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SAHM / Working Mum Series: Introducing Kelly



About Kelly

Introducing Kelly – a wife to her high school sweet heart and a proud Mama to four remarkable children. Kelly and her family reside in the state of Maine alongside their cat called Figi.

“I am a stay-at-home-mom, home-schooling fanatic, reader of all things literature, and official chaos coordinator of our home – and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

1. What made you decide to be a SAHM?

“Honestly, I have always bounced back and forth between staying home and working outside of the home. I have worked all kinds of odd jobs from fast food to banking and mortgage lending. After the birth of our fourth child, we decided to have me return home full time. While it was a difficult decision to make financially, it was the right one for our family.”

2. How has your decision affected your family?

“The kids have at least one parent home with them about 99% of their lives. It means they are not shuffled from school to day-care to home for bed. It means I know a lot more about what is going on in their lives, who their friends are, and what their dreams are. We don't have to worry about who will miss work if someone is sick, how we are going to get them to various appointments, or what to do if there is a function during the day they need to be at.

However, it also means that we live on one income. There is not a lot of wiggle room in our budget. The kids don't have the luxury of the newest tech items available. We are an extremely thrifty family and do the best with what we have.”

3. I have noticed that you are into home-schooling, have all your children been home-schooled? What made you decide to go down the route of home-schooling?

“Home-schooling was always something I had considered, but it was not something that was always an option. However, a few years ago when I transitioned back to a stay at home parent we began looking into it. There were a lot of factors that were considered, but the biggest factor was Common Core. The first year was only a partial year as we withdrew the kids part-way through the school year. There were a lot of challenges and I made a lot of mistakes. So many, that I almost quit. However, after taking a break for the summer I was able to clear my head, conduct a whole lot of research, and we started the next full year much better prepared. Home-schooling is a journey, and each year we learn more about each other and home-schooling. We learn better what works for our household and what does not.”

4. Have you ever thought about returning to work?

“Honestly, yes. There are times when we could use the extra income; but then I consider all the other aspects involved (such as day care, putting the kids back into a public-school setting, balancing multiple careers) and I realize it's not a permanent solution. No, I do not dream of days in an office away from my kids. In fact, I truly enjoy being home and know what a sacrifice it is for our family, but for our family we feel that it is the best course for us.

5. What do you think is the perception of SAHMs?

“It really depends on who you ask. In my circle of friends, there are mostly stay at home moms, but I know plenty of Moms. I don't belittle a woman who either chooses to work or has to work nor do I look down on her. Each family has to decide what is best for them and their family. There is no clear-cut answer here.

However, I have also heard of women who think Moms who choose to stay home are either lazy, ubber-religous, or old fashioned. And maybe some of them are, but my experience is that most stay at home moms are just trying to do what is best for their families.”

6. Are there any negatives of being a SAHM?

“Sometimes and on some days it does get exhausting spending all day with little people. However, I do know the other side of the coin, working 40+ hours a week or odd shifts, and I try to always remember how lucky I am to be able to stay home.” 7. Do you think that being a SAHM has prevented you from accomplishing your dreams?

“Not at all. My dreams have never revolved around a career title or an income level.”

8. What does a typical day in your shoes look like?

“A typical day starts with tea and a few moments of quiet before the chaos ensues. Breakfast and morning chores commence quickly. We begin our school days with two classes together then move on to independent work. This is when I work with my younger two, and the older two work independently. Around lunch we come back together to check in on how the work is going and to eat. Cleaning up, checking on laundry and other chores, then back at it. Every afternoon my oldest two go to the local public school for band, and my oldest daughter also participates in chorus. We aim to have our book work completed before we leave for these activities.

Most evenings we have extra-curricular activities as well in the form of scouts and church groups. These also keep us quite busy, although we do aim to have dinner together as a family at the table together.”

9. What advice would you give to SAHMs?

“Make sure you take a few moments for yourself every day. Even though taking care of your family is your top priority, you can give more when you have let yourself recharge. Whether it's first thing in the morning or late in the evening, spend a few minutes most days doing something you enjoy. Me, I try to start and end my days reading for a few moments.” 10. Finally, please tell us more about your blog 'Hope In The Chaos' and where we can find you on the internet?

“Hope In The Chaos is a blog all about learning to find the hope in the chaos of life. Far too often I find what women get bogged down by the chaos, the laundry list of things they need to do each day and it overwhelms them. In a state of overwhelm they are unable to see the hope that is there.

And I get it. I've been there. In fact, I am there some days. Far too busy looking at my to-do list and not looking closely enough at my children and family.

What it's not, is a place for women to battle against women. It's not a forum to debate life choices. It's a place for women to come together because regardless of how we raise them, we are all connected through the fact that we have little people calling us Mom. And we are all looking for the hope that is very much clouded in modern-day life.

On the site I cover three main categories: faith, family, and home-school. For me, my faith is a huge part of who I am, but I understand that this topic may not be relevant to all readers. I do try to keep my faith posts separate from the others, but there is occasionally an overlap simply because for me, all three are intertwined. Family posts are all about all aspects of raising a family, whether it is large or small. And of course, I write on a variety of home-school topics while being aware of the fact that not ever reader will be interested in learning about home-schooling.

If you are interested in checking out the site you can find me at www.hopeinthechaos.com. I also have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.”

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hopeinthechaos

Twitter: www.twitter.com/hopeinthechaos

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hopeinthechaosblog

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/hopeinthechaos


Thank you Kelly, for a very informative interview. I agree with you on the fact that as women, especially mothers regardless of whether we are married, single, divorced and so forth we all have children. I love to see women supporting women and now that I am a mother it warms my heart to see other mothers supporting one another.

I love to read everyone’s comments and stories about their own first-hand experiences with motherhood. I feel that as mothers we have so much to share to help others because you would be so surprised at how your story could help to inspire or encourage mothers. I am excited to see how the different topics planned shall unfold and of course to meet so many remarkable and diverse mothers.

If you would like to be a part of my series please feel free to contact me at;

hello@theresilientmum.com

With Love,

Roxanne-Sasha x

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