Being content at home!

[Jody]

Just curious! We have one car, so when my husband works we stay home. We school, enjoy being outside in the warm months, tend to a garden here in summer, reading books, watch movies, computer games, and watch our newborn kittens play.

 

I love being at home. I find it less stressfull to enjoy the small things in life.

 

What do you do to be content at home?

[Renee in NC]

That's great that you can be content at home!

 

I hate being at home - it causes me to be depressed! :lol:

[Nicole M]

I will soon be without a car for one year, as an experiment. I might not love being at home if I felt trapped; I can walk to the store, the park, the library and my work. But I prefer to be at home. My favorite thing is puttering around doing chores while listening to audio books. My idea of the ultimate luxury would be to have speakers in every room so that when one of us has to go to the bathroom we don't have to shout, "Pause it! Pause it!"

[Jen in PA]

We live about 60 miles from most of our close friends and our co-op, as well as all of the libraries and museums we love. About once a week we make the trip, and we pack a ton of activities into the days we are out of the house. That means that the day before involves a lot of planning and prepping (gathering up library books, making lists of new books to grab, packing a picnic, checking specifics on museum hours, firming up playdate plans), and then the day after we run around, my kids are pretty worn out.:001_smile: So even if only one day a week involves really getting out to do the things we want to do, it feels like it takes up more of the week. We usually take about one day a week for that sort of thing, and another half day as a family shopping and running errands more locally. Another thing that helps is that we usually have people dropping by on the weekend, which keeps us busy even if we aren't actually going out ourselves. It's often just neighbor kids coming down to play or my MIL stopping by and bringing my great-nephew, but it does break up the week a bit. Aside from that, we read a lot, hang out in the yard, take walks around the neighborhood, keep a weekly family movie night with homemade pizza, and I keep a stash of unopened craft materials and dvds around for long stretches of bad weather that might leave us feeling cooped up.

[Mommyfaithe]

Just curious! We have one car, so when my husband works we stay home. We school, enjoy being outside in the warm months, tend to a garden here in summer, reading books, watch movies, computer games, and watch our newborn kittens play.

 

I love being at home. I find it less stressfull to enjoy the small things in life.

 

What do you do to be content at home?

 

Sounds like a dream. Sounds like life used to be for us...once upon a time...pre-teenagers and home based business. I was always content just being home...and I still am. I hate to be dragged all over the place, but my kids love their outside activities....sigh...

[Dawn in OH]

I JUST like to be at home.

 

I have so many interests that can be met at home. I like to cook, bake and read, all of which are best done at home. I love to do projects around the house, workout, and play with the kids.

 

We are currently in an apartment (which I hate). I can't wait to get into a house because I would be happy to spend the day in the yard, playing with the kids, tending the garden and barbecuing for dinner. After dinner I would be happy to just sit on the deck under the stars talking to my husband (and having a cocktail when I'm finally done nursing).

[Jean in Newcastle]

We had only one car for 8 years. And honestly even now that we have a 2nd car, I only use it for appointments that we have to go to.

 

We like our home. We like to talk and play with the neighbors. We like to garden, put together puzzles, play games etc.

 

But sometimes I get cabin fever. Long walks are fun. Inviting neighbors over or other friends who have cars for lunch or an afternoon of fun is fun even if it is at our house.

[Momma2Many66]

When my oldest two children (now 26 and 22) were young I spent so much time running about and always involved in some activity or another. I never knew or learned how to be content or just enjoy being at home or being "still". I always had to be doing something, running somewhere or involved in something or I felt bored or anxious. I never just felt relaxed or that I could be happy being at home. I never really enjoyed my life, I was always rushing about feeling as If I could never keep up.

 

Then we moved to our farm which is in a remote area and the babies began coming one after another. We had one vehicle and my whole life view changed for the better. For years when my 4 youngest children were very little (nursing babies and toddlers) I only ventured off our farm once every 2 or 3 months (usually for doctor/dental visits or visiting family on holidays). My husband brought our groceries home after work, he worked right across the street from a grocery store. Anything we needed he picked up on his way home (library books or household goods) or I ordered online shipped to door. Amazon & Ebay were good friends. ;)

 

I grew so much over that time in learning to really appreciate the simple things in life and being content in my home and in who I was. It was a wonderful experience for me. Those simple days really helped me focus on my job as homemaker, wife and mother and to get really close to God.

 

We have no cable tv, so I filled up my days with teaching myself to garden, freeze and can our harvest, cook and bake new recipes, knit, sew and crochet. I read tons of books on simple living and homemaking skills. I spent a lot of time reading the Bible and in prayer. I read lots of wonderful books and taught myself so many new things, I was never bored !

 

I always had so much to do here and we live on a farm, what better place can you be ?

