Homesteading with Children

I did a post on this before nearly two years ago now. Then I had just the two kids and I actually think that I felt like it was more challenging to get my chores done. Go figure. Whether it be continued maturation or better coping skills, I am now in a better place with keeping our tiny homestead going on a daily basis. Yes, my dad sometimes beats me to watering the horse, but other than that, I am pretty on top of things!

First of all, I have changed my mind set a tad. This isn't just my homestead, it's our family homestead and I fully expect my kids to participate as they grow and are able. I'll admit, frequently I shoo them off to play while I focus and 'get'r done', but when my time constraints are a bit more lax, I try to take the time to teach and let them help. This is simple things like letting my three year old daughter scoop her tiny hands full of soil and spread them on a new garden bed, my seven year old collect and count eggs, watering plants or just tagging along while I work. They are sponges at these ages, give them good things to soak up (not their mother's frequent use of a certain word that is interchangeable with 'dung'. Guilty).

But, what about the baby?? Um, well there is something called nap time! I get 1-2 naps out of the little mister. During his morning nap I usually take Mini and Puzzle Boy out with me to play and get fresh air and I get the majority of my garden and barn chores done. Extra projects like weeding a large area, cleaning out the barn, etc. gets done during an afternoon nap where both the baby and three year old are napping. In this case I have my oldest "babysit" for me. Now, I am right outside and I check in frequently, and really all I am requiring of him is while he takes his afternoon down time is to yell out the window when one of his siblings wakes up. When they do, I come right in. This has worked great! He feels important and so big and I get some fairly distraction free time to get my work done. If things need to be done between naps than the stroller or Ergo baby carrier get used. And, Cherrios. Lots of Cherrios!

Another thing that I have started doing is having a 'mother's helper'. Poetically the girl I have help me is the girl who I watched when I was her mother's helper! Isn't that just the cutest? She has been awesome and while I don't have her every week, it helps tremendously when I have something big to do like move the horse's fencing to fresh grass or get all the cleaning that I have ignored forever done.


And, lets be real for a minute. Do you think any of us with young children that homestead get everything done in a day that needs done? The correct answer is... of course not!! I will openly admit that I ignore my housework a lot and then have a nervous break down at the state of things an play catch up. Sometimes I only wash my eggs once a week right before I sell them (which is safe as long as they are dry and at room temperature). And, sometimes, all I do for chores is chuck feed at the chickens and water them and the horse. Yep, I don't even collect the eggs on those days. You know what though? That's ok. I am not perfect and neither is my homestead. Let's give ourselves a pat on the back for getting what we get done regardless. As long as everyone is healthy and cared for, the weeds and dust will be there tomorrow.

How to Make a Sunflower Playhouse

Quite a few years ago now I remember I read a brief something about sunflower playhouses on a seed website. At the time a didn't have children so I kind of filed that idea away in my brain. Well, now I do! and they are the perfect ages to appreciate a playhouse made of plants. My daughter's favorite color is yellow and she loves to hide in small spaces so I have a feeling I will need to drag her in the house for dinner at the end of the summer!


The first thing you need to do is find an area in your yard or garden that gets at least 6 hours of full sun if not 8-10. Ideally this spot would also be in a place that is convenient for kids to play safely (right next to the driveway or road might not be a good idea in case your little angels decide to *pop!* out of their house to surprise you!). Next, decide how you would like to prepare your soil. This is completely personal and there are tons of different ways but my current favorite way is to lay down some cardboard or paper, a few inches of my horse/chicken/barn waste compost and then a mulch. This time I will be using hay that I raked of the barn floor (multi-tasking, cleaning the barn and mulching!). I like this way of soil prep for several reasons but the most important is that I can do it all by myself with a wheelbarrow and shovel. Oh, and it's free. With your chosen method, make a horseshoe shape ring.

Ok, so it is a simple method but it is hard work!

Remember to put soil on the paper as you go! Wind can be sneaky.
After you have prepped for planting, um, plant! I am using Mammoth Sunflowers which grow 8-12 feet high but you can mix and match your types as you please. Be sure to stagger the seeds in at least 2 rows so that the "walls" don't have gaping holes in them. Another nice method would be to not only stagger the seeds but to use varied heights (tallest on the inside row, shortest on the outside). When the plants are a couple inches high pull your mulch around them to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

Ready for seeds! I will mulch when the plants are a few inches high.
A note about sunflowers: they are heavier feeders and drinkers. I know I tend to forget that flowers need to be fed like vegetables do! Make sure to use a good amount of rich compost to produce hearty stalks and large blooms. If you mulch fairly heavy not only will that help with watering frequency but it will provide a bit of extra support to an extent.

Clearly this is what needs to happen with the extra newspaper... if you are 3.
Now all that is left to do is to wait for it to grow! By the end of the summer not only will the kids have a super awesome living fort but I will have lots of sunflower heads to keep the chickens happy all winter. Well, as long as the cat keeps the birds away.

