This week I have been playing the role of SAHM.

Earlier this year, my day care provider asked if I would mind if she took two weeks off in July, back-to-back. Given this is a questionable work week, with the mid-week holiday, I figured I could swing it. I have been "off" since last Friday and I have been embracing my role as stay-at-home mom ever since.

Next week will bring a much-needed change of scenery, when we all go to Cape Cod for the week.

So back to what's going on now.

I am a person who thrives on order and schedules. Waking up in the morning with hours of free time ahead of me with nothing to do scares me. Truthfully. Even as a single person I was always on the go. Rare was the moment you'd find me just sitting around with nothing to do.

As a mother of two boys with a lot of energy, I find I need to have at least one activity planned every day. It doesn't have to be anything major, in fact, checking out a new park or playground works as well as a trip to the Children's Museum in Boston. And it is much less expensive.

Experienced SAHMs know this well. I'm sure they know all the great places to go, free things to do, when the local libraries have story time and when they don't, what local moms groups offer for kids' activities, etc. As a mom who spends a good portion of the week working, I don't have a lot of time to research and uncover all the hidden gems in the area.

Locally, we have a great website for parents called Bostoncentral.com where one can find all sorts of kids activities, including parent reviews. This site has been a fabulous resource for me and on Monday I used it to find out where the best place was to go strawberry picking. The boys had a blast doing that, and even my 3-year-old could get down and pick the tiny, sweet strawberries,

Yesterday, I took the kids to a local state park with swimming and a beach. Because it's in the next town, I don't usually give it much thought, but it turned out to be a terrific outing. We packed a lunch, put on our swimsuits, and spent several hours building sand castles and splashing in the water.

Spending quality time with my boys has been great. But every night, I am exhausted! I tried to write this post twice, and couldn't even get a coherent word out. Oftentimes, my friends who are SAHMs will ask me how I get everything accomplished between running my own business and building Manic Mommies on the side. I usually reply, "My kids go to day care."

It's amazing what I can get done during the day while the boys are at day care. And it's equally amazing how little I can accomplish when we're all at home. A mental shift has taken place in my brain this week and I'm just going to go with it. I've been trying to stay off the computer, away from my email and phone, and just enjoy the moment with all it's chaos and disorder.

OK, truthfully, chaos and disorder can only be allowed for so long. Boys, clean up that playroom!