We are expecting our 6th baby in just a little over 2 months, that led me to expound upon a topic that I am very passionate about.  Women who choose natural childbirth are not saints or martyrs.  We can all choose this path successfully but here are a few ways I have found to make sure you have the experience you desire.  Keep in mind, I am not a doctor, just a mom who has done this a time or two.  Birth does not scare me, nor should it scare you.

           Women seem to fall into one of two categories when it comes to the end of a pregnancy.  The two camps are often so vastly different that there doesn’t  seem to be much gray area in between the black and white.  These two opposing views are that of the natural minded gal who truly desires a medication free birth and that of the give-me-whatever-it-takes to-be-sure-I-don’t-feel-a-thing kinda gal.  I have been on both sides of the issue from my first birth to my pending 6th birth and I am here to share some tips on ways to increase your chances of having an all natural, medication-free birth.

            First and foremost a woman must know what her desirable birth looks like and why she feels that way.  The unfortunate part about birth in this current day and age is that the majority of women are scared.  Wait, before you argue with me on this point, talk to a new mom.  There is a fear surrounding birth that has been perpetrated  for about the last 75 or more years.   This seems to have really come about since the invention of medications meant to relieve pain during childbirth and the subsequent thought that those are so essential, no woman should have  a baby without them.  Ladies, I am here to tell you that may not be accurate.  With the addition of each different medication meant to relieve pain during childbirth there have been side effects.  From twilight sleep in the early 1900s, to narcotics and epidurals, they all carry a level of risk for mom, and for baby.  So if you want to have a medication free birth, here are some things you must know.

1.  KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO IT

            Guess what, God designed your body.  God designed women to have babies.  It is as simple as that.  For literally thousands and thousands of years women have been giving birth.  Many of whom were back to tending the house and working in the field shortly thereafter.  Do you know why?  Without medications our bodies actually recover more quickly, as do our newborn babies.

2.  DON’T ALLOW AN INDUCTION

            The drugs given to women to bring on labor such as Pitocin, Oxytocin and Cervidil to name a few are synthetic.  That means that though they are designed to mimic the body’s natural hormones that bring about labor, they are not natural and they bring about contractions that are significantly stronger, faster, and more unbearable than a woman feels if she goes into labor on her own.  Many women do not even realize that they have the option of refusing an induction.  Though there does seem to be a swing in the other direction, for a number of years inductions were studied as they were on  the rise.  Lets face it, the scheduling of birth and delivery is much easier for both mom and doctor than random middle of the night labor.  However, when hospitals began seeing an increase of over 40% + inductions there were some studies that came out and actually did show that many of the inductions were more of an elective nature than a seriously necessitated one. (article here)  What that means for a mom with a natural bent is that you SHOULD NOT ALLOW AN INDUCTION. 
             Do some research mama, those dates are not exact and your baby will be born when he or she is good and ready.  It took me years to realize this one, and 3 waaaay to early inductions to figure out that I was making poor choices by allowing them.  My subsequent children have all been born without synthetic hospital inductions, there are a few herbal supplements designed to help a woman in labor, I do use and recommend those but they do not bring about labor (trust me as a mom who has gone over 40 weeks with babies #4 and #5).

3. HIRE A DOULA
                        Unless you are totally crunchy and old school like this girl here who loves and touts homebirth for normal healthy pregnancies you will be in a hospital setting.  Look into the service of a doula.  They are worth their weight in gold and if you cannot afford one get a hold of the certification agency DONA  and ask if there is one in training who needs to attend births for her certification, you just might be able to score one for little to nothing out of pocket this way.  What in the world is a doula anyway?

            “The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.”  -DONA international

            In short, imagine if you had someone you felt extremely comfortable with whose sole goal while you were laboring was to serve you.  Almost a handmaiden of sorts, she would use therapeutic touch (sometimes pressure on lower back during a contraction) she would help your partner with suggestions to calm and soothe you, she would help make sure your birth plan was followed, she would wipe your sweaty forehead with a cool cloth, I’m telling you it's like being a celebrity in the birthing room.  SO WORTH IT especially if you are seeking a natural birth.  The two best things that mine does for me is ease the pain in my lower back during contractions and gently get in my face when I need to be reminded to breathe through a difficult contraction, sounds simple enough but without that I may well be a squawking banshee.

