Happy weekend to you!
And I'm so jealous of your simple life. I'm hoping once Aidin starts school and our finances ease up just a wee bit I can cut back on my hours. Because I'd really rather be at home doing those small jobs in a big way.

The best WIP ever is the family.

Great post, Alicia. Have a wonderful weekend.

With my children all in school now, I find myself visiting this question more and more. And getting so overwhelmed with the choices that I have yet to find an answer. I want to be with my children, be there for them, and yet not be defined by them. It's a difficult place to find, but I do wish, when they were younger, I was more content with just being in that space as you are. Now is certainly now.

Enjoy your weekend.

Thanks so much for posting this, Alicia. I really needed to hear it today. Beautiful shots, as always. Beautiful thoughts, too. I'm so glad you're my sweet new friend!

That was the main thing that shocked me most when Elise was born: how all the small things you do to be a parent add up to such a huge job. We're gearing up to be a single-income household, and it's scary -- you are a great example of making it work though.

Enjoy the weather! I'm trying to get some editing done while Elise naps -- such a good job I'm doing (looking at blogs). :)

Happy weekend to you too!

I don't have kids yet, but I think that parenthood and being a stay at home mum is a great job. :)

oh alicia...i am so with you. i, too, always thought i would be a working mother. and here i am, at home with my children for the past almost-eight years. it has been the very best decision (for me and for our family - i would never suggest that what's best for me is best for anyone else) i have ever made. and the hardest job i have ever had in my life.

it took me a long long time to learn that the very best gift of all is figuring out what sort of life is best for my family and then living that life to its fullest.

enjoy your weekend and your works in progress!

What a lovely post. I agree with you wholeheartedly on all points. People are always asking us how we make ends meet on only one very small salary, and usually I say the same thing...it's the small stuff that gets sacrificed. All the best things about a family don't come with a price tag.

This is a beautiful, encouraging and inspiring post. I'm glad to feel your contentment, it's a blessed state to be in :)

what a great post!

today I was thinking about my small kids, and how things are just crazy at this time in my life as a stay at home mom. but i enjoy it so much, and I, too, am so thankful that I have the choice to stay and spend each day with my kids. love to hear others in the same boat, counting their blessings right along with me.

You have a happy, peaceful weekend, too. I loved this post---it reminds me of how I felt when I was completely staying at home with my kids. It's a difficult road in our society but I truly believe it's worthwhile and you won't regret it.

i, too, am happy to stay home with my girls. but it is hard. sometimes very hard. thanks for posting this, alicia. you brought a smile to my face just when i needed it.

Really nice post...I really want to take more time to RELAX and appreciate it all. Have a lovely weekend...

Yes, I too love being at home with my kids........I am thankful everyday that I have this privilege.....

It SO SO saddens me that time moves so quickly...mine are now 11,9,7.....

Lovely post!

I love this post! I have been at home with my kids for a long time (we homeschool) and I still find myself content with it. I suppose it is because of the freedom I have to pursue my own interests with my extra time. Honestly, a job sounds like stress to me. I would, however, like to go back to school in a few years, but I can fit this into our school day quite easily when my boys get a little bigger.

You've really touched on something tat I'm starting to understand more and more as a stay at home mom. I don't know that I envied others so much as I hoped for a day I could buy that whole new fabric line, etc. I'm starting realize that I've got it good and really understanding what is important to me. I love that you shared this.

such a beautiful, beautiful post alicia.

This post really struck a cord with me. I too had no intention of being a stay at home Mum. I was very career oriented. Then my first born came along and my priorities changed. I have been a stay at home Mum now for almost 9 years. Like you we do with out all the fancy stuff and expensive holidays. I am the first to admit that staying at home isn't for everyone. That's okay. But for me and my little family it works for now. I know one day I might want more...but for now I am enjoying this precious time with my kids. Thanks for reminding us all! Have a great weekend Alicia! :o)

I find that it's possible to get in a rut of "never enough." It's nice to step back and realize that whatever there is, it's enough. I'm glad you're in that contented state.

You sum it up so well. Thanks for that.

Beautifully written Alicia. Same boat here. It's a pretty nice boat when you think about it, huh? Even if I too am a tad bit jealous of all the crafty goods others get to buy. Ah well.
Kiddies are more important. :) hugs to you.

amen sister. i feel the exact same way. the sacrifices are so so worth it. and it lets your creative spirit fly. keep up the good work girlie!

what a wonderful post, alicia! we are in almost the same situation. i am so happy to be home with the person i love the most in the world, sometimes i wish i had a little more time for creativity but then i look at the whole picture and is so right.
hope you had a beautiful weekend.

Remembering how fleeting this "childhood thing" is, is really important. Staying at home IS a job and certainly not the easiest at times. The rewards far out weigh the individual rewards you might receive from a different "profession".
And who doesn't LOVE those 40% off coupons at JoAnns? I haven't ordered much fabric either, for the same reason. (And it was a splurge when I did.)

I love this post. Excuse me while I go quit my job now! No really, I wish I could. Not now, but hopefully in the future. We lived the simple life, only on a teacher's income for a few years after I had Lily. It was hard, but very worth it. I find myself longing for that again.

We thoroughly live in agreeance with you. I also find my decision to stay home to raise our two kids to be the most challenging but by far the most rewarding. Our sacrifices have increased our appreciation for all things simple & small - and definitely have made my heart large and my world so vast in feeling. Thank you for sharing so eloquently :)

I long for this life! Reading this makes me so excited for the time I'll have with our children someday :) Thanks for sharing.

this is a decision my parents made not too long ago. all of my friends parents drove new cars, they went away on vacation every year, sometimes i envied them their things. when they would comment about their moms working this shift or that one, i didn't envy that at all. my mom stayed home with us, they sacrificed for a lot of years. after all that, i will tell you i wouldn't trade my time growing up with my mom home for all the new cars at a car dealer. we spent our summers hanging around our used above ground pool, swinging & playing. my friends always wanted to come over to our house to play because we had fun.

my parents managed to save for a great retirement, which they managed to start a lot earlier than my friends parents. they are having a blast & i don't begrudge them any bit of their fun.

i don't have children (and drive a shiny new car), but when i do get married & have kids the shiny car will go out the door. my mom staying home was the greatest gift my parents ever gave me & i want to give my kids the same gift.

Good for you, your kids will appreciate it so much when they grow up!

lovely lovely post. i am so thrilled every time i hear a parent express their happiness with the choice to be home with their children. it is not for everyone, nor is it an easy undertaking. but with every "morning, mama" and dance-around-the-room moment i am blessed to enjoy with our wee ones, i know we made the right choice for our family. i wish for you continued happiness and many happy new adventures.

i love it when i'm behind reading a post, and yet it hits me on just the right day, at just the right time. thanks for this one.

Well it should be very affirming when you see the number of responses to this blog. I just started back to work last year after almost 11 years at home. (now I sound really old) When I applied for the job I now have I put down everything that I did as a stay at home mom. It was my job not just my life. Now I really long for more of a balance. Maybe part time???

Wow...Thank you for that post. I just fell into your blog and have been catching up in the archives. My husband and I are currently stuck in the rat race and often fantasize about downsizing and simplifying. Your post was awesome encouragement.