2018 was a BIG year of changes for not only myself but for my entire family. This was the year that I went from being a full time working store owner to a stay at home Mom and oh my goodness….. it’s been an interesting transition.
On December 1st, 2017 we closed our beloved store in Minnesota and on January 1st, we started our new season of life in Memphis. To keep you from having to read a novel, I’m going to skip the details about Kids Carousel, BUT I will absolutely write about it in another post. Anyways, I wasn’t sure how I would transition to this new role I now had. At first, all was fine. We had an entire garage full of boxes that needed to be unpacked and find their new place, furniture needed to be put together, we got the kids enrolled in school, and put both in karate. Being such a big transition for them, we wanted to get them in a sport right away to get them involved in something and also make new friends.
After a few months had passed, I started feeling unsure of my new role. Don’t get me wrong, I love having time with my kids. With that said, I do believe there are people who are more suitable to stay home with their kids than others. I have come to the conclusion that I fit somewhere in the middle of those two groups. You see, for the last 7.5 years of owning Kids Carousel, my kids came to work with me most days. If they weren’t with me, they were with my husband or other family members. I got the best of both worlds. I got to work and be around my kids. If I wasn’t around them, I knew they were with people who I fully trusted, loved them as much as I did, AND they were free! Haha! Anyways, while I wasn’t sure if being a stay at home mom was good fit for me, I did not care for the idea of putting them in daycare either.
As I toiled with what I should do, I did find a life group at my local church called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). I was a little nervous about showing up to this group in the middle of their semester, but I also knew I needed to make some friends to ease the loneliness. It took till the fall semester in 2018 for me to really find my place and I’m so happy I kept making myself attend. Hearing other moms share their highs and lows and knowing that you’re not alone in the struggle of maintaining your sanity most days, was reassuring.
I have still struggled with the dilemma of, do I find a job or don’t I. Honestly, if I found the right job that had set hours and brought in enough income to pay for daycare and a surplus, I would probably take it. I have not found that job yet. I have years and years of experience with working in children’s retail, floor displays, management, and customer service. I also do not have a college degree. THAT my friends is what has become a big struggle in finding a good job. I am very, VERY good at retail. I love interacting with customers. I love helping them pick out coordinating outfits for family photos, giving them all the pros and cons on various baby swings so they go home with one they love and will best suite their needs, and getting to know them and their children. Retail hours will not work in our life right now. Between my husband’s schedule, the kid’s sports schedule, and retail’s crazy holiday hours. It isn’t a good fit right now.
So, here I am. I am still at home with my kiddos. Trying not to lose my sanity and yet soaking up all the moments I can because I know many would loved the opportunity to be home with their littles. I will say, my sanity has gotten much better since school started back up. Haha! Kidding… but not really. I still keep an eye on the job market and when the time is right, I’ll find something. Just know that if you’re struggling being home or being a working mom, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and both positions have plus’s and minus’s. No matter which position you are in, find other moms to do life with. My friends from Minnesota and the new friendships I’m making here, definitely make life easier. We were not made to do life alone.