The Big Shift - Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom

Just recently, I was visited by one of my BFFs who is a busy career woman and mom who works for the Australian embassy. She informed me that she was granted a one year indefinite leave. Whew! Talk about being one of the fortunate ones in the corporate world. She was about to resign but her boss decided to grant her a one year leave instead! :) And so I started reminiscing about my days working as a corporate slave before
I decided to take the plunge as a wife and mom leaving my career and work behind. For mom's like me and my BFF who are also making the big change, here are a few things to expect and a few ideas I have in making the "Big Change" from a corporate career woman to a doting stay at home mom.

Your first few months, will be really exciting as you embark on your new career as a stay at home mom. You will have a lot of time for things that you find you cannot do before like reading your favorite novels,  catching up on those movies you missed during a busy weekend at home and other things that you cannot find the time to do before.

But after the first few months and you have settled on a daily routine at home, you will find that there will be too much time in your hands. Boredom will start to settle in and you will start to notice the difference of having a workweek laden with schedules and meetings and the big chunk of time you suddenly have on your hands thinking of things to fill your schedule so you don't lose your mind over small trivial things at home. So if you find yourself suddenly bored with being a new stay at home mom, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

• If you have a hobby or plan to have a hobby that you had no time before since you are required to be at work 5 times a week, now is a good time to start doing it. Now you have time to do that scrapbook you always wanted to do, or the curtains you planned to sew. Gardening is also a good therapeutic hobby, if you love plants, now is the time to get started on this hobby. 

• With a lot of time on your hands, you can start reconnecting with your girlfriends. Plan a weekly "me" time or a girls day out for the sake of your sanity. :) Believe me, it helps to go out of the house with other people besides your hubby and your kids. It even gives you something new to talk about with hubby besides the grueling work at home. You can have a movie date or a spa date. Something you can do with your girlfriends to keep you energized to face another week of housework. 

• While you're at it, why not start thinking about starting a small business? With too much time on your hands, you can still earn your own money (for that lovely dress in the mall)  so you don't bother asking hubby for more moolah, earn your own! Be a Mom-trepreneur. Start an online business. You can just source out suppliers and sell things online. That way, you get to earn while staying at home. 

• If the online business is not for you, why not enroll in that baking class you always wanted to do? Or a cooking class, to get you busy and elevate your skills a few notches. Who knows, you might be a good chef in the making. 

• Or if you love to write like I do, you can start sharing those ideas and start blogging! :) 

Do you have more ideas for mom's making the big shift? Comment below for ideas. Share away...