Sometimes I say to my husband, "You don't know what it's like to be home with the kids ALL THE TIME." I describe the often frustrating cycle of cleaning a room, as the children destroy another room. Or working for hours trying to 'get on top of the housework', thinking that at some point the house will be tidy, complete, and all that will be necessary is to maintain. I am yet to reach such a point, and highly doubt this point even exists before the youngest child is in full-time school (and even then...)
Or the constant stickiness, and the food in my hair (weet-bix is the worst!) and pulling on clothes that may not fit properly, or look like they were stolen from a hobo, and throwing my hair back into a ponytail. Seriously, I have seen babies that are better dressed than me. This is a very real concern!
There were days last year when it was school holidays and Sophia was still a pretty new baby, where it would get to the evening and I would go outside to empty the bin or check the mail, and I would look around and think, 'Huh, it rained today' or something, and realize I hadn't been out of my house, even to the letterbox, for a couple of days.
Back to my original point, I tell my husband he doesn't know what my role as stay at home mother is like, and he reminds me that I don't know what his role as 'bacon-getter' is like, because I've never had a full-time outside the home job.
He suggested awhile ago that I get back into some music teaching. I have been giving private music lessons since I was seventeen, and I actually quite enjoy it. I have met some awesome and talented young musicians and had a lot of fun with them. About two years ago we moved to another town, and with two small children and another on the way, I decided it was time for a break. A few weeks back, though, I decided life has calmed down enough for me to start thinking about starting up again.
Here's where it gets interesting- I somehow managed to get a part time job teaching piano and vocal lessons at a local private school (without so much as an interview, oh yeahhh!) and am finding myself actually being chased down by other schools looking for music teachers, which are apparently rare in this town. So here I am with more work than I can take being offered.
Maybe the first consideration should be the content of my lessons, or possible programs for Years 4-7 students...but let's be honest, my first thought was one of panic- Oh dear, I have to appear professional! No more food in my hair, no more havaianas, but ironed, smart casual teacher clothing. (Second thought was about programming.) I since took the opportunity to disappear off to the shopping centre and purchase a bunch of clothes (and while I was there, the complete series of Daria) much to my husband's shock. I usually come home fairly empty handed, mumbling about requiring practical shoes etc. Not this time!
Also thinking I could use some new make-up. It's been about two years since I really bought any decent make-up. And if I'm thinking about make-up, maybe I should be getting my hair all fancied up too. All in the name of appearing professional, of course. Both of these things don't typically fall under the realm of mother attire (at least in my world) so one could assume they are a part of being a working woman. And I think I could do with some new pants, too. You can't go to work with no pants.
My husband said if I wanted to work full time he would quit his job today. Sound like Lynette and Tom, season two of Desperate Housewives? Haha. In a way, that sounds....interesting.
