A military wife, who has seven children with her husband in the U.S. Air Force, has opened up about the faith-driven, humungous task of homeschooling during her husband’s long deployments, and the love that makes every second worthwhile.
Stay-at-home mom Marcie Ball, 37, was a teacher until 2010 when she had her first child. She and her husband Brad Ball, 38, Air Force personnel since 2003, both grew up in the northern Michigan town of Cadillac. After traveling the world with the military, they settled in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It truly takes a ton of work to make a large family household run smoothly, but I absolutely feel called to be in this role,” Marcie told The Epoch Times. “The kids are 100 percent worth my time investment and all the hard work and long hours I put in.
“Our faith plays a tremendous role in raising our kids. Our end goal is to do our absolute best in raising children who love the Lord with all their hearts, and all our decisions are based around that.”
‘I Truly Enjoy It’
Teen sweethearts Marcie and Brad got married in August of 2003 at the age of 19, and today they are proud parents of seven children: a daughter and six sons. Brad was deployed three times to the Middle East before the couple had their first child. He was present for the first six births, but missed the birth of their youngest son in March 2019 owing to his deployment to an undisclosed location in the Levant.Last year in November 2021, Brad again left for deployment to the Middle East and is due to return home in late summer of 2022—his longest-ever deployment. In his absence, Marcie runs the show at home, and the schedule is packed.
“I’m totally used to being with my children a lot, and I truly enjoy it. But with so many young ones, my days can be pretty intense and quite a bit of work,” she said.
Marcie said that when Brad is home, he shares the parenting responsibilities by taking the children to the playground behind their home while she prepares dinner. “So when he is deployed, I think the hardest part is not ever getting that time of reprieve in the evening as kids get hungry and tired and things get a bit more chaotic,” she added.
Having enough time for recreation is another priority for the family. While sports provide an amazing outlet for the children, getting to practice is an added challenge for their mother. “It can feel like juggling during soccer or football season. Normally we tag-team taking them to various practices and games; doing it all by myself is tiring, and sometimes impossible,” Marcie explained.
Age-Appropriate Daily Chores
Kids learn the best by doing things. And Marcie knows this well.Marcie, who firmly believes that her kids should help at home, keeps a “chore chart” for all but the youngest, Carson, comprising self-care tasks and age-appropriate daily chores. Each child marks off completed tasks using a punch card, and after 10 punches can choose between an age-dependent allowance and a mystery prize.
“Most of them choose the prize!” said Marcie.
While she prepares most of the family’s meals herself, she never forgets to employ her kids as “kitchen helpers.”
“I rotate who helps prepare meals so that all the kids learn their way around the kitchen,” she said. “The oldest can make many meals on her own, and I have her help out once in a while making a simple meal fully on her own of eggs and toast or spaghetti.
“We go through a lot of food. When Brad is deployed, I tend to make simpler meals because the kids don’t appreciate a fancy meal like he does. We do lots of meals with eggs, that’s probably the one thing we go through the most. The kids are all pretty good eaters—I’m thankful for that!”
Faith as the Foundation
The family of nine have nurtured close-knit relations by focusing on what truly matters: cultivating the culture of love for God and for everyone. And doing so has only made them stronger. All seven children are inseparable; family dinners, board games, and lots of talking keeps everyone up to date and living harmoniously.“We all love to spend time together as a family, and we do a lot of that,” the mom said. “We are almost always doing things as a family, and the kids seem to have formed relationships with one another such that they, for the most part, truly enjoy each other’s company.
“We also eat our meals altogether around our big kitchen table and talk and play lots of board games together. Family time and maintaining good relationships is very important to us.”
Talking about Brad’s deployments, Marcie said that though the children are mostly used to their father’s weeks- and months-long absences, it’s never easy. “They love their dad so much and miss him a lot,” said Marcie. “Most days are just fine, and they enjoy sending and receiving voice messages and video chatting with him; other days, one or two of them will have moments of sadness when they talk to me about how much they miss him. Saying goodbye that first day is always heartbreaking.”
To cope, the Balls have learned to form a “temporary normal” when Brad is away, and the sting of his absence is bearable until he comes home.
The family made up a melody for this verse, and their song helps them remember the values they hold dear.
“I also try to use this verse as my own guide in caring for and raising the kids,” said Marcie. “If I am truly allowing the Lord to guide my steps and my words, it is much easier for me to be patient and gentle in the way I act toward them.”
Marcie counts many amazing things about being a mom of seven. She said, “Yes, I work hard and long hours, but there is so much love in our home and so many laughs, it makes up for the hard work it takes. There is never a dull moment in our house.
“My favorite part about having so many children is watching how much fun they all have with each other! They have automatic built-in friends everywhere they go.”
Once Brad retires from the Air Force in the next few years, their shared dream is to buy a small homestead with a big garden and keep chickens. “We have loved our time moving from place to place in the military, but we look so forward to settling down in a house that we can stay in for some time,” Marcie said.