4.  TALK TO YOUR DOC
            Seriously talk to your doc.  Find out what his or her stance is from the get go.  There are some doctors who insist that women need pain meds, if you want a natural experience, this is not the doc for you. When you are in the heat of a rough peaking contraction you are VERY susceptible to someone telling you that you NEED pain medications to calm you so you can have your baby…don’t buy it.

5. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE
            This may be the hardest one yet because for some reason when the subject of birth comes up every woman is passionate about her own story, and often wants to share about the 30 hour long labor, the horrible episiotomy, the excruciating pain, etc.  Leave those conversations immediately because often what we expect is what we get.  Instead surround yourself with women who have had positive, natural births.  If you don’t know anyone personally there are a ton of groups on facebook and other social media sites with the sole purpose of answering questions and offering support to mothers wanting a natural birth.     Seek those out and jump in with your questions.  Watch the documentary, The business of being born and read positive birth stories.  They are out there.  I personally had 3 less than desirable births before hitting my stride and learning enough to realize that natural birth, whether in the hospital or home setting, is far superior and allows mom and baby to recover so much more quickly than medicated birth.

            There you have it mama.  It can be done, it is worth it, you will be on a high that no drug could ever give  you and you will be empowered.  If natural birth is what you seek, go for it and know that you can do this.

This post contains affiliate links, the Amazon links cost you nothing but may help support the maintenance of my site.

This post was shared on the following homestead blog hops, come on over and check them out!

I pulled this one out of the archives, if you haven't read and are curious, this is how it all began just 4 short years ago.

So I have an AMAZING story to share...

   My journey to becoming the "incidental farm girl" is a pretty cool one.  Rewind a few years and I was working full time, as was hubby, opposite shifts of course. 

   But, we have the best of it all right? Two incomes, no childcare.  Check.  But, now we want a farm, some land, you know a place for our kids to enjoy growing up outdoors with the horse we were boarding.  We had 3 children (expecting #4) and wanted them to experience countryliving.  So, we found the perfect farm (like 4 different times!)  And the last one we found seemed to be an open door.  We put our home on the market, entered into a contract and sat back to pray...Then there it was, we got an offer on our home and we were set...just had to wait a little longer.  Felt like green lights and open doors all the way...

   Interestingly enough God was working behind the scenes at the same time.  We were thinking of making some educational changes (in my mind that meant possibly private school) for our children, however, after many heart-to-heart talks with hubby and lots of prayer I felt that God was calling us to homeschool our children.  Something my husband later confessed to me that he had been praying for me to decide to do for years.  

    But wait...I worked full time!  And we were going to be buying a very expensive farm that meant I REALLY DID HAVE TO WORK...LOTS! Oh and I kinda thought homeschoolers were...well, you know...weird. There I said it.  I never intended on homeschooling our children, we lived in a good school district, why would I?  But, I have learned (through much trial and many errors) that when you feel God calling you to action, whether you want to or not (and I did not) you had better do it.  So, there it was, there may have been a slight sigh of relief when that contract fell through on the homes as our buyer could not sell in the alotted time. So, that meant we weren't buying that expensive 15 acre farm...that I soooo wanted...insert frown.  Hubby then says..."with this housing market we would literally have to have someone knock on our front door and ask to buy...because we are never going to sell our home."  With that we took the for sale sign down.

   Okay, so we move forward right.  Hubby has so much faith in me that he thought that I would just be able to keep right on working full time and start homeschooling.  I knew better.  So, I began to pray, I prayed for God to lead my husband to want me home, like not working, like no second income...you feeling me?   God is amazing and shortly thereafter it became my husband's idea that I should come home and we should quit this madness of working opposite shifts, never having calm family time and chasing the American dream of what I like to call "Bigger,Better, Faster."   That also meant give up the farm dream again.  So we did.  We made a 6 month plan and I worked like a madwoman at my job, lots of overtime all the while with a new baby at home...and then...I quit my 15 year career as a social worker.  

