Introduction: Meet Kate and Marcia

We grew up together in a small town and have been best friends since we were twelve.  We live on opposite sides of the country now, but through the miracle of technology we still share our daily trials and triumphs with each other.  We have each been happily married for about fifteen years.  We each married young, while still in college, and with a bundle of student loan debt.  We each have five amazing children ages five to fourteen (but Kate has another on the way!).  We have both been stay at home moms for 99.9% of our children’s lives. Both our husbands have experienced long periods of unemployment, and we have almost never had employer sponsored healthcare.

Over the past fifteen years both our families have enjoyed times of great abundance as well as times of extreme hardship.  We have gained new attitudes and learned useful skills to help our families be successful in both good times and bad.   Often we are asked, “How do you do it?”  How do we raise larger than average families on smaller than average incomes? This blog is an effort to share what we’ve learned. 

We want to help others raising families in tough times and enjoy the benefits of a Christ-centered lifestyle.  We believe in spending time with our kids more than spending money on them.  We believe that a mother’s place is in the home with her children.  We believe that no matter how bleak things look, our Father in Heaven always provides a way.  We believe that faith can move mountains- and pay mortgages.  It is this faith that not only makes our modest life manageable, but makes it richer than any thing the world has to offer.

Do we have all the answers?  We wish!!!  We make a lot of mistakes, and we promise to share them all with you for your own personal enjoyment. (mistake #1 one of the kids in this picture is not wearing pants!) 

So if you’re interested in learning more, we invite you to come and hang out with us for a while.  We’ll do a little cooking, a little shopping, and spend some time with the kids. Talking about money isn't always fun (especially when you don't have much) but we promise to make it as exciting as we can.  Are you ready?  Then let’s go!

Kate and Marcia