Called to serve at home

Just a few years ago, I was a recent college graduate pursuing a career in graphics and photojournalism. I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom particularly. Shortly after I met my husband, I served in the military for a couple years. The hard work was rewarding, but as a woman I found myself being misunderstood by my male peers and feeling very lonely at times. I found that the military, rightfully so, encourages mainly masculine traits and rewards you for it. You must be strong physically and mentally and adopt conformity in your style and appearance. Now, I’m glad this is the case in the military. But, I found that I was losing some parts of my feminine identity and not getting the fulfillment that is often promised in a career.

When I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. My focus became on how I could best serve my family. I felt God calling me to come back home. When my baby was five months old, I had to return to work. I found that I was being expected to do even more than before, with little considerations made for how hard the postpartum period was for me. That and trying to manage a pumping and breastfeeding schedule quickly became a huge source of stress. I was also struggling to find a nanny who I felt comfortable with leaving my baby in the care of for hours at a time. I felt like I was leaving her in the care of a stranger. It was a very difficult time for me with plenty of tears for guilt of leaving my baby. I so longed to be with her as I was able to during the pregnancy.

With the support of my husband, I was able to leave that job and transition to being a stay-at-home mom. We may not have the extra finances we enjoyed on a two income household, but we both feel this is the best way forward. The sacrifice is worth it. Since we both agreed long ago that I would be homeschooling our children, it was a natural transition for me to be home.

It’s no wonder that the way God intended the family structure to be is the most rewarding one. I have never felt so much joy and enjoyment in my daily work. I feel like I can finally be the motherly, feminine woman He called me to be.

Fleeing the City

After I left my job, my husband and I found ourselves living in a small house cramped in the city. With gunshots ringing out every night (not from target practice!) and vagrants wandering around, I felt uneasy about even taking a walk with our daughter alone in our neighborhood. I felt shut in and trapped and so did my husband. We knew it wasn’t the place we wanted to start our family. We sold our first home and moved home with my parents while we planned our next steps. We could hear Tennessee calling us, but we wanted to be sure.

My parents, who also have a desire for Tennessee, decided to purchase a small farm out there with a home and will graciously let us rent it from them. This is where our homesteading journey begins. That’s also why I wanted to write this blog. I already get questions from fellow mothers asking for recipes and links, so I want to have a place where I gather things that have worked for me and why I do them!

Adopting a good, better, best mindset

After I became a mom, I found myself quickly becoming concerned with making the right decisions for my baby. I want her to have the very best chance I can give her. A huge part of that was decisions on her health and well being. From making my own baby food to using only tallow based lotions on her skin, I’ve been making adjustments to our habits in order to reduce toxins and promote good health. With the Make America Healthy Again movement becoming popular, I’m excited to see more Americans making more conscious decisions when it comes to food and medicine.

Making better choices for your family doesn’t need to be stressful. I’ve learned to make small adjustments and focus less on perfection. Chances are, you won’t be able to make everything from scratch or have the perfect sourdough bread. The important thing is to serve God and your family and do the best that you can in all that you do.

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