If you have kids, this is an awesome way to spoil them for (in my case) about $2 and an hour of my time. Involve them in the process and then they will be able to show it off to their friends and be so proud of being a homestead kid! Homesteading with children can be rather challenging at times but with a bit of creativity both of you will have memories that can't be made any other way.

This post was shared on Green Thumb Thursday Blog Hop.

Life as a Family of Five

Puzzle Boy's favorite job holding his baby brother.
Well, 7 if you count my parents in the same house. I do feed them! Happy Boy is now 10 weeks old and growing at an amazing rate! He is now about 13 pounds and fitting into 3-6 month clothing. What can I say? The kid loves to eat and I get to take full credit for that heft on his thighs.

7 weeks old
Logistically 3 is not that much harder than 2. Obviously there is more laundry and newborns will sleep deprive you whether they have older siblings or not (although 'sleeping when baby sleeps' is impossible with older kids). I have just started getting back to some little extra projects like...

Making fire starters from egg cartons, shavings and paraffin wax.
and...

Making a new recipe of laundry detergent that makes 12 quarts of concentrate.

This is how I managed to make said laundry detergent.
Honestly Happy Boy is such a good baby that if not for the other two hooligans I would probably get a ton done everyday! Mini Me is blossoming into a preschooler as she just a few months away from turning three. She is talking a lot and enjoys being a 'big girl' including helping Mommy with everything from laundry to cooking. Puzzle Boy will be turning 7 (!) this week and will soon be transitioning from being homeschooled to public school which I will elaborate on after the transition is done. I will say that it was a heart wrenching decision but I am now making peace with it and Puzzle Boy couldn't be more excited for this new experience.

One thing about having 3 children that I find amusing is the comments from strangers when we are out, especially in the grocery store. If I had a dime for every "You have your hands full!" I could buy them some manners. Now I am sure some are just remarking but it makes me realize that 2 children is still the accepted normal. But, I enjoy just flashing a smile and replying with a hearty "Gladly!" and moving on.

Being winter I have found it is really hard getting out to the animals with a baby in the house. Ashamedly I will admit my dad has been doing a lot of my chores for me for which I am most grateful. We haven't been getting any eggs since we have been letting the chickens free range so I am assuming that they are laying eggs in inconspicuous places. Once we have butchered all the roosters we will clean out the barn and stall, make new nesting boxes and roosts and I will then let the hens out around lunch time everyday so that they can free range but also hopefully lay their eggs in the barn! I would really like eggs from them again seeing as that is what they are for.

So all in all Montana Man and I are exhausted from our life and caring for little brood but are happy to do so. I am so looking forward to Christmas as this will be the first year that we will be staying home and celebrating just us. Until then I will be getting the house decorated and creating the perfect recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls which I will be sharing. December is always a busy month around here because of Puzzle Boy's birthday and the holidays but also because I always feel compelled to 'wrap up' the year. Next year I would truly like to get all my projects out of the way so we can spend the month of December only doing things we want to do. We'll see!

Til next time.

He is Here!

After waiting and waiting our new little man finally made his appearance 12 days past his due date on Monday the 29th at 4:53 pm. I will post his birth story soon but the short story is I woke up, water broke, labored for about 9.5 hours and pushed for 9 minutes. He weighted in at 9 pounds 7 ounces and 22 inches long! What a chunk! It was a wonderful and wild home birth surrounded by an amazing group of loved support people. We are both doing well and I am looking forward to getting back to feeling normal!

Mid Year Goals Readjustments

Occasionally I like to go back a few months in my archives and see what I was thinking about at the time. I reread my goals for 2014 and realized so many of my goals have either been taken off the list or evolved in some way. Much of this had to do with expecting our third child at the end the growing season, house progress and a reality check. But, like I said in that January post, they were likely going to do that! I have found myself taking things a little slower and trying not to look too far into the future. Obvious goals I now have are revolving around preparing for our new arrival and I have been posting about them recently. Instead of give a definitive list of goals that are likely to change again, I'm going to kind of give you are more realistic look at what my life will be like the rest of the year. I don't often give much detail about my life because this is a public blog, but as I have been working through some things I realize that some of you might be encouraged or could at least relate in a way to me.


