Why I love.....[a series of posts on things I love]

Why I love staying at home (but sending my kids to school).

When I was working, most of my friends worked. Now, most of my friends stay home full time. It took awhile for my circle of friends to shift, and it occurred slowly as I worked less and stayed home more. I am really blessed to be a nurse where there is the option to work FT, PT or relief (really PT). Because it took awhile to have kids, I was able to observe others struggle through the decision to work or stay home (or do both). I tried really hard to learn from their experiences. But truly, everyone's life is different and thus when it came time for me to decide, it wasn't that easy. God eventually showed me that working as a RN in a hospital was just too stressful for me and my growing family, and I stopped working all together. What a blessing it is to have a choice to stay home. I know not everyone can do that and I am so thankful.

I love that I can stay in my PJ's all day if I want to, have picnics under homemade tents in the living room, take naps with my kids, and be able to bake & cook. I love that I can meet friends at the park and let our kids play together, that I can enjoy going to bible study and MOPS in the morning hours, and that I can choose the games, books and activities that my young children engage in. It's really fun to watch my kids grow up (minus the potty training).


Choosing how to school my kids was a bit easier decision to make. I considered homeschooling for about 10 seconds. I have a lot of friends who home school their kids. A LOT. And even though I'm one of the oldest among my friends, I have some of the youngest kids (#got-married-late-and-took-a-long-time-to-have-kids). So I had several years to observe them homeschooling. Let's just say it is definitely not for me! While I do enjoy staying home, I do not enjoy teaching. Really, I don't enjoy any kind of organized activity if I am the one directing it. And although homeschooling is becoming a much more popular option nowadays, I can say with enthusiasm....I LOVE PRESCHOOL!



Sending Allison (now 5) and eventually Mia (now 3) to preschool was the best decision for our family. It helps to structure our day so I don't spend every day in PJ's and it gets me out the door daily by 9am. The kids can do crafts to their hearts content because their mom will never do them at home. They can make new friends, learn to cut with scissors (mom doesn't do that either), go to chapel, music class & all kinds of field trips. They both love it. It also gives me some time with the twins (now 1), time to pick up & clean up, and time to go to the fun mom things I mentioned above.

Next year we venture into the world of Kindergarten. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say when that time comes too.

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