This week we’re on a combined family vacation in the Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia. Both Sidetracked Moms with husbands and kids in a log cabin surrounded by rolling hills and relaxing springtime breezes. It’s gorgeous here. Just what I needed for some time away to relax and to refocus.
The refocusing is my main priority right now. So much of our lives has been filled with busyness that it’s been hard to slow down and think about things. Are we headed where we should be heading? Are we working towards a common goal? Are the things we’ve been spending all our time on helping our family or hurting our family?
Recently, Shawn and I have been discussing our desire to make some major life changes in order to refocus our time and efforts to be all about family. We have given so much of our time to working that we feel our family has suffered because of it. Just the simple act of realizing a shift in focus is necessary has given us a renewed sense of togetherness and purpose. We’ve all heard the old adage, “No one gets to the end of their life and says, ‘I wish that I had worked more or spent less time with my family.’” Unfortunately, it’s so easy to convince ourselves that we’re working so much for our family when that may not necessarily be the case at all.
Some of my personal goals are listed below as well as things I’ve read that we’re considering doing to help us refocus. I imagine that none of them are new ideas to you but perhaps one will be useful to you and your family.
- Work less, play more.
- Turn off the TV and go outside.
- Break out the board games.
- Plan a family camping trip.
- Cut expenses and increase relationships.
- Move to a cheaper home in a cheaper area.
- Clear out the clutter.
- Make do on a smaller grocery budget.
- Give fewer material gifts as presents.
- Go down to one car.
- Turn off cable/satellite.
- Save the money you are no longer wasting in a special account.
Not everything comes down to spending less money. But what I’m learning in my refocusing on the family is that if we can figure out how to spend less money then we can work less at our jobs. In the end, working less will open up more family time which is our ultimate goal.
Faith, I am struck by a few of your choices in the list above.
First of all, when we cut off the cable in 1989, it did wonders for our family. It got you and the boys to interact with each other on a regular basis, as opposed to hibernating in separate rooms to watch individual t.v. shows.
Money is a tough one. When we’re young, we work hard to establish our careers which often requires long hours away from home. Ideally, I wish we could all work from home and be a family 24/7, but careers like medicine don’t work that way. I do agree, however, that trying to cut expenses so Dad doesn’t have to work as much is a worthy goal.
Finally, time is really what matters, as you and I are both well aware of. I know this is a huge reason why Dad and I decided to homeschool. Time with our children flies by, and homeschooling clearly gave us the most time with our children. I’m so glad for you and Shawn that you chose this schooling option from the beginning. While it has its challenges, it will give you both the most time to be a family. And as you well know, time with family, once you leave home, is never the same again.
Now, about this clutter thing……….. 
Recommended Reading
View My Profile on LinkedIn
