Someone Has To Do It

The reality about cooking, cleaning, and laundry is that they have to be done. No way around it! It doesn't matter if you are single, married, children or no children, someone has to do it. No one is going to show up and do the wash for you.

Of course you could pay someone to do it, but would they put their heart into the home like you would? Would they plan a healthy meal with fresh ingredients from the garden? Would they create a home that your family loves to live in?

As homemakers we have the opportunity to take our time with these daily tasks. We don't have to be in fast forward all the time. We can make our homes a place of comfort and contentment. Creating a legacy of love and joy for our children.

I hope to encourage you to live a thoughtful and meaningful life as you make a home. Serving your family can be creative and fulfilling if you make the choice for it to be. Each moment you can choose to notice life's little luxuries, the beauty around you, and give praise to your creator for all your blessings.

Laugh with your children, enjoy fresh warm towels, the birds outside your kitchen window, the smell of fresh brewed coffee and realize that each new day is a gift from God.

Someone has to do it. I'm so grateful it gets to be me.

I want to wish you all a

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

Be blessed my friends!

to mom

The kindness in his heart.

His love for me.

Sometimes.....I ask myself, am I getting it right?

Do I give them all that they need?

Will they grow up to care about others?

Does my light shine bright enough to light up their lives.

Do I tell them enough, how much Jesus loves them?
Oh, how I pray that I do.
I pray I'm getting this one thing right.

Today, I didn't feel well. So after lessons, I went to put my head down for a few minutes.
You know that awake but with eyes closed. Listening in, just in case but trying to rest too.

I could hear the papers rustling, cutting, and whispering.
I knew they were up to making something.
Being so good and quiet so mommy could rest a few minutes.
I always get extra hugs if I'm not feeling so good.=)

I could hear the swishing of footsteps, and something placed by my head.

My sweet sweet boy!I love Garrett.

Love, mom


p.s. acts of kindness, like this, let me know, I'm getting it right.

On my heart

Tonight, I have something on my heart and I feel like there is someone out there struggling with her decision. A mother is trying to decide to stay a career mom or come home to be more of a full time stay at home wife/mother. I would say to her, first of all, make no decision without taking it to God in prayer. I try to make NO decisions without consulting The Father.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. Isaiah 58:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

I reference these scriptures because you may not be able to see how your family can make it with the loss of your income. I'm pulling from my own experiences with making this life move. When I put everything on paper (income/bills) I couldn't see how we could afford me not working, but I knew that God was telling me to "trust Him and lean not on my understanding." This was His will for our lives. On paper we couldn't make it, but in Faith we have made it.
Once, the decision was made and notice was given. I began to seek out ways to cut cost in our monthly spending. We paid off all credit card debt and dropped my cell phone service. I have a prepaid cell phone I keep for occasional needs. I spend about $120 a year for my cell phone usage. Not bad, considering I used to pay about $50 per month for a basic plan. Another BIG way of saving each month is in the grocery and toiletry budget. From my blog, you can see, I am big with the coupons and stockpiling. I also make the weekly rounds at CVS and Walgreens. They have great customer reward programs. I have not paid for shampoo and toothpaste in over a year. ;0)
Perhaps, you think that doing these things is too much work. Trust me its not as much work as punching a clock everyday all day. I love finding ways to save and provide for our family. When I worked, I had no time for coupons and shopping for the best price. It's kind of like my job one day a week to clip, plan, and execute this task. I have a huge full pantry and closet of necessity items to show for my efforts. I take pride in my work, whatever it may be.
The key to being a Happy stay at home wife/mother is Contentment. Learn to be content with each new day. Learn to be content to "make do" or "do without" certain things. You have to have a perspective of what really matters in your life. Is it getting your hair and nails done and shopping for new cloths? Or is it packing a picnic basket and spreading a blanket in the backyard with your children/husband? I would rather be with my family every moment of the day and be wearing consignment store cloths. Shopping and salons where never a big deal for me, but buying "things" for my children used to be a big money pit. Until, we put our lives into perspective. Sure, I still have my eye on that super cute playhouse for my little girl, but instead of charging it to a credit card, we are saving up.
Have a accurate perspective of what life will be like at home all day. Because the romantic notions (June Cleaver) wear off after the first week. I prefer, to channel Mrs. Walton. She was a simple, hard working mother, and she was always sewing or cooking something in her kitchen. Embrace a simple way of life. Don't let friends with careers make you feel resentful with your decision. Don't feel a need to keep up with what others do or have. Know everyday that what you are doing matters. Raising children and creating a peaceful comfortable home matters.

