Appreciation and Apologies

First and foremost, thank you to those who already feel that my blog is worth following! It encourages me to go on.

Secondly, I want to say that I am NOT an expert on anything, and I am not here to condemn anyone, or to push my lifestyle on anyone. I get fired up sometimes, but only on matters that I believe with all my heart. I can't build my life on wishy-washy principles. But then there are the gray areas. I understand that I am making choices for me and my family, as you may be for you and yours, and though we both base our choices on what we learn from the Bible and from those who speak wisdom, there will always be those gray areas. We are all striving to be good stewards of our 'talents', and your 'investments' will look different from mine, simply based on location, income, health, and personality. 

So, that said:

- I try to feed my kids home-made foods and organic fruits and vegetables, but I do resort to pre-packed snacks on occasion. We buy bread, though I am trying to make my own, but... well... let's just say I'm still learning. We eat fast food (In-and-Out) once in a blue moon, and will eat store-bought pizza when it is served at kid's birthday parties. We can't afford organic eggs or milk, but have recently bought grass-fed beef at a great price. (thanks Flo!)

- I mainly buy clothes at thrift stores and consignment shops. I like supporting small local businesses, but I also admit that I like the convenience of Target, and that I have in the past bought something at Walmart because it was a really good deal.

- I use cloth diapers, and have used cloth diapers for all four kids, but I always have a pack of disposable ones on hand (for traveling, babysitters, days when I'm just too tired to fight a squirming baby with a pin in my hand). I also hang my laundry on most days, but will gladly use the dryer on overcast or rainy days.

- We walk to the park and library near our home, but we drive everywhere else.

- We live in a normal-looking home (in fact, it's a rental), not in a commune in the middle of the desert. Sometimes, I daydream about buying a small neighborhood, calling it Bairdville, and having all my closest friends live there with me. But I know that that, above all, is not God's intention for my life. How can I be His hands and feet if I tie those hands and feet with ropes of rules and regulations? 

Which brings us back to the gray areas. I know that women generations before me raised four kids without the help of modern-day conveniences, and I think that if I had to, I could do it too. But I am where I am, and I can only do so much at this point. And I'm still learning. Compared to where I was eight years ago, I've come a long way!

My advice, to you and to myself: don't compare. Don't compare yourself to me. Don't compare yourself to the mother of twenty-some children on TV. Don't compare yourself to your great-grandmother Lily who was a widow at the age of twenty-eight, single mother of six, working a farm by day and sewing beautiful ladies' dresses by night. Learn to live YOUR life as God intends for YOU! And remember, that though we may have high ideals, we are works in progress. Frame and hang your ideals as goals to strive towards, not laws to mark failure.