    So, we settled into a routine.  I was finding my groove homeschooling a 7th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader while managing a 1 year old and when we learned we were expecting again,  We were thrilled.  Because, for the first time I was free to fully be a wife and mother...something I really enjoyed doing when I did not have a full time job pulling at me.  And the homeschooling thing?  I really liked it, my kids really liked it, I felt like I was getting so much more in tune with my children, my husband, and life.  We were rolling along and life was good, we had learned to be content in what God had for us, maybe he wasn't planning a farm in our future, but what he had led us to was very fufilling.  

    We had another valley to pass through though.  We lost the baby I was carrying around 13 weeks in.  It was winter and though I was still relishing my role as homeschooling mother, I was crushed.  We prayed, we cried, and I asked God for a peace and to get me through.  He is faithful because he gave me a peace about that loss...and he comforted the hurt.

    Another month goes by and on a cold February day there was a knock at the door.  Do you remember my husband's comment?  There stood the former owner of our home, we purchased the home from them 10 years prior.  And with the former owner, a full price cash offer to purchase our home.  WOW!  All because.. you know, their daughter had moved in across the street and they had really good memories of raising thier children in our home. WOW!  

   But wait...We only have half of what we had before, I am not working, where will we go?  God was not done yet.  I look back now and I cannot believe how little faith I had.  I mean, God has a sense of humor and he sent the "knock at the door" but I didn't rust that he already had it all worked out.  Hubby and I started scouring farms, land, anything and kept coming up short.  I was afraid that we were going to end up in an apartment with homeschooled kids and a hubby who worked nights...scary huh?

   So on day #7 after we had the offer in writing for the purchasers of our home we looked online at real estate ads again.  I hit "refresh" and there it was.  Just listed, in our price range, almost 6 acres, and less than 5 minutes away!  We called about it and saw it within 2 hours.  It was perfect.  We made the offer, it was accepted and we were approved to buy! 

   So, now I am the incidental farm girl.  It is so amazing when we yield to what God wants to give us instead of spearheading our own plans.
   

This article may contain affiliate links, this costs you nothing but does help with the costs of running the farm and feeding the chickens.

            We can text, email, blog, facebook, tweet, instagram and be all things supermom.  Often times we work outside the home, run the kids to practice after and still manage to procure a semi homemade meal from the quintessential crockpot.  We are the doers of our generation, we seemingly can balance it all and still nurse the baby.  But there is a down side to all of this motion.  We have relied on technology and our own wits for all too long and some of the most basic of homemaking skills are being lost to us.  I used to be in that bustle (some days I still feel “bustled about” although these days its in flip flops and yoga pants, no longer in heels and designer bags).  I traded it in for a slower paced life, one where I could procure the knowledge of my grandmother and her grandmother of the way life used to be.  Truth be told, other than blogging about this life I could almost do away with most of the technology that is supposed to make our lives simpler, I think it complicates things in the pursuit of BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER.

            What skills is that that I am suggesting we are missing out on?  Some of us are missing the basics, some of us have mastered those but lost the more refined.  Here are some of the ones that I think are the most important skills that we need to revisit. 

FOR BEGINNERS:

1. Bread making
            Panera and other bakery type places have bailed us out on this one but there is nothing, I mean nothing that compares to a homemade loaf of bread that you created with your own hands.
​
2.   From Scratch Cooking
            It has become all too easy to run to the grocery for a jar of spaghetti sauce, canister of cocoa, box of granola, or a jar of pesto.  If you just stop to think though, all of these things are “pre made” which means they have to be pumped full of preservatives to get them to your table.  When you learn to make some of these things “from scratch” you are not only saving money but you are also eating healthier.

3.  Sewing
            Likely your grandmother or great grandmother new how to do this skill.  Even if you start simple, like sewing a burp cloth for your baby or a few throw pillows for your couch you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.
 
4. Gardening
            You can start small, even a tomato plant in a container or a few herbs in the windowsill but the fact that you start is what matters.

5. Canning
            This is a skill we should all possess.  Even if you don’t regularly can hundreds of pounds of produce you should know your way around a hot water canner.
​
6. Handwritten notes
          This is not so much a skill as it is one of the lost arts.  With email and texting (and of course the rising cost of stamps) there are very few handwritten notes being sent.  I am too guilty of this one as well, but there is nothing like a quick note, on real paper with actual penmanship to make your friend’s day.

