Today I'm grateful for our Parent's Morning Out (PMO) program at church. It means so much to me because for 12 years of being a stay at home mom, I had no such opportunity to grab a few minutes of alone time. Babysitters were NEVER in the budget, we lived so far away from other moms that I was physically isolated, and programs such as this were available in another town but gas money and "tuition" didn't fit in the budget.
Our program is amazing because there is ZERO cost involved. It works on the volunteer system. I spend one Thursday morning a month volunteering and then the other three, I get to take 2.5 hours to do something for myself. Last year I wasn't able to get the full benefit of the program since at the time there wasn't an option for Peyton. Bradlee was young enough to stay and Adriana was old enough to volunteer. About half way through last year, they opened up a homeschool class that allowed school age children. YES! I was completely in heaven and SHOCKED when I got that first morning to myself. It took several weeks for me to really start to enjoy that time!
This year has been fantastic for me. It truly is a blessing to just get a few hours most weeks to just not have to be a mom or teacher temporarily. I promised my husband I would not STAY at home, I would not shop for the kids or I would not work on anything school related. MOST days, I keep that promise! I usually try to stay out of the grocery store and try not to run normal "errands", but sometimes I still end up doing it. At least on those days, I can usually do it MUCH more efficiently!
Aside from the me time, it has been amazing because of the relationships I've also formed. It was from that homeschool class starting last year that I first became involved with other home school moms on a more regular basis. The friendships that have come out of that group are completely priceless to me. It has been one of the greatest joys of knowing that we are exactly where God placed us. Having personal one-on-one relationships with someone else that REALLY gets the "call" God has placed in our hearts is absolutely amazing. To know that someone else TRULY gets the ups and downs....is PRICELESS!
I also completely enjoy the morning that I get to volunteer. Everyone that knows me knows that I am most happy when I have a baby in my arms and on those mornings I get the chance to completely lose myself in snuggling, rocking, and soothing. I love it! Many mornings those few hours have been my sanity savers and it has also healed many wounds. Kevin always knows which days I got my baby fix!!!!!
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