Hey Reader,

When Jason and I got married, I always dreamed of having a big family—though at the time, my idea of "big" was 4-6 kids! Jason thought 4 sounded perfect, so we always joked that we agreed on 5.

But over the years, our perspective on children, family, and even retirement has shifted dramatically. We went from thinking we’d be “done” having kids by 30 to embracing the idea that God designed women’s fertility to last much longer. We once pictured our golden years as an empty nest and quiet travels, but now we dream of a house full of children, grandchildren, and never-ending activity.

Today, with 8 kids spanning 11 years, we’re deep in the trenches of parenting. And while each day is full of hard work, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

In a world where less than 1% of women have 7 or more kids, choosing a large family feels like swimming upstream. But while we know not everyone is called to have a big family, the joy and blessing of children is something many miss out on.

In last week's podcast episode, Jason joins me to talk about growing up in a large family (he’s the oldest of 7!) and the unique joys we’ve found in raising one ourselves. And in the next episode, we discuss some of the challenges and pitfalls to watch for when raising a big family.

👉 Listen here for The Joy of Big Families and listen here for The Pitfalls of Big Families.

(P.S. Did you know that in today’s world, having more than two kids is considered a “large family”? The birth rate has fallen to just 1.66 births per woman, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. That’s a whole other conversation!)

Over on Instagram this week I've had some fun sharing reels and posts on the topic of big families. You can come over and join the fun!

XOXO Jami

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🎧 BIG PODCAST NEWS 🎧

Finally! Jason has been working so hard on getting our podcast back on Spotify (there was some crazy problem with the feed that was a nightmare to fix). But Jason is a rocktar and you can once again listen to the podcast on Spotify.

If you are a Spotify listener, would you take a quick minute to rate the podcast? It would mean so much! You can also listen on iTunes, on our website, inside our app (the best experience!!), or wherever you listen to podcsasts.

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🍩 The Homemade Year Kicks Off Monday – Don’t Miss Donut Month! 🍩

I’m so excited to announce that The Homemade Year kicks off this Monday, March 24th! 🎉

Each month, we’ll tackle a new from-scratch skill, and we’re starting off with something delicious—homemade donuts! 🍩✨

If you’ve ever wanted to make warm, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth donuts right in your own kitchen, this is your month to jump in! We’ll cover:

✅ How to make classic fried and baked donuts
✅ Easy glazes, fillings, and topping ideas
✅ Step-by-step tutorials to make it simple and fun

💡 How to Join:​
Sign up for FREE The Homemade Year Challenge at FindingJoyinYourHome.com/HomemadeYear and get access to:
📖 Written recipes & guides​
🎥 Exclusive step-by-step videos inside The Joyful Home App​
👩‍🍳 A private community of like-minded homemakers

This is a year-long journey of learning real, practical skills that bring more joy (and good food!) into your home. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned cook, you’ll love being part of this challenge!

🚨 First lesson drops Monday, sign up for FREE now!​
👉 FindingJoyinYourHome.com/HomemadeYear​

I can’t wait to make March extra sweet with you! 🍩💛

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💕OTHER INTERESTING RESOURCES THIS WEEK 💕

• Need some major help with meal planning? PrepDish is offering my listeners a TWO week free trial so you'll get 2 full meal plans for FREE! Check it out here --> PrepDish.com/Homemaking​
• I am really excited. I just signed up one of my kids for Toothpillow. It's a telehealth program to promote proper jaw development, improve breathing, and enhance overall oral health...and we can't wait to get started. I'll share our experience as we dive in - I'm hopeful it will really help his problems!

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📆 COMING SOON! 📆

Boy oh boy do we have some really exciting things coming up!!

• My brand new course is LIVE! A Christian's Guide to Natural Living: You can watch the ad for it here.
• NEW! Podcast Network launching. We have also been deep at work in launching a new Podcast Network. We will be starting with small baby steps as we build it up. But if you have a podcast OR you own a small business, you'll want to pay attention to these announcements as well! 😍 COMING NEXT WEEK!
• The Homemade Year kicking off this week! Sign up for FREE here.

in Christ,
Jason & Jami Balmet

Where to connect with us:

📚 Check out our bookstore here: Finding Joy Bookstore​

💬 Join our Free community here: Finding Joy Community​

📱 Subscribe to our app with hundreds of Biblical resources for the whole family: Joyful Home App - use code JOYFULHOME20 for 20% off

📷 Stay connected via Instagram: @jamibalmet​