We will celebrate our oldest daughter’s fifth (!!!) birthday this Saturday. I’ve been planning since January. You did read that right…January. And in truth, it has probably been longer. It is not because I am a planner (I love to plan!). It is not because I want every detail just right (I’m mildly obsessed with details!). No, it is because I have two children under the age of five (that is until Saturday!) to parent full-time. I knew it would take at least four months to prepare for a party I hope my daughter won’t soon forget.
I’m not a buy your party-in-a-box kind of person. I look forward to stuff like this. Some may call it the Martha Stewart syndrome but I like to think of it in more palatable terms; it’s a way to channel my desire to be creative. Most of the time this creative outlet easily marries into a kid-friendly craft project but sometimes I want the production of something all to myself.
You see, I am happy to be a stay-at-home mother, although I’m not completely fond of that term. I do not fail to recognize how fortunate we, as a family, are to have me in the full-time position of motherhood. But like many, the “9 to 5” is just not enough. We need hobbies. We need outlets that make us feel whole. Something to feel passionate about even if we only get a few hours, twenty, or five minutes out of a week to fulfill it.
I write this post to remind myself that full-time child rearing is a type of job. I’m with my daughters everyday to teach them how to communicate, interact, understand and live in this world. It is a job with a huge responsibility and it is a rewarding one. I’m lucky to have it, but it won’t keep me from that need to do more in my life.
Saturday will be the culmination of months of planning and creating and the fruition of it will be documented here. I am anxious, overworked, tired, and busy parenting and creating, but I am fulfilled.
daughtersbarrow 