Tomatoes, May 25th and June 9th.
First of all, my husband is a cell tower technician working for a company that subcontracts all over New England. Most weeks he is gone a full five days about 2-6 hours away and is home on the weekend. Because of this I am what you would call a 'married single parent'. Until recently I had not really made peace with this situation and instead just did what I had to to deal with it. I wasn't bitter and wasn't outwardly dissatisfied (much) but internally I needed to face and deal with the fact that my family's dynamic is different than most of my friends who have husbands that are home every night or even work from home. Sure, they might get a 'taste' when hubby goes out of town on a trip occasionally, but there is something very different about it being a constant weekly thing. Thankfully I have a very supportive and loving extended family who helps as much as they are able and I am so thankful for them (Mom, you keep me sane most weeks!). Until our house is done we will have been living with my parents for two years and obviously that takes some pressure off as far as being able to run to the store without loading kids into the car every time or have even a half hour to cook dinner while my mom takes the kids outside to play. When we move into our house they will still be very close by, yet there will be a new degree of separation. I will be responsible for my physical house (including a solar power system, propane, snow, yard care, small repairs, etc.) as well as need to be 100% on for the safety of my children, self and animals. My parents are close but they are also very busy! The help they give I consider a blessing not a given and I don't ever want them to feel obligated to help me because I am a single mom 75% of the time. I truly want them to be able to enjoy their grandchildren, not be another parent. So, now that you have a picture of this dynamic, lets dive into what I have as realistic 'goals' now through next winter.


Montana Man making us breakfast this weekend, Puzzle Boy got a kick out of him wearing his Buzz wings!
It's now June so that means summer is here! I hate heat but I do like summer for the things it brings like gardening, beach days and picnics, green grass for kids to run around without having to put on a thousand layers... I will admit the perks *winkwink* But, oh man! I do hate the heat and humidity and getting a real taste of it yesterday made me realize I am in for a sweaty and swollen summer personally. However, I am determined to not let it get me and to give my kids the best summer I can.

Over the summer my priorities are gardening and canning, schooling Puzzel Boy, raising the new chicks, preparing for baby, finishing a house and making a few memories with our kiddos. Ok, writing that out it seems like a lot! Hahaha! Things will be taken in stride though and likely we will spend the worst heat days hiding in my parents a/c bedroom or in a kiddie pool. On cooler days I will plan to work on my lists and anything that needs to be canned will be done in the early morning before it gets too hot. I'll be honest, on days where I can or am working on bigger projects, the kids will likely have a movie or two but I will try to reserve those times for a rainy day or even get a sitter so I can really buckle down. Canning is a big thing to me and I see it as a worthy investment of my time to be able to feed my family during times of less or more healthfully. Pretty soon we will be trying to eat the majority of our food from our own effort, so this is an essential practice to really focus on.
I have touched on homeschooling through the summer and what our plans are there, so I won't rehash that!
Our new baby chicks have arrived! I will be doing a separate post on that later, they are so stinkin' cute!
Preparing for the baby... I have just done a post on that as well.
As for the house, Montana Man is taking some of his vacation time this week to make some progress. Yesterday, with the help of my cousin and her boyfriend, he finished the roof and took down the staging as well as built a shelter for the generator we affectionately call the 'genny house'. I'm not exactly sure what else he has planned for this week but we should be pouring the basement floor and finishing the electrical, maybe ordering plumbing. Next week the windows and siding will be delivered and that will be the following weekends project! 'Brick by brick' we are getting there! I am trying really hard not to stress over its completion given I have about 11-16 weeks left in my pregnancy. I am trusting God will provide!
Taking the time to make memories? Likely the only thing we will do as a whole family (meaning with MM), is spend 4th of July together somewhere up the coast. We took a ride up to an old Civil War fort last year and had a really great day. This year we haven't decided what we are doing yet but it likely will be similar. Me as the mama would like to take the kids to the beach either a lake or the ocean, visit friends and just play with them. Bubbles, picnics in the yard, lazy days and maybe a trip to the mall on a really hot day to just walk in the cool a/c and visit the merry-go-round. Simple things but things I know I remember doing as a kid with fondness.

After little man arrives I will be taking a 4-6 week break from normal life. I am setting myself up to not need to go anywhere other than the doctor's office or to quickly pick up groceries. I will have easy meals, a stocked house and anyone who would like to offer help will be gladly accepted and given a specific task (folding my laundry anyone?). After 6 weeks is up or when I feel ready if earlier, I will be back in action which will include babysitting my friends son a couple days a week while she is in nursing school. Right now I have him one or two mornings or afternoons a week so he is very used to us and our rules/environment so hopefully this will be an easy transition! I enjoy him being with us and so do the kids so I look forward to having him.
Around October/November, Montana Man will start going down to Georgia for 4 weeks at a time and then will be home for two weeks. During the winter in New England the work in often interrupted by storms and lack of jobs sites so a crew from the company he works for will be heading south, and he's on it. Financially, this will be a good thing. As a family, this will be really hard. The older kids will miss him as will their Mama! But, for the baby... it makes me sad that he will be gone so much of his first few months. He'll come home and he will have grown and changed so much! I worry about how well he will bond with his daddy. Emotionally it will be a very trying winter.
Sometime in November we will have the male chickens butchered at our local butcher shop. We decided that while we could do it ourselves, it was just too many to do without at least a plucker and a helping crew and we are willing to spend the money to have it done quickly and professionally. Believe me, it will be enough work just vacuum sealing all the meat!
November also starts hunting season and the men will be spending most weekends in the woods. If I get my hunter safety done, I as well will be hunting near our house when my mom can watch the kids. I much prefer wild deer to beef (as long as it isn't super gamey!) and would gladly have a freezer filled with venison and homegrown chicken for the year.
The holidays will be busy especially since Puzzle Boy's birthday is in December as well. This year we are going to start a new tradition of spending Christmas Day at our own home which I think will be wonderful.

