1. DON'T stay at home!! Get out of your jammies and get out of the house.
When I was home with kids when they were younger, I found it all too easy to spend a day in sweatpants, pajamas, whatever, watching Playhouse Disney and feeling my brain turn to mush. I knew I had to do something before I stopped feeling like staying home was a privilege and it began to feel like a sentence. Although I'm not much of a structured person, I created a weekly schedule. I sought out community activities and planned around them. Twice a week we went to community center playgroups. Once a week we went to the library. Once a week we went to either the zoo, children's museum, butterfly house, park, whatever.
2. Find a support group.
Being a SAHM isn't a disease, but loneliness sure can be! As much joy as our kids give us, it gets really tough not talking to other adults. Find a mom's group of some sort. Check to see if your church has one. See if there is a local MOPs group. Sometime the La Leche League will do group activities. And if that doesn't work, or even if it does, there is always the Internet. There is a forum for just about any parenting topic, philosophy, or stage you can imagine. Sometimes the anonymity is a good thing. It allows you to be more honest.
3. Find a good babysitter.
Things are going to come up. You'll need to go to the doctor, get a haircut or just have some alone time. Find someone who can help on a regular basis so you're not scrambling when you need backup.
4. Think of it as your job.
This isn't an easy one. Your husband goes to work in the morning at his job. Staying home with the kids is your job. At the end of the day, parenting is BOTH of your jobs. Sometimes it's hard to remember that taking care of kids is work. Talk to your husband and create a plan so you can both share in the parenting duties in the evening.
5. Enjoy it!!
They're only little for a very short time. Try to take a moment each day to look at the little buggers and remember what miracles they are. Children are such a blessing. Being able to be there for all of their firsts, to see step by step the people they are becoming is a gift. Enjoy.
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