Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to A Better Circus - the Surrett Family Blog. We are a Glendale, Arizona family consisting of Erik (dad), Jaime (mom) and Emma & Jill (daughters ages 8 and 6 respectively). Oh, and of course, Bella the Beagle. I (Jaime) am a home schooling mom who loves to write, bake, sew, and craft. None of which I am particularly skilled at (yet), but I am driven by my determination to be that mom - the one who shows up to the play date in a perfectly ironed dress with homemade cookies, clean kids and already has dinner in the crock pot at home. Ha! A girl can dream... I am a former paralegal who studied philosophy in college. As there was not much call for philosophising paralegals in the Phoenix area, I embraced my true God-calling 8 years ago and became a stay at home mom. Other than marrying my high school sweetheart, it's the best decision I've ever made!

Erik is the DO/CFO of a Phoenix based law firm. He, however, is happily based at home with us. With strong interests in the environment and automobiles, he is currently in the process of converting his 1982 Diesel Mercedes to run on waste veggie oil. Yes, like veggie oil from cooking. In fact, his ideas for personalized license plates have lead to some heated discussion in our home. More on that later...Additionally, he is very active in the teen and neighborhood ministries at our church.

As we had a major (I mean really major) change in income this year, learning to live more simply, creatively and on less money is my current pursuit. We have downsized our home, our cars and thankfully, our schedules. I find strength and encouragement through my faith, family and friends. So thanks for stopping by. I look forward to your feedback and comments and the opportunity to share a small peek into our life.

In His Service . . .