It was quite the scene, two grown women playing with toy horses, periodically turning from their “play” to tell their children, “No, not that one. You can’t play with that one right now, I need it.”

Strangers shot us strange glances as they strolled by.

The sun was harsh. My son’s face glowed beet red in the Kansas City heat. My niece bounded about under the shade of tall pines, her sun dress twirling around her.

It was the day after my sister and her two children had arrived. They were visiting us for two weeks, and on this day we were hard at work.

The gravel crunched beneath my bare knee as I knelt and positioned my head low to the earth. I squinted into the view finder, half-clicked the shutter to focus on the intricately braided lead rope that hung under the chin of a plastic horse. Snap. Refocus. Shutter. Snap.

When my sister was in high school she started a business. Only she hardly knew at the time what she was hatching. She was only looking to dress up her model horses in beautiful, quality model tack. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for on the market, she took out her sewing machine and made it herself.

Over a decade later, she has a highly successful business that allows her to work from home while caring for her children.

A few months ago, while she and I were busy with a photo shoot to capture images of her products, I was very impressed by what she has created; not only the remarkable products, but the business itself. I was blown away as she explained to me her plans, dreams, and priorities.

Over the past year I have been busy starting up my own business doing web design and online marketing. And over the time that my sister came to visit, we spent many hours sharing our goals and dreams for our businesses. For us, it is about so much more than an extra income.

I don’t believe that every stay-at-home mom needs to begin her own business. Neither do I believe that every stay-at-home mom needs to find a source of income. But as I was recently making my way through Crystal Paine’s new book, Money Making Mom, it reinforced and further formulated my belief that, if a woman would like to (or at some point may need to), contribute to her family’s income, that the opportunities are out there for her to do so.

There are many reasons that a stay-at-home mom may want or need to bring in some income. Whether it is to help her family find financial freedom, begin a vacation fund, pay for a child’s college tuition, pay off a credit card, or simply provide a little more wiggle room in the budget—these are real goals with very real possibilities. But I think that the greatest goal for bringing in extra income should always be this:  to give more.

I wrote it down as I was reading through Crystal’s book, the real reason why I decide to work from home while raising my babies. This is what financial freedom means to me:

“Working as a team in our family so that we can spend more time together in work and play. Modeling to our boys what it looks like to live intentionally and give generously.”

This has very much been the heartbeat of our past year. As we have learned to juggle the responsibilities of a business amidst my husband’s work, book writing, boy raising, and preparing for a move, there have certainly been some rough spots. There have been ugly moments riddled with fatigue, impatience, and miscommunication. Yet out of those struggles I have witnessed so much beauty—so much confirmation that we are on track with the priorities we have set for our life.

I believe that every family should be afforded that opportunity, and that with a bit of creativity, and a whole lot of hard work, it can be done.

You can find financial freedom

You can get out of debt

You can live more simply

You can give more

You can find purpose in your work

You can find great enjoyment in your work

It is about so much more than the money. In fact, if it was only about the money, I don’t think I would be doing it. It is about finding a creative way to pursue the things that you and your family count most important in life. Things like spending more quality time together, living simpler, no longer being “slave to the debtor”, and seeing God work in your own heart and others as you give.

As Crystal put it in her book,

“Exactly how we want to.”

Now that is intentional living!

As I said—I do not believe every mom should work. Some of us are in seasons of raising babies, or children who need more one-on-one attention. Some of you may not be in a place right now where you could healthfully add a job to your responsibilities —if that is you, that is ok.

Our first and most important job is to love God and love our spouse and children. And if you choose to work, it should be something that gives you more purpose and freedom–not burdens you.

If you are in a place where, after prayer and much consideration, you believe that making some extra income is a good pursuit for you and would be a blessing to your family instead of a hinderance, than I highly recommend reading Crystal Paine’s book, Money Making Mom.

She will walk you through practical things such as generating ideas for making money, how to set business goals, and how to grow your business slowly and healthfully.

She will also help you to think through the most important things, such as why you want to earn extra income in the first place, how to tap into your God-given talents, abilities, passions, and knowledge, and how giving generously will transform your life.

This has been one of the most helpful books I read in 2015. Whether you have an idea, a full business plan, are already building your business, or simply have a desire to pay off some debt, I recommend adding this book to your 2016 reading list. Who knows, it might lead to a creative solution and plan for you and your family to pursue what you count as most important in life!

Click Here To Order Money Making Mom Today.

{Note:  I am not receiving any compensation for this endorsement. I have greatly benefited from Crystal Paine’s book, and believe that many others can also.}