Staying at home

Was asked again last night, "Do you have to work?"

I immediately start to mutter things like ... "I don't have to (financially) I think but I don't do very well at home as a housewife!"

6 weeks. Been at home 6 weeks since I stopped work. I clean the house up an average 1.3 X a week and wonder why it is not spanking clean. The Big One has found many a strange place to put his smelly socks - the most recent, on the chair in the study. The Small One has just been toilet trained but has yet to jet properly.

Small things aside, I really enjoy my time at home with the both of them. The small one takes up most of it and saps up energy faster than I can produce them but he's such an enjoyable little fellow to be with. I miss him so much whenever he's not around me. The big one, well, in our 6 year marriage, this is the first time we have our own place to call home and we are only just learning to live with each other by ourselves. He declares loudly that he hates housework but still helps out and so I think we can still live under the same roof for a long while more.

Come Monday, I go back to work. What will going back to work cost? My relationship with the boy? My marriage? Or will it teach us all not to take things for granted and bring us more freedom to pursue the things we like?

I'm hoping it will be the latter.