 

Now that my little ones are older and there are no new nursing babies or toddlers about, I go out once a week. Every Saturday I go to yard sales (season permitting) the GoodWill and do my Walmart shopping. But even when I am out runing around, I can't wait to get back home to my farm !

 

We also do field trips with our homeschooling group once or twice a month and we walk to a nearby park/playground for the children to play with the other neighborhood kids (it's right across the road from our farm).

 

I never overload our activity schedule, I want to keep things simple for myself and my children. We have learned to become content with just being still and being together. I have learned to really enjoy and find true peace and happiness in my life. :001_smile:

[Mommee & Baba]

We too are a one car family. In the spring and summer months...and sometimes the fall on the nice days my dh is able to ride his motorcycle to work. But I don't expect him too esp on days that even show a 20% chance of rain because the dangers of him getting caught in rain isn't worth the risk.

 

We've been a one car family from day one...so the days that we do have the car I jam too full and everyone is miserable so I'm learning to tone it down and just enjoy days less jammed when we have the car.

 

We have 2 dogs so we play and entertain them. Do our schoolwork, projects and crafts, housework, play, play outside, play the wii together and even play board games...watch movies...we live our lives 99% of the time indoors in our home. We feel that our home is a safe place and rather would spend time inside rather than outside our "safe" place.

 

Just today dh had to mow the lawn but before he did that our middler wanted to help him so they carried buckets of rocks from the landscaping to the ditch together. Then after they were done with that and he began mowing I had the kids get into their bathing suits and I washed the dogs. Then I washed up their slipping slide, set it up and they all played in the backyard while I staked up our tomato plants and dug up some ground for our squash plant to be replanted. Afterwards we all drug grass in the house, puddles of water everywhere and then damp towels and grassy bathing suits lying around and all of us showered and are now enjoying time watching movies and napping. Wouldn't change our way of living for nothing!

[sheryl]

Just curious! We have one car, so when my husband works we stay home. We school, enjoy being outside in the warm months, tend to a garden here in summer, reading books, watch movies, computer games, and watch our newborn kittens play.

 

I love being at home. I find it less stressfull to enjoy the small things in life.

 

What do you do to be content at home?

 

 

:iagree:

[LibraryLover]

I simply enjoy being home. One thing about being home that used to mess with me is that chores always called to do me, so I found it more difficult (although not terribly difficult lol ) to be and relax. The thing is, there is always something that needs to be done. There is always something to wipe, something to wash, to fold. I can enjoy my family even if there are a few items out of place, or even dishes that need washing. The laundry and dishes *never end*, and that is a fact. Unless people never eat, never get dressed, never bathe, never move, there will always be a chore that needs tending. Enough is enough-- it doesn't have to be perfect.

 

There is nothing I like better than knowing I can have a home day, or a few homes days. Looking at a week of no commimtments is bliss. I prefer to eat at home, work at home, relax at home. My home is my haven, and I don't know what else to say about. I love being home with my family or alone. Matters not. lol

 

It helps to like home arts, I suppose, although I am not interested in lots of 'deep cleaning' or 'total organization'. I do not think my life will change for the better if I Follow These 5 Simple Steps (Courtesry of The Contaner $tore!) lol.

Edited June 26, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Carrie12345]

When we had 1 car (and 1 child), I HATED being home. Fortunately, we lived within walking distance of parks, stores, and the library. I pushed ds's stroller around *someplace* or another nearly every day, in all types of weather, even while hugely pregnant.

 

Now, even with 2 cars, I rarely have the desire to leave the house. Of course, going just about anywhere now requires loading up 4 kids and making sure the pets are prepared to be alone for a few hours since we have very little within a half hour drive.

[AHASRADA]

We have learned to become content with just being still and being together. I have learned to really enjoy and find true peace and happiness in my life. :001_smile:

 

What a beautiful post! Oh how I wish I could say the same! For most of my life, home has represented work. Never-ending, thankless, overwhelming, messy work. Perhaps because I was raised watching my mother be discouraged by her home and endlessly seeking escape from it.

From time to time, if the house is actually decluttered, organized and clean, and no deadlines are looming, I can sit back and enjoy being home, but this is extremely rare.

 

When my kids were small, we had less stuff, life was simpler, and they were easily amused with a few toys and Sesame Street. It was easier to keep my house together, and I enjoyed doing so, but I still needed to get out a few times a week. My favorite period was their early elementary years. We had some sort of activity almost every day: gymnastics, karate, park day, library day, field trips. We had such wonderful conversations in the car, and they learned so much from the books they brought along on those rides. My son actually coined "Stay-Home Don't Go Anywhere Day" for the one day we stayed home, and we savoured it with read alouds and walks in the neighborhood.