Buds on the Glacier tomatoes.
I'm sure over the next six months I will be posting on a lot of these things, but I figured I would kind of give a general idea. And, maybe because I feel dumb for being so far from what I had outlined in January, I felt I needed to update to keep everything on the same page. Life is life, things don't always go as we'd like! And, sometimes we are blessed in very different ways than how we wanted or expected. Part of being successful homesteader is knowing how to work with what you have and making do without what you don't. Ideals are nice to think about but they shouldn't be your focus. I love building our life more each year and knowing we will someday be in a really awesome place of self sufficiency.


Rainbow Chard, May 25th and June 9th, beautiful colors!
Til next time, come back for a post on our new chicks!


This post was shared on Green Thumb Thursday Bloghop.

Why I Chose to Be a Stay at Home Mom

A century ago this title would be superfluous to the fact that most mothers stayed at home with their children even after they were school aged or grown. Unless for financial necessity (read desperation), this fact was not discussed or carefully planned, it simply was. How much has changed! And, how much I wish it hadn't. Now, us moms who choose to stay at home feel we need to defend our decisions and are looked down upon by our peers and even our own husbands for this "humble" way of life. Despite numerous studies that support children being raised by their own parents, still it is not valued as it should be. So, why do we women of the home continue to voluntarily subject ourselves to this ridicule, disrespect, loneliness and some of the longest and hardest days we will ever live? Because, it's right.

My husband and I have recently fought over this issue in a way. Really the fight was over respect and appreciation for each other but really it boiled down to my being a SAHM in the bottom of the pot. Though we both agree it wouldn't be economical for me to return to the work force nor would it be best for our lifestyle or children, there is still something about me staying home that rubs him the wrong way. I won't lie, some days are really hard and I complain a lot but, I wouldn't ever want to be anywhere else. Just like I listen to him gripe about his bad work days, that's all I really want... some understanding.

Personally I chose to be a stay at home mom because that's what I had always dreamed of doing! I have loved babies and kids since I was little and I gladly slipped into the wife/mom role. What I didn't know was how it wasn't as simple as I had thought. Surely all those moms I had eves dropped on talking about how hard and isolating it was were just milking it and had poor attitudes. This was going to be awesome! And, it is... but in a completely different way than I had perceived. Being with your kids 24/7 is great because you bond deeply, get to experience all those firsts and triumphs, have little snuggle sessions, be silly and you can really do "whatever" you want. Just last night I sat on the lawn for a half hour and blew bubbles for my daughter to chase after and I got to watch her delight as she laughed and ran. But with the sweet always comes the bitter. My son is now six and he is testing his limits and new sassy attitudes on me. Daily I get screamed at, disrespected and disobeyed. Daily I correct, calm, discipline and train this sassy little man, sometimes all day. I am not a perfect mother. I yell, I say things I apologize for and I often go to bed feeling like a monster. But, I get up and try again better the next day with softer words, more hugs and more patience. My kids may not realize how much they appreciate mommy being here all the time especially when I am correcting or training them to behave and obey but, like myself, they will when they are grown because they will (if I am successful!) respect authority, have self control, understand responsibility and generally function as adults. Raising the next generation should not be taken lightly, it is the biggest responsibility anyone could ever have! My husband this week got in his fortune cookie "the strength of a nation depends on the integrity of the home". How true! A nation is made up of people so how can we be strong if we are rebellious, needy, lazy, disrespectful, irresponsible, impulsive? I don't know about you, but I didn't have a child as a gambling chip, I'd rather increase my odds of them growing up right than chance it on someone else's instruction (or lack there of).

So, now I have established why I feel this decision is important. Now, what about this is so much of a job? Sure I have to talk, that's not so hard (tongue in cheek). I'll tell you, it really isn't a 'job'. A job is something you do periodically on a daily or weekly basis and receive compensation for. Being a full time mom is just that... all the time. I don't get vacation time (unless I beg), sick days, weekends, nights, lunch breaks, bonuses, paychecks or holidays. I do get overtime though! Hahaha... but, seriously. If you have ever worked a job you know, once you clock out, turn your phone off or shut the computer down, you are free. I am not complaining, just stating a fact. I take help that I get either from my husband, mom and dad, or friends as a gift not a given. This is mine and I own it. Some days I rock it other days I crash and burn, either way it's mine to own. Bless my son's heart, he does appreciate me and shows it sometimes. He had the stomach flu a month ago and every time he threw up he said "I'm sorry I am sick. You need sleep!". I did, but we manage through the night and next day, eventually catching some sleep. Little things like that fuel me up though when I realize I am doing the right thing and my children will remember these moments with fondness, maybe someday repeating my acts with their own child. Simple though it may seem, the little things matter. And, little things is what I do all day long.

