"Just" A Mom

Things That Went Right Today:

1) Pick up my son at 11 pm tonight. Can't wait to give him a hug!
2) My in-laws sent me a great recipe book of make ahead meals! Just what I needed. Soooo excited for some fast easy recipes. Thanks!
3) A girl my son works with and her husband are moving in with us for the summer while he does an internship in the area. They arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting them.

After two decades of being an at-home mom, I decided 6 months ago that it was time to create some sort of career for myself. But right away it became painfully clear to me that I had a blank resume. My degree was pretty old and when anybody had asked me what I did over the years I answered, "I'm just a Mom." Not likely to sound too impressive to a prospective employer. This frustrated me though, because it's not like I just sat around for 20 years. I worked really hard. Learned a lot. Achieved a lot. There just wasn't ever an official title or paycheck to prove it. The reward for my efforts was healthy happy kids and a lot of hugs. And lifetime friendships. These were the most important things to me, so I never worried too much about it until I started thinking about getting a job again. My solution??? Create my own. :-) It's working out just fine and I'm having fun, but here is what I think my resume SHOULD say after 20 years of parenting and nine children:

In addition to my BA degree in English, I have also had 20 years of on the job training in the following fields:

- Emergency first aid/ nurse
- Chef
- Chauffer
- Crisis management
- Party and event planner
- House cleaner
- Therapist/counselor
- Teacher
- CFO/budget analyst
- Interior decorator
- Volunteer coordinator
- Project manager
- Day care provider
- Tour guide
- Laundress
- Conflict mediator
- Room mom/team mom
- Soccer coach
- ETC!!!


Being "Just" a Mom is a lot of work, but so fulfilling too. And no matter what other jobs I ever hold in addition to motherhood,  being mommy to my kids will always be my my most important role! I am thankful every day for the opportunity I've had to build the resume above. It's been a wonderful adventure!