The Husband Weighs In...

Good evening, ladies! I had a massive post prepared tonight (after taking a few days off to gather my thoughts and suffer through P.M.S.), and I casually shared it with my husband before pressing "publish." Much to my surprise, he cautioned me about my subject matter and tone. This, my friends, has never happened. I didn't think it was anything too controversial, but he suggested that my words may come across as insensitive. What was the subject, you ask? The decision to become a SAHM vs. working full-time outside of the home. His thoughts were precious to me, and I feel compelled to share them with you.

Patrick reminded me that while there are some mothers who will choose to enjoy the pride of their careers and purposely choose alternative, albeit wonderful, care-givers for their children, the vast majority of working mothers would give up their jobs in an instant for the opportunity to stay at home with their children. So much so, that it could be painful for these mothers to read my posts advocating SAHMommyhood without the acknowledgement of their challenging reality. He says..."they might desire to stay at home, but they don't logistically know how to get there."  I need to ask God to give me the words of compassion as I lovingly write to these mothers. No family situation is black and white. They are all grey. I would love to hear comments from these mothers in hopes of writing helpful posts that offer practical advice.

Then, there are the moms, he suggested, that think they may want to stay home, but they aren't quite sure. They could financially do it, but these moms are scared. They wonder if they will like staying home. They question whether or not daily fulfillment will come from staring into the face of their baby for hours on end. He made me remember my time of doubt. I didn't immediately decide to stay at home when the two lines appeared on the pregnancy test. It was a journey that God had to walk me through. I need to remember my roots in order to empathize with mothers currently weighing their options.

And finally, there is another group of mothers. What is the number one reason moms choose to not stay at home? According to my husband, it's finances. He suggested that I create a page, which he would help me write, that focused solely on the following: "Would you like to be a SAHM? Here is a step-by-step guide to how we financially prepared for our son's arrival, and here are the daily ways in which we practice strong financial stewardship to maintain our one-income household." Great idea, honey! And all this time, I thought he was just nice to look at :-) Stay tuned for this new page, coming soon!

I have really allowed the Lord to guide my blog where He sees fit over the past year. Ultimately, my posts have been geared towards general spiritual encouragement towards any young mom, whether they stay at home or work outside the home. I feel in my spirit that this is His plan. Do I wholeheartedly believe in staying at home as the primary caregiver for your children? Absolutely. Do I realistically recognize that this is not possible for every woman regardless of her overwhelming desire to do so? Yes. Will I continue to pray blessings, specifically financial, over each of the working women reading my posts in hopes that she may be able to stay home one day? You can count on it. I also pray that mothers reading this blog who intentionally work outside of the home might reconsider this lifestyle through the sharing of the scriptures from our Lord and Savior.

My intention is never ever to make any mother feel bad about herself or the decisions she has made with her husband. My true heart is to encourage each one of us, myself included, through these challenging and rewarding years of early child-rearing. I'm going to continue to let the Lord lead this blog wherever He wants it to go. I pray that my focused posts and organized pages will be easier to navigate and a blessing to any mom that may stumble across this site.

Finally, I feel a special urging on my heart to acknowledge a precious kind of mother tonight. To all of you single mommies out there...I wholeheartedly pray that our heavenly Father has a special crown to bestow upon you when you meet Him face-to-face. The family of a single mother and her children always stems from loss. Either from the abandonment of the father, the death of the father, or the mother's decision to remove herself and her children in order to protect themselves. Let me just say that the single mothers whom I know personally have risen beautifully to the challenges set before them. You are a full-time parent and a full-time provider. The Lord considers a mother who is without a father to aid in child-rearing, a widow. And, He clearly instructs His followers, many times, to lovingly watch over and support the widows among us, just as He does.

"...Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:9

Thank you, always, for reading. Thank you for giving me grace, and thank you for desiring to do motherhood according to His plan. I love being on this journey with each of you. Today, and everyday, be blessed!

CLICK HERE for a new MMSM!