I am a stay at home mom, but I wish I was seen as so much more. I am a woman, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a sister, gardener, equestrian, seamstress, knitter, teacher, nurse, counselor, accountant, event planner, cook, shopper, cleaning lady, manager, vet, daughter of the Savior, scholar of life, book worm... need I go on? Since when did we take this term 'stay at home mom' and make it overshadow who we are beyond it? Why have we been devalued especially by other women?! Why do I need to justify why I didn't load the dishwasher, start supper at exactly 4:30 or why my two year old is still in her pajamas after noon? Why do I feel I need to point out how much I accomplished some days? Because, I feel like I need to justify being me. In my life, I feel disrespected, judged and alone a good part of the time. I stress about this fact constantly and my brain is always trying to find a new way to rectify this situation whether that means saying nothing and doing everything or trying to speak up and ask for help or kinder words. By no means do I want or expect any glory for what I do, but as a human I long for acceptance and respect, to know I am valued for what I do. What I do alone when know one is looking.

In the words of Lorelei Gilmore... "I am a kayak, hear me roar". She said that after her mother pointed out that she always relied on herself and could "paddle" through life just fine on her own. It's lonely in the kayak, but it is functional and you gain strength from it. I love my children and cherish them so much! Raising them will be my greatest accomplishment and when they are grown I hope they remember me for it. For now I will gladly continue to be their world and teach them about the real one, hold their hands to keep them safe, make macaroni and cheese for the 400th time, be screamed at if only to have an opportunity to teach them to control their tongues and kiss tears of broken hearts. To give them love and my life even when no one asked me to. This whole post will be read by only a few and probably be picked apart furiously by most. Most of what I do won't be seen or commended by my family and friends, but God will. He praises us mothers for our work even if we can't audibly hear it. But, to know it makes all the difference.

From Average to More Series: Homeschooling

This week I am talking about how I will be schooling Puzzle Boy over the next year. Currently we have been using an online learning program and we will continue through the summer with it or until it's completed. Then we will be taking our 'summer break' September through mid October (6 weeks). We will then start our 1st grade curriculum and take another three week break over Christmas and New Year (14th-3rd). After that it will be petal to the metal to complete our 175 days required by the State of Maine by July 3rd. Some may think that that's a little odd to be offsetting the school schedule like that but that's one of the best things about homeschooling! I get to plan our school year around our life not the other way around. So we will taking a break while I am recovering and we all are adjusting to being a family of 5. If I feel we are ready to start up school again before the six weeks is up then we can enjoy finishing up a week or two sooner in June. It is all up to us!

I have been researching different curriculum and given the way Puzzle Boy has responded to computer based learning I have decided to go with something that will be part computer and some book work as well. He's not yet mastered reading and I also have not been pushing him. Kids on the Autism spectrum often don't understand phonics and instead learn to read by rote memory. Slowly he has been learning words by sight. He has had his alphabet down for a few years now so really it's just a matter of time! As with everything, we are going at his pace.Yet another reason why we homeschool!

Goals for next years curriculum are:
Math: mastering basic addition, subtraction and memorizing time tables up to the fives. Also identifying coins and counting money.

Language Arts: mastering reading! He can already write his full name and some other words so in writing we will just be continuing to practice penmanship.

Social Studies and History: I would like him to memorize and be able to identify all 50 states and all the continents. We will start on basic early American history as well as early Maine history. The history portion will likely be more of a 'fun' type of learning with field trips and books and projects.

Science: a basic introduction! Fun experiments, nature adventures and learning about weather.

Life Skills: cooking, organizing, laundry, simple cleaning, animal care, wellness, serving others and safety. This not something we will be doing as a 'lesson' but more as a mindful training and learning in our everyday life. By seven he should be able to do a load of laundry from start to finish without much help other than my supervision. He will be assigned a few simple daily and weekly chores which he will earn either money, more screen time or 'save up' for a special outing of his choosing. But, I do want to stress that this is an important part of his schooling career! So many young people are graduating from college and struggle with the most basic skills of life despite their advanced degrees. I would much rather see my child function as a responsible adult in these skills over achieving a framed certificate. Humble though it may seem, I was proficient in most of these things before I graduated high school. When I became a mother overnight at 19 I was thankful to have a basic idea about how to care for my new family. I have certainly learned a lot in the past five years but without my mom teaching me to live we would have struggled much more than we did.