7. Handmade Gifts
          We often cite time as our enemy on this one, or we feel that we somehow need to live up to the unattainable Pinterest image we have in our mind’s eye.  We then fail to even attempt handmade gifts because we feel that they are not “Etsy ready.”  Just think yourself though how much a thoughtful gift means to you when crafted by a friend, be it a hand lettered coffee cup or a homemade sugar scrub.

8.  Herbal Remedies
          I talk of this one often.  Our ancestors knew plants.  We are lucky to know the difference between straw and hay.  There is so much knowledge that we are losing because we don’t know where our food comes from, we don’t make time to talk to the older generations and we don’t delve into herbal remedies that are right under our noses.

9. Soap Making
          I’m not talking about the cute little kits from craft stores I am talking about some real old fashioned lye and fat soap making.  It isn’t that hard and we have become sissified in our fear of using lye, something that may burn our skin.  Let me tell you if you have ever cooked a meal, the stove might burn your skin too, not that big a deal.
​
10. Line Drying Clothes
          This may be the simplest start on the whole list.  We are just too darn busy to be bothered with drying our clothes outdoors.  Let me tell you though, you haven’t lived until you have slept on some fresh line dried sheets in the summer sun, really, it’s true.  Oh, and don’t forget the fact that it really does save on electricity, I average about a $30 a month savings this way.

  How many of these basic skills are you missing?  Do you have them in your homemaker's toolbox, if not, start small and start trying and learning.

​Related Posts:  Backyard Medicine, Homemade Coconut Oil Soap, From Scratch Snacks, 10 New Gardener mistakes, Handmade DIY.

This post was shared on these AWESOME blog hops... come on over and check them out!

After a long gardening season and hopefully a bountiful harvest it is almost sad to see the fall approach with its cooler evenings and occasional nippy mornings.  What does often happen this time of year is that previously stunted herbs begin to be revitalized and you may find yourself swimming in Basil, Oregano, Rosemary and some of the more hearty herbs. 
​
                I don’t know about you but I often am mentally “finished” with the preservation process by this time and I have a tendency to feel slightly overwhelmed with more tasks on my plate than hours in the day.  However, never wanting to waste a beautiful harvest of herbs here is a fast and super simple way to preserve the hearty and savory herbs you may well use for cooking all winter.

I am not kidding when I tell you that this method literally takes 5 minutes of your time so even the busiest of us can manage it.  And yes, it really does work just as I explain it though I too was skeptical the first time I tried it.
​
1.  Harvest your hearty herbs
2. Wash and pat dry
3.  Tear and stuff herbs into the molds (notice I did it backwards in the photos which led to some overflow)
4. Fill your containers (mini muffin molds or ice cube trays work fantastically) with Olive oil covering the herbs
5. Freeze for 24 hours
6. Viola!  You have success.  You can either remove the cubes and place in a freezer bag or you can leave in your container until you need to use them.

A word of caution, once frozen these will thaw quickly so if you are removing them to put into a freezer bag do so quickly.  You can then use these in your sautés, sauces, soups and savory dishes.  Anything that requires herbs and olive oil.  My favorite recipe is here: Tomato Basil Chicken

Though fresh is always best, this is a fantastic alternative in the winter months to use up that fresh herbal goodness!
 

I really like to make my own products, whether it be skin care, cleaning products, soaps, whatever there is some serious gratification in self sufficiency.  That being said I also really like to be in control over what I am putting either on or in my body when it comes to products and medicines.  I prefer to "go au natural" with my remedies for the common illnesses and to do the same for my family.  

That being said I have a few favorite recipes from older blog posts I have done as well as a round up from the web to share with you all today.  It's time to get busy before winter is upon us, that way we are all stocked and ready for cold and flu season as well as that dry itchy skin that is a product of being indoors with a furnace running full blast or out doing farm chores in the bitter chill of winter.

Please let me know if you too have a great herbal remedy that you use and make at home, maybe even one your learned from your grandmother...I know mine has talked alot about the old mustard plasters she had to endure as a child.

