Doing the Stay At Home Thing ... Or Why I Started This Blog

I quit my job (career?) in February, 2004, to stay home with my daughters (who were then 6 and 3), re-evaluate my life and basically figure out whoI wanted to be when I grew up. I was facing the big 4-0, had risen to the higher echelons of middle management at a major financial services company, only to try and cope with a work environment that was so dysfunctional that I actually emailed Dr. Phil for help (he didn't write back), while figuring out snowday coverage so I could keep the backstabbers at bay. So I quit to stay home and rediscover who I was. Am I a mom? A career woman/manager/lawyer (or else why am I making those student loan payments)? Both? Do I need to choose or why should I have to?

As my final working days wound down, I would hear from so many people, especially women: "You are so lucky - I wish I could just stay home." At the same time, major news outlets were reporting a growing trend in America, successful working women who were walking away from their jobs to stay with their families. I've never been accused of being a trendsetter, so I appreciated CBS saying that I was part of a new movement in American society. But why was this such a big deal?

So I'll be writing about my day to day issues and observations about trying to do it all. I love my family, and I love my working life. It's just staying sane that's the challenge ...