The Stay-at-Home Mom

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"Mommy, karga me." (Mommy, carry me). "Mom, please make my milk", " mom, please remog (remove)my diapo (diaper)" "Mom, I want sunny-side up and hotdogs." "Mom, I want to watch Spogsbob and Dora. " Mom, what is a mirage?" "Mommy, o, away naman ako ni Kuya!" (My brother's starting a fight again)"No more fighting ha?, just loving, loving."

Two pairs of sun-kissed hands tugging at my sauce-stained apron, two pairs of curious eyes,accompanied at times with creased brows , a pair of voices talking at the same time, vying for attention...

It has been barely a month since I declared my independence from public service but I have come to the conclusion with nary a doubt nor an ounce of hesitation that nothing beats being a 24/7 mom in terms of workload. At the office,only my brain and fingertips are at work.And yup,I can still manage to look fresh and do a li'l chit-chat there). Now, I begin to wonder what it would be like to have another pair of hands and legs sprout out of my trunk. The chores are endless and they are never finished no matter how early I rise. Aagh! I thought I would have a grand time after more than a decade of being an office girl. I was caught flatfooted when the household help unceremoniously left us to be with the man of her nightmare.

So, am I complaining? Well, the fatigue is just physical. Doesn't hit any emotional nor mental chord.The comfy pillows and the sweet hugs and kisses of the boys can easily keep me recharged. I still prefer this set-up (even if just last week I contemplated on cutting short my leave and going back to the office this January!. I am no slave to time and am fulfilled being a servant to my loved ones.

Well, I am still trying to get used to the domestic quirks, but being a stay-at home mom has afforded me the following benefits:

1. I get to spend much (if not all the time) with the kids. Now I get to witness day in and day out the growing sibling rivalry and the tugs-of-war on just about anything --toys, books, CDs, and food (The taho (sweetened bean curd) is a source of friction. The younger kiddo wants the same container size as that of Kuya's for his taho, even if he doesn't eat much).

2. My domestic skills get better. (The fam now appreciates my cooking skill! To think that during the first year of our marriage, I knew nothing except fry fish and cook rice.)Well, I certainly would have flunked had my domestic skills been graded. My UP degree(s) mattered not in home-making.

3. Home is the best place to practice one's multi-tasking skills -- washing the dishes while sterilizing the younger kid's milk bottles,meditating while peeling and chopping the onions,supervising Rovik in his think and read and grammmar exercises, while scouring the grease off the weighty pots and pans, teaching speech lessons while simmering the pork ribs stew.

4. I get to go with the hubby and kids just about anytime anywhere. Isn't that liberating for somebody who loves window shopping (for classy gadgets and flashy gems), and scouring Booksale for bargain books? --all without the mental baggage of leaving unfinished reports, unchecked test papers and speeches, and of practically beating any deadline. (My boss appointed me as his speechwriter and test paper checker for the class he handled)

5. I have plenty of rooms to plan, organize, direct and implement everything all in my own sweet time.I can exercise my management skills inside my little queendom without the jaundiced and prying eyes of co-employees. Nope, I may not have the clothing allowance, productivity bonus and the weekly wages, but I keep my spiritual and emotional equilibrium and I get to fulfill Sushmita Sen's wise quip on the "essence of being a woman."

The essence of being a woman? Read Proverbs 31.

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