Fellow SAHMommies

Welcome back! Today's SAHM joy is...

Because my husband travels frequently, I found that I was alone a lot before we had our son. Though I worked during the day, I would come home to an empty house hearing every thud and bump in the night as I kept the TV on for comfort. Now, being a SAHM, I love that I always have a buddy in the house. Yes, there are times where I crave some solo rejuvenation time, but mostly I love having his presence with me as we do our daily lives. For that, I am grateful!

While doing my homework for my weight loss book (see the link Lysa TerKeurst link on my home page), I came across an amazing passage that she used as a reason to have an accountability partner when you are trying to accomplish weight loss. Simply put, an accountability partner is someone who helps keep you on track to the prize, no matter what happens along the way. They love you unconditionally, but they also love pointing you back towards your goal. I think that having an accountability partner for any subject you are trying to improve is a fantastic tool. Maybe it's also weight loss for you, maybe it's financial health, maybe it's quiet times with the Lord, maybe it's getting to church every Sunday. Whatever your goal is to better your life in God's eyes, tell it to your spouse, a parent, or a friend. Knowing that someone else is keenly aware of your goal will make you want it more. Check out this passage...

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, her friend can help her up. But pity the woman who falls and has no one to help her up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

When I read this, I immediately thought of SAHMommyhood. There is no denying that this is a hard job even on the best day. To do it completely by yourself? Nearly impossible, in my experience. We need each other. We need other women who are in the same phase of life that we are in, and who are choosing to stay at home with their young child/children. Our God is a beautifully relational God. As His most precious design, we are also meant to be relational. I love knowing other mommies who I can bounce ideas off of and who can come to me for advice on a myriad of topics. I feel that an essential part of learning to do this life and learning to love this life is to bring other SAHM with you on your journey. 

In an earlier post, I mentioned that, to my shock, not everyone was supportive of my decision to leave my education career and stay at home. If you aren't totally confident in your choice to begin with, any negative comments can wreak havoc on the shred of peace you cling to. Make it a point to surround yourself with SAHM you know who love their life and appear to have found a way to make it work for them and their families. Think about your church, your neighborhood, your older children's school. See if there is a MOPS group that meets in your area. Pray for a divine act to bring spiritually positive SAHM into your life. He is so faithful to always give us what we need.

Before I conclude, notice the last sentence of the above passage. If He was just talking about two friends through the passage, where does "a cord of three" come from? I've found that any friendship, fellow SAHM or otherwise, that includes the Lord is one that is blessed. He isn't just for church on Sunday mornings. He is for all the time! Do know that my friends and I don't study scripture or pray together all the time. Most of the time, we just have great girl time and conversation as we do life together. But knowing that we have the common bond of Jesus Christ as our Savior brings a sweetness to the friendship that can't be found elsewhere. Make it a point to have some of these women in your life...especially during this time of SAHMommyhood :-)

I am going to start including the daily MMSM and Organizational Tip. I'm always looking for ways to run this site more efficiently and to save you time!!! Be blessed!

MMSM #25

Today's tip is actually a coupon tip that I forgot to include in my couponing page...it will be added shortly. Once your chosen store sees that you are in the habit of couponing, Catalina coupons will start printing out at the register when you get your receipt. My understanding is that they electronically track your most common purchases and award coupons (for free!) based on your history. Often times, you'll get $5 off your next grocery purchase based on how many cereals you bought, etc. Be sure to watch the expiration dates! They expire sooner than others.

Tip #13


If you make your own baby food, don't buy a bunch of those expensive plastic containers for storing your food. Simply, buy as many pre-made food jars as you think you will use. Feed that to your baby (don't worry, it won't kill them!), and then wash and sanitize the jars and lids. Because it's easier to make baby food in big batches, I freeze a lot. Dry-erase markers have become my best friend. They adhere really well to the aluminum lids, and they wipe off easily. That way, you can re-use the jars again and again!

This is veggie casserole. I've heard and found to be true that baby food will keep for a month in the freezer. Happy food-making!