The Shroyer Family: Non-Traditional....I'll take it!

I'm sure I'm not the only "work from home" mom that has questioned herself and her abilities...am I? I look around and see all these other moms with full-time careers that juggle kids, extracurricular activities, husbands, families, friends, etc and I wonder, "how do they do it?" I have no clue and the more I try to add to my plate, to be one of "those" moms, I realize instantly that it's not the life I want to live. I can't do it and the older I get, I'm embracing the peaceful life I get to have. Brenton and I worked hard to get to this point! Yes, there used to be a time where we were working to afford a life that we disliked, but something happened 5 years ago that helped us to see all the things we were missing. The goal I had for our life was to SIMPLIFY! A word that became our motto when we put our house on the market, bought another in Gnaden, and began the journey to the way we wanted our lives to go from that moment on! A life we had to learn to embrace, because we were finding that when we simplified things we quickly became aware that our kids were not sports enthusiast! So, that really simplified things for us! Not running all over, WHAT? How do we do this? Now, imagine a father with a love for football that has 2 boys and neither play...WHAT? LOL!! Truly, that took some time to figure out. We've ran the gamut on sports! We've introduced everything football, baseball, wrestling, tae-kwon-do, basketball but for our Ethan, non of those seemed to excite him. However, one that has stood out to him is the game of golf! His daddy introduced him to golf about 3 years ago and they even "work" together out at the CC during the golf season and Ethan is in heaven. This boy is going to do great things! Ethan, is our kind-hearted boy. He loves to help people and has recently found that working in a soup kitchen was what he was needing to feel fulfilled. Serving others is something he's been asking us for since the 3rd grade and we finally found the perfect fit! Colin, is our energetic, free-spirted boy. Colin has found a love for soccer, thanks to his teacher and her son. We know nothing about that sport, but watching this boy grow and learn has truly been a blessing. Colin, has been the one that truly I can thank for opening our eyes to another way of life. He's shown us how to "step out of the box" and embrace being different. Thanks to him, our family of 4, has become a tight knit clan and we don't like to do many things without one another. We are homebodies, but I'm probably the worst with that. I love being home! I'd much rather be home in my sweatpants than being out and about. Thank goodness my husband totally gets me, because his personality is actually being a social butterfly. However, the two of us, make it work and learning to embrace each others need has been quite fun. Our life is all about "Family First" and that will forever be. We have learned that 1 or 2 times a month is perfect for us to get out with friends. It's great to be married to my best friend, because I never long for nights with girlfriends or such. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being with friends and every so often enjoy a night with them, but if I'm planning a night out it's never without my #1....ever! When we moved here, life changed for the better! The rat race stopped and living began! Our time is valuable and yesterday when I was doing my bible study in Proverbs, it was even there in black and white, stating the importance of family time! I chuckled and looked over at Brenton to reread the scripture, it stood out to me that much! It was so rewarding to know that even though our chosen life, that is non-traditional these days, is not filled w/ non stop running, sports, friends, etc and probably looks really odd to most, but is filled with our little family of 4 and is exactly the way God intended it to be. Now, THAT, really has given me a new perspective and one that I will never take for granted. The one thing I've come to realize is that my "career" was never intended to be about a big paycheck, but rather about being a wife and mother! I love that! I was meant to be a wife and mother! The value of a simplified life has sure paid off in dividends and maybe not with lots of cash in the bank, but rather with endless hugs from boys anxiously getting home from school, to their tired mother with no makeup on and in the same sweatpants she had on when they left earlier that morning. Yeah, it's true.....I'm no longer that girl that is worried about being a size 8, having awesome clothes, a huge career, or being in the know AND I'm so thankful for it. I love this life I've been blessed to live and I thank God everyday for opening my eyes to show me what truly matters most!