It is a choice of lifestyle…we are struggling but ultimately we are thriving as a family unit.

I’ve got friends who according to wordly standards ‘have it all’ yet lack the time with their children….and for what – stuff that don’t keep in the long run anyway. What’s the point??? They are the ones missing out…not my family….even with our 10+ yr old car or our unfinished home with college funiture. We have something as a family you can’t put a price on ~ a bond.

But more importantly, I want to thank you for being gentle in your conversations with moms who have made a different choice, regardless of their reason for doing so. I’ve long believed that what we need as women is one another’s support, rather than the unfortunate competition for Who’s a Better Mom that tends to arise in some circles when this question comes up.

I say this as the mom of a grown child. I’ve watched this sad situation for over two decades, and have seen it from both sides of the working/staying at home fence.

We had to restructure our finances quite a bit, but God has provided in insane ways for us. There are months where we don’t know how we will, but by God’s grace and provision, we miraculously pay all our bills and eat more than just Top Ramen. Do we go out to eat like we used to? No. Do we go to the movies and have the nice cable package? No. Do I clip coupons like mad and budget like never before? Yep. And with all that, I wouldn’t change a thing in my life. I cherish the time I have to pour into my young son and soon his sibling, and I cannot express the amount of gratitude and respect I have for my incredibly hard-working husband who makes my life possible. Staying home with my kids is a privilege and honor, and a job I don’t want to trust to anyone else. God has given me the gift of my children and I want to appreciate that gift as much as possible.

I read an article the other day written by a mom, speaking to single gals. It was a “things I wish I had done” kind of thing. One of the big ones she said was to not be a stranger to economic living, and to start off living on one income when you get married. Interesting stuff. As a single 20something, I am really thinking about this stuff now, trying to plan accordingly, trying to “buy a vineyard” and get creative so that I can do my family good later through enterprising pursuits from the home while caring for a family. Well, at least that is the idea- who knows!