The Joys of (Stay at Home) Motherhood

Firstly, a disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form attempting to argue that stay-at-home mothering is superior to career-mothering. Secondly, a fact: Although I am well aware that staying home full time is not the best choice for all moms, it for sure is the best choice for me at this point in time. What follows is a celebration of a good fit for myself and my family, not a persuasive argument for any of you working moms out there to give up your day job.

Staying at home, for me, is mostly about the luxury of time I have.
We can have such wonderful breakfasts. We certainly don't eat like this every day, and we have our fair share of cereal, but it feels wonderful to have the time and energy to make pancakes for the kids if that's what they are really craving.
When you stay at home, any day can be face-painting day.
When the weather is bad, we play trains. And when we play trains, we play HARD CORE.
Being home with May lets me see her grow and change on a daily basis. Here she is diapering Kale, her baby robot. I can't imagine missing out on this.
When it's a nice day, we can venture into the backyard for a picnic. Even if the weekend is snowy or rainy, I know I made the most of the good weather during the week.
When you stay at home, Pirate Story Time at the library is a *big* deal. You have time to dig into your dress ups and get into that aforementioned face paint.
I eat lunch with this girl EVERY DAY. How fun is that?
Finally, some mornings all the kids want to do is lay around in their pajamas and read books. I'm so fortunate that I don't have to drag them out of the house every day in time to make it to work. I'm so fortunate that this IS my work.