 

Now that they are older, they require much more of my time academically, and there isn't time (or money) to do a lot of activities. Our house is crammed full, dh is here most of the time as well, and we are falling over each other and each other's stuff all day, every day. I welcome any opportunity to escape the innumerable tasks that are calling me from every corner and which seem insurmountable.

 

Dh wonders why I love eating out from time to time and enjoy the ambiance. He honestly would prefer to get take-out and eat in his comfy chair in front of the TV. I try to explain to him that, for me, even if someone else cooks, eating at home would be like him eating in his office. If I owned a restaurant, worked there 15 hours a day, it would not be a "treat" to eat dinner there, even if I didn't cook it. I cannot have a fun, relaxing evening in my workplace!

 

So, theoretically, if I had more space, less stuff, or both, and had adult companionship (OK adult *female* companionship) from time to time, I would probably enjoy staying home, since I prefer reading and other quiet activities. In fact, I love "staying home" at other people's houses, LOL!

 

Sadly, my own home is just not a restful place, and rarely has been. It is a monster than refuses to be tamed :sad:.

[LibraryLover]

That's great that you can be content at home!

 

I hate being at home - it causes me to be depressed! :lol:

 

Are you just someone who likes to be on the go all the time, or is there something at home that is depressing? I would think it difficult to get 7 children out each day, no?

 

I can understand that if youare a person who likes to go out, getting the children out is the least of it, right? It's probably the easiest thing. :auto: Especially with a stocked mini van. :)

[kbed0849]

Today was one of those days that I needed to be reminded of blessed I am to be able to be home. I have cabin fever today. But, reading all of these posts made me stop and see how great it is to be home with all my crew. Thanks to all!!

[PentecostalMom]

(and having a cocktail when I'm finally done nursing).

I can totally relate!

 

We stay home a lot as well. We read, go for walks, read, play in the yard, read, play games, read....you get the idea. Right now it is too hot to stay outside much, when we do it is usually playing in the sprinkler! We have two cars and I can go when I want, but I find my days and weeks run much more smoothly if we plan. I leave the house on Tuesday and Friday, due to hs group activities. Other days we stay home except for church. On those two days, all of the other errands have to get done as well. Anything that does not get done on Tuesday waits until Friday unless its impossible, which is rare.

[LibraryLover]

You can have a cocktail now! Biologically, a small amount of alcohol doesn't even make it into the breastmilk. There is a ton written about this. A cocktail will not affect a nursing baby...

[KrissiK]

I really prefer being at home. Unless home is very very messy. Which sometimes it is. (as opposed to just being very messy!:D) But I like being at home and I think the kids prefer it, too!

[MariannNOVA]

I love being at home. We do read alouds, play board games or card games, the kids will play LEGO for DAYS, or Calico Corners or Critters or whatever they are called - all three will play and that can go on for days as well. I will individually do 20-30 minutes of school with them which they love as they receive individual attention. They all have learned how to knit so they are each working on a scarf that they are making for family friends for Christmas.

 

We do netflix and red box so we try to watch a movie now and then.

 

If I have to run out and do just one thing, I will tend to let that one thing go by the wayside and save errands and the like for one day and do it all at once. I don't like running out for 30 minutes - it interrupts whatever else we were doing.

 

The air quality has been poor here and it has been, imo, too hot to go to the pool so I am happy that the kids are happy being inside.

 

And, they will sit out front or play in the yard - ds will lead them on expeditions and they play pioneer people or something like that. Or they will shoot hoops. It never ceases to amaze me that they can imagine so many things to 'play.'

 

Oh, and we do not have tv - we have a gorgeous wide screen television and that's for movies - no cable or satellite or FIOS tv since middle of February when we moved back home after living in a hotel for four months.

 

My truck will sit in the driveway for days at a time - sometimes I try to see how many days I can let it sit which means we haven't left the house.

 

We will go out to the library - we are content to sit there for hours - we happen to have a beautiful library in our town - the hours are being cut july 1 due to budget constraints, but the new hours will actually work better for us. And, we go out for music lessons and this week we will start going out for pick-up lacrosse games.

 

I guess there is enough running that we do have to do so I try not to go out just for the sake of 'getting out of the house.'

Edited June 27, 2010 by MariannNOVA

[Jody]

What neat posts! I do find it hard not to keep doing work. I make sure I take the time and keep a schedule to a degree. I am still working on it, but when starting the new school year I want to give more attention to the younger ones.

 

Keep the posts coming! I am glad I am not the only one that likes it at home.

[AppleGreen]

 

Now, even with 2 cars, I rarely have the desire to leave the house. Of course, going just about anywhere now requires loading up 4 kids and making sure the pets are prepared to be alone for a few hours since we have very little within a half hour drive.

 

This is so me, minus the pets and proximity to things, but the thought of taking my 4 children anywhere by myself always gives me pause. Really, it just feels like too much and stresses me out thinking about it.