Bible: learning bible stories, memorizing scripture, learning the books of the Bible in their order (this will be a refresher for me too!), and understanding the gospel. He knows who Jesus and God are, some of the stories and that the Bible is God's word. We will be taking it a step farther this year. I will also be starting each school day with reading to him from either Proverbs or Psalms and praying before our other subjects. This is something I wish now I had had as a child rather than just once a week and sporadically through church programs. While my mom did pray with us at night and we read Bible story books here and there, we did not have a 'Christ centered' home. This was mainly because my Dad was not a believer and we were without a real spiritual leader. Now, I am in my mom's shoes and have a husband who is not a spiritual leader in our home (whether I think he is a believer seems to depend on the day, so I will be conservative and say he is not a true believer). I had not intended for it to be this way and had thought I was marrying a believer at the time. But, after a year or so it became clear it was not the case. Many spouses find they are unequally yolked one way or another, this is far from uncommon. Without going into a major tangent I will just conclude with, this is my responsibility now. I am my children's spiritual leader.

All of the above has been about Puzzle Boy so far! What about little Mini Me? Given that she is only two her homeschooling won't yet be official. But, she will be learning and I do have simple goals in mind for her. Such as: dressing herself, obedience, picking up after herself, helping mommy, self control, learning animals and their sounds, colors, shapes and starting on the alphabet and numbers 1-10. By the time PB was three he knew 95% of his alphabet and could count to 10 without much reminding and I think this is another realistic goal to have. Potty training will fit in there too but I believe she will train when she is ready. Every child is different and Mini will start her real schooling when she is ready be that next year or when she is six! Right now, I am just enjoying letting her be my baby for the next four months until she is made a big sister. It will be bittersweet for me!

And, to wrap this up before I lose you, I will also be implementing a binder system to keep record of EVERYTHING we cover next year which is required by state law. This next year will be the first year we must declare Puzzle Boy to the state that he is homeschooled and at the end of the year he needs to either do a standardized test or I need to submit a detailed report of everything we covered. Given that Common Core s taking over all public schools and testing I will be doing the latter. I do not believe in this Common Core (it is basically a mass dumbing down of the next generation) and instead will actually teach my child how to properly add numbers, etc. When I get this binder organized I will share with you! Of course we will still be a part of our co-op although we may only join them for field trips in the first semester depending on how we are adjusted after babe #3 is here. We will see!

So there it is, my well thought of plan, time will tell how we do with it!

Only one subject to go! Til next time!

Going From an Average to a Large Family Attitude

With baby three on the way this has granted me a pause to reflect on how things will change. Our vehicle will be at it's max for capacity when we are all together. We don't have enough dining chairs. Grocery shopping is about to go from an adventure to an insane adventure (unless I order them and just pick them up *winkwink*). My laundry will again increase by a lot due to diapers and lots of clothing changes for the little one. Etc... fill in the blank, you get the picture. Some of you I am sure have 3 or more children and are either nodding in quiet agreement or some of you are saying "What's the big deal?". I have the urge to go with you who are saying the later and just not worry about it. But, then I think, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!". Just keeping it real here. No, I wouldn't necessarily call a family of five 'large' but it does change the dynamic more significantly than going from one to two children. For one thing, as parents, you are now out numbered. Reality check. I am a researcher. I like to research things. So what have I been researching lately? How to change my household logistics so I can confidently carry out organized chaos in 6 months time. Otherwise I might realize it's 2:00 in the afternoon and the goat is cussing me out for forgetting to milk her and my kids will still be in there clothes from yesterday. Ok, that's an extreme and unlikely scenario. Let's move on.

Because of my this new and uncharted territory for our family I am going to do a series on my preparations by the area of our life. Laundry, car, meals, homeschooling, cleaning, shopping, chores and, last but not least, personal time and husband/wife time. These I will schedule for Wednesday mornings over the next seven weeks. That will be perfect timing for me to start a new series on our spring here! Depending on progress I'm sure a house update or two will fill in the blanks on other days of the week.

Playing Catch Up

Ok! I got through Christmas. And, while I should have announced that I was taking a blog vacation in order to get things done, I did not. Sorry! My cousins I saw at my grandmother's Christmas party expressed that I needed to get my butt back in gear and post some new stuff! Love you guys! You make feel like this isn't a waste of my time *wink*.

Let's see... now, I have gotten quite a bit done and it has snowed A LOT! Every week if not a few times a week. That's Maine for you, every winter has it's own personality. This year is full of precipitation in an annoying fashion. So, I shall recap the best I can.

First, Puzzle Boy turned SIX! What?! He's getting so so so big. And, he knows it. This is the cake I made him...

