Stay-at-home mom?

Yesterday was my official last day at my day job. And Ralph official starts his new job tomorrow. Which, technically, means that TODAY, Ralph and I are both unemployed. Sounds kinda funny to me! But I sure didn't mind sleeping in, and I don't miss worrying that I was running late to daycare or work. No one to call about being a few minutes late, no alarm clock to set, nothing! Well, Jake decided to be our 8am alarm clock, but whatever.

So then it occurred to me as I was preparing Jake's bottles and then scrubbing a toilet, and then picking up his toys, that I guess I now qualify as being a stay-at-home mom. But then I kept trying to think of reasons why that wasn't true: "I'm more of a work-at-home mom" and things like that. Which made me think - is there a stigma associated with being a stay-at-home mom? Is this not one of the most important jobs out there? Does not bringing home a paycheck every 2 weeks not make this a "job"? This is something I am struggling with this morning. As educated women, we feel like we are supposed to be "employed" - it is what we worked so hard for all those years. But as moms, we are expected to do a heck of a lot MORE than just 'work'. Ralph spent 2 days being a stay-at-home dad and was ready to abandon ship! HA! I am pretty glad he got to get a taste of what my future is going to be like. Not easy.

So I guess for now I am going to try NOT to classify my current role. I am many things: I am a mom. I am a wife. I am a small-business owner (of two businesses). I am the chief executive changer of diapers. I am the senior VP of bottle washing. I am the managing editor of external familial communications (that would be blog-writer to y'all). I am the walker of dogs, the scooper of poop. The executive collector of mail, and CEO of bill writing. The general manager of moving and packing supplies. I am the laborer, the manager, and the complainer. I AM MOMMA, HEAR ME ROAR!

P.S. - To be fair, I would like everyone to know that Ralph also holds the position of senior VP of trash collection, President of bottle sterilizing operations, Executive Administrator of early-morning feedings, CEO of dog feeding schedules, manager of laundering services, Dad extraordinaire, and all-around great husband, among a thousand other things I am blanking on. I am very proud of him - he helps out more than a lot of other dads I have seen, and I am lucky to have such a great parenting partner. :)