This Stay At Home Mom Is Swamped!

I'm finally back!  Made time in my mad schedule to do what I said I was going to do- and that's one thing you'll find out about me; I'm reliable, smart, obviously modest, and outspoken.  I'm looking forward to using this format to discuss the challenges we face as "Just A Stay At Home Mom" (or dad, or grandparent, well, you get it)  I'm a stay at home mom, a wife, a Nana, and a phenomenal daughter- like I said, modest.  But I've learned that if I don't recognize my own value, strengths, and abilities I can't expect anyone else too either, so when I'm good I say so, and you should too!
First off, deepest apologies for my lack of time to blog; I've scheduled it for myself, so maybe that will help.  The point is, the blog is called Just A Stay At Home Mom?  and that's such a ridiculous phrase I just HAD to use it! 
I've been a stay a home mom (against my will) most of the past twenty years, and I've learned exactly what it means!  I say 'against my will' because twenty years ago, when my daughter was eight, I had a son with special needs, some of which are behavior disorders, which means I couldn't find a daycare that would keep him, so any jobs I managed to land either had to end when he got out of school for summer or the business closed down (I worked for a few startups; they seem to be more flexible with the school schedules and endless days off, but that's on the list for discussion later).  Begin with  the "Just" part of Just A Stay At Home Mom.  The typical stay at home parent (let's not forget those dads!) who has a typical child is a whole lifestyle; you clean, cook, drive, make appointments. . .  well, I'll get into all the hats a stay at home caregiver has to wear (let's not forget the grandparents, friends, other family, foster parents and all the others who care for those who can't care for themselves adequately) another time; let's just suffice to say that a special needs child comes with its own incredibly difficult, stressful, uncertain set of circumstances and requirements that are a toothy beast on a good day and a ravenous toothy beast on a bad one.  Yes, the list is long, the years are longer, and the payoff is slim at best; you have to find things to appreciate and ways to go on when you're so exhausted and overwhelmed you're certain you can't do it for another second- that's part of what it means to be Just A Stay At Home Mom. *Today I have chosen to gather a fresh bouquet from my yard and let it cheer me.
My goal is to help every reader better understand what it means to be "Just A Stay At Home Mom" as well as what it means to be an individual apart and aside from being "Just A Stay At Home Mom", which is equally as important.  I hope everyone gets something good out of my experiences- if you have any questions feel free to contact me on this blog- I'm looking forward to it!
Take good care of yourself, thanks for reading!
-Amy