First off....before I start venting and rambling....here is the entire layout that I did for The Shaker Box crop this past weekend. The recipe included using only patterned paper...no card stock whatsoever, journaling strips, rub ons and or alphabet stickers, some bling and of course some ribbon ( those of you who have seen my scrap space know that I have quite the affection for ribbon!!) I think that this was such a cool picture of Abby and daddy....of course Abby let me know that she thinks her nose is too big and daddy commented that I covered up his face perfectly to hide it. Oh boy....are they ever happy (smile)?



Now for my vent and excuse me if I start to ramble but yesterday I was faced once again with somebody pointing out to me that "I don't work" so I have no place to claim that I am busy. This was done in a roomful of parents, the same parents and children that I worked very hard for this past month in organizing a banquet for. It wasn't done in private, it was done to shame me because I do not work. And of course it was followed up with the same old same old...."Must be nice not to have to work.... wish I could stay home everyday" Okay....so here I go (and this is for all of you stay at home moms...for all of you domestic engineers....

First off....My husband and I decided long ago (20 years to be exact) that one of us should stay home and raise our kids., He was farther along in his college education and of course I was 9 months pregnant so it was decided that he would finish his education and be the bread winner. This was not a decision made lightly, this was not a decision made because I was not the educated one...I was pursuing a degree in accounting at that time. (One that I later worked on as well) This was a decision based on what we felt would be best for our family at the time and in the future. Believe me at that time we certainly needed and could have used a second income!!

Coming to my second point.....We have made MANY, MANY sacrifices along the way so that I can stay home with the kids. We don't get a new car everytime we turn around, we don't have more than one tv, we don't have more than one computer. My kids get the things that they need to excel but what they don't get is all of the extras....the name brand clothing, the expensive cell phones, every new video game that comes out. They are fine with this, they have learned the value of a dollar and they have the same appreciation as I do for the words "Clearance" in a store. I am not saying that if you work your kids are spoiled....no not at all. What I am saying is that my family does without all of the extra's so that I can stay home with them and raise them how we feel that they should be raised.

I understand completely that there are families that absolutely need a second income...when Andrew was just starting out in his job as a teacher we seriously could have used a second income....times were stinking tough...but we made it work and somehow we managed to get by.

I understand all of this and I don't criticize anybody because they work...but why oh why do people feel the need to criticize our decision for me to be a stay at home mom. Why do they seem to think that all I do is sit on my butt all day long at home? Why do they feel the need to tell me that I don't really work? Why do they feel the need to tell me that I am so lucky my husband has such an awesome job that I don't need to work? How in the world do any of them know what a day in my shoes is like, how do any of them know what my husband actually makes as a teacher (which by the way is one of the poorest paying professional jobs out there but one with a high education cost...just check out our student loan payments each month if you don't believe me) and that he makes enough for us to be "lucky" for me not to have to work....try disciplined more like it....we don't spend money like it is water.

I don't ever regret our decision for me to stay home with my kids. My kids are good kids (Okay, I think that they are Great kids but I may be a little biased) My kids are honor students, they have a strong faith, they excel in athletics and they are extremely thoughtful and caring to others. Yes, they would probably be this way even if I did work outside the home but I really like to think that my staying home and being there for them had a little something to do with it. (I really do think it actually had a lot to do with it but......)

Okay, I vented, I rambled but I was seriously hurt and offended yesterday. Of course after I got home I had thought of a million things I could have responded to her with but me being who I am I thought of them too late. I guess I would just like people to think before they open their mouths. That would be in a dream society I guess.

So if you made it here and you made it through all of my ramblings I just wanted to say thanks for stopping by today. Have a great one!!