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Dreams + Coffee

North Carolina Healthy Living + Style Blogger

Life as a Stay-at-Home Mama {Reality Check}

February 10, 2016 Leave a Comment

Whew. Where to begin. Months ago, I made a goal of staying home with Blair by January 2016. I wouldn’t say I had a true game plan in place, but I am truthfully more a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ type person anyways. Not my best quality, but somehow it usually comes together in the end!
As some of you know, I started my business with Rodan+Fields back in April 2015 with a goal of it allowing me to become a stay-at-home mama. I was also working full-time, juggling parenthood and several freelance projects on the side as I started this business – can you say busy?! I wanted to be at home, so I was willing to put in the work to get there. I continued to juggle my fast-paced, busy lifestyle all the way through the end of 2015, where we had a bit of an extreme life change happening – which was Michael accepting a job in Memphis, TN!
As I mentioned in my last post, I ended up having to say goodbye to my job in order for us to take this leap of faith and move 900 miles away from our home in VA. Which means that I became a stay-at-home mom in the blink of an eye – absolutely NO time to prepare for this huge change! I literally went to work one week, and the next, was lounging in my PJs, relaxing and sipping delicious coffee – NOT. Life with a toddler is none of those things! It is pure craziness from the minute she wakes up (usually screaming at the top of her lungs) until the minute she falls asleep (sometimes for a nap, sometimes not until bedtime…yikes). Sometimes I have to sit back, take it all in and just laugh at the ridiculousness of our days.
To be honest, that girl who had a dream of staying home with her baby was not prepared for what being a stay-at-home mom really entails. Vacuuming three times a day (sorry, neighbors) because there Puffs littered on the floor, cleaning up toys just to have them thrown in the middle of the room again, and reading Goodnight Moon five times in a row in the middle of the day – and that’s just a sampling of our day. No, this was not what an obsessively organized neat-freak of a mom envisioned when I thought of staying at home. BUT….and this is what matters…it’s been even more rewarding than I ever could express. There are hard days, trust me…where all I want is a nice, cold drink and a vacation all to myself, but a hard day at home with Blair is a million times better than a hard day at the office. I always felt like my job was stealing hours of my time away from my family and I wasn’t getting anything valuable out of the time I put in. Sure, I was getting paid, but that was just for survival (okay, and to buy nice things). When I had a bad day, I hated to come home in a bad mood and have it weigh on me, but it did. And it really wasn’t worth it to let it control me. Now, when I have a bad day, by the end of the day, I’ve completely forgotten about the bad. What I remember about the day is getting my sweet girl out of her crib, watching and listening to her learn new things every single day, letting her nap on me (she’s only young once!) and sitting at the table to enjoy not just one meal but all THREE meals in a day with her.

That’s what being a stay-at-home mom is all about. The memories you’re making that you wouldn’t have made otherwise, if you were working in an office for 8 hours a day instead of spending those 8 hours with your baby. Now, I know there are so many parents who would love to stay home with their kids, but it just isn’t feasible. I get it. I wouldn’t say we were fully prepared for me to leave my job when I did, but sometimes life happens and you have to go with the flow. Luckily, my background in marketing has served me well and I’m able to pick up some freelance work here and there. Also, my Rodan+Fields business has been a game changer, and it continues to grow. I’m so grateful for what it’s done for my family so far and I know it’s going to get us exactly where we want to be soon!

 

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About Me

Hi y'all! I'm Brittany, a wife, mama to three little ladies and the creator behind Dreams + Coffee, a North Carolina lifestyle blog. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on my latest family, food, health and lifestyle posts.

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brittanywboyce

Wife | Girl mama | Pure Barre & Peloton obsessed | Dairy + gluten free | Blogger | Freelance writer | Owner @somethingbleuclt | CLT

Brittany | Mom Life + Style
@girlscouts End of Year Celebration 💚 Both girl @girlscouts End of Year Celebration 💚 Both girls earned a perfect attendance award, Blakely earned the highest honor a Daisy can achieve, the Summit Award, and now she bridged over to become a Brownie this upcoming year 🤎 We love our Troop 2997 leaders & friends 😘
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And the BIG reason why we came to to Atlanta this And the BIG reason why we came to to Atlanta this weekend — to see Ed Sheeran in concert 🥳 The girls’ very first concert ever and they loved it 😍 
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Hi from ATL ✌🏼 Been here many times in the pa Hi from ATL ✌🏼 Been here many times in the past for work…and yet this is my first time exploring the city 🤪
Last day of school for Brynnie✌🏼 Swipe for th Last day of school for Brynnie✌🏼 Swipe for the first day of school photo🥲
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Happy Mother’s Day 😘 A little strawberry pick Happy Mother’s Day 😘 A little strawberry picking at @patterson_farm to celebrate the day 🍓
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Girl Scout annual camping adventure ⛺️ I love Girl Scout annual camping adventure ⛺️ I love how brave these girls are 😘 When I was 6 (and 8 🤪) I would not have been so keen on camping outdoors away from home 🙅🏼‍♀️🤣 
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Sunday Funday ✨ . . . . . . . . Sunday Funday ✨
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I mean…there’s nothing cuter 😘 . . . . . . I mean…there’s nothing cuter 😘
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