Parenting with less stress {choosing to be full time Mama}

I was very blessed to grow up with a Mom that stayed home with me and my siblings, Ken was also blessed in that way. So when Mara was due to arrive I don't even remember talking about what I would do when she was born, we both just planned that I would quit my job and stay home with her.

  At the time Mara was born Ken and I were still both in Bible college and we were both working part time. I had a steady job at a florist shop that I really enjoyed and Ken was preaching at a small church (and making $50 a week!) and then he had some other jobs that weren't very dependable at that time. (He had a better job before we got married but was working an opposite shift from me and so had changed to another job that ended up not being on the up and up legally so he got out of there but then found good jobs not so easy to come by and ended up doing various temp jobs.) When you looked at the situation we were in I suppose my quiting my job wouldn't have seemed wise by some.

  For me as a mother (and a breastfeeding one) it seemed to be the right thing for us however. And you know what God really blessed and we made it through without debt. We did end up having to move when Mara was about 5 months old and then we finished the rest of our schooling (4 months worth) by correspondence but God was faithful to take care of us and I am so glad that I had that special time with Mara.

  I know staying home isn't an option for everybody. Some don't want to, some have husbands that aren't on board with them staying home and some mom's are single moms and there are many other reasons too. I respect that. I am certainly not here to judge you on your decision. However I thought it would be fun to share some of the reasons that staying at home has worked well for us and made parenting less stressful.

• I got to breastfeed exclusively, for the health of my babies and I.
• We are the ones responsible for our children before God and staying at home gives me the time to truly train them and teach them.
• Not having to put my children in daycare or preschool. This is a huge issue for me as I really didn't want all the peer influence that comes from that as well as the germs.
• I got to enjoy all of my children's "firsts" and their little cute sayings.
• We can homeschool.
• The flexibility of having only 1 work schedule (Ken's) to work around.
• Not having to come home from work in the evening and still be faced with all the cooking and laundry and cleaning. I am really not sure how mothers who work outside the home do it!
• Being able to have more family time.
• and so much more!

I am sure I probably sound rather opinionated on this issue. I am very much so as far as I am concerned, I have very strong reasons for why we do what we do but I want you to know that if you aren't like me it is not my goal to make you feel bad however if you also would like to stay home but haven't been sure if you could make it work then I really want to encourage you. Staying home with your kids is totally worth the financial sacrifices you might have to make! It is so much fun too!

    I would love to hear your reasons for doing what you do (as long as we stay nice and civil! )....