Stay-at-home motherhood became so much more fun when it wasn’t my whole identity

I used to be very stylish and put together. I used to not forget everything. I used to have adult interactions every day, feel confident and have energy to work out.

This was me before I became a mom.

I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. And my husband and I worked hard to make that happen. We saved everything we could when we first got married so that when I became pregnant I would be able to cherish every moment at home with my little one.

Even though I studied for years, worked every summer as an intern bulking up my resume and began my career in the prestigious Operations Management Leaderships Program, I was OK stepping away from it all for the joys of motherhood.

But along with those joys come a lot of sacrifice; not only of your career, but your confidence, too. Your body changes, your emotions go haywire and you honestly feel like you’re losing your smarts a bit every day.

Motherhood is beautiful and filled with lots of snuggles, dancing around the living room to Disney songs and sitting on the carpet sharing bowls of cereal. I’m blessed to be able to spend my days with my little ones and see them discover the world in new and exciting ways.

But I often feel torn between the wonders of motherhood and the excitement of the outside world. Admitting that I’m struggling allows me to shake the unnecessary guilt we so often place upon ourselves.

Two years ago, I shared this with my husband as I stood in tears trying to explain that I love motherhood, but I miss my career, too. He’s a wonderful man and listened to my incoherent sentences.

He suggested that I look into either a part-time job or something I could do from home. We were also pregnant at that time with our second daughter, so the additional income would be a huge help.

I explored all kinds of work from home opportunities, from direct sales, to fulfilled by Amazon, to crafting and sewing. I knew that if I could grow a small side hustle while being at home with my little ones, that it may just be the perfect combination between motherhood and self-fulfillment.

After spending weeks browsing Pinterest for ideas, I finally stumbled upon blogging. I knew from the start that it would be the perfect fit. It’s flexible, inexpensive to start and can grow to thousands of dollars per month.

The only drawback was that it took time to grow a blog. But I had the time—so I went for it!

That one small decision has changed my life. Even though I don’t wear makeup and heels every day and pitch to fancy corporate executives, I have made amazing friends with other successful mom bloggers. The online community is vibrant and full of very supportive moms.

After admitting to myself and to my husband that I needed an outlet for my creative energy, a confidence boost and wanted to help contribute to the family finances, motherhood has become easier.

It’s OK to feel that you’re not cut out perfectly for motherhood. It’s only a part of you, it’s not the whole you. You are still a strong woman, a friend, a sister, a wife, an engineer or teacher. You are all of those things and still a mom. Your motherhood is not your only calling in life; it’s a very big calling, but you’re still you!

Don’t lose your beautiful confidence and energy when you embrace motherhood. It does not replace who you are, it adds to who you are.