Hi, My name is Faith, and I am new to blogging. It was suggested to me today that perhaps I might be interested in starting a blog about stay-at- home moms. This was in response to a conversation I had with Polly Pearson of EMC in Hopkinton and a new book launch. The book, The Working Mothers Experience is a series of personal essays about life as a working mom at EMC. In the course of our e-mail exchanges, I noted that I’d love to see the other side told as well, and so, here I am. In the 15 years I’ve been parenting, I’ve been both a stay-at-home mom and a working mom. I am mom to four children a whippet, two cats, a parakeet named Tito and on occassion, my husband.
I stayed home full time for the first 5 years of my older two boys lives, and have worked as a freelance writer from home since the birth of my third son. Now, with all four kids running busy lives, I work some and stay home some. I am a day camp director for a local Cub Scout Camp, I continue to freelance, I can often be found running projects at the schools, I’m very involved in the local scouting community and I continue to care for my home. I love my life – there’s little I would trade, but I’d love a few extra hours in a day, a cook and a cleaning lady.
I’m hoping that folks around the world will catch on to what this blog is about. I hope to start a conversation about how we can best support each other in our visions of the future. I believe all women want the same things, but we each must follow our own path to get there. I also think women are looking for connections, and I know young mom’s are lacking support if all of their friends are working. It’s tough being “on” 24/7 just ask another woman.
Let’s open some dialogue. What makes you happy you chose to be at home? What makes you wish you worked? What are your days like? Tell us your stories. I look forward to empowering woman to band together and offer a stronger future for both our sons and our daughters. It’s time to move beyond the Mommy Wars of the past and begin to come together as women to offer a brighter future. I’m excited to see where this goes.
Faith
lovealpacasandllamas.com 
The hardest part of being an at-home mom was finding me. I knew my role as mommy and wife, as sister and daughter, as friend and neighbour, but I had lost me. I realized my work as an educator was a large part of who I was and the respect and sense of worth I drew from my career was missing. In the beginning, I was too busy or too tired to notice – three young children will do that to you. But eventually, I wanted more. I wanted to find me again. This feeling gnawed at me until I knew I had to make some changes. I searched my head and my heart to find the answer to my question – who am I? Slowly, with the speed of Canadian snowbanks melting in March, I began to discover me. I opened doors, and I forged ahead. I had a few false starts and hairpin turns, but I eventually eased onto a path of self-discovery that fit with both my family’s needs and my own. I had not felt so alive in years and was learning new things about myself along the way. I truly believe the time I spent finding me, made the other parts of my life better. Today, no longer an at-home mom but a successful entrepreneur, I am able to look back at those years and smile. I wouldn’t change much about the path I took, because it has eventually lead me to where I am today.
Pam