Being a Stay at Home Mom with MS

I currently am a work from home, stay at home momma. I chose to stay at home with my son after he was born, and thankfully about a year after having him two wonderful opportunities to work from home came along. One of those jobs being what I do here with MultipleSclerosis.net! I love being a work from home mom. Some days it is a challenge, but I wouldn’t change getting to stay at home with my boy and watch him grow for anything!

Having down time

With that being said… a lot of people assume that working from home is easy as pie, but I’m here to tell you, it comes with its own set of difficulties. I have worked since I was fifteen, so deciding to stay at home was different, to say the least. But, when I knew I had the opportunity to do so, I took it immediately. I always wanted to be a mom, and knowing I had the chance to stay at home with my son in his early years was a no brainer for me. Working from home is hard in the sense that on top of your work, you also have to be responsible for a child — watching over them, feeding them, entertaining them, and complete housework (laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.). I know not all women have to do these things, but it’s something I enjoy doing. My husband works hard for us and to be able to stay home and take care of our son and our home, and still have time and at least some energy (most nights) to cook him a good and healthy dinner at the end of the day is a blessing. There are some days I honestly don’t know how I’ll get all of it done, but most days I manage. Some people claim that having a normal 9-5 job outside of the home is easier when you’re a parent because you get a break from the responsibility of taking care of another tiny human. But, in my opinion, it’s easier on me to be at home with him right now. Being able to work from home allows me the down time if I need it, and that’s something I do not take for granted these days. And, although you never get a day “off” as a mom, it allows me to have days where I can just relax if need be. I do want to say though, that I have the utmost respect and admiration for working moms — especially those working moms who also deal with diseases like MS. I don’t know how you do it all and still go home with enough energy to cook dinner, and do everything else running a household and parenting requires. You amaze me!

Balancing work and caring for the home

Like I said, I’ve worked since I was young, so while I may not know what working outside of the home with a little one is like, I like to assume I’ve worked enough with both to feel like I could figure it out. I also know what it’s like working with Multiple Sclerosis and how hard that was on me mentally, physically, and emotionally. When I was working, I was also going to school (whether high school or college), so between the two I always came home feeling drained of every ounce of energy. Working from home, especially with a toddler now, I still end the day feeling depleted of energy, but the nice thing about working from home for me is the ability to do things on my own time and get a rest in here or there, if I need it. It also is a blessing that I have a really good little sleeper, so when he decides to sleep in, I can get the extra rest if necessary. I do have days where I'm hard on myself because I didn't have the amount of time or energy I wanted to get everything done for the day, but whether working from home or working outside of the home, we have to give ourselves grace. That laundry pile can sit there a little longer, and those dishes can wait. Overworking yourself is never worth possibly damaging your health even more.

My dream job

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to help make money for my family and still take care of myself at the same time. And, a bonus is that one of my jobs allows me to help others which has always been a dream of mine. I feel like although life can still certainly be stressful and chaotic, I can enjoy it to the fullest without feeling worn down by a long day at work. I used to dread coming home to housework and homework after a long hard day on the job, especially if I wasn’t feeling well. And working outside of the home I was constantly sick due to a low immune system, so that brought issues of its own. Overall, choosing to stay and work from home has been such a great decision I have made for my family and my health with MS. I know this is not always an option for everyone, but if you do have the option and think you would enjoy it, I highly recommend it. Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t trade getting to witness my little boy grow while still being able to take good care of myself for anything! One day, I would love to return to working outside of the home if I find something I am passionate about and my health allows it, but for now I’m perfectly content with my work from home, stay at home momma gig! I know everyone may not agree it’s the best job ever, but I can honestly say I’ve landed my dream job at this crazy, chaotic, beautiful time in my life!