The Accidental Homemaker

I never intended to be a homemaker.  I had dreams of growing up, marrying a cowboy, living on a ranch way out west, and maybe having a kid or two.  If you would have told me in my teen years that I would be married to a cop, have 5 homeschooling kids and living in a neighborhood, I would have thought you were nuts!  Perhaps I’m the nutty one after all.

I’ve noticed in the past year or so that I have become the go-to person for many new moms – both new to parenting and new to the homeschool world.  It makes me laugh.  When did I become old enough to be giving others advice?  And how the heck do they think I know what I’m doing?  Most days I totally just wing it!  Other ladies have been asking why we homeschool and how we decided for me to stay at home.  It all kinda happened on accident.  It definitely wasn’t my intention.

When I found myself pregnant with our oldest, I totally thought I would go back to work.  I was teaching at a preschool at the time.  The plan was for me to take a 6 week maternity break and return as the lead 4 year old teacher.  When my baby girl was 5 weeks, I called and said I wouldn’t be returning.  I just couldn’t go back and leave someone else in charge of my infant!  I took odd jobs as a babysitter for a couple families and was blessed with being able to take my daughter with me.  A couple years later my son was born.

There were times that money was super duper tight. It is hard to raise a family on one income at a “starting out” job and have a house in a safe area.  We did it the best we could.  I started couponing, I crocheted items and sold them, I babysat, whatever we could do.  We went down to only one car for over a year.  My husband worked full time, took overtime, and worked odd jobs as well.  I remember a month where he worked the entire month full of 12 hour shifts without a day off.  We did what was needed.  We were flipping through pictures the other day and my oldest saw a doll that she had when she was younger.  She asked me whatever happened to that doll.  I had to tell her the truth – there was a time where we couldn’t make the mortgage payment and feed everybody.  The doll was sold along with almost everything we could find to sell to make ends meet.  That was a very dark time in our lives but we made it through.

As my kids grew, homeschooling just kinda happened.  Again, I would have thought you were nuts if you told me this.  When I say it just kinda happened, it did.  I just decided since I taught her to walk, talk, eat, I might as well try this homeschooling thing.  I figured we would do it for just a year or so.

Around this time, we found out my son had a severe allergy to all things soy.  Almost all things processed are completely out of the question for him.  We decided that it would be easiest to continue homeschooling to ensure his wellbeing.

The kids grew and grew and multiplied into 5 children now.  Even still, most times I can’t even believe what I am doing now.  God had a much better plan for me than I could have ever imagined.

Instead of relaxing in the mountains, I’m running the kids to their activities.  Instead of training horses and riding all the time, I am teaching and guiding my children into young adults that will hopefully love the Lord with all their hearts.  With that, I am truly thankful that His plan far outweighed my own.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9