Proverbs 31:10-31 The Wife of Noble Character (summarized)
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life......

She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family...

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks....

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy...

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise...

Why Do You Homeschool?

"The pace of life in our culture can be frantic. Homeschooling gives us the precious gift of time with our children."
-Zan Tyler, Anyone Can Homeschool

I get asked this question often. Especially, in the company of other mothers. The most important reason we homeschool our children is because we want them to have a Christ centered education. I want to read and study scripture with them daily.

"And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shall TEACH them diligently to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6

It is our responsibility to educate our children. I also home educate my children to protect them from the nightmare that is the government school system. Do not mistake my words, not the teachers, some wonderful Christian teachers teach in government schools. It's the system that is broken. It all began with the taking of God out of the schools. A Christian teacher cannot speak the Word of God over her students, she cannot pray with a child, she cannot have a copy of the Ten Commandments posted and resighted in her room. I can and I do in my classroom.
Is homeschooling easy? No, not always but I have never felt more reward and fulfillment doing anything else. I know the hearts of my children. They are safe in my care daily. They will not grow up and get into no good mischief. They will not experience multiple adult romantic relationships as teens. You know what I mean! I hope that my children will wait for the ONE God has especially for them. I hope they will have a pure courtship until marriage. It was not so long ago that these values where the normal custom. Only in the last fifty years or so has casual dating become acceptable. Yes, I sound old fashioned. I embrace old fashioned.

I wish all mothers would embrace staying home with their children and homeschooling. I had a comment here before from a working mom, "I would love to stay at home but I like to have electricity and food" as do I friend. I don't fault mom's that think like this because not so long ago, I did. I have a degree, I had a high paying career, and I like nice things. I never felt right about working after becoming a mother. As I prayed over what to do, and read God's word, I knew being home and educating my children is my place. It is the place of mothers. I realize, their are circumstances loss of a spouse, etc. where a mother may not have the blessing of a choice but in general, we have a choice. Sometimes, that means giving up certain things. I am proud to say that I love shopping thrift shops for nice cloths for myself and my children. I shop with coupons and have cut my grocery budget from about $1000 per month to about $400 per month. We live with a debt free vision for our family, hopefully in the near future. We live modestly but never have we, as a family, been happier.
I am blessed with a wonderful husband that encouraged me to be a stay at home mother, and it was also his idea to homeschool. The seed was planted in my heart but his encouragement sealed the decision to homeschool. He works hard for us everyday. He doesn't particularly like his work but he has peace because he provides for his family. He is always in search of new opportunities for himself and I full hearted support him. The Lord provides and we are grateful.
http://http//www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/6/25_Top_Five_REasons_Not_to_Send_Your_Kids_Back_to_Govt._School.html


It is not my intention to judge. These are just our families beliefs and values. It is my hope to encourage mother's to make the choice to be full time caregivers of their children.

School Days

That day has come again, the first day of school. Not for our family, for us school is year round. Sure, I give them a break from structured learning periodically. We did take off the month of June for a summer vacation and a cousin visiting for a few weeks. We have been hard at work ever since. Well.... not really! We practice a very relaxed homeschool environment. I want my children to enjoy and love our learning routine. I use a private schools curriculum but do not abide by thier work schedule. A few hours of book work four days a week and the rest we make up as we go. We do ALOT of arts and crafts. I'm lucky my children and I share the love of any and all things hand made. Oh, by the way, my son moved up a grade in the middle of the year last year. He will continue to move up grades at a faster pace than public schoolers. Why is that a good thing? For one thing, if he is ready, why not? Also, in the state of Florida, he is still eligible for all programs, scholarships, and grants that public schoolers can get. That includes the dual enrollment program. He can have two years of paid for college under his belt before other kids his age have even graduated. Does anyone know a young man by the name Tim Tebow. That's right, a Christian homeschooled boy, that finished high school and college early.



