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The Adventures of a Twin Mom

Motherhood and Travel Blog

September 28, 2018

1 Year as a Stay-At-Home Mom

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It’s officially been one year since I became a stay-at-home mom (SAHM)! I feel like I just blinked and an entire year has passed!  This has me feeling ALL THE FEELS!   Today, I’m answering a few questions that I often get asked, sharing a short review of the past year,  and sharing a few random thoughts/opinions from other stay-at-home friends.

  1. What is the hardest part? I became a stay at home because I wanted to spend more time with our kids and I didn’t want to miss any more special moments. But… I was naïve and honestly thought my life would become drastically easier, I was in for a rude awakening. I had a stressful job but being at home all day chasing two toddlers around is way more exhausting than work ever was.  There has been so many times that I thought “what I would give to be at work right now.”  My husband jokes when the kids are being a handful that he can’t wait to head into work to get a “break”.  What we mean by “getting a break” is when you have twin toddlers, it’s nonstop.  Working isn’t technically a “break” but it’s a change in pace, it’s a change in scenery.  When you’re a stay at home mom, you don’t ever really get a change in scenery, you’re always with your kids and you never have any me time. At work, I at least had time by myself and time to not be focusing on my kiddos.
  2. How do you afford to stay home? My husband and I have always lived off of one income even when we were both working full time. We made the decision while we were engaged that one of our incomes would just go straight into savings for the future. When we decided that it was best that I stay at home while the kids were young, we just said goodbye to less money going into our savings. A big thing for me is I didn’t want our family to make any sacrifices financially for me not working… if we had to cut out anything in our life or change our lifestyle in any way then I would or will go back to work.
  3. What’s the best part of being a stay-at-home mom? Not waking up at 5 am anymore… just kidding! The best part by far is spending my days with Camden and Ella! I am so grateful for this extra time I get with them. I will never take being a stay at home mom for granted!

This picture was my last day of work (even though technically I’m employed until January 2019, my wonderful work approved a leave of absence for a year in case I change my mind), it was so exciting to come home and realize I could spend 100% of my days focused on my little family.  Can you tell how happy I was? This will forever be one of my favorite pictures because I was filled with joy and so excited for the future.

IMG_8065 4Soon after, we celebrated the kiddos first holidays…

Halloween23032542_10209914723770678_3215651202357807018_n

ThanksgivingIMG_1118

ChristmasIMG_1107

IMG_1877Judd got an amazing job offer in Charleston and we started building our dream home.IMG_1789IMG_3057IMG_3018IMG_2911

We played, played, and played.IMG_1652IMG_1894

Camden and Ella turned 1 and we had the cutest little birthday party for them! You can read more about this here.IMG_34681-59231592311-5923959239IMG_2857

They were both teething hard around their birthday! 🙁 IMG_2858

We were so proud of surviving the first year as twin parents!IMG_3568

We took our first international vacation as a family of 4 to Canada.IMG_5363 2

We played hard…

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They kept growing and growing.IMG_6910IMG_6176IMG_5934IMG_5619

IMG_5231IMG_5229IMG_3937

We went on vacation to Florida. You can read about that here.

IMG_7034IMG_7347IMG_7016IMG_6916

We stayed very busy playing at home, visiting family, and going places…

IMG_7423IMG_7660IMG_7926 4

36955756_10217967743731186_8014906155455217664_o

We sold our first home and moved to SC!IMG_7949

We couldn’t be happier in Charleston!  Our days are spent at the beach or at our new home…IMG_8866IMG_8896IMG_8922IMG_9321IMG_9666

The area we moved to is a kid (and SAHM) dreamland.  We live in a master planned community… the neighborhoods all have pools, playgrounds, ponds, and bike trails connecting everything that we have access to.  When the kids are older, we will get to ride our bikes (or a golf cart) to school every day!  SO fun, right?IMG_1358IMG_1005IMG_1047IMG_0825IMG_0876IMG_0891IMG_0942IMG_1096

I am so excited to see what the next year brings us.

As you can tell, I love being a SAHM.  I won’t do this for forever but for now it’s perfect for me and it’s perfect for our family! I am going to continue to soak up every minute with my two miracles…IMG_0919

I asked my Instagram SAHM friends if they had anything they’d like to share for this post.  Here are some of their thoughts:

  • “It’s the best job in the world!”
  • “If you can somehow swing it financially, do it! You won’t regret it.”
  • “It’s not all glamorous! Somedays I am so happy and somedays I cry.”
  • “It can be lonely. I miss interacting with people.”
  • “Your kids are only little once. When days are tough, I remind myself that someday I won’t be at home with them. That puts everything in perspective.”
  • “I am a SAHM. That doesn’t mean I am uneducated, I have a PhD.  That doesn’t mean I am lazy, I don’t get lunch breaks. I chose to be this and I’m proud!”
  • “I used to worry about my career potential being wasted but then I realized, the workforce will always be there. My son won’t always be young.”
  • “It’s the best and the hardest job in the world.”
  • “It’s best for our family that I stay a home. I miss my job but my daughters need me.”
  • “You can’t forget about self-care, as a SAHM we usually get put on the backburner.”
  • “Oh my, there is no down time, no lunch. I feel like my days fly by.”
  • “THIS IS NOT A VACATION!”
  • “I worry everyday if I’m doing enough but when I see how well my kids are doing, I know I’m doing plenty.”
  • “The days go SOOOO damn fast and the years even faster.” 
  • “Even though we want to be home with our children, it doesn’t mean we don’t need a break too. Sometimes we want a break and need one.”

