Simply Homeschooling with Tami Fox

One thing that I am thankful for is that I have a large age range with my children. The oldest is 19, and the youngest is 3. I have enjoyed motherhood from the time I became pregnant with our first child (morning sickness aside). But I have also realized how fast time flies. Babies do not stay babies for long. Time passes very quickly. And before you know it, your children are grown. So I try to remember that mothering my children matters, and I take time to be with them. My youngest one enjoys some quiet one-on-one time with me in the evenings. He calls it “Mommy and Benji” time. He usually does not invite siblings, but sometimes he will invite one or two of them to join us. We usually just hang out on my bed and watch a movie. His favorites are Cars, Toy Story, and Stuart Little. Since I want to cherish this time when he wants to be with me, I try to wrap up my work and computer pursuits to hang out with him. Before I know it, he’ll be grown.

Since I am self-employed, I have to keep really good records for my tax return each year. I also organize our personal paperwork throughout the year in various file categories. This makes sorting through and matching up receipts a breeze when it is time to do our tax return. I also use an Excel spreadsheets for several things. I do my business checkbook through Quicken, and I am moving our personal checkbook to Quicken this year. In January, I start going through the files to make sure that I have a receipt for each of my business expenses. I have been doing our tax return since we got married, and I have learned which forms I need to have in hand by the end of January/first of February. I try to get our return filed as early as possible, since we usually get a refund. (Thanks to having 6 children.)

Last year we were audited by the state of NC for the number of dependents we had. I was required to send in a copy of all of our children’s birth certificates. We had the same number of dependents the year before, and all 6 of our children were born in NC. And I supplied Social Security numbers on the federal return. And yet the state still had to have documentation. I was not a happy camper, but I complied. If I did not provide the documentation, they would have retained our refund. Nice, huh?

So keep good records for your annual tax return. Keep important papers in a safe location. And finally try not to stress too much when you start compiling all of your information.

In my journey this past year, I decided that I needed to make some lifestyle changes. I like to be proactive about my health, but as a mom, it is so easy to put everyone else’s needs before my own needs. I am pretty sure this is common for many moms. Since I have a family that is larger than most, I work really hard every day raising and training our children. I started out with small lifestyle changes. I switched to drinking water most of the time. I do have a cup of black coffee every morning. And for variety, I sometimes add lemon to my water.

Then, I started working on diet changes. I reduced my fatty foods, and I reduced the number of carbs that I have each day. I usually have a carb for my breakfast. And I eat veggies that have carbs, such as a baked potato. I don’t eat a lot of bead. I am eating foods that are high in protein. And I strive for a good mix of fruits and veggies each day. The variety changes with the seasons. I also try to watch my sodium intake.

I do not eat a lot of red meats. But if I do, it is from a grain-fed, hormone-free cow. We buy half a cow at a time. This helps stretch our budget, and you just cannot beat this meat for leaness. I do eat quite a bit of chicken. I am not a fish eater.

Finally, I added daily exercise to my lifestyle changes. I can say that I am healthier and more fit than I was in my 30’s, maybe even my 20’s. I look forward to my daily exercise. And I have even done a bit of running.

All things in moderation is the key for me. And I want to be strong physically and spiritually. I’ll talk about my spiritual walk in another post.

The new year lends itself to reflection. And as I have been learning to go about our normal life and routine, I realized that I am doing that with parts of my heart missing. Those who have gone on before me are in a better place, but I still miss them. And that has brought about a “new normal” for me. Each day I concentrate on what is important for that day. In the past year, my children have needed me to meet more emotional needs as they are coping with the same losses than I am coping with. I love how God moves in and brings healing. And I love the precious memories that I have of my loved ones.