I’m just your average, everyday mom. My house is a mess, my kids are dirty, and every day around dinnertime I wonder why the people in this house insist on eating three meals a day. I struggle to balance finances against the life I want to live, and I struggle with the fact that I will never measure up to the expectations of others.
I write for other women like me. In a culture of all-or-none, those of us who just want to do our own thing tend to get lost in the shuffle. We’re the thinkers; the ones who don’t follow along with an idea just because everyone is doing it. We rely upon our instincts; when society tries to tell us to think or feel a certain way, we know in our guts that it isn’t right. And we know that it’s ok to compromise; we want to be healthy, but we also don’t want to live a life of stress and guilt. Life is short, eat the donut.
What Makes Me Not-So-Modern?
I’ve always been told that I’m old fashioned. In my teens and early 20s, I was that strange girl who enjoyed gardening, canning, and baking from scratch. I guess you could say I was homesteading before I even knew what homesteading was. I’m a do-er. I like working with my hands, making things, and staying busy.
I’m also a gospel believing, conservative Christian living in the south. There are so many things in that one sentence that clash with everything the media wants us to believe about popular opinion. It’s a tough position to be in, and I often find myself not feeling comfortable expressing my opinion, especially with my friends and family. My relationship with them isn’t worth the argument.
But at the same time, I don’t think everything modern is evil. I’m addicted to my cell phone just like most people from my generation. I have satellite tv and internet. And while I enjoy camping, I have no plans to go 100% off grid. I need my air conditioning. I’m also too much of an introvert to live in a tiny house. I need my space.
I realize that some people will see me as a fraud, a walking contradiction. If being a purist is your journey, then more power to you, it just isn’t for me. And the thing is, that isn’t the journey for most people. When we start to live in extremes, and tell others that you have to live that way to be considered a homesteader, then what does that say to the person living in a HOA who just wants the freedom to plant a vegetable garden? We need to stop criticizing people for not living the lives we think they should live, and instead empower them to live the lives they want to live.
A Few Things I Am Not:
I am not a vegan or vegetarian. We raise animals for milk, eggs, and meat. We butcher some of our own animals. Our larger animals go to a professional butcher. If you take issue with this fact, then this probably isn’t the page for you.
I am not 100% organic. While I do try to reduce the pesticides we consume and buy organic where we can afford it, I do have a budget to stick to and cannot afford to buy organic everything. I cannot afford to feed our animals organically either. I give my animals antibiotics and chemical dewormers when necessary. I still consider the milk, eggs, and meat from them to be better than store bought. And guess what, I still buy meat and milk from the store sometimes too.
I am not anti-vax. Yes, I’ve heard the arguments against vaccines. Really, I think it should be a personal decision. I don’t support mandated vaccines either. And while I do stick to the vaccine schedule for my kids, they don’t get the flu vaccine. I get it, but only because it’s required for my job.
I don’t do restrictive diets. First of all, there is no medical need that requires it for my family. I like food. Namely, I like food that tastes good. Several of those foods include sugar, gluten, and maybe even some GMOs. Again, I try to limit, but I’m not strict about it. It doesn’t mean that all I eat is junk food. You’ll see recipes on here for gluten-free and vegan dishes. Doesn’t mean I won’t eat them, but it’s not all I eat.
What You Will Find Here
- Recipes – Mostly from scratch, but the reality is that sometimes we also need a quick fix. Even if I use a convenience item, I’ll try to offer a from-scratch option.
- Animals – The animals make up a big part of our homestead (they certainly make up the bulk of our expenses). And they make up a big part of who I am. I’ve been raising and loving animals my whole life. I write about their care, use, and management. You can also see lots of pictures of them on Instagram.
- Cute Kids – My kids are my life, it would be difficult for me to not write about them. From homeschooling to just keeping them alive, they are what I do all day.
- Self-Sufficiency – Yeah, I know, I said I don’t want to go off grid and live in a tiny house. That doesn’t mean I don’t want some independence in my life. My biggest focus is taking control of my food supply, but you may find me writing about financial freedom as well.
- Emergency Preparedness – A lot of this ties into being self-sufficient, although maybe for a shorter period. While self-sufficiency is more of a lifestyle change, emergency preparedness is just about being ready no matter what happens. You don’t need to be running off of generator power and cooking over a fire full time, but you need to be prepared to do it just in case.
Now that you know what I’m all about, I hope you’ll stick around. Pour a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine) and enjoy the chaos that is my life. If you really enjoy what you read here, I hope you’ll also join me on Facebook and Instagram.