Save Him some Silence

Good evening, mommies :-) I sit here writing to you, and I'm blissfully listening to "Solo Piano Radio" on Pandora (excellent station) while my little man peacefully snoozes upstairs. Daddy has been gone for a week now, and he won't get home for three more sleeps, as we call it. I'm tired, for sure! But, it's been okay.

I have to be honest with you. It's only been three days of "no TV past 6pm" for Lent, and I am loving this. I feel like God has blessed this decision of being intentional with my evening hours. I feel rejuvenated in the evening, I've enjoyed spending time with Him, I can calmly prepare myself and the house for bed, and I have actually welcomed the silence, instead of fearing it.

As SAHMs, I think the constant background noise of the TV can become a crutch. We spend a LOT of our time at home, and to be quite honest, the TV provides some grown-up talk amidst the constant toddler-talk! When Patrick is gone, the silence can be intimidating. I will even admit to turning the TV on in our room when I go to bed, just so there is noise as I try to fall asleep. I had a thought today. It's not a new thought, but a revived one. Isn't it interesting how we pray and pray to God to ask Him for answers on a specific something, but we rarely give Him the courtesy of silence in our lives in order to hear Him? No, I haven't heard His audible voice for hours on end the past few nights, but at least I'm finally giving Him the chance by turning off the noise!

This revelation was paired with a powerful verse from my Bible app this morning. Check this out!

This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it liveable and lasting, known everywhere as God: "Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own." Jeremiah 33:2-3 (The Message)

Umm...yes, please! I would love to know "marvelous and wondrous things"! He so badly wants to love us by communicating with us. As mothers with very busy babies to raise, husbands to care for, schedules to manage, homes to clean, bodies to exercise, relationships to nurture, and a million other things, it can be nearly impossibly to carve out time for silence. I encourage you to try. I don't know what this season of purposeful quiet will hold for me and my Lord, but I do know that He is always full of great surprises. 

Have a blessed weekend with your families, and check back next week for some new thoughts on the choice of SAHMommyhood. Until next time!

Lent Decision...Odds and Ends

Well, I promised I would get back to you from yesterday's post. After praying and thinking about it last night and today, I've decided that I will give up TV past 6pm. At first, that may not seem like a big deal, but think about it. After dinner and kiddo bedtime, how easy is it to just lounge in front of the TV, mindlessly letting the hours of your evening pass by. If you're like me, you end up falling asleep on the couch, especially when your hubby is out of town, and you wake up with a stiff neck to some creepy show that's playing at midnight. Now, I don't do this every night, but it's become enough of a habit that it's time to make a hard change. So now...I plan to use these non-TV hours to enjoy time with Patrick, to read books, do some Bible study, listen to music, and get to bed at a normal and routine bed time. I don't plan for this to be time for more cleaning or organizing, but instead for rest and rejuvenation that doesn't involve the Bachelor or Grey's Anatomy.

I'm not going as far as turning off the TV all together. I like watching the news, and I enjoy the noise as we're bustling about the house during the day. Also, I suspect that Caleb is too young to give up "Thomas" shows for Lent :-) I would love to hear what you and your family are choosing to go without during this season of sacrifice. Please feel free to comment below!

Enjoy the few new tips I have listed below, and check out my new post in Pinteresting Projects...Today, and everyday, be blessed!

MMSM #66

No one really needs a box of cookie cutters, but if you have a toddler, they sure are handy! For instance, they are a great tool to use when playing with playdough (check my Pinteresting Projects page), you can use them for a fun way to practice the alphabet and numbers, and if your son is obsessed with trains...you can use a train cutter to make his sandwich appeal to him. Just a thought! Check out this awesome deal on 100+ cookie cutters (link below)! They are priced at $9.99. Use a 20% BBB coupon, and you only pay $8 plus tax. Score!