Second, we butchered those darn chickens! Yup, and right before a massive snow storm. Ah, it was a wonderful day... we woke up early intending to get an early start but it was still dark. So, we patiently waited until the sun decided it was time to get up. Then we had breakfast and bundled up, after all, it was only 6 degrees F outside! Montana Man fetched his machete and the stump and I the first chicken. (I'm being sarcastic, can't you tell?) Alright, the day was not wonderful. Quite honestly the only easy part about it was the killing! We did all 15 chickens in one(ish) day. On this same day we happened to be on a deadline to be done by 3:00 because we were taking the kids on a magical train ride in the city. If we hadn't been under the pressure of the impending snow storm we would have waited a day and been a bit more relaxed. Instead I was bleaching down the kitchen at 2:45 after shoving the last of the plucked chickens into a cooler of ice water and leaving them on the deck outside to cool down. 6 birds had yet to be eviscerated. What have I learned? No more than 5 birds at a time and if I can't do that than spend the $3/bird at the butcher and have him do it. The end.

Then, we had Christmas. Over the last few years we have begun to simplify this holiday in many ways as both our own family unit and our extended family. We still exchange gifts but in a smaller in quantity, greater in meaning way. My husband will tell you that the two gifts I got most excited about this year was a digital scale from him and a large dial scale that has a 50 pound capacity from my mom. And, I can't wait to haul in some garden produce this summer and weigh it! I have to say though that we enjoyed watching our kids open their presents the most. So much animation and excitement! We had dinner at my grandparents' home with our usual fare plus a couple updates. It really was a wonderful day.

I will add pictures as I collect them from family!

I hope everyone had a blessed and special holiday season. Now about this new year...

Til next time!

Reflections of a Maine Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. It's a act, it's a praise and it's a day with pie. In our family it's a day with a pie per person (or more). And, I love Thanksgiving. A holiday about nothing but food, fellowship and reflection. No gifts, no muddled meanings, it is what your family makes it but with turkey! As I have grown older I realize how rare and special our family's dynamic is. We are close. Sometimes too close, but nevertheless I am grateful for it. Yesterday, we gathered around the table and said no fancy words and had no fancy "table scapes" or place cards. We sat, took a group photo, blessed the food and ate. Four generations of us.

We ate the usual fare of turkey with sides but I did put my own little 'homestead' spin on some of it! The turkey was from a friend that raised it on her family's mini farm and I helped them butcher last week. Our pumpkin pies were from my own home canned pumpkin and the mince meat pie from my husband's deer I made with my grandfather. The rest was made by my mother and grandmother's hands. It was small this year, just nine of us, but I like it that way. It was quiet and relaxed.

Mr. Tom

My mom and me and Mr. Tom

Can I cook a bird or what?

Now, I can look forward to my little boy's birthday and Christmas. Our house is on a roll with the foundation walls poured, soon to be finished off and capped to begin above grade construction. More on that soon!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Farming With Small Children (video!)

When I first started really entering into this homesteading journey I had one small child but he was old enough to stay with me and being only him I could easily keep and eye on him while I did chores or rooted around in the garden. Then number two came along and I inwardly panicked. What was I going to do? How was I going to get basic chores done let alone keep adding to the barnyard? Let's face it, kids are a huge time/attention suck. Some days just taking a pee break is precarious in this house. So how do I get chores done twice a day, every day?


First of all I will say that my kids come first. Coffee comes second. Then comes chores in the morning. I don't kill myself (at present time) to do chores at the crack of dawn. Heck, I don't get out of bed until at least 7:00. Puzzle Boy always is up before me but he plays quietly(ish) for about a half hour until I wake up enough to get out of bed. I am not a morning person, can you tell? So, after we have all had our morning sustenance, I then do chores. Some mornings I am leaving first thing to run errands or pick up my friends baby to watch him, etc. In this case I would load the kids up in the car first and then do chores while they sit safely buckled up in my preheating car. Other mornings I will put Mini on my back and just take them with me or put them in separate contained places of safety while I run out to do the bare minimum. A lot of times the later is the case and I will just save the bigger more involved chores for when they are napping or supervised with someone who is not me. Like my mom. Or the dog. Just kidding.

Set yourself up for success! Honestly, when you are farming with small children there need to be continual reality checks. Do you really have time to milk three cows? Or, would just two or three goats be more manageable? 100 chickens? Geesh, that's a lot of poop everyday! Think realistically. Start small and know your own limits about what you can handle without outside help. Currently my weekday chores take less than 10 minutes twice a day. How is that you ask with a horse, a laying flock and a meat chick flock? I set it up for success!

My horse lives outside, not in a stall and he poops outside. The most his stall needs is a sweeping of the dirt he drags in every couple weeks. Time saved: 30 minutes of poop scooping. Throwing him his hay and giving a quick check over for ailments takes about two minutes.

The laying flock and rooster need to be fed once a day and the eggs collected. I collect eggs in the morning and feed at night. I clean the laying area every other day or as needed. They take about 3-5 minutes to care for.

The meat birds, while temporary are in my current schedule and take about the same time as the laying hens. They also get cleaned every other day and this seems to work well right now. * I will be doing an update on them soon.