I just couldn't imagine taking them to school at 8am and not seeing them for seven or eight hours five day a week. Not knowing what thier hearts are feeling. God only knows what they might be learning. I have seen what children learn in government schools both in the classroom and from thier peers. NO thank you! Not for my children. I have started them early down a different path.

So in the morning when all those little sunbeams are grumbly waking up with the sun, we will still be snoozing. When the rush rush is taking place in homes across the country, we will be sitting down to breakfast together. As all the other children are lining up for the lunch room, we will be closing our books and heading outside to play. I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING!!!

Struck a nerve!

I'm gonna step on my soap box for a moment. Recently, I joined one of those social networking sites. At first, it was fun catching up with people I have known from a lifetime ago. The more I added people to my friends list the more comments of others I began to read. I am taken a back by all the negative mothering out there. No one type of mother (stay at home or working mom) is excluded. One mom that works as a teacher and has been off for the summer with her baby boy, constantly comments of her frustration with baby boy. How sad for her, that she is unable to allow herself the enjoyment of her baby if only for two months.

Then, recently I met a young mother and within minutes of our meeting she blurted out "oh I could never be a SAHM, for my own sanity." I was appauld by her negativeness. She also stated she does not allow her daughter to color at home because she may mess up the walls. Honey, I have permanent marker on my bedroom wall for six months now. All I need to do is touch up paint over it but I just can't bring myself to wipe it away yet. This same young mother is constantly posting comments and pictures of herself at concerts and bars with a group of other twenty somethings. So, she works fulltime all week away from her three year old little girl. Then, come Friday she's planning her get away from that pesky toddler. Why did she even become a mom?

I know that mothering is not always an easy job but it's the most important job/blessing a woman can have. I used to be a working mom. I loved working. My career was rewarding and fulfilling. I had patients I helped rehabilitate from strokes, joint replacements, broken bones, etc. I ran a rehab clinic by myself and made great money. The entire time I was away from my children there was an aching from within. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. God put woman on this earth to mother. To nurture, protect, teach, and guide. For woman to have the attitude of "I can't be bothered by these little snot heads all the time" or my favorite I need "ME TIME." What? Me time. Yeah, you had me time before you became a mother. This is your me time now. Enjoy it, love it, embrace it!!!! And for those stay at home mom's, stop whining so much about being with your child/children all day. Do you know how blessed you are to be able to do this? Thank your husband everyday for providing you the opportunity to be able to make this choice. Don't let the world make you feel less because you play, color, love, and nuture all day. Just fifty years ago, women embraced making a home and caring for thier families. Now, so many girls are brain washed by feminism in gonvernment run scholls. You must have your cake and eat it too. Women can do it all statements. Yeah, you might be able to work all day, pick up the kids, rush a dinner, and wisk them off to bed then repeat. Something huge is missing in your children's lives. YOU!!!!!!! Just dwelling together is not enough, they need your attention. They need calm relaxed mama who wants to listen and laugh with them. To know thier hearts. Not stressed out, frazzled, you get the few minutes I have left before I pass out exhausted mom.

I realize i'm stepping on toes here but oh well. Sometimes we need our toes smashed before we can open our eyes to what really matters.

How blessed I am!

"Mom"!! Yes, I reply. "Your a good mom." He says this unprompted all through the day. He is the kind of boy you just know is growing up to be a good man. I know how blessed I am to be thier mother. When I tuck them in, He asks for butterfly kisses. Oh, how I wish these moments could last forever.

He will rough house with her, but let her skin her knee and he will carry her home. She fell once from the slide. He come barrelling through the back door with her, blood dripping from her head, him screaming to call 911. He was so upset. She was totally calm. Boo boos all cleaned up and he is still trembling. So afraid she's seriously hurt. The protector, her hero, Bubba.

I was born to be thier mother.