Stay-at-Home Mom Life: Summer Homemaking, Simple Recipes, and Heartfelt Encouragement

Today I am sharing encouragement for anyone seeking the stay-at-home mom life!

Hey friends! Today I have a simple summer recipe that I’ve shared with you before, but it’s just so good that I have to share it again! I also want to share some things that have been on my heart lately. I hope you don’t mind if I open up about my full time stay-at-home mom life.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about homemaking lately and how special it is to me. I absolutely love it; it’s one of my biggest passions. It has provided me with so many opportunities and has allowed me to explore so many interests — from baking to cooking to gardening to painting to blogging and even this YouTube channel. It’s crazy how many interests I’ve explored and some talents I have discovered just because of the decision we made for me to be a stay-at-home mother and raise our kids.

I want to talk about that more in a bit, but first I thought I’d quickly explain what I’m putting together. This is my mom’s peach cobbler recipe. She told me the other day how simple it is, and I realized I hadn’t made it in so long. It’s the easiest recipe, and I’ll put it on my blog for you. You don’t even have to mix the ingredients. You just melt the butter in a cast iron pan. I thawed some frozen peaches for this, but the original recipe actually uses canned peaches. You pour the batter over the melted butter, and then using a slotted spoon, you place the peaches on top of the batter.

I called my mom and told her I had thawed a few extra peaches. She said it’s totally fine — she always felt like the cobbler needed more peaches anyway. So I used the extras to fill in the gaps. Honestly, you just throw the cast iron in the oven until it gets brown and crispy. It’s such a simple, delicious summer dessert idea.

I also hate to waste ingredients. I had leftover juice from the peaches and thought, “Why not make a marinade?” I added coconut aminos, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar (I was out of rice wine vinegar), salt, pepper, and a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. It made a delicious Asian-inspired marinade.

Getting back to homemaking — I want to acknowledge that a stay-at-home mom life isn’t an option for everyone. I completely understand that, and I know it is a privilege to be a stay-at-home parent. There are single moms, financial constraints, and many reasons why someone might not be able or have the resources to stay home. But I also think our culture doesn’t really encourage homemaking, and I want to see that change, especially for new moms who have a desire to be stay-at-home mamas.

There’s pressure on young people to choose a lifelong career path at 14 or 15. They are encouraged to join the labor or workforce as soon as possible and complete degrees that will lead to high-salary jobs. I’m not against college; I went to college, have a bachelor’s degree, and I grew up a lot during that time. I learned about myself and grew closer to the Lord. There are great things about higher education. But I also want to champion those young girls who say they want to have the stay-at-home mom life. There’s nothing wrong with that!

I was recently at dinner with my two nieces and my sister. One of them had lots of big dreams, which is great, but the other said she just wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I want to be the voice in her life that says, “That’s awesome too.” Because that’s what I’m doing, and I love it. I recently went antique shopping with them, and they watch my channel faithfully. That made me realize I have a responsibility.

I don’t want to sugarcoat anything; there are hard days, just like in any job. We have chores, errands, a daily schedule and a to-do list filled with loads of laundry, diapers and cleaning up toys. Motherhood can sometimes take a hit on our mental health due to loneliness and the difficulty to find quiet time for self-care. But we each weigh the pros and cons and try to make the best decision for our families.

Mike and I have had to sit down and work out how we would make it work. We only have one vehicle. We don’t have credit cards, and we pay for everything in cash, including our grocery shopping. We make sacrifices for me to stay home, but for us, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Every family is different, and I’m not saying our way is the best way. I’m just trying to be the voice that says the stay-at-home mom life is fulfilling and wonderful.

I think it’s unfortunate that when I make a video about homemaking, someone always assumes I’m looking down on working moms. That’s just not true. I technically work from home. I started my blog in 2017 and my YouTube channel a few years later. I have many full time and part time working mom friends that I love and support. I’m not judging anyone. I just want to say that being a homemaker has just as much value as any other job.

If you want to be a stay-at-home mom (sahm), don’t be scared or ashamed. Don’t worry about what people say. I’ve had people tell me I’m wasting my life, my skills, my degree; that I have more to offer society than parenthood. But I feel peace about where God has me right now. Maybe someday I’ll work outside the home. Who knows? I just wanted to share my heart with you today.

Thank you for following me along on my stay-at-home mom life journey. I am truly so blessed to be a homemaker to be able to share my daily life with you all. I hope this was an encouraging post for you if you have been feeling the call of motherhood in your own life. Don’t forget to sign up for my free mini homemaking course for more encouragement and homemaking tips!

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