On the weekend when Montana Man is home I will do what big projects need to be done while he watches the kids or we work together as a family like we did this weekend while we made a larger pen for the meat chicks. I had Mini in the Ergo and PB sat on a hay bale and safely watched us from there. Really, I do like having them tag along when MM and I are doing a project because not only does it show them farm skills, it shows them mommy and daddy working together (which we do very well!). Life skills all around!



In the spring we will be adjusting to a new schedule and ways of getting things done as things pick up in the growing season. With this I need to plan carefully and stick to that plan. I have just sent my deposit for two Nigerian Dwarf goats, a milking doe and a maiden yearling doe. I will be adding milking to my morning chores! But, again, I chose an animal that requires smaller increments of time to care for. I will only need about 20 minutes to milk total including sanitation steps and milk prep. I will be milking only my lovely Scarlett next spring, but the next year I will be milking both. Organization will be my friend.

Also next spring, the greenhouse will be full of seedlings to tend and cold weather veggies. New raised gardens beds will need to be made... next year will be a busy one. And, I will probably need to enlist help from a sitter to get some of these things done. For now though, we manage. Farming with kids can be fun, rewarding and enriching for both child and parent. Just remember to know your limits and theirs, have a plan and work together as a unit.

This video was one I did for a lady in LA that approached my about being in a reality show. Nothing ever came of that and I have forgotten I even made this! But, now I see it's true purpose... to share how I got stuff done this summer.

Pressure Canning Pumpkin (On My Anniversary)

I have to say that of all the veggies out there, pumpkin has to be one of my most beloved. It tells me it's my favorite season, makes one of my favorite pies and my very favorite certain latte. Yup, I love pumpkin. But, have you noticed the stuff in the can doesn't taste so good unless it is doctored up quite a bit (i.e. in a pie)? I have, ever since last year when I made my own pumpkin puree (and froze it). What a difference! This year due to my canning bug I wanted to can it. Pureed. But you can't! It's a safety thing. So I had to decide, freezer or canned? I chose canned, obviously, and I canned it reluctantly cubed. Although, honestly this really makes no difference because I can just drain it and mash it when I need it for something like bread or pie. No biggie.

So! This particular canned item started with 3 small/medium Small Sugar heirloom pumpkins from a farm a few towns over that we have been going to ever since our wedding in 2010. This is where we got the pumpkins to decorate our October wedding with, we made the small ones into vases and filled them with sunflowers and blue hydrangeas for centerpieces. They were beautiful. *sigh* Anyway, I am getting on a tangent... 'cause yesterday was our anniversary. Yes, I canned on my anniversary.

Let's break it down shall we?

I peeled, split and scooped out the seeds. Then...

... I split the halves in half and cut into strips then chunks, about 1/2"-1" dice.

Filled up a large pot and then covered with water (as best you can because pumpkin floats!). Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes. You do not want to cook it through at this stage, the canner will do that for you.

Fill your jars and cover with cooking liquid leaving 1/2 and inch of head space (make sure to de-bubble). Wipe rims and place lids and rings on, tighten ONLY finger tight.

As you can see I have a double pressure canner which can hold about 18 pints or 9 quarts. Personally I do not like my jars to touch so I don't put more than 7 jars in one layer. And, also, as a side note this canner was made in 1942 and is being lent to me by my great-great aunt. No really. People in my family live a long time! My great-great-grandmother was still alive when my brother was little before I was born, therefore we have once had a true FIVE generation family! Currently we have four generations. Sorry that's another tangent. My bad.

Anywho! This canner has preserved probably thousands of jars of food. I cleaned it, put in a new seal and it was good as new. I will need to replace the gauge and petcock at some point but for now I just over shoot my pressure by and pound or two and call it good.

Put the canner over high heat and with your vents open wait for the steam to flow "freely". When it is set your timer for 10 minutes to exhaust all the air. When time is up close your vents (or whatever your canner's manual says) and bring up to pressure.

Ten pounds please. Set your timer for 55 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts. Pints I feel are a smart choice for most home cooks unless you have a large family. One pint will equal about one can of commercial pumpkin (I assume) once drained and mashed.

After time is up I take the canner off the stove and let it rest on my wooden cutting board. Once it comes down in pressure to zero I open the vent (petcock) all the way and let it set a few minutes. Then I open the lid but don't lift it off, I just leave it resting on top for about 30 minutes. After that I take the jars out and set them on a towel in a draft free place to cool (like the above). Also, pictured is the book I have used this year for my instructions. It is a classic but it's the updated edition so everything is up to date (although it still gives instructions for using bail jars so it must be a die hard author). Bail jars are NOT considered safe anymore but those who grew up using them like my grandmother and mother-in-law still use them for acid foods like pickles. I see the appeal, I do. But, I prefer to use them for storing beans and rice dry.

I promise I will do a post this weekend on my canning totals! I know right now that I have filled over 100 jars with deliciousness. Wow, right? Not bad for my first year of serious canning and not a very good garden! Next year I plan to up that by about another 3-400. Wish me luck!

Til next time!