Tag Archives: family

Homestead Mom! A HARD Job But WORTH It!

Homestead Mom

I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated the other night and my anxiety was getting the best of me as it often does lately. I was thinking of all the things I needed to get done over the weekend but had so many things that still hadn’t been done during the week that were sitting right in front of me taunting me. All I could think is, HOW on Earth do other people do it? I can’t get even the simplest household chores done, never-mind all the homesteading tasks… So, I started to type out a list on Facebook to RANT about my insane list, but something changed by the time I got to the end…

“I have dishes to wash, floors to sweep, toilet to scrub, refrigerators to clean, laundry to fold, toys to toss, milk to make into cheese, eggs to preserve, chickens to sell, stalls to muck, balls to band, hooves to trim, paddocks to move, goats to milk, gardens to redo, lawn to be mowed, plants to plant, mulch to move, weeds to pull, seeds to sort, children to teach, meals to prep, butts to wipe, tears to dry, hugs to give, kind words for a friend, love to share, plenty of dairy and eggs to give to those in need, a roof over my head, bills barely paid, animals that know I love them, a husband who cares, kids that are perfect in every single way and I am grateful!”

…and it turned into a RAVE!

You see, all the things that I wanted to complain about are also the things that bring me the greatest amount of joy! Nobody ever said that life was easy! Especially if you have chosen the homestead life! It’s hard and it’s time-consuming! But it is also very rewarding!

You Should Really Get to Know Our Family

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I thought that being a new blogger I should do a better job of introducing all of us. We all play a part in making this home a Homestead. You can read about me anytime in my bio but you should really know the people who make me whole! Read more »

Our Homestead Then and Now

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The sun setting over our pond… breathless every time!

 

Where we were.

We spent the last 6 years in a run down rental home trying to find our dream home. It had 6 acres most of it woods that we were able to hike in and enjoyed that. In the small area that was open around the house we had a large organic garden and a small flock of chickens. Of course we canned, cooked from scratch, and made our own natural hygiene and cleaning products etc. But we longed for more… Read more »

What is “Homesteading” Anyway?

 

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Definition.

Homesteading (v)- The act of living off of the homestead.

Homestead (n)- House, land, animals and outbuildings that operate as one, frequently a farm.

The term homesteading is traced back to The Homestead Act in the 1800’s. It was designed to open up the west. People were given a plot of land to establish and if they stayed at it for 5 years it was theirs!!! Boy, how I wish we could do that still today!

It became more about getting back to the land in the sixties and seventies when people like my parents realized how important it was to the natural environment, and the political and economic environment also.

We are seeing another surge in the homesteading movement in our current day as well. The sons and daughters of the hippies are realizing that they can make a difference and be more sustainable. The values our parents taught us are becoming more important to us as we have children and desire to raise them well. More and more ivy league graduates are turning in their ties and offices for overalls and organic farms.

 

What it actually is.

People who are trying their best to survive off the land where they live. This can be very broad as some live in urban areas and sign up for local CSA‘s to provide their vegetables. They are growing herbs on the windowsill and are committed to grass-fed local beef. While others have acres of vegetable fields they grow organically and can stuff all summer long. In addition to raising their own eggs and meat, they probably build all the fences and outbuildings with as much reclaimed materials as possible. The key is to be as self-sufficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly as you are able.

What it means to me.

Freedom. Growing most of our food and raising some of our meat gives us the ability to eat healthy and put our food dollars towards local organic food when we need more. We are free from the constant poison that is put into our food system.

Family. Many activities we do on the homestead require a group effort! We all do our part no matter how big or small. My 3-year-old collects eggs every day and loves it! We cook and eat together every day as a family. My older two kids are very capable of creating a wholesome complete meal with little to no directions.

Future. I have big plans for our little rented homestead! We hope to be here long-term if not forever and we are invested in making this our very own fully functioning homestead! We already grow a lot, can, cook and ferment most of our food. Our chickens give us plenty of eggs even in the winter and the occasional chicken soup. We will be adding to our gardens and even planting fruit trees for a home orchard. I should be getting bees in the spring for honey if that works out for us. Some day I will have dairy goats and will make cheese and soap from the milk. A pig or two for bacon and chops is not out of the question either. If I do all this just right we should even be able to sell at local farmers markets making us even more self-sustaining.

Homesteading is…? What is it to you? How are you fulfilling your homesteading dream?

 

Want to Know About My Homesteading Childhood?

My childhood has influenced me in many ways…

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My childhood homestead in print.

 

I grew up in a small coastal New England town in a dairy-farming community, in quite a different manner than most of my peers. While everyone else I went to school with had cable and video games, I had gardens and animals. We had a small self-sustaining farmette that provided most of our food. My parents were very passionate about raising their five children off of the land.

 

Picking the ripe raspberries and cherry tomatoes was a summer-long chore that I remember fondly. We had gardens everywhere and preserved or fermented what we didn’t eat fresh. My mother encouraged diversity in the garden to keep the insect population happy and well-balanced. She had an eye for attractive chaos in her layout and still does to this day on the same land. You can visit her Humble Jungle at Grammy’s Potager on Facebook. Everything was grown organically, of course. My parents wouldn’t have it any other way!

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