This Rugged JoyFull Home

The Three-Year Season of Waiting I consider myself a traditional housewife—but on steroids! With my husband’s full support, I had the freedom to build our family’s schedule around his 28/28 work rotation, and that remained our rhythm for almost two decades. I thrived on that independence because no one else dictated how I spent my days—a rhythm I believe was inspired by the Lord Himself so I could stay curious alongside my growing kids and instill in them a love for lifelong learning. Whenever my husband was away on hitch, I could pour myself into our children’s homeschooling while still having the flexibility to venture into small retail businesses. Over time, that intentional lifestyle even allowed us to set aside modest savings and gradually invest in real estate and grassroots shares. Fast forward to recent years, and life happened. First, the pandemic hit, reshaping the global economy. Then in 2022, the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. My husband had to return home when his cont...

After six years of working for an oil and gas company in the Arctic region of Yamal, my husband’s contract came to an end in March 2022. Honestly, reaching that six-year mark from 2016 had already exceeded our expectations, considering how time-bound and uncertain job tenure in that line of work always is. For FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) workers like him—always on the go, working for 28 days straight, resting for 28 days, and living out of suitcases for half their lives—it always felt like you were only as good as your last hitch. It was never a question of if the company would tell you your services were no longer needed, but when . Looking back nearly five years later, I am reminded that all shows must come to an end. As expatriates, my husband had always prepared us for a moment like that. We were ready for a graceful exit, determined to finish strong and finish well. Our flat in Moscow—a four-hour flight away from his workplace in the permafrost of Yamal—had to be emptied, with all of ...

Every family is unique and has their own rhythm to follow. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to raising a family and building strong, independent individuals. For us, our agreement was simple. We chose the traditional path of a single-income household so that one parent— moi —could stay behind to care for the kids. Plus, we didn’t have to hire extra help to run our household affairs because I covered all those things. Talk about a full-time job! But more than just managing a home, this setup was about protecting our freedom to choose what worked for us. I believe every woman and mother deserves the space to do the same; not having to ask permission, completely free from the dictates of any third-party voice. My husband and I were both committed to maintaining complete transparency in every area of our lives—especially when it came to money. I was fully aware that my responsibility was to ensure we stuck to our modest budget from paycheck to paycheck. ...

This is my response to Karen’s statement that has been circulating on social media. Karen claims that women must be empowered, and she firmly believes that women’s empowerment is determined by whether or not they have their own income. She has been advocating for women to have jobs, arguing that a woman should earn her own living rather than relying on her boyfriend or spouse for financial security. I think that her definition of an empowered woman is completely subjective. For me, an empowered woman is someone who has the freedom to make choices about her own life. This includes the decision to work outside the home and leave her children in the care of others, or to stay at home and raise her children. It’s important to recognize that different women have different priorities and circumstances, and what may be empowering for one woman may not be for another. Furthermore, not having a corporate job or an independent income doesn’t mean a woman isn’t empowered. It simply means that she...

After spending almost two decades homeschooling our children, entering this new post-homeschooling season is really such a welcome shift. There’s no need to rush anymore, since I’m really not meeting any deadlines here, and I can finally just savor all the little things happening around me. The idea of "living slow" felt like a cliché when I was younger—back when we had all the energy and passion to carve out the life we aspired to have as a young family of four. Fast forward to the here and now, it feels like there was a switch that suddenly turned ON. The idea of living slow actually makes my heart sing! While my husband and I are still in our early 50s and not quite at retirement age yet, our role as parents has noticeably shifted. Our adult children move forward to continue fulfilling their God-given callings—one is pursuing law school and the other is studying chemical engineering. They still need our financial support, of course, but the daily decision-making and academ...