Why I Choose To Cut Back On Work To Spend More Time With The Kids

I have always worked since I was old enough to get a job. I never was fired from a job and there was never a period of time that I didn’t work for any reason up until the time I had Ethan 5 years ago this month.

The first year of Ethan’s life, I was trying to figure out how to be a mom (Who am I kidding? I still am trying to figure it out!) and I never thought about going back to work. And before I knew it, I was pregnant again with the twins. Work? I was working harder than I ever had at any other job I had…no way I could go back to work now.

The girls are 3 months old here...this is when I started my blog.

When the twins were about 3 months old, I started my blog, Mommy of a Monster. My intent was to just keep a record of my kids growing up – I never thought that I would find work through my words.

But that’s what happened….I started getting opportunities to write sponsored posts on my blog and before I knew it, I had gotten a few freelancing writing jobs. I spent all of my time on the computer, writing and tweeting and Facebooking and pinning.

I initially stopped working when Ethan was born because I wanted to be a stay at home mom, my mom had worked full time when I was little and I wanted to be there for my kids. But what happened was that ended up working full time, for much less money than my old job, but at home. Ignoring my kids. Picking the computer over them.

Ethan & the girls on his first day of preschool...how is he already starting Kindergarten?

So now Ethan is going to be starting Kindergarten and the twins are starting preschool next month. Where did those last 5 years go? It went by so fast! There are no more bottles or diapers or swaddling. My little ones are going to school.

And so I cut back on my freelancing several months ago. I wanted the summer to be about us. And tomorrow we are leaving for a camping trip…remember I mentioned going to King’s Canyon? I decided to do it. I’m taking the kids camping for 8 nights. I may or may not be crazy.

But these are the kinds of things that the kids will remember, right? I want them to remember camping and not how Mommy was always on the computer. The computer will be here always, my little ones will not.

Why did you make the decision to work or to stay home and raise children? Do you ever have any regrets?