Gratitude

I love being a stay at home mom.

Even though my children are 13 and 12. Old enough to technically "take care of themselves". Heck, there are times I'd swear they were taking care of me.

Being a stay at home mom while my kids are this age makes some people wonder what I do all day. I'll tell you what I don't do. I don't think about work when I am at home, and wish I was at home when I'm at work. I don't second guess myself when I take a personal day because my teenager has a temperature and I wonder if I'm being over-protective to stay home with him or just trying to get a day off for myself.

Now, I'm not knocking working mothers - because I know quite a few EXCELLENT working mothers out there. I just know I wouldn't be one of them. I've been a working mother before - and while I was still an excellent mother, and an excellent employee I became an anxious, stressed out person. And I am grateful that at this moment, my life does not require me to be one. I can concentrate on focusing on my family, my housework and SAMmy's. That's all this girl can handle for now, and that's all I have, and I am satisfied and happy. And grateful for a full and satisfying plate.

Today I am ironing (with my cool Oreck iron I got while garage saling last week with Melissa - which I couldn't do if I didn't stay home) and doing laundry. I will also be going from store to store to hit all of the deals at the grocery stores in town - bananas for 39 cents at County Market this week so I can make banana bread and banana muffins and freeze them! Yummy! I got some earlier this week, but Aaron and Bridge are really into peanut butter and banana sandwiches, so they are almost gone. I have made a week's menu, so I need to stop at Family Fresh for some ground beef on sale and chuck steak and pork roast and produce - I love that store! (And, they have a Caribou and give you a coupon for $1 off your drink.) I wouldn't have all this time to be so coupon savvy and be so time efficient if I were not able to stay home.

And I couldn't do SAMmy's, that's for sure.

I love staying home, I really do. And it's all because God has chosen to bless me with this life, and my husband with the job he has. And because my husband is willing to let me stay home. I'm really aware of all of that today. And I am grateful, as I iron these shirts (yes, Michelle - I am ironing the t-shirts, too). :) I am so blessed as I look out at the sun-shiny day and my garden (that needs weeding) and I reflect on what King David wrote in Psalm 16, "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

My heart echoes that sentiment right now. The boundary lines God has for me - the boundary lines of this life - have surely fallen in pleasant places. When I was in my early 20's I never would have guessed things would have been this good. My lot seems really secure - far more secure than things were back then. That's for sure!

I love staying home and caring for my family like this. Surely I have a delightful inheritance.