thank some people who have inspired me to write this blog or have made the situation condusive enough to have me start writing again.

My biggest thanks is to my husband who has been a constant (well, almost) support in my decisions pertaining to be a working mom or a stay at home mom. Also, my loving kids who always keep me on my toes and give me enough reasons to write this blog which in a way will record my day to day activities with them.

Second but nonetheless, my sincere thanks goes to my ex-Managers: Rakesh and Nikhil, who have been a huge support in my decision to quit my job and also inspired me to start writing a blog about the choice that I have made. Thank you for all your encouragement!

I am not going to tell you mommy stories or how I deal with situations successfully but I will try to take you along on a journey of a human life. I may fail, I may become weak and I may get lost. But for now, I am starting off the journey without knowing where I am going.

Hope you enjoy reading my blogs and also relate to some of my stories somewhere. Please do leave comments or suggestions. I need a lot of those. :)