Crazy Awesome Kids

Joanna went scrapbooking today and I hung out with the kids. Before swim lessons we shot this little video. I caught them doing this little routine in the yard and ran and got the camera. After swim lessons we went to Burger King and Josh helped Levi go through the tunnels. When we got home we played for awhile and then watched "A Night At The Museum" while Levi napped. While I was making dinner, Mackenzie told me that she needed to go on a diet. I started to tell her that she wouldn't be dieting, and then switched gears and decided to ask her why she was going on a diet. She said, "I need to gain some weight." We survived the day without mom and now she's back. whew. Man she works hard. With mother's day being tomorrow I thought I'd throw in this editorial I found in the Lake Stevens Journal:

In today’s society, what’s your mom worth?

Being a mom is a full-time job – literally and according to Salary.com, Inc. stay-at-home moms are worth $138,095 per year for all of the jobs they do in the home.

Working moms are not far behind with a salary of $85,876 per year plus the salary they get for their full or part time job outside of the home.
The top job descriptions used to come up with these figures include housekeeper, daycare teacher, cook, computer operator, machine operator, facilities manager, van driver, laundry operator, CEO and psychologist.

Working moms reported that they spent an average of 44 hours per week on their job outside of the home and 49.8 hours on their “mom job” which brings the grand total of her working hours to 93.8 hours per week.

Stay-at-home moms reported working 91.6 hours per week.

Other factors that need to be considered are that moms who work outside of the home tend to get less sleep and most sacrifice a perfectly clean house to spend more time with their family.

Both types of moms sacrifice to make sure that their kids grow up happy and healthy.

While stay-at-home moms give up earning extra money, career advancement and sometimes a title, most feel that the sacrifice is well worth it.

Moms who work outside the home give up sleep, exercise and many skip lunches to have more time to spend with their family.

One interesting tidbit is that working moms are more efficient in the work place so that they don’t have to take work home with them, They want to be able the spend their time at home as quality time with their children.

I am able to relate to both types of “working” moms. I was fortunate to be able to stay home and raise my kids until my youngest entered kindergarten.

Those are years I would not change for anything. Watching them take their first steps, hear their first words and being able to show them new things and watch the expressions on their faces when they saw the eagles fly overhead or when a fish would jump up from the lake are priceless.

Some days I would wish I were working again, especially when the monotony set in of cooking, cleaning and children teething but for the most part staying home was a joy.

Once my youngest started school full-time, I was fortunate to be hired here at the Journal where I was close to home and the kids’ school and was working with wonderful people.

Now, I get the best of both worlds - being a mom to two wonderful kids and being part of a great company that is an important part of the community.

This Mother’s Day I want to thank all of the wonderful mothers in my life.

First and foremost, my mom who has always been a great example of honesty and integrity. My mother-in-law who is one of the most generous women I know.

Desiree Cahoon, our Publisher and my boss and friend, who is not only an exceptional woman but an amazing mother and mentor.

And not a Mother’s Day goes by when I don’t think of the two incredible women who made the greatest sacrifice and chose to place their babies for adoption and give them to my husband and me to love and nurture and to make our lives complete when we couldn’t do this for ourselves.
Happy Mother’s Day!