My mind has been filled with thoughts of home lately - and this post says what I was thinking much better than I could articulate. I hope you get a chance to read this, it is worth the time!
Sometimes I find it hard to be a mom who stays home. Not one who doesn't work outside the home, but one who isn't going all the time. Our home simply runs smoother when we are HOME.
Very recently, I have gotten lax about this again and it is heavy on my heart to be committed to being home more.
How about you?
13 comments:
Thanks for pointing me to this post. I love, love, love being at home. Taking care of my daughter, husband and home is one of the most challenging, rewarding things I have ever done. I try hard to avoid the pull to be away from home. It is hard because even the SAHM's sometimes look down on my lifestyle because I am not going to playdates, MOPS, storytime at the library. Not that we wouldn't enjoy those things. I just start to feel stressed and lose my focus when I am away from home too often. One thing I like about blogging is finding a community that puts God and family first!
Monica, I appreciate this post a lot. Thank you for link. I enjoyed reading the post on staying at home. I struggle with this too. I try to be involved in a mom's Bible study at church, MOPS, a homeschool co-op, and a child care swap. That takes us away from home 3 days a week. Then there is my daughters' schedules of Awana, ballet, and homeschool co-op classes. Then there is my little guy who loves his morning nap but rarely gets it. I always find myself looking forward to the breaks when we can have a week at home with nowhere to go. When we are gone 3 days a week and homeschooling the other 2, I feel like we have very little free-time around the house. I then only have 2 days to get chores done so the kids also don't get a lot of time alone with me. I love the breaks when we can enjoy just being together at home. I've struggled with which things to drop and usually get guilted back into it. My kids and I do enjoy these other activities but I enjoy being at home more.
The week you did "Making your Home a Haven" we commited to staying home all week - it was so much fun. We got a lot done and the kids had a great time. Weeks like that rarely happen. I definitely need to work on decluttering my calendar.
This post was just what I needed to read today as I spend this Christmas break praying over what to give up in January. Thank you for taking the time to share the things God has laid on your heart and letting God work through you in the lives of others.
Have a wonderful trip to Colorado. That sounds like so much fun! Merry Christmas!
Kim
I had to comment on this post. As a young mom I was out of the house way too much. I depended on babysitters and Grandma way too much. I may have been home in the sense that I didn't work, but I wasn't there completely.
I agree fully with you. Moms need to be at home. I cannot go back and fix what I did wrong, but I can encourage moms to learn from my mistake.
Oh amen! I know we all get more stressed out and the home isn't running as smooth when I am away or running all the time! Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for the link. The post reminded me of a truth I knew- it is good to be at home. To be involved with my kids, not just scurrying around them! Praise God for good reminders...I think that is the Titus 2 principle in action.
Your blog is a blessing to me- thanks and Merry Christmas!
Jen
I don't know about that link, Monica. Something about it doesn't sit right with me at all. Could we discuss it via email perhaps? I'd like to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for the reminder about how staying HOME is important. I've been reading a lot of blogs about this, including the one you posted. It's refreshing to hear from moms that feel the same way about staying at home when I feel our culture pulling us out of our homes and away from quality and quantity time with our children (and housework). I'm still growing as a stay-at-home mom and am praying that I can say tell others with pride and not feel guilty for not using my nursing degree "to help others." Thanks again for the encouragement and reminders!! God has put this heavy on my heart this past week as I read through blogs about this topic. I think He's trying to tell me something!
Haven't read the article, but I can totally relate. I never thought of myself as a homebody, but really desire to be. And I do know that things run more smoothly if we aren't going constantly.
Merry Christmas!!
Elise
Monica,
Thank you for sharing this young woman's post. It is right on the mark! I am truly encouraged, even as the mother of teenagers, to hear a young woman recognize the incredible value God has placed upon a mother's (any woman's) responsibilities at home! It is all too easy to get caught up in serving today's "ME culture" as opposed to serving the God who created us and established a path for our ways. There is unmeasureable blessing in loving our families through our service to them - at home!
I feel the same way. My daughter is in school now so it seems like I am always running around while she is at school so when she's not in school I am not toting her around to do errands & we can spend more 'quality' time together and that she isn't running all the time. I know that I have to make a concerted effort to be at home more and when I do, everyone is happier and things run smoother.
That was a great post and a good reminder for me as well. Providentially, we have had bad weather here (wet and COLD for about 4 weeks now) and have run the barest minimums of errands. What a difference it makes in Mommy and girls.
Merry Christmas. :)
I fully agree with you and the other blogger about mothers of young children staying home more than going out.
I'm curious if that conviction changes when the children get older, though. Mine are almost 8 and 5, and I feel that they need to be out and about a bit. They are homeschooled, so some of that falls under "socialization," but some of it is also about learning how to behave at other people's houses, at the library, in stores, at their outside classes (ballet and karate).
Very thought provoking post. Thank you! :)
Thanks for the link-it is always refreshing to have a little encouragement and a reminder of why we do what we do at home. And YES I can tell a huge difference if I have crammed my schedule so full that I am not at home much. I think this time of year is always a poignant time that allows us all to refocus on what is important!
Thanks for the reminder!
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