"So How Do You Spend Your Days Now?"

2 weeks ago my [former] co-workers had a little hootn'anny and also recognized my leaving the company after almost 4 years there.

Yes, folks, right now; for the first time in my life, I am a stay at home mom* (!!!)

A question that was asked twice was not only the title of this post, but I feel was also a sincere curiosity of what Amy does when she's not giving chemotherapy, starting IV's, and answering endless questions about nausea, vomiting, and constipation. The answer I gave to my co-workers was not well thought out and I fear was a little laced with a need to justify myself. From the moment I decided to be a stay at home mom, I worried what my co workers would think. How silly is that? Very. Very silly, I tell you.  The answer I gave was along the lines of:

"Caring for an infant and 2 year old, changing diapers, potty training Maddy, cooking, cleaning, play dates, running...the list goes on".

I wish I would have just simply said:
"Caring for my family and raising my kids."
PERIOD. No need to justify.

So really, what am I doing now? Okay, I'll tell you:

Caring for and raising a strong willed, beautiful, intelligent 2.5 year old girl and learning how to overcome her attitude and behavioral issues while bringing out the many positive attributes of her personality and spirit; while making sure she knows how loved she is.
Breastfeeding, changing diapers, troubleshooting, and snuggling a squishy 90th percentile 3 month old baby who is a mini version of my husband and father (seriously, how lucky am I?)
Loving and caring for my husband; who works hard to provide for our family and loves us on a very large scale.
Keeping our home clean* and providing nourishing and healthful meals.
Strengthening my friendships and connecting with other moms who give me support and build me up on difficult days
Exercising and becoming stronger and more healthy
Growing closer to the Lord.
Getting a hold of my anxiety and stress issues and working through them on tough days without relying on sugar or a big glass of wine after 4 pm (how I "got through" a very tough month, but am not wanting to continue that); but relying on prayer (and a double jogging stroller and a C25K program) and faith in myself with the strength the Lord gives me. Whew, that was a mouthful.
Simplifying our lives and learning how to stop being a slave to money and material possessions.
Cleaning and ridding our lives of clutter and excess.
Feeding our family mostly all natural, unprocessed whole foods on $400 or less a month (we cut our income in half and are still managing to pay all our bills without living paycheck to paycheck simply by cutting back, cooking and baking more,  and couponing ;)
Doing cloth diaper laundry (plus laundry for 4 people)
Planting a garden (we set up a 4'x8' planter box and are growing some of our own stuff)
Using a skin care regimen and caring for my body and face
Shaving my legs (I had to add in the last two, because I am sad to say I used to be so overwhelmed by all the stuff in my life that I never actually took care of these things enough)
Finally as of this moment? Documenting our lives in my blog.

So there you have it. I think I am spending my time responsibly and joyfully. By the way, I am not writing this out to justify anything; but more to share with my readers (anybody?anybody?) what my life consists of at this point in my life. It is a far cry from the woman I was 6 months ago. I have experienced so much spiritual and emotional growth and happiness that I can't even describe. I could write forever and ever on this subject, but I am going to go spend some QT with the hubs.

*I am in the process of finding a new job with the IV therapy team at a nearby hospital who is interested in my skill set. I am looking for a 12/hr a week gig that will allow my children to be under the car of their daddy or grandma while I am there. I financially and emotionally can't do daycare right now. The position isn't even created yet, so I likely won't start working for a while still. I'm happy with that. I am enjoying being strictly a SAHM for a season of my life, but I do still have a passion for being a nurse and will not give up all the hard work I did to become a nurse.