Well this has been an interesting week. I have been on reading week from my college courses an the break could not have come at a better time! Something definitely Norwalky has been going through the house the last few days. Today I pulled out the chicken soup recipe and the laundry has been going non stop.
However it has also been a day of simple blessings. I was able to go through some things that have been piling up.
One of the great things about homeschooling is the flexibility. Yesterday there was a freezing rain warning, which resulted in school closures in our region. So seeing as the rest of the county got a snow day, the kids got a snow day today as well.
I am definitely enjoying parental leave and I am positive that given the choice, most parents would also choose to stay home more often with their kids, but the biggest concern for mot people is probably finances. When I began this year long experiment, I wanted to show people that it was possible to stay at home and not have to sacrifice too much...which I can confidently say that we have so far been able to do by the grace of God. But I will also say that it has not been easy.
Probably the biggest challenge has been choosing healthier food choices while living on a limited budget. The truth is, it is far less expensive to by the regular vegetables (which have probably been genetically modified in some way) than it is to buy the organic stuff. Same goes for cereal and just about everything in between. I was getting sleepy driving home the other day and wanted to get a snack to keep me a bit more alert. My preferred choice would have been sunflower seeds...but they were about three times more expensive than the Cheetos that I ended up buying. I know that eating healthy is about making conscious choices but when every dollar counts chances are you are going to spend your five bucks on the GM peppers, carrots, apples and corn instead of the organic broccoli which costs $3.99/ bunch.
But for the most part, I really do think that having lots of kids is more affordable than people think...in fact I like to think that our family is living proof of that.
Incidentally, as part of the transition from traditional to non-traditional employment, I have decided to change the tithing model for this blog. A while back I said that I would be reverse tithing any income we received from this blog, giving the tithe to charities that fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and clothed the naked. While we are still going to tithe to the same causes, I have decided to apply a more conventional tithe model (%10) to any of the donations we receive from here on.
Also I want to send a public note of thanks to everyone who has donated to either TiPSI Dad or TiPSI Mom, you have been instruments of God's provision in more ways than you know.
Next post: For the love of Chocolate!!!
TiPSI Dad
