Things I learned as a stay at home mom.

Summer is here and while that means outdoor concerts, playing in the pool, ice cream for dinner, and all things wonderful it also means that my time at home with the girls full time is coming to an end. At the end of August I will return to my "real" job as a school psychologist.

 People have asked me if I'm looking forward to going back to work. The short answer: no. I will enjoy having mostly uninterrupted adult conversation, drinking coffee that is still warm, peeing without someone standing outside the door or crying (or both), and having a commute to work. But I won't enjoy going to work.

 For the last 15 months I have been blessed to have the most difficult job in the world. Full time mom. It has been a gratifying, humbling, life changing experience in ways I couldn't possibly imagine. I wish every mother could have the opportunity I had. I guarantee it would teach you every day over and over again.

 I have learned about my children. How they tick. What helps them thrive, what drags them down. How uniquely individual they are. I have learned about my relationship with my husband. We are a great team. He understands better than I understand myself sometimes. He understood how important this year was to me and to us as a family and worked to make it happen and still got home early enough to be a part of our daily routine. This year and a half has also taught me a lot about myself. I joked before I started this adventure that I was taking a year off to find out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, I figured that out. And so much more.

 In no particular order, here's some of what I learned.
 - I hate dishes in the sink and toys on the floor.
- Coffee reheated in the microwave just isn't as good.
 - I am a great mom, most days. The other days I'm just getting by.
 - As women, we don't support each other nearly as much as we should. If you have a girlfriend in your life that supports you, hold onto her.
-I need a bit of solitude in every day to feel like a normal person.
- I enjoy baking more than coking; that used to be the other way around.
 - I have more patience than I thought I had. Especially when reacting to tantruming 3 year olds.
 - I need physical exercise in my weekly routine to not feel like a crazy person. 
- Priorities change, and that's a good thing. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would rather be at home with my babies than continue my career path I'd have thought you were nuts. But hey, life happens.
 - At my core, at the very center of who I am, I am a writer. NOT a school psychologist.
 - Nothing. I repeat, nothing is more important to me than knowing that I have raised compassionate, caring, respectful, successful children. The highest compliment anyone can pay me is to say I have great kids.