Preparing for the Empty Nest While Children are Young
Filed under: Being a Stay at Home Mom, Families, Parenting Skills, Strengthening Families & Marriages
I remember the day I realized the parenting stage of my life was nearly over. I was at my computer, writing when I became aware I had been working for several hours without having been needed by anyone. My oldest was at work,
my middle child was taking some college classes, and my youngest, the only one I was still homeschooling, was teaching himself something I didn’t know. I realized my children were what I had intended them to be—on their own, even though they were all living at home for the moment.
I sat quietly and wondered what I was going to do with myself when homeschooling was completely over and my children were out of the house. I didn’t have to wonder for very long. A few weeks later I was offered a book contract. This contract was the fulfillment of instructions given to me by my pediatrician soon after the birth of my first child. Read more
Learning Without Going to School
Filed under: Being a Stay at Home Mom, Furthering our Education
There are times and seasons for everything, and sometimes it’s not our time to go back to school. This is especially true for mothers of young children. This doesn’t, however, mean we have to turn off our brain until we have the time and money to continue our formal education.
Measuring Motherhood
Filed under: Being a Stay at Home Mom, Mother-Daughter Relationships
I remember years ago when my girls were younger. Two or ten children, a mother’s life is full.
What’s a Mother to Do?
Filed under: Being a Stay at Home Mom, Home and Family, Teaching Children the Gospel
Go on, admit it. Every mother’s been there. It’s what we do every single day of our lives. We are faced with this huge task of taking a totally dependent little bundle of joy from point A to point B (where they are a happy, productive adult member of society). Subconsciously, we just know we are failing. Subliminally, we recognize that we’re just making things more difficult for ourselves. Yet, we can’t seem to force ourselves to do things differently. We cling to the silliest things, and let go of some of the most practical. We secretly idolize our own mothers (whether we hate them or not) because they did manage to make it to point B, but we have no real idea how they did it. We openly fear exposure of our inadequacies and keep on going as if we know exactly where we are headed and what we are doing.
A Leap of Love – Becoming a Stay Home Mom
I didn’t always aspire to be a stay at home mom.
To the Mothers in Zion
Shortly after we were married, my husband and I discussed starting our family. We both wanted a large family we had talked about this before we even decided to marry. But suddenly, everything that had been theoretical before now had practical applications. I had grown up an only child raised by a single mother. I was a “latchkey kid” and was the only member in my family, having only been baptized into the Mormon church 4 years earlier. I really didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing or that I was ready for it.
Family Scripture Study and Prayer
LDS families are counseled to study the scriptures daily as a family. I’ve found that it’s a great foundation for gospel instruction and a starting point for gospel discussion. Beyond that, it has been a personal anchor to me in the tempests of life. When I have been struggling personally, our family scripture study has kept me grounded and strengthened my weak faith. It strengthens our family and shows the children how much we value the word of God.
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