According to a study done by salary.com and reported by Associated Press, if stay-at-home moms were "compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love" they would make almost $117,000 a year! They calculated the numbers based on surveying 18,000 moms and decided that a typical work week consists of 94.4 hours (if that's not enough overtime, I contest that a mom is on call 24 hours a day, making 168 hours a week). They studied and included the pay levels for 10 job titles typically performed by moms, such as housekeeper, day-care-center teacher, van driver, psychologist, and chief executive officer.
A similar list came to mind as I read that article. It comes from a poem called Hats off to Mother. When I was in Kindergarten we, the kindergarteners, proudly performed this poem (complete with matching hats) for our mothers in a Mother's Day program. (Side note: when I searched for this poem online I found it in an LDS sharing time lesson... ha ha, I think many a Utah school teacher doubled as Primary President over the years. I'm pretty sure they adapted the second to last stanza to avoid church and state conflicts.)
Hats Off to Mother
My mother’s job is sometimes hard, and I have heard her say,
“The hours are long, and if I could, I’d like to change the pay.”
Her profession has variety, and I will tell you now
About the many hats she wears—and why and when and how.
My mommy’s a nurse who fixes and patches
All of my hurts and my sores and my scratches.
My mother’s a chef who fixes each dinner
Fit for a king—a blue-ribbon winner!
My mom’s a chauffeur who drives pretty slow
But gets me to places where I need to go.
My mom’s a detective, and no one is greater
At getting the truth from me sooner or later.
My mommy’s a gardener and works really hard,
Planting and weeding and grooming our yard.
My mother’s a maid—at least that’s what she said—
‘Cause she cleans up the house and makes every bed.
My mother’s an angel—a queen in disguise—
Who teaches the gospel with tears in her eyes.
Today take these hats off, and please wear no other.
Let me do your work, to show I LOVE YOU, MOTHER!
So hats off to Moms, and especially ours! We love you!
Mom Haskin on her silver* anniversary cruise to Mexico.
*25th
Mom Purser on her silver anniversary trip to Washington DC.
I had been going behind her back all week planning, scheming, and plotting. It took a lot of care to be able to keep it from her, because I was planning on having her family come up from 
Murray, as well as have her uncle, aunt, and 2 little cousins come from Lehi, and her bro Nathan and wife Anna come in from Provo.
