Let me give a shout out to you moms out there. Whether your are a working mother or a SAHM (stay at home mom), the job of a mother is hard. Every family is different and has the right to make their own choice of what is the correct action regarding their financial status, home life, and personal fulfilment. Along with being a mother, I also work part time. I feel this is the right personal choice for my family as I have the "best of both worlds" (we are Miley Cirus fans in this house). I think that there is a time and place for working and I am in no way going to criticize you wonderful mommies who can balance, work, play and caretaking outside their home. It is my hope that, you the reader, can get some hope through this article for those who choose to stay home. It is my guess that in one way or another, all SAHM moms can (at times) feel conflicted about this decision. I want to encourage the moms that are making this sacrifice. It is a far different kind of sacrifice that those that are working out of the home face, no more or less of a sacrifice, just different.

I am a SAHM, but the rising gas prices have left my husband and I reevaluating these working quams over and over again. Let me provide you with encouragement that helps my soul be at rest with our choice(at least temporary, if not long lasting) to be home more often and work outside the home a lot less. It is my hope that this will encourage you to stop feeling guilty and start enjoying your children and the decision you have made. These thoughts have helped me.

I am trying to remember to be thankful for what I have - I find a growing trend that material worth is germinating a more mundane earthly viewpoint in our community. A big house, new cars, our kids dressed in designer brands, and having the best clothes to wear seem so important to so many. Why? This is probably because we can enjoy nice things. My weakness in spending is imprompt escapes and extravigant vacations. I love my nice house. I love Coach purses, like the way my son loves Elmo. In an overall assesment of these things, I have to remind you that these things are just STUFF. Stuff that will break, stuff that your children will grow out of, stuff that even though this junk might be new, it never lives up to my expectations. Stuff breaks, it fades, it shrinks, it gets lost. This "Stuff" will never make me feel complete. Maybe it is just the person that I am. Maybe it is the way I look at life. Stuff is a blip of happiness in a whole spectrum of emptiness. Stuff is a discouraging let down that will never make you feel satisfied.

I recently heard on the radio the song for the movie White Christmas, Count your Blessings. Although, usually I would not say your advice for life decisions should come from a movie, this song has a point. Instead of counting the sheep that you do not have, count the blessings that you do have. I do not have an Iphone (even though I really, really want one), but I do have a cell phone that works. I would love to share the girly things (dolls, the color pink, etc.) in life with a daughter, but I do have boys that are so fun, healthy, and they make me laugh. My blessings can be hidden from a soul that is discontent, but behind them are bright and shining, wonderful things that are worth being truly thankful. So keep your chin up and make a mental list of the things for which to be thankful. In the future, the tangible "stuff" will be gone but you can be rest assured that you gave your angels the most valuable thing around. To a Child love is spelled, "T-I-M-E" and that is what you are giving them, your time!!!

The Financial Answer, you are really saving money! - I have recently found this out. There will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be more money to be had. There will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be more money that is needed. Even the billionaires on this planet will continue to work, because you can always have more. Think of the money you are saving just by staying home. You will not need to have career clothes or a uniform to buy, you will not have the temptation of eating out for lunch every day, you will not need to spend money on gas getting to and from work. You will not have to pay for a stranger to take care of your children. There will be less wear and tare on your vehicle. There will be more meal planning and less sporadic restaurant eating. It just doesn't make sense for me to work. We would spend more money just to make money.

You are so valuable - Even if I don't have the pleasure of knowing you and you are a SAHM, I am going to say with great confidence that you are an awesome person with great worth. Do not let a paycheck with your name on it define you. You are more than a piece of paper with ink. You are a fine, outstanding women that is taking the time and making the sacrifice of yourself to be with your children. If you are a SAHM of toddlers, you can get paid by witnessing their milestones. If you are a SAHM of a preschooler, you get paid with scribbles and picture art. If you are a SAHM, of an elementary student, you get paid with the goodbye kisses, the thank yous, and the welcoming home every day. If you are a SAHM of a teenager, (I have not reached this point yet....so experienced moms please help me out with this) hopefully you will be paid by a thank you when they are not focused on this awkward stage of their life and are able to see with a clear mind what you have done for them. Bravo moms, you are doing a great job by being a mommy, and that is all my boys have ever asked of me. They call me Mom! That is better than any promotion of a position any employer in this town could ever offer. Don't listen to judgemental mothers, in laws, and friends who do not understand your motives. You are doing something so divine, so fabulous, so first-class that they are blinded by the radiant act of love that you are giving.

Get outta here - The state of NJ requires 15 minute breaks and lunch hours. Let yourself have one. Join a moms group! Go out with your friends to the movies or talk on the phone to a long distance friend. Go get your nails done. Go cruising for fine looking men (Just Kidding......please do not do this, your husbands will be sending me nasty e-mails). My point is, enjoy your life. You have been part of a miracle, maybe you have adopted or held a life within for 9 months, you didn't give up your own. Be a mom, and let yourself smile. It is OK to step away. Do not feel guilty for "me" break time. It's the law remember!!! Rock on and go to Karaoke night, who knows you might see me there busting a move and singing a tune.

I am still very capable of working and actively participating in our families financial status, but choosing to stay home is a unique decision that is not to be taken for granted. Along with some of the above reasons, my husband and I have chosen for me to stay home until we no longer can see it being financially feasible. We scrimp, we save, we can do this. I need to remind myself of that when I have had my fill of home cooked meals and my old purse and "want" a new one. My mother stayed home with me. I want to be there for my kids and I have come to the conclusion that even the best childcare can never take care of my children the way that I can. We have chosen to listen to those more seasoned parents sharing that these days go by so fast. I do not want to miss one moment of it. Some of us are called to be a SAHM and others are needed to work. I congratulate you on the ability to make the sacrifice to being a stay at home mom possible for your children. You are not wasting your time.