I have some exiting news to share today….
We are picking up our #steadymotherhood series with the amazing and incredibly talented Ruth Chou Simons!
First off, I can’t tell you how excited I am that I get the chance to have such an inspiring woman on this blog, to interview her and have her share her wisdom with us newbie moms. She’s the #momgoals of all #momgoals. Ruth is an artist, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. She has six “man cubs,” is madly in love with her husband and she just released her first book GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart.
Ruth was kind enough to share some of her steady motherhood wisdom with us and I know you are going to love her!
How long have you been a stay at home mom and to how many kids?
I have 6 sons ranging in age from 4 to 15 years. I have been a stay-at-home mom since my firstborn was a toddler. I’ve served alongside my husband Troy during his decade as a pastor, his season of headmastering a school, and now, continue as a work-at-home mom, running our family business and online ministry together while we tag-team the boys’ education.
If you could describe your parenting style in one word, what would it be?
Honest is the first word that comes to mind. I want my children to be honest and vulnerable, but at the same time, what I want to see in them must be demonstrated in myself. I’ve learned that honesty and transparency about our brokenness and need for a Savior is one of the greatest things I can share with my boys.
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If you could offer some advise to a brand new stay at home mom, what would it be?
For the brand new stay at home mom, I would offer this advice- Staying home with your children may not be something that comes naturally or is easy; however, when it doesn’t come naturally, it comes by grace. The love of motherhood, of teaching my children, of purposefully crafting a memorable meal, of creatively reflecting beauty in my home, of doing the same thing day after day after day…those things do not come to me naturally. They are the result of pruning and cultivation. Be patient with yourself; your children are a work in progress…but so are you.
What’s your one tip for getting your day started on the right foot?
Don’t neglect spending time with the Lord. Try using a reading plan, an audio Bible, or find an accountability partner. Our family tries to gather in the living room as the day begins for quiet times (alone), but together. It really does help keep us accountable to one another in persevering in the Word.
Do you have any book/movies/pod-cast/IG feeds recommendations to help us on our journey?
There are a number of women who are on Instagram that are incredibly encouraging. Well Watered Women is a like-minded sister company to GraceLaced. They are intentional and encouraging when it comes to motherhood online. Deeply Rooted ministry and magazine is a periodical that is also very uplifting to me. I highly recommend the At Home 6 podcast as well as their blog. I recently did a podcast interview with Risen Motherhood. The podcast and my particular episode with them addresses the little years and how to steward well a season that may not be your time to shine in other endeavors.
If you had one whole day all to yourself what would it look like?
If I had a day to myself, I would deep clean my house first (sanity!) then pull out a giant blank canvas and paint all day…just for me, and just for fun. We all need to make more time to be creative for the sake of process instead of production.
What do you enjoy most about being a stay at home mom?
I love being able to, at the ready: train, speak, and observe what is actually going on with my kids. I love that if they have a need or express concern for something, I am always available to provide immediate encouragement or challenge. The home is the messiest context in which we can live out the gospel with our children. That may discourage us sometimes, but it should also bring us hope, because being home (even for those who cannot be home full-time) allows opportunities to invest in each others’ lives in the most vulnerable and impacting ways.
Steady Motherhood | What you may have missed
