Fulltime Mama My name is Elizabeth, and I am the happy wife of ten years to Fabio and fulltime mama to four beautiful children: Joshua-9, Dominique 7, Israel- almost 5, Johann-3 and expecting a new baby in April 2012! We are currently living in Brazil as missionaries and life never ceases to be an adventure!!! I love motherhood with a passion and am passionate about providing a place here at MamaKnowsBest where mothers can learn, grow, and share ... pooling the wisdom of many into one big jackpot for mothers. View all articles | Contact author

 1. How many children do you have, and what are their ages?

I have 4 children, Jessica(12, soon to be a teenager!), A.J.(10), Colton(8), and Levi(6).

      We love to play games! Even if we are busy we try to sit down and play a round or two because we all love it so much!

3.      What do you find most challenging about motherhood, and how have you handled this challenge?

      I think the most challenging thing is keeping up with all the responsibilities of running a household, and homeschooling. It's so easy to stay busy trying to keep up, but we must not forget that the dishes and the dust will still be here tomorrow, but our children grow up fast! I have to make myself leave things now and then, and just spend time with my children.

4.  

   What do you do to stay strong in order to fulfill your daily tasks as a mother?

      I try to begin each day with a worshipful attitude. Singing worship songs as we do our morning chores helps all of us to have a better attitude towards our work. I have been reading "A life of Worship" and it has helped me to interact with God as I live everyday life, not just the times that I can read His Word and pray. I write verses on index cards and place them around so that I can see them throughout the day.

5.      When life gets hectic, how do you maintain a feeling of connectedness with your children?

      By making time to do some fun things together. Even if we don't have a lot of time, we try to do something all together for a little while. Outside activities, if it's warm enough, or playing games. We love to do crafts together too.

6.      What book or resource has helped you the most as a mother?

      I would have to say "Shepherding Your Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp. That book is very powerful in the training of your children, but I would also add "Created to be His Helpmeet" by Debbi Pearl to the list. "Created to be His Helpmeet" really helped me to change some of my thinking, and attitude towards not only my husband, but also my children. It helped me to have a more servant's heart toward my family.

7.      How did you come to the decision to homeschool?

      I was homeschooled growing up and I really enjoyed being able to do school at home. I am from a large family and we all loved being at home together. My husband's family also homeschooled, so we were in agreement (I think even before we were married) that we wanted to homeschool our children. We believe it is so important to be able to teach our children the truth, to raise our children to seek the Lord in everything that they do!

8.  How do you manage a typical homeschool day, teaching four children at different grade levels?

      It is a struggle at times to teach four grades at once! We try to do some subjects together, such as Science and History, so that does help to keep things going. When we do our book work we all sit around the table and I try to keep everyone going on whatever their assignment is that they are working on, but trying to keep them all going is sometimes a challenge. They do have to exercise patience whenever I'm instructing one and the other needs a little help, but it goes fairly well for the most part. The curriculum we are using seems to be working very well and the kids are doing great and learning a lot. My oldest is in 7^th grade, so she can do a lot of it on her own. They all get a little more independent as they get older. 

9.  How do you find time for romance and building your relationship with your husband in the midst of the busyness of small children?

      I am so blessed to have a husband that loves to spend time with me and the kids! We do get to go out on a date from time to time, but we also just spend time doing things all together. We love to play outside doing sports or activities. My husband and I are both fairly athletic, so we really enjoy spending time together doing that.  After the kids are in bed, we usually spend some time talking, or cuddle on the couch and watch a movie.

10.  Do you have any creative ideas for managing to take affordable vacations for your family?

      We love to go camping! We have a big tent that we can all fit comfortably in. We take an electric skillet, electric pot, coffee maker, and our food and pick a spot! One time we even went camping at a campground only 20 minutes from our house, but it was time away and lots of fun! It is pretty low cost, because you would have to eat even if you were at home, so just take your food with you! Campgrounds vary in price, but it's much cheaper to camp for a weekend, then to spend one night in a hotel!

11.   What's your favorite book of the Bible and why? (or if you would prefer to talk about a favorite verse, that is okay too.)

      Psalms and Proverbs – Psalms because of all the praise and worship, and for the comfort that it gives in times of weariness.  Proverbs because of all of the Godly instruction for us to live by.

12.  What are some ways you are/were able, as a mother with small children, to spend time with the Lord?

      When I think back to when my children were all small, it sometimes seems to be a blur! Being so busy with all the needs of small children really makes it hard to have that alone time with the Lord. I tried to fit it in where I could. Sometimes in the middle of the night while nursing the baby! Singing has always been a big thing for me. I love to sing worship to God, and it helps me to focus on Him throughout the day.

13. Can you tell us a little bit about when your husband was deployed and how you managed at home without him?

      My husband is a Marine and was deployed to Iraq for a year. Our children were 4, 5 1/2, 7, and 9 at the time. It was hard, very hard! After we waved goodbye and went home without him, it just didn't seem like home. We were planning on going down for an extended visit with my family in Georgia the next week, but after he left we packed up as soon as we could and headed out a couple of days later. I am so thankful for my family and the support that they were during the time my husband was away. We stayed there for 6 months. My dad took the kids on hikes in the woods, and my brothers would give them 4-wheeler rides. They had cousins to play with on a regular basis, and we lots of fun family get together, so this helped to fill some of the void, or at least keep up busy. We really enjoyed our time there, but it was also good to get back home (in Indiana).

      The Lord blessed me with peace. I couldn't even explain how at peace I was with the whole thing. It was definitely from God, because I can remember getting a phone call from my husband on our anniversary when he was out on a mission and, after talking for a few minutes, I heard gunfire in the background. He said that he had to go and we hung up. I said a prayer for his safety and I was fine. I knew that he was in God's hands!

      The Lord was gracious to us and even led us to a new church where we met several homeschool families. We joined the homeschool group there and they all were so supportive, even though they had never even met my husband. To this day we are very close to all of those families.

      My husband's family was also very supportive. I felt so blessed to have close support form both sides of our family!

      That year was a time that I drew near to the Lord and He drew near to me!  

14.     Is there anything else you would like to share with other mothers?

      Enjoy this time of motherhood! It's way too easy to get bogged down and busy with the things of life. Our children grow up so fast! Take time to find joy in every day that you have with them! 

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!!!

If there is a mom in your life that you think would like to share some of her life wisdom with us, please interview her and post the interview here!

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Copy the block of questions below- however, these are only an example. You may add to them or take some out if you feel they don't apply, customizing as you see fit for each individual. We do suggest that you submit the first and last question, and also that you submit at least 14 questions to the mom you are interviewing, and allow her to choose the ten she feels most comfortable answering.

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