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My New Role As A Stay At Home Mom! {Life Update}

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After almost 17 years in the office administration world, I’ve ended my professional career. As of this month, I’m officially a full time stay at home mom! Being that my entire internet presence is built around coming home for comfort, you can imagine that I’m pretty happy with this life change.

I’ve spent the last decade working hard to be content in my role as a working wife, finding time and energy to dedicate to my first priority (my home). I’m so grateful that the job I held until this month was one I was sad to leave.

I thoroughly enjoyed my role as the office administrator for a growing Baptist Church. I grew in my walk with Jesus as a result of my time there, being discipled as a member of the staff.

my going away lunch with all my coworkers

So why did I quit my job?

Being a mom is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and I find that it takes every bit of physical, mental, and emotional energy I have each day. I honestly didn’t think I would have the capacity to handle my job on top of my new role.

We also quickly found that I was needed for transportation, sick days, errands, foster care/adoption meetings, and a bunch of other little things that come with adding three kiddos to your family.

Paul and I prayed about it during my maternity leave and decided that it would be best for me to stay home. It continues to be a step of faith as we trust God to provide for our needs in this new era of parenting.

Because I have always prioritized my home life, making the transition to stay at home mom hasn’t been too difficult. With three kiddos in the house, I have no shortage of tasks: cleaning, laundry, meal prep and more. It’s nice to have a few hours each week for baking, organizing and decluttering.

One thing I have found is that I’m certainly not home all day! Our three kiddos are in three different schools, so I spend a good chunk of my day just taking them to school and picking them up. Along with that, I’ve taken on the role of chief errand runner so that Paul can come from work as quickly as possible with no stops on the way. We’re all glad when he pulls in the driveway.

I have moments where I feel guilty for the luxury of staying home. It’s easy to feel like I’m not contributing to our bottom line because I’m not bringing in a paycheck. But then I remember that Proverbs 14:1 says every wise woman builds her house. There’s so much more to homemaking than making money.

I build my house by taking time to shop carefully for groceries, saving as much money as possible. I build my house by keeping things organized, so that I know exactly what I have and avoid overbuying. I build my house by baking muffins for breakfast, so that my family feels loved and cared for.

Keep in mind that what’s best for my family may not be what’s best for yours. You can still build your home if you work outside of it – I did that for the last 17 years.

In addition to all of that, I’m so grateful to still have time and energy to continue blogging. The focus of Come Home For Comfort will remain the same and I’m so excited to continue sharing homemaking encouragement with you, in whatever season of life you’re currently living.

What SAHM tips do you have for me? Leave them in the comments below!

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29 thoughts on “My New Role As A Stay At Home Mom! {Life Update}”

  2. My best advice is to make sure you have at least one day of the week that is a day of rest for you. Do not schedule things on that day. For me, that day is Sunday. I also take time every month to go out with friends, and try to have a girls trip away every year.

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  3. Oh I’m so happy for you. My biggest tips would be if u have a choice between a picnic and cleaning the kitchen, pick the picnic. You probably do the following already but spend most of ur time laughing with the kids, lots of times I would think omgoodness I’ve got to work on this character flaw in my kids just to find out it was only a phase. Don’t expect perfect children. Don’t take a teacher or someone else’s parent or even a child’s word as fact without trying to understand what ur child is saying. Reward truth speaking greatly. I could write a book. Just relax and enjoy the ride.

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  4. You and Paul are doing such a wonderful thing and your kids will be blessed by your faithfulness to the Lord and each other.

    If you can, find an older, “seasoned” mom to mentor you. It’s nice to have a short time away from the kids and also to be using that time to talk to someone who has been in your shoes before and can pray for you and with you.

    Also, follow Joyful Mothers -Rachel Comfort Zwayne on Facebook or Instagram. I find a lot of encouragement there.

    I don’t think being a mom comes naturally to anyone. Some moms can make it look easy but some seasons of motherhood are easier. It’s always a sacrifice, but it is a role that God can and will equip you for. 2 Corinthians 12:9 comes to my mind a lot on the long, hard days and Great is Thy Faithfulness is something I find myself singing daily!

    God bless you!

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  5. Fantastic! When my daughter was little I treasured every moment at home! Time flies! Now that she is older I have transitioned back to full time. I do not regret one minute of staying home with her. There were sacrifices but they were worth it.

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  6. Congratulations on becoming a SAHM, I loved my time at home! Now that my son is older it is easier when he has a sick/snow day and I am fortunate to have a flexible schedule at work to arrange appointments around. But when he was little it would not have made sense for our family for me to work full time outside the house so please don’t feel guilty for doing what is best for your family!

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  8. This was a beautiful post! You are doing a great job, Whitney. I know God is at work in your life and your children’s. Thank you for saying yes to His plan.

    I’m a stay at home mom of 4 kids, 6 down to 8 months, and we homeschool. You already do a lot of the practical things I would recommend (chore schedules, getting dressed in the morning, meal planning, etc.). Definitely don’t feel guilty! The devil (and our culture) will whisper those lies to you but I truly believe the majority of the time God calls women to be in the home with her children (not saying women can’t work for His will and glory but during child-raising years it is so hard to juggle both and most likely He doesn’t call us to that!).

    My advice would be to trust in God’s process of shaping you. Motherhood can feel like a “step back” because all of a sudden you find insecurities in yourself, an inability to control life, unpredictability, sin patterns and wounds that you didn’t notice before. But it’s not a sign you are “worse” just that God is molding and shaping and healing you in ways you didn’t even know you needed. Motherhood is the hardest and the best thing I’ve ever done. I miss being a Registered Nurse but I will never regret stopping my career to raise my children. Maybe someday God will call me to that again but this hidden task of homemaking and motherhood is so rich and beautiful and necessary in today’s world.

    Hugs, mama!

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    1. Thank you so much for your encouragement and for the great advice, Laura! I definitely feel that “step back” from my previously perfectly curated life. I’m so grateful for the grace and hope I find in Jesus – because yes, the moments are difficult. Hugs to you!

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  9. Don’t feel guilty. This is a good decision. I have been a full time at home wife and mom since even before my son was born in 1999. I thank God every day he has blessed me with this ministry. By the way I smiled at your Dunkin Donuts coffee……drinking iced latte right now:) Thanks for sharing your heart:)

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  10. Hi Whitney! You do a beautiful job describing the responsibilities of a “home”-maker! In today’s world, there are many versions of it! I know with the Lord’s Help, you will make good use of your time, energy and interactions with the kiddos! It’s a decision you will not ever regret making. (Words of wisdom from a 20-year veteran as a SAHM… and now an empty-nester! Time DOES fly!)

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  11. I loved being a stay at home mom! Being home was wonderful. Now I work with my daughter at her small church school so I can still be with her (which I love) but finding it very hard to get things done around the house. It’s a challenge and I know I can’t do it all.

    My advice for you is don’t feel guilty!!! Your presence and work in the home is worth your weight in gold! You are what will make life run smoothly for everyone and you will help create wonderful memories for your kids and husband.

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  12. I think you already do an amazing job! I worked until my son was born and have been a stay at home mom ever since and my oldest son is out of college. I find I get things done that we would normally do on the weekends if I worked like cleaning the gutters out! My advice to you is to stay in touch with old co workers and take small “mom vacations” for your sanity. Also, if you don’t already do this, use apps like Fetch and Ibotta to save money on groceries! You have alot more mouths to feed!

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  13. Congratulations Whitney, that’s wonderful! I’m a stay at home mom of 3 as well (11, 9 and 7) and I relate to a big part of the day being drop off and pick up lol! You are doing so great, I’m so happy for you and your family!

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