I'm pretty sure that I've decided to quit my job and stay home for at least a year. I'm just wondering was the transition hard from working to staying home? Do you often get bored? Do you have a structured day? Give me the scoop! :biggrin:

I stopped working four years ago so now my perspective is different than if I had just quit. :) Looking back, that first year at home was awesome. Your baby is young enough that he just goes along with what YOU want to do. So you get to determine what the day is like, working around his nap and feeding schedule. I remember having great shopping trips to the mall, taking long peaceful walks, going out for lunch with old friends while my baby slept. It all seems so idyllic now. :lol:

But also looking back, the first year is a lot harder because you can easily end up talking to yourself/a tiny baby all day long. You can go days without an adult conversation. :lol:

Plus you are learning how to take care of your baby and dealing with not having your old job and life anymore. That can be hard.

What helped me was making a routine. Making a list of things I wanted to get done in my new job as mom. Going to activities (like storytime, playgroups) and mostly, joining MOMS Club was the greatest thing for me. There was a ready made group of people in the same situation as me and that's exactly what I needed to find.

Just wanting to post so I remember to come back here once things have calmed down a bit. I just became a SAHM once Jeremy was born at the end of March. My situation is a little different in that I also have a toddler, but I can share with you the trials and tribulations (and hopefully not scare you off too much!) in a bit.

ETA: We had it VERY rough in the beginning. J was colicky, and I was adjusting to 1) the colic 2) staying at home 3) taking care of 2 kids. We kept Riley in daycare 3 days a week for the first 6 weeks, and then I was with them both full-time.

I echo Cami's suggestion--having a routine has helped us tremendously. Now that J's almost 6 months (OT, but when did that happen?!), we get out of the house at least once a day, whether it's going somewhere in the car or just out to the park. Numerous times during the summer we'd just walk around in the stroller. It helps you lose that extra baby weight in addition to not feeling so cooped up. :aok:

Right now we head to the library, go to the local school to play, head to the mall, run errands, go to the park, you name it. What I'm really hoping for next is to join a MOPs group or something like that. I wish I had a chance to join a playgroup, but I think Riley's getting a little old for that.

I do get bored sometimes being home. I did eventually structure our day at least a little. That was more when Sarah fell into somewhat of a nap schedule. What I tried to do was get out with her almost everyday. We would go to the movies every week (special show for moms with babies), story time at the library, etc. That really helped keep me from going nuts.

This is set to happen for me when Carsten is born. I've been working part time off and on since Ty was born, so I've been half SAHM and half working. Now, I'll be full time SAHM. To be honest, I'm filling a bit apprehensive right now - not about staying at home, but more about quitting my job. My thought though is that my kids are only young and little for a short time. If I decide to go back to work once they're in school, I can if I want.

I didn't become a SAHM until Aidan was 15 months old. And the idea of what being a SAHM was like and what reality was were 2 different things, but only for awhile.

Like Cami, once I found my MOMS Club, it really was the greatest thing for me. I have other people like me to hang out with and kids for my kids to play with.

Survival and avoiding boredom are dependent on other SAHMS, and activities. Not all MOMS Club chapters are alike, but I liked mine in that I didn't have to worry about finding activities for my kids. Our calendar was chock full of stuff for me to choose from - playgroups that were mock kindermuzik groups, agre-grouped playgroups, zoo playdates, park playdates, lunchtime playdates (potlucks or lunch dates), book club playgroups, storytimes at different libraries, pumpkin farm outings, petting zoo outings, etc etc.

So we're not overwhelmed, we usually are out and about 3-4 days a week. Then we spend 1 day running errands (if we have any) and always 1 day laying low at home.