...and on my breaks at work I write my grocery list, make doctor appointments, and search the internet for silicone bracelets for a fundraiser!

I work full time. Plus, I check emails throughout the evenings and weekends to make sure the computers are doing what they are supposed to. But, I decided a long time ago that work wasn't going to interfere with my family life. Sure, there are sacrifices both ways. But, if my daughter has a tee ball game, I leave early to make it (plus I am a coach for her team). If there is a PTO event, I plan for it and make it. Work comes second to my family. I can always find another job, but my daughters will only grow up once.

On the plus side, my boss understands this and knows that if there is something that needs to get done that I will find a way to do it. Even if the means working from home at night after the kids are in bed.

Now, I would like to chime in the MSN article regard SAHP salaries. While I certainly believe that being a SAHP is a lot of work and that you aren't just sitting around watching soaps all day, the article is missing an important aspect of it. If you want to count being a SAHP as a job, then you must also realize that most full-time working parents are also working "second" jobs.

When I come home from work, I don't just plop on the couch, tell the wife to bring me a beer and watch tv. I pick the kids up from school/day care. I make dinner (though my wife and I typically split this duty as she works full time as well). I help my daughter with her home work. I do the landscaping, yardwork, painting, building things, fixing things, coaching sports, put the kids to bed, I help clean, etc. My wife does the same. So, it isn't all fun and games for us working stiffs.

Not complaining. Just making sure everyone is looking at the whole picture.

Gee, think my husband realizes what a gem he has? LOL!!

I really enjoyed staying home again after we moved in our new house this winter and the phone was not ringing to call me into work. It got old pretty quick. Even though I was still going to classes 1 day per week I felt pretty useless. I would start to volunteer at the kids school but I didn't feel very wanted there either. It was a hard adjustment after 4 years of being able to work at least once a week and always having something to do with PTO and other volunteer things. I do enjoy part time though. In a way I dread having a full time job. I have a hard enough time getting housework done when I am at home. I am no June Cleaver. Next school year will be different. I am considering applying for sub teacher in another county (it has been done away with in my district) allowing myself to work Mon. and Wed. and some Fridays. Going to the school where I am PTO pres on Tue and Thurs and on my days off and spreading my Fridays out with my kids. I think I have everyone covered. In the past I had to worry about keeping my job seperate from my PTO position. Since I was a sub aide I would have to not accept calls on the days the PTO had functions because I did not want people to think I was getting paid for a volunteer position and I did not want to shirk my responsibilities. So there is the good point about not being able to work here anymore. I had to search hard for that one.

Cheers to all the SAHPs!

I saw the MSN and someone else (one of the monsterjob type sites) I thin did a SAHP job salary at $101,000 per year. The $130K sounds nice, if it was real.

Librarymom, no blood, no foul. Dont worry (at least from me) I'm not easily offended. Thanks for remembering me after, though.

The one big thing that hit me when I left my job was that I was never away from "work." When I had a job and daycare, I could run errands on my lunch break or take a day off sick and someone else watched my kids. Now I do EVERYTHING with at least one kid. When I had surgery, I really had trouble finding someone to watch my kids for the day because I've gotten so used to functioning without a backup. Don't get me wrong, I really love the freedom I have with my schedule and when I was at work I didn't have that but felt like I was still expected to do it all. I guess parenthood in the US is a no win situation. I think it'd be cool to live in country with 6-12 months paid maternity leave!

Just an FYI, they recently did a study that took into account the cost of all the work that SAHMs (and the SAHDs too I would gather) do- cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving, and they even included the overtime. The value came out to over $130,000 a year. I found a link referencing it
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7709166/
I did less work when I left the house to go to a job then I do now as SAHM that's for sure.