Sugar Cookies and Lotion

by Andilyn Jenkins

My knuckles are stingling (who loves my hybrid?). I’ve been baking, decorating, and packaging sugar cookies all day long, and because I’m coming down with a cold, I’ve been washing my hands in hot water at least every twenty minutes for most of the day. Finally, at 2:30 a.m., I packaged the last of the cookies, washed my face for bed, and put on two rounds of lotion. And now, as I look into the kitchen and type through my stingly fingers, I revel in my hard work. The kitchen light is reflecting off of the dozens of bags of pink cookies and making my light grey walls blush. And I sit here, blogging, thinking about how much I really love being a mom. Let me explain.

Being a stay-at-home mom means I wake up each morning with a full day to use as I see fit. Of course, I have obligations to meet, like taking the kids to school, or fulfilling community and church roles, but I’m not accountable to anyone about how I choose to spend my day, which gives me a sense of freedom regardless of the many demands I include in my schedule.

Because I am a stay-at-home mom, I can host a bake sale with my daughter for Valentine’s Day to earn money for a family trip to Disneyland. I can train to become a Zumba instructor. I can blog once every-other-week. I can go to the ANWA Writer’s Conference. I can spend the entire day just playing with my kids. I can go for a bike ride to the park. I can have a picnic. I can take my kids and fly to California to visit my dad. I can pick my favorite meal for dinner, whenever I want. I can read books. I can take piano lessons. I can go to the gym. I can be in a play. I can be a youth group leader. Because I am a mom, I can do anything.

Now, none of these things are easy for me to do. And many of them require an extremely supportive husband and family (which I’m very blessed to have). But I feel like Motherhood is the career of endless possibilities. Every day, I wake up and have to organize my own time, set my own deadlines, and create my own objectives. And the harder I work, the more of myself I dish out, the more I see back—whether it be in pink-frosted sugar cookies, a healthy self, or giggly children.

So today? I’m tired. But I really love being me.