1 Comment

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  1. 2018 in Review | The Adventures of a Twin Mom says:
    December 31, 2018 at 11:58 am

    […] I celebrated one year as being a SAHM! Best decision I ever made, you can read about my first year here. […]

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Hi! I'm Brianna! I'm a wife, mom of twin toddlers, a blogger, and a world traveler. Welcome to a small piece of our perfect chaos!

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AD: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Did AD: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Did you know that 1 in 4 kids in our community don’t know where their next meal is coming from? Summer is especially challenging without the help of school lunches. That’s why Food Lion is partnering with 7 brands: @aquafina @lays @kelloggsus @saraleebread @campbells @chexmix @breyers this summer for their Summers Without Hunger program to donate meals to local food banks – you can help by donating $5 at checkout at Food Lion and they will MATCH it! Doubling the donations! I am trying to raise up kids that care about others, and when I heard about this amazing @foodlion program, I knew I wanted them to be involved. They loved taking their proceeds to our local Food Lion and donating by themselves! Purchase a $5 donation at checkout in store or with your next Food Lion to Go order today to help child hunger! https://lnk2.io/wj2k6VL #FoodLionFeeds #SummersWithoutHunger #PutHopeOnTheTable
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 We love that Raid® Ant & Roach Killer with Essential Oils is safe for use around kids and pets when used as directed. We buy these from our local @publix . #RaidProtects
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Today on their Checking In blog, I’m sharing the Top 12 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach for families this summer! Head over to my link in bio or swipe in my stories to check it out. 🙂 #MyrtleBeach #SouthCarolina #travelingwithkids
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#sonestahiltonhead #hiltonhead
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AD: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Did AD: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Did you know that 1 in 4 kids in our community don’t know where their next meal is coming from? Summer is especially challenging without the help of school lunches. That’s why Food Lion is partnering with 7 brands: @aquafina @lays @kelloggsus @saraleebread @campbells @chexmix @breyers this summer for their Summers Without Hunger program to donate meals to local food banks – you can help by donating $5 at checkout at Food Lion and they will MATCH it! Doubling the donations! I am trying to raise up kids that care about others, and when I heard about this amazing @foodlion program, I knew I wanted them to be involved. They loved taking their proceeds to our local Food Lion and donating by themselves! Purchase a $5 donation at checkout in store or with your next Food Lion to Go order today to help child hunger! https://lnk2.io/wj2k6VL #FoodLionFeeds #SummersWithoutHunger #PutHopeOnTheTable
Our anniversary trip to Hilton Head Island was a d Our anniversary trip to Hilton Head Island was a dream! Sharing all the details about our trip…our stay @sonestahhi and everything we did on my blog today.  #hiltonhead
#AD These three could sit here all day playing gam #AD These three could sit here all day playing games!  Does your family love to play games? When we first moved in we had bugs in here. Thanks to @raid they are all gone and we no longer have to think about a bug crawling across our game boards!  We always have Raid® Ant & Roach Killer with Essential Oils and Raid® Ant Baits on hand. 
 We love that Raid® Ant & Roach Killer with Essential Oils is safe for use around kids and pets when used as directed. We buy these from our local @publix . #RaidProtects
9 years! 💗 Happy Anniversary, Judd! I’m so th 9 years! 💗 Happy Anniversary, Judd! I’m so thankful for you and this life we’ve built together.
AD: My kiddos, you are ONE IN A MELON! This past AD: My kiddos, you are ONE IN A MELON! 

This past year with all the craziness in the world, I've realized how important it is to buy and support local companies. I love that my favorite grocery store @foodlion lets me do this while shopping in their store...they have tons of products labeled Local Goodness which are products sourced from inside state lines. . From produce to seafood to baked goods to health & beauty, they've got an amazing selection! This juicy watermelon was from Coosaw Farm https://lnk2.io/w5BsFSN #LocalGoodness #FoodLion
If someone asks me for a good place to take a summ If someone asks me for a good place to take a summer vacation with kids… Myrtle Beach is always in my top three spots! We had the best time there last month for a little family getaway of our own at @hiclubvacations South Beach Resort. #HostedByHCV

 

Today on their Checking In blog, I’m sharing the Top 12 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach for families this summer! Head over to my link in bio or swipe in my stories to check it out. 🙂 #MyrtleBeach #SouthCarolina #travelingwithkids
#ad It’s that time of the year…Spring Cleaning #ad It’s that time of the year…Spring Cleaning!! Do we think Camden and Ella will actually help? #doubtful First up, cleaning the carpet with the @BISSELLCLEAN PowerForce™ PowerBrush Pet upright carpet cleaner. It doesn’t matter how much we vacuum-- between 2 kids and the tough messes from our rescue pet, our carpets do need to be powerfully cleaned often! This lightweight but powerful cleaner always does a great job removing dirt and stains and is extremely affordable. We bought it at @Walmart #PowerForcePowerBrush #WeArePetParents
Can someone bring me something frozen with a littl Can someone bring me something frozen with a little umbrella in it please? #thebaropensin15minutes😉 Judd and I are having such a wonderful vacation @sonestahhi! ☀️🌴🍹

#sonestahiltonhead #hiltonhead

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