[Hunter's Moon]

I enjoy being home also. I hate going to parties, large events, etc. I am not shy or anything, I just prefer to read a good book or watch a movie.

 

I read, watch movies, play with our dog, help my mom with the garden, make brownies :), and study.

 

I would hate to be an on-the-go kind of person. I volunteer, I have friends, I interact outside of my home, but I would much rather just sit at home and do my own thing.

ETA: I also knit

Edited June 26, 2010 by BeatleMania

[Danestress]

You can have a cocktail now! Biologically, a small amount of alcohol doesn't even make it into the breastmilk. There is a ton written about this. A cocktail will not affect a nursing baby...

 

I would have had so many more children if I had known that!

[Denisemomof4]

a few years back my car had to go into the body shop because I punctured the rear fender (don't ask) :blushing: and I like my car to look new. It was around the start of the new year, and they said it would take longer for them to get to it. I was fine with that. Stressed from all the running around I was doing, I told them to keep it and get to it when they could. Dh immediately thought we'd get a rental. I told him that if I needed to get a rental, we could get one a day ahead of time. Because we live in the country, I had a couple of friends on call should an emergency arise.

 

We were without a car for 10 days. It was PURE HEAVEN. What did we do? I don't remember. But I DO remember how heavenly it was not having to go out at ALL

[LibraryLover]

I would have had so many more children if I had known that!

 

 

LOL That's the reason you didn't have more kids? I know you're kidding me...

 

At any rate, it's true. Of course, we are tallking about small amounts:

 

"In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels."

 

:)http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Edited June 27, 2010 by LibraryLover

[mom4him]

We have had one car now for a little over a year. We do have an advantage though as both my dh and my oldest ds work at the same place so when the kids and I need the car we keep it and dh rides to work with ds. That really only happens though when we have Dr appointments and need to go to town for monthly groc. and such.

We school year around, the kids spend LOTS of time in the back yard pool, they bike, I do some but haven't had time to get mine out this year yet, we simply enjoy our home and being at home. Once in a while we will have a week where there is just something going all the time, normally Dr appointments and my dd will ask, "Mom, is tomorrow a stay at home day?"

We really are just home bodies.

[lllll]

..

[Baseball mom]

I really do enjoy staying home. For the past couple months we haven't been home very much at all. It is ball season and we are gone all. the. time. (look at my house and you can tell we are not here much. It is a total mess)

[Renee in NC]

Are you just someone who likes to be on the go all the time, or is there something at home that is depressing? I would think it difficult to get 7 children out each day, no?

 

I can understand that if youare a person who likes to go out, getting the children out is the least of it, right? It's probably the easiest thing. :auto: Especially with a stocked mini van. :)

 

My *house* is depressing!:lol: I actually don't like to go out a whole lot, but there isn't anything to do here (other than laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.) It's dark in here most of the time, but we have to keep it that way (curtains closed) or it is hot, hot, hot. The ceilings are only 7 feet tall, so I feel like I live in a box. There are 8 of us in 1300 square feet, so it is fairly crowded. It feels so clausterphobic at times.

 

If we lived in my mother's home, I would stay home. The walls are white, the rooms are bright, the ceilings high, and the yard large (and private) with a pool.:D

[iquilt]

I love staying home and am content to stay home for days on end. With my first baby we went somewhere every single day because I felt that we had to, but by the time we had all 3 I was staying home a lot with them. They are happy to stay home for extended periods of time because then they can set up elaborate activities for their stuffed puppies or their dolls or legos or playmobil; currently my son has his own barber shop set up and he has been tending to all of their stuffed friends and dolls with paper scissors and a comb and blow dryer, by appointment only of course :). For me, I enjoy reading, quilting and knitting, baking and cooking from scratch; if we weren't home I wouldn't be able to do everything that I enjoy. We try to limit our errands to one day a week.

[2cents]

I love being at home, especially after we clean up. Nothing is more peaceful to me than a tidy, fresh smelling house. We sit by the pool, enjoy the sun or watch a storm coming and it is the best place to be. It's even better when dh has the day off. :D

[MomOfOneFunOne]

My idea of the ultimate luxury would be to have speakers in every room so that when one of us has to go to the bathroom we don't have to shout, "Pause it! Pause it!"

 

:lol::lol::lol: You are a girl after my own heart!! So funny and so true!

[DawnM]

I haven't read through all of this, but man, I had a hard time just going from working full time to staying home WITH a car! I can't imagine not having a car.

 

I would be begging DH to move across from the train station! As it is, he drives to the train (10 miles) station and takes the train in.

 

After being a SAHM for 5 years, I still struggle with missing working every day.

 

We are involved in a lot of activities and that helps, but I am not a SAH person. Of course, I used to say I could NEVER be a SAHM, so I guess it can be done.

 

Dawn