Thank you for endulging a bit of a rant...
As you may or may not be aware, I stay at home and care for my kids, the household and food. Along with those not-so-simple responsibilities, I also facilitate art projects, home-made cookies and accessibility to clean clothing -- to name ONLY a few. I manage not only my time, but that of at least 2 others(sometimes 3...) and keep all schedules as insync as I know how. I coordinate meetings with grandparents and inlaws. Set-up play dates and social interactions for my kids. Fearing a 2pm meltdown, I consolidate outings and events into neat little chunks of time, taking into consideration naps, snacks and quiet time. I brainstorm new meal options to avoid the snack traps of goldfish crackers and string cheese as well as break through the tediousness of chicken for dinner, again. I ensure that little minds are being challenged and enlightened. I attempt to teach and try to slow down enough to play. So much more than changing diapers and running bubble baths!
Through the course of this often thankless and constantly demanding and needy position I hold, I find myself missing the work world, all shiny and sharp. Downtown traffic, high heels and always a few minutes late. Morning coffee, office meetings and real-world chit chat. I miss the competance I once possessed for jobs I excelled in. I miss the adult comraderie and conversations over current events, music and what's for lunch.
It's always easy to see the grass as greener on the other side. And nothing quite says 'boring' like "stay-at-home mom". I shrink a little anytime someone asks me what I do. Answers like "mom" and "I'm not working" seem to immediately end the conversation. No one seems to find interest in a job such as this. Someone would much rather talk about driving a UPS truck than the ins and outs of raising children and managing a home.
A good friend of mine was speaking to me about the importance of having a title as she is embarking on the beginning of a family and no longer plans to work. She is embracing the notion that we aren't "just moms" and we don't "just stay home with our kids". I really like her way of thinking and it's been making me wonder about a title for myself. So no longer will I be a "stay-at-home mom", I will now be Domestic Director. Afterall, doesn't that much better sum up the myriad of roles we play? Though we may be at home, I would hardly call it 'just staying at home'.
So to all those moms out there looking to reclaim a little bit of their former 'working' self: grab a thesaurus and make a title. Then own it.
Shades of Green
Welcome to my discussion post. Some feedback regarding smidgegreener:
"Sure, everyone has a carbon footprint, some larger than others, and if everyone cut back a little we could make a difference. BUT the huge violators are commercial businesses. For example, I think it’s hilarious that people suggest we stop using disposable diapers and switch to something eco-friendly, yet Huggies and Pampers aren’t faulted for making these environment polluting merchandise. I think the government should be going after distributors of diapers, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, etc. and make THEM comply with environment standards. They are the big wigs who could afford to make a change, yet it’s the consumer who is placed the responsibility of “cleaning up the environment”. And since the producers will then try and pass the cost of becoming green on to the consumer, the government should place a cap on inflation of these products so that the consumer doesn’t have to absorb the entire cost. Let’s take a little out of their enormous profit they are making."
"And what’s even more hypocritical is the businessmen who own and run these conglomerates. Their carbon footprint is ENORMOUS. So next we should go after the wealthy like them and basically all of Hollywood in general (who insist on taking private jets to and from location 3 times a week, driving 100k+ vehicles and lighting a 10,000 s.f. home). It sickens me. They expect us peons to come out of pocket even more (in addition to skyrocketing gas and grocery prices) to protect the environment. I say no way! I can’t afford to, with either time or money."
"It’s election year…get ready for some changes!"
"One thing I also think though is that as consumers, the middle-class probably has the largest "voice" in consumerism. That being said, we can make a pretty big impact by choosing what we want to buy and eventually the companies would have to listen. I don't know if you noticed but even Clorox is making green cleaning products, and that has to be a result of following the trend and trying to pursuade buyers to pick them."
"You bring up some great points and yes, I think we are impacting our environment with the pollution which we have been advancing dramatically to clean up and with great success, but China, India, etc. are not nearly as ecologically minded as we are and their pollution impacts us. But global warming is a natural phenomenon and the concept is great for businesses creating new products and services. As you mention, the bottom line is how much will it cost us and are we willing to bear the brunt of that cost and to what degree..."
"I love the recipes for household cleaners..."
Join the debate and send me your feedback! fromONEmom@gmail.com
"Sure, everyone has a carbon footprint, some larger than others, and if everyone cut back a little we could make a difference. BUT the huge violators are commercial businesses. For example, I think it’s hilarious that people suggest we stop using disposable diapers and switch to something eco-friendly, yet Huggies and Pampers aren’t faulted for making these environment polluting merchandise. I think the government should be going after distributors of diapers, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, etc. and make THEM comply with environment standards. They are the big wigs who could afford to make a change, yet it’s the consumer who is placed the responsibility of “cleaning up the environment”. And since the producers will then try and pass the cost of becoming green on to the consumer, the government should place a cap on inflation of these products so that the consumer doesn’t have to absorb the entire cost. Let’s take a little out of their enormous profit they are making."
"And what’s even more hypocritical is the businessmen who own and run these conglomerates. Their carbon footprint is ENORMOUS. So next we should go after the wealthy like them and basically all of Hollywood in general (who insist on taking private jets to and from location 3 times a week, driving 100k+ vehicles and lighting a 10,000 s.f. home). It sickens me. They expect us peons to come out of pocket even more (in addition to skyrocketing gas and grocery prices) to protect the environment. I say no way! I can’t afford to, with either time or money."
"It’s election year…get ready for some changes!"
"One thing I also think though is that as consumers, the middle-class probably has the largest "voice" in consumerism. That being said, we can make a pretty big impact by choosing what we want to buy and eventually the companies would have to listen. I don't know if you noticed but even Clorox is making green cleaning products, and that has to be a result of following the trend and trying to pursuade buyers to pick them."
"You bring up some great points and yes, I think we are impacting our environment with the pollution which we have been advancing dramatically to clean up and with great success, but China, India, etc. are not nearly as ecologically minded as we are and their pollution impacts us. But global warming is a natural phenomenon and the concept is great for businesses creating new products and services. As you mention, the bottom line is how much will it cost us and are we willing to bear the brunt of that cost and to what degree..."
"I love the recipes for household cleaners..."
Join the debate and send me your feedback! fromONEmom@gmail.com
