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How homesteading can make you a better mother

In honor of mother’s day coming up, we’re going to talk about how homesteading can make you a better mother. This isn’t a “how-to” or “DIY” post. Hell, it might not even be a considered a homesteading post. For now, we’ll call it a “Mama’s Empowerment” post because I think that’s enough.

how to make you a better mother

How homesteading can teach you skills to enable you to be the best mother you can.

I was hoping to be a mother in 2020. Then came along a global health crisis so we decided to put those plans on pause. Either way, I look forward to raising free-range kids on my homestead one day. And I know I’ll be ready.

I’m not a homesteading mama yet…

but I hope to be one day. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a mom. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been consistently sure of, actually. Now I’m sure that homesteading can make you a better mother, and I can’t wait!

One part of this homesteading journey that I’m constantly inspired by are all the homesteading mamas out there getting up early in the morning and tending to the livestock, gardens, fruit trees, making their own products, really just doin’ the dang thing, all while raising (often times than not) multiple children.

A few of my favorite homestead mamas to follow:

One of my very favorite families to see is Five Mary’s Farms. Her kids are all so independent from what I’ve seen on her Instagram stories and it just makes me smile every time she puts up a new clip of one of her girls feeding a cow or picking up eggs.

Some other families that are family homesteading inspirations for me are Weed ‘Em and Reap, The Wannabe Homesteader, and Celebrating a Simple Life: Salt in my Coffee.

Celebrating a Simple Life: Salt in my Coffee is recently the largest inspiration because (watch out, honesty hour comin’ it) I’m using her eBook “Zero to 10,000 Pageviews” to grow my blog and I can not believe she did all of this while raising two children and a homestead because IT IS HARD. And to think she did it all without knowing.

Seriously, I’m using her manual and still think it’s hard. Imagine!

These are most definitely not the only homesteading mamas out there. There are hundreds of them and, quite frankly, I don’t think they get enough praise.

When people ask how to make yourself a better mother, they never say “start a homestead!”. Here’s why I think this lifestyle is going to make me into a badass mama one day.

RESPONSIBILITY makes you a better mother

I’ve always been fairly responsible. Often, I’m told I’m an “old soul”. As far back as I can remember I’ve made lists to stay organized, kept a scheduling book, labeled everything that could ever be labeled, color-coordinated my closet…okay maybe I just sound neurotic but we’re just going to call it responsible.

Homesteading has taken my sense of responsibility to a whole new level. I have 40 chickens, 11 ducks, now 11 rabbits (we had babies!), 2 dogs, 1 cat, and a husband that depends on me.

*insert woman empowerment hashtag here*

My husband works full-time so I’m a full-timer here at the homestead. It can be so daunting at times knowing that I’ve taken on 66 mouths to feed. But what I do know is that when it comes time for me to have children, I won’t have to worry about wondering if I’m up for the responsibility.

I’m gonna put my baby in a sling, march right outside at the crack of dawn (maybe I never went to sleep, who knows) and do the dang thing just like those other homesteading mamas!

POOP

Too much information? I think not. My older sister recently had a baby and I had the opportunity to visit her for the first week or so. A doody diaper doesn’t bother me; never has. Bring this homestead mother all the poop! (Okay, not actually)

The future because the homesteading lifestyle is full of caca. I mean just all over the place in seems. DISCLAIMER: I’m trying to live this lifestyle with no filter so if you’re a new-to-it-all homesteader don’t let it scare you away. Just…embrace it?

I think it’s safe to say that the first time you get pooed on by a duck, your fear-of-feces days are over. I’ll take a baby diaper blow-out over getting pooed on by a duck any day. Getting pooped on by a duck will obviously make you a better homestead mama…right?

Multi-tasking and full schedules

Early mornings, late nights, no naps. Gardens to weed, duck houses to build, fall gardens to be planned. Compost to mend, hen-house to be shoveling out, deep litter compost to be distributed, brush to be burned, and the list just continues.

If homesteading has taught me one thing it’s how to manage a full schedule and multi-task while doing it, just like homestead mothers do!

My husband) works a full-time job that often starts around 6 AM and we have one car so I’ll often get up with him before it’s light out, drop him off to work, and then start my day. Early mornings naturally come with homesteading.

In the beginning, I was horrible at this. I’d start different projects and become so overwhelmed by all of the things I had to do, feeling like they all needed to be done now.

Eventually, I slowed down, which is what this life is ultimately about, and realized that not everything has to be done right at that very moment. I learned how to properly manage my schedule and get all of the things done here that must be done.

Sundays are my cleaning days because I realized my home doesn’t HAVE to be spotless every second of the day, even though I would like it to be. I usually do my sewing and crafts at night after the sun is down so I don’t waste any valuable chances to putter around in my yard.

So I’ve learned to 1. Live with a sometimes messy home and 2. Stay up late to do the “me” things. Perfect lessons before having a baby, right?

PATIENCE makes you a better mother

I think maybe the most important lesson I’m learning is patience. I said earlier I’ve always been responsible, not that I’ve always been patient. If you have no patience and are sure you can not learn patience, then homesteading, farming, gardening, etc. is not for you.

And I can say that because at one point it didn’t seem like it was for me. I was that “Impatient Patty” that felt like everything was the equivalent to watching ice melt.

Chickens take almost 6 months to start laying eggs. A doe will be pregnant for 31 days. Certain vegetables won’t be ready for harvest for around 75 days. To possess the ability of patience is to truly live. I’ve slowed my mind down, I adopted the act of patience and I am truly reaping the benefits.

And what a wonderful mothering characteristic patience is to have.

make you a better mother
Mama and her nest
how homesteading can make you a better mother

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