“We make sacrifices so that I can stay at home. We drive two old cars and the house is nothing fancy. But we make it, and we’re happy. The good news is that we get to focus on teaching our kids how to live the faith that’s so important to us.”

The decision to be at home full-time with the kids is an important one, and we know it’s not easy. Long days with very young children can be stressful. Then there are the people who ask if you work. HELLO! If you’re wondering how you can make at-home time educational and really special, we can help.

Since you’re at home full-time, you’ll eventually have to do paperwork with the kids around. Why not encourage each of them to start a collection of simple (inexpensive or FREE) thing that interests them (rocks, stamps, cans, stickers, fossils, etc)? They’ll love arranging and re-arranging their collection while you pay the bills. When you go to the library you can help them find books about their areas of interest.

Resist the urge to use TVs and DVDs as electronic babysitters. Instead, include your children in your everyday chores. Two-year-olds can be taught to feed the pet. Four-year-olds are fascinated by stacking cans in the cupboard. While five-year-olds actually WANT to use toilet brushes!

Grab umbrellas and take a walk to run an errand on a rainy day. Talk about where the rain comes from and where it goes. Why is rain important? Sniff the rainy air and ask your child to tell you how it smells to her.

Want to make a plain everyday lunch really special? While lunch is heating, move your kitchen table to a new spot. Put on a tablecloth and centerpiece and declare it to be your own family restaurant. Let your child think of a name for your restaurant. Now you have the perfect setting to talk about new foods, restaurant careers, even manners!