Family

Family

Friday, March 18, 2011

Ahh! The Simple Life of a Stay at Home Homeschooling Mom



Last year I posted on Facebook about the joys of hanging laundry on the clothesline.  It wasn't too hot yet and the birds were chirping, blue skies were cloudless.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  Someone commented about how they wished they could live a simple life like me.

Now, I truly believe that God has called me to this life I lead.  He has given Jeff and I the desire to have children (and quite a few at that!), to homeschool them and to lead a very productive life.  But, really, it is anything but simple!!

Simple is transferring that laundry from washer to dryer (which I do more often than not).  Not taking the time to hang them out!

Simple is buying those boxes of extruder pressed cereal.  Not making your own granola!

Simple is whacking a tube of biscuits on the counter.  Not making homemade biscuits a couple of times a week!

Simple is stopping by the bread store for a few loaves of bread.  Not grinding your own wheat to make up four loaves that will be gone in less than 2 days!

Simple is sending those kids to school for 8 hours a day.  Not being with them 24/7 and teaching and instructing them in the way they should go!

Simple is going out to eat or stopping for take-out a few times a week.  Not cooking 2-3 meals a day from scratch!

No, I don't work outside the home.  In fact, I try to stay at home as much as possible.  I know that if you work outside the home you don't have time to do all that I do.  But please, don't think the life of a stay at home homeschooling mom is simple, 'cause it just isn't so!  I feel so blessed to spend this time working and learning with my children.  Learning, exploring and creating as God leads.  It is a very blessed life, but it's anything but simple.

This is my list of things that I need to accomplish today.

-a few loads of laundry

-dust and vacuum master bedroom

-scrub, vacuum and mop  master bath

-tidy the schoolroom and den

-set out cream to begin the process of making cultured butter

-make applesauce in the slow cooker

-make yogurt in the slow cooker

-dehydrate mushrooms

-make a big pot of vegetable pilaf for lunch--decided not to do this after I cleaned out the fridge.  There is plenty of soup and we made a broccoli salad to go with the bread.

-make four loaves of bread   bread is rising

-make dinner

-do math and phonics with Jackson and go over the other children's school work

And did I mention my mother-in-law will be here in just a few hours?  And my oldest daughter with her three children?

So I will take breaks to rock the baby, walk outside with grandmother and the little guys and hopefully take some pictures.  I'm sure there will be lots of chasing, hugging and loving on little ones in addition to the above list.  Today will be a very busy day.  But it will also be a very blessed day.  Even if it's not so simple!




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11 comments:

Mrs Mary Joy Pershing said...

LOL...Amen!!! I really appreciate you writing this article! The misunderstanding that we have an easy, slow paced "simple" meaning easy life...is so common!

I love my life with my kids and husband. In fact I am preparing to spend more time with them and MUCH less time on-line with some changes to my blog.

But life is not easy...just amazingly blessed. And one that I wouldn't trade for all of the money in the world!

God bless you, your family and your weekend!

Building Home with Him,

Mary Joy

6Jellybeans said...

I love living simply, or atleast trying too. Great post! Time for this simple girl to hang out the laundry. Have a wonderful weekend!
6jellybeans@blogspot.com ~DeAnn

Anonymous said...

I love my "simple, uncomplicated" life and wouldn't trade it for anything. Easy? Definitely not! But oh so satisfying. So far by 10:00 this morning I have washed and hung one load of laundry, taken care of some business by phone, cleaned up the kitchen from last nights birthday celebration, straightened the living room, ran the dog (who got loose) out of my garden, helped my son with school and planned out my To-Do list for the rest of the day.

Time to go wash and hang more laundry, bake a cake for my mother's birthday tomorrow, make gluten free bread for my son, make bread for the rest of the family, feed the chickens and horses, prepare lunch for my husband and two sons that are home this morning, run errands for my mother, and time all of that so that I can have supper ready before midnight.

Simple living? Gotta love it!

Anonymous said...

Anita,
Simple? Ha! I used to think that when I worked outside of the home AND had no children. I look back and laugh at my preceptions! It never ceases to amaze me how MUCH MORE busy I am now that I am at home. There is always something to be done. Yet, I sometimes STILL feel the need to justify to others WHAT exactly I "do" all day....why is that? Those of us that stay home are truly blessed. Simple? No. Blessed? YES.

Twisted Cinderella said...

I agree that the more "simple" I make my life, the busier I am. I may go to bed tired at night but I go to be proud of what I accomplished.

Marie said...

Thanks for linking up....really enjoyed your post! Hope you had a blessed day!

Deborah said...

I know, there is ALWAYS something to do. :o)

Lynn said...

What a great post! It's so easy to get sentimental about homestead living, but the truth is, it really is a lot of hard work. And then to add homeschooling all your kids, too -- not to mention staying connected to your inlaws, and your hubby -- you have a life overflowing, with both tasks to do and blessings. Thanks for putting it so well.

TyKes Mom said...

Excellent point! On my blog I am frequently trying to show people the "simplest" way to do frugal, healthy and organized homemaking, but I guess it really isn't the simplest after all. It is much easier to buy a box of cereal or send my children to preschool, but I guess I do choose the "hard" road. You are very right. Stay-at-home homeschooling moms sure don't take the simple route!

Amy @ Raising Arrows said...

Wonderful, wonderful post! Thank you so much for writing it and sharing it!

Miriam said...

Very well said!

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