Keep It Simple

So many of us have almost given up cooking for our families, not to mention mending clothing, doing crafts with the kids, or taking a date night with your spouse. We say, "I just don't have time anymore." And the truth is, many of us don't have time anymore. When we look at the fact that most families need two incomes to cover expenses, and then the hundred activities we are all involved in "on the side", we can easily see why we have "no time."
I found myself in the same dilemma not too long ago. I started my day at four-thirty in the morning. Got the family breakfast, dressed and lunches packed and hit the road by six. I got home from work at seven, picked up Natti, ate dinner, played with her for an hour, and then it was bedtime. The weekends weren't much better, after a busy week of work, it was time to clean house, prepare Sunday school lessons, and get reacquainted with the family..."who are you again?"
Brandon and I agreed that we had to do something. It took some work, actually a lot of work, but we decided with a few...ok, I'll be honest, some major changes, we could live off one income. We sold one of our cars, got rid of our credit cards, and started saving any way we could. I had to make sure I cooked rather than us eating out so we could save money--tiring when you've worked all day, but in a few short months, our debt was gone, I could quit my job!
Now I am a stay-at-home mom. I can do all those things that are so important. Cooking, it is now a necessity because of living on a budget, but it is a blessing in disguise because I get to see how happy it makes my family having a home-cooked meal. New clothes, yes, I can't buy as many, but I can use my creativity and make new out of the old because I have TIME now. Best of all, my kids are really MY kids. I don't leave them for hours upon hours. I get to instill the values I want them to have. I get to raise MY kids, not someone else.
I encourage everyone to start getting rid of the things you just don't need...do you need new clothes and cable TV and new cars and take out? Do your children NEED those things? I'll bet the thing they want most is you. Find a way to be there for them...after all, it's the simple things in life that make life great!