Why Be Normal?

I wasn't called to be normal! I was called to be different from the rest of the world and I feel it almost daily how different my family truly is!

Homeschooling, homesteading, and homemaking are so far from the norm in our society. Then if you add in that I'm a Christian who is married to an unbeliever that adds a whole new aspect to being different. And of course our goal of tiny living. But it's working! Our family is a strong family unit. We work together, spend time together and make decisions together. We choose to make sacrifices to keep our family strong and connected and we love helping people around us when an opportunity arises.

Homemaking is an important part of our lives and how we choose to be different. I'm not just a stay at home mom. I don't just merely stay home. I'm actively making a home for my family. I clean, bake, organize and create a loving and caring atmosphere for my family. I make choices on saving money by cooking most evenings and even making healthy desserts like chocolate chip zucchini bread for desserts or snacks. Now I have my off weeks. I struggle in this role as homemaker. There are days where dishes pile up and pizza is picked up for dinner. I'm not perfect. There are weeks that go by that the bedrooms go unvacuumed and bathrooms go uncleaned. But every day I start new. I trust that Jesus knew what he was doing when he called me to this job. I know that creating life in my home is my greatest purpose!

Homeschooling! Really even here in OK I feel like I'm odd by our choice. We are finally getting connected with other homeschooling families which is helping us feel a little better. I never question if we are making the right choice in keeping our boys home. I know we are! I have met several people in our area and when I hear what they have to say about the local school I'm appalled by what I hear. Not to mention the stories I hear from teachers at the schools where we will moving. It's no place I want my boys. Homeschooling for us is being able to teach them character, responsibility, caring for others, and other important life skills not just normal reading, writing and arithmetic. We want to touch their hearts personally and help them through whatever they are struggling with. We want to see each success they make along the way. I don't want to miss all that!

If that wasn't enough to make us different we had to add in homesteading and tiny living! These don't have to go together but they do for us. Raising chickens. Milking goats. Hunting for meat and raising our own meat. Gardening and planting fruit trees are in the plans to have a full homestead in the next few years! We love having chickens around and we love caring for friends goats while they are out of town! We can't wait to have our own. I know that I will love being outside with my children tending to our garden and teaching them how to grow and care for their own food. It's going to be an amazing experience for us. And the tiny house...that was originally a temporary plan that is turning into a more permanent plan. The more we researched tiny living we started wanting the simple lifestyle it offered. Family togetherness and many adventures outside the home instead of inside in front of the tv. Our cost of living will go down which will mean plenty of money and time to do things together and help serve others. Why wouldn't we want to live this way?

People think that we are crazy for the life we have laid out in from of us but we seriously love everything about our life. We couldn't imagine it any other way! So why live like everyone else? We were called to live differently from the world views and we are walking squarely in the opposite direction and are loving it!