I've had this topic on my mind for quite sometime now, and finally decided it was worth putting into a post. Now, before I go on, I just want to say I recognize every one's situation is unique, and not all of my ideas apply to everyone out there, but maybe some of these ideas will at least give you some food for thought.
When my husband and I were first married I taught first grade for five years while he worked and did night school on the side. I loved teaching, but there was nothing quite like going home at the end of a busy day filled with a classroom full of six and seven-year-olds.
Fast forward several years, and I found myself at home with my newborn twins feeling slightly cooped up, and needing to get out of the house (a feeling I'm pretty sure every mom has felt from time to time).
Fast forward several more years, and now I'm home with my six-year-old twins, and my three-year-old. I still experience both ends of the spectrum (loving to be home, and needing to get out), but for me, I've learned there's something valuable in finding reasons to stay home. A lot of these are no-brainers, but it's taken me a bit of effort to actually internalize them.
This is the exact reason I decided to try and stay home more often. If you're anything like me, you almost always end up spending money on something you don't really need when you're out shopping. Now, I know we have to go to the store for certain things, and that's fine. What I've tried to do is limit (notice I said limit, not eliminate- I still love strolling through Hobby Lobby every now and again) my shopping as a hobby habit, and go grocery shopping once a week. Because even when buying necessities like groceries I can spend more than I need when I go more often.
Have you ever wondered how your grandma got so good at making her famous rolls? Well, back her day she probably stayed home a lot more than we would today, and she had time to practice. Practice most definitely makes progress which can lead to perfection. I haven't reached perfection (and probably never will) with my cooking by any means , but I can say I'm not afraid of making homemade bread, I love planning and providing a variety of meals for my family, and I am constantly amazed at the fulfillment that comes making something from scratch.
Now, believe me, not everything my family eats is homemade, but as I've tried to stay home more often, my love for cooking has definitely increased, I want to do it more often, and for me, I feel it's time well spent and very enjoyable.
This one probably sounds like an oxymoron. But hear me out. Because I have three young boys, we do make plenty of messes during the day, but the more I stay home, the more time I have to clean. We may make several messes during the day (that get cleaned up at the end of the day), but I have a lot more time to clean, clean. I don't spend my whole day cleaning, but its amazing what 10 minutes here and there will do to keep my cleaning easier and more manageable. Plus, when I keep my home cleaner, I want to be in it more. If I'm working on staying home more often, then I need to make it a place we want to be, and for me that means clean (clean, not spotless).
Any time I'm tempted to load my boys up in the car and go to a store for really no reason at all, I fight the temptation with asking my self this question, "what could I organize instead?". Crazy, I know. But I've really come to LOVE staying home and finding myself a good organizing project. There are always a million things on my organizing list, but by staying home more often that list is actually dwindling. I love being organized, so this might not be for you, but I can't tell you have good it feels to have another organizing project checked off my list, like have my boys' Lego manuals organized. And knowing I did something worthwhile without spending a penny is priceless.
This is kind of all-encompassing of what I've already discussed, but really it just makes sense, doesn't it? Not one of these ideas I've talked about is rocket science. The more you stay home, the more you'll get done. I read something recently from a lady who said people are often baffled at how many things she gets done in a day. Her reason for getting things done,"I stay home." Simple. If you want a nice vegetable garden, stay home and weed it. If you want that bedroom wall re-painted, stay home and paint it. If you want to try that new recipe from Pinterest, stay home and start cooking. It really is amazing how much you can accomplish in a day spent at home.
There's no one I'd rather spend time with than my little family, and there's no place we'd rather be than home. It's really fun to go and do things as a family, but our family has surely benefited from being together at home. I love the feeling when we've completed a project around the house together, played a game of baseball in the backyard, or enjoyed a meal with each other. Family time at home is such a joy to me, and actually I'm finding it to be quite a necessity in this ever-changing, busy world.
Wow, I'm feeling a little soap box-ish. Please don't think I'm perfect at any of this, and I'm not saying we stay home every minute of every day. We don't. We're just a typical, regular family who has found the joy and benefits that have come from forming the habit of being home as often as we can.
P.S. If you want to spend more time at home, make your home somewhere you and your family WANT to be. I could probably devote an entire post on this topic, but do what you can to make your home loving, inviting and engaging. There's a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley that I've always liked, and it fits here perfectly.
"It is in the home that we learn the values by which we guide our lives. That home may be ever so simple. It may be in a poor neighborhood, but with a good father and a good mother, it can become a place of wondrous upbringing..."
(click here to read more on this topic)
What are your reasons for staying home? I'd love to hear them!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you found a little something worth your time.
