Mom or maid?

I left my career to be a stay-at-home mother, not a stay-at-home maid.

But some days I feel like a small portion of my day is actually spent on mothering. Instead, the housekeeping, laundry-sorting, dinner-planning side of my motherly duties is in competition with the mother I want to be. I want to be a mom who teaches, loves and has fun with her children.

So, when I’m staring at the ridiculous pile of laundry that I’m pretty sure has been washed but I’m not 100 percent sure so I’m going to have to wash it again, I wonder if I’m spending my days in drudgery rather than mothering.

My mother managed to turn the daily drudgery of motherhood into cherished moments like chatting in the kitchen while snapping green beans or taking a laundry break to take me for a swing in the king-size sheets.

I hope my own kids look back one day on such memories rather than asking, “Wait, that woman always sorting whites and colors was my mother? Who knew?”

How do you find the balance between being a mom and a maid/chauffeur/chef?

Erin Stewart is a regular blogger for Deseret News. From stretch marks to the latest news for moms, Stewart discusses it all while her 4-year-old daughter crams Mr. Potato Head pieces in her little sister’s nose.