BBB Cookie Cutter Set 

Tip #51

Oh, sweet Dollar Store. You make my heart sing! I ventured to the Dollar Tree to find some inexpensive Valentine's decorations, and I stumbled upon a myriad of organizational options...ALL for a dollar. The next time you have a few minutes, make a list of items that could be stored away in bins, baskets, and buckets. Head to the $ store and shop 'til you drop. This week, with one trip, I organized our bath toys, his toys in our master bedroom, started a dirty clothes basket for the downstairs, and he has a larger toy basket for his bedroom. Want more Dollar store organizational ideas? Visit House Organization.

Don't worry...I didn't forget the holiday! Happy Valentine's Day, mommies!

If you read my post at The 5 Love Languages, you know I'm a "gift" girl. Well, no one understands that better than my momma! She surprised Caleb and me with a balloon bouquet, chocolates, and a teddy bear yesterday. We have thoroughly enjoyed her gift, and the fact that she thought of us all the way in Kansas made me smile!

This was Caleb's gift back to Grandma. I sure did enjoy spending my day with my little Valentine while my big Valentine is on a business trip.

Lent - A Season of Sacrifice

Happy Ash Wednesday! Today marks the first day of the season of preparation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While Ash Wednesday and Lent (the forty days of sacrifice proceeding Easter) are typically thought of as a Catholic tradition, my hubby and I heard a fabulous sermon a few years ago on the importance of acknowledging the Lent season as followers of Christ, Catholic or not. Our pastor's take on recognizing the season was not based in rituals or in doing an act to receive favor from God, but simply in intentionally foregoing something you enjoy for three reasons:

• to mimic, on a very small scale, the way Jesus felt when He fasted and was tempted in the desert for forty days
• when we sacrifice something we enjoy, our minds will naturally dwell on that thing we are missing. We should intentionally turn our minds to Jesus when we think about that sacrifice, thereby strengthening the discipline of leaning on Him.
• to love Jesus by showing that you are willing to give up something you truly enjoy in order to grow your relationship with Him

Participating in Lent should not be done in a way to please God, but with the desire to show God your love for Him. As we have discussed us loving our husbands and God loving us in this week leading up to Valentine's Day, I also wanted to take the time to discuss our decision to love God.

Do you still love God even if you don't participate in Lent? Of course! We are not saved and in relationship with Him by works, but only by grace. But, have I seen the fruits of a season of sacrifice in years past? Absolutely. Two years ago, I fasted coffee for forty days. Last year, I fasted gluten (a.k.a. wheat). Both fasts were challenging for me, and both fasts drew me into a deeper relationship with my Savior. For you, coffee and/or bread may not be that important to you. Find something that doing without would cause daily decision and commitment. Maybe it's TV, maybe it's Facebook, maybe it's cleaning the house (just kidding!). It will be worth your efforts!

If your children are old enough, I think Lent participation is a beautiful way to start teaching sacrifice. As Christians, we are called to use our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. We are asked to say, "God, do with my heart, mind, and body what you see is best." That's a tough concept for a child to grasp, but starting with the baby step of Lent is a great tool to use. Maybe they can put a certain favorite toy away for this season. Maybe your child can fast dessert for forty days. Maybe your pre-teen son can fast video games in order to spend time reading his Bible. There are tons of things that we can fast in our life, and I imagine this would be a fantastic conversation around the dinner table tonight.

I should have written this yesterday, but it got away from me :-) If your fast starts tomorrow, don't sweat it. God is a god of grace! As for what I will be fasting this year? I honestly don't know yet. Lent snuck up on me, and I am making it a point to pray about it throughout the day today, and to let God speak to my heart. I'll let you know tomorrow :-)

Today and everyday, be blessed!

I completed another project! Check out Pinterest Project #3.

Free Gymboree!

I'm not sure how long this will last, but Gymboree Play & Music is offering one free class for you and your little one(s)! I wouldn't sign up for a membership, since it is $69/month (eeks!), but it's a fun activity to do with my little man. We're going tomorrow. Check below to find a Gymboree near you!

Gymboree Classes