From Stay-At-Home-Mom to Career Woman

As our family has just moved from Kokomo, Indiana to my hometown Guntersville, Alabama (read about the move here), Stephen and I have reversed our roles. After working full-time his entire adult life, Stephen is now primarily going to be a stay-at-home-dad (read about his experience here), while I have rejoined the workforce. I am into my second week working a full-time job, full-time as in I go into an office and work from 8-4. It’s very different from staying home and doing work around the house, i.e. dishes, laundry, floors, feeding kids, etc.

I figured when I started this new routine that I might as well go all in and make all the changes at once. I have been into running for around 6 months, and I have been working out consistently at the Y for 9 months. To keep up my regular workouts, I joined a running group here that runs at 5:45 a.m. every morning. So my workdays start at 5:15 every morning. I do my run. Then I hurry home and get a shower. If time allows, I do any extra chores to help get Stephen’s day off right: chop up veggies, give food and water to Lucy (the dog), put clothes in the dryer, etc. Then I report to my office.

My new job is working for my step-dad, so there is a certain level of comfort and familiarity. After almost 7 years as a stay-at-home-mom, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting out of the home. I don’t think I would be okay working if someone else was home with my children or if they were in daycare, but knowing Stephen is home with them provides comfort and security for me while away.

There are 4 employees besides myself that work in the office, not so many that I feel overwhelmed, but enough to where I can chat and form a connection with them. I previously helped my step-dad for a month a few years ago when he had just started his company, so my training came right back. I enjoy having tasks and completing them. I thrive off of productivity and feeling accomplished!

The first week of work we had VBS in the evenings, and while this is normally one of my favorite weeks of summer, not so much this time. I needed time to get adjusted to working and running in the mornings. I’m hoping once we get settled and on a routine that having soccer and different activities in the evenings doesn’t get to be too much.

On the other side, I do miss my family a lot. It was difficult closing and moving into a house on Friday and starting work on Monday. I would normally work really hard and get our new home all settled, but while we are almost 2 weeks into our new home, there are still boxes left to unpack and rooms to set-up. We have made tremendous progress, tackling areas of importance first, but I’m ready to be settled and in a place where I can come in the evenings to color and play games with the kids.

Stephen has done a fantastic job so far with keeping up with the dishes and laundry and playing with the kids. It’s a difficult task to try to take over the house in the middle of a move when you don’t even know where to put stuff. Our house is slowly but surely becoming a home, and things will only continue to get better!