Do you like to read about homesteading?  There is a great roundup that I love to read from a whole lot of like-minded homesteaders...be sure to check it out!

I love my farm life.  I love caring for and watching my livestock.  I love canning, gardening and all the craziness that comes from living on my little homestead.  I have a secret though, the only place I would trade the farm for might just be a place on the beach, too bad this gal can't have both...Nirvana is what that would be.  Instead I have to enjoy a getaway to the ocean every few years and hold on to the pictures and memories of ocean waves lapping the shore to get me by until next time.

We recently just had such a luxury.  A beachfront getaway to my favorite spot.  I must digress that when I tell you why this is my favorite spot it may turn some off, I have sent friends here and they became "bored" because well...there is just a beach, an island if you will, a state park at one end and a bay to the opposite side of the Gulf, and tons of wildlife.  There are a few hole in the wall places like my favorite Oyster Bar and Pizza dive.  But, that is it.  No boardwalk, no hubub, no crowds.  For me that is the epitome of beach perfection.
​

This is my "secret" spot.  The secret is out...it is the "Forgotten Coast" of Florida and was actually voted in the top 10 beaches in the USA twice in the last few years.  St. George Island is hands down the third on my list of best beaches EVER (the first is Playa Del Carmen in Mexico and the second being Maui, neither of which is very affordable for a large family to visit).

The Gulf beaches are white sugar sand and not crowded.  The bay side has an entirely different Ecosystem just 2 miles across the island from the Gulf side and makes for fabulous education for the kids.  In past years we had the opportunity to go oystering, crabbing and fishing on the bay side, so much fun!  The entire Island is approx 21 miles long and 2 miles wide.  The north side of the island is 6 miles of uninhabited Florida State Park that you can get into for a mere $6 a carload and it has some AMAZING shelling and driftwood finding.  This treasure is right off of the panhandle just a 10 minute drive from Appalachicola, Florida and about 1.5 hours from the overpopulated Panama City Beaches.

The best part of this beach is the amazing amount of life that can be found.  Every time we come we see how many hermit crabs, sand dollars, starfish and beautiful shells we can find...we never have the heart to keep any of the live animals of course, but it is neat to play with them!

After a few long days at the beach when we did decide to take a break and "find something to do" there is the awesome and totally free nature center right off the island, it is open Tues-Sat from 9am-4pm and is a fantastic place to cool off and learn a lot with hands on stations for the kids. Check it out here.

Then the town of Apalachicola is fun for doing a little bit of touristy shopping and oyster eating as well as visiting my favorite soap shop.  It is a short 5 mile trek across the bridge that connects St. George Island to Eastpoint and then over another bridge to Apalachicola, 10 minutes in all.

If you ever get a hankering to go and visit this gem, here are a few tips from yours truly...

-Pack your water, the entire area of Florida here has funky tasting water

-Stop at the Dollar General just before crossing the bridge to the island, cheap water toys and sunscreen

-I favor staying on the ocean side vs. the bay side due to mosquitos at night

-The Island Dog store rents bike boards for $10 a day, lots of fun!

-Eat at BJ's pizza on the island, its sooo good!

-For a large family, or just some good ol' southern cooking you can't beat the food or prices of Hog Wild BBQ in Carabelle

-Stop in to the Old Time Soda Shop in Apalachicola for some souvenires

​-Be sure to get a Gelato at the Apalachicola Chocolate Company (Amaretto is divine!)

-Look up the legend of Tate's Hell State Park and go for a hike after...I dare ya!
​-

Homeschooling can cost as much or as little as you want it to...and guess what?  It doesn't matter how much you spend according to statistics, you will still be cranking out amazing kiddos.  Statistics have shown that the income of parents who homeschool in no way reflects the education the child receives.  However, some of us have tighter budgets than wish lists so here are a few sound tips for saving money and homeschooling on a budget.

​1. SHOP USED

Just like I learned years ago in college, you can spend a lot, or a little on your textbooks and the only difference seems to be the amount of money left in your wallet.  Used textbooks or curricula are the way to go when you are on a budget, let someone else take the depreciation hit (kinda like when you drive a new car off the lot and it drops a few thousand in value).  Some of my favorite places to pick up the curricula I want for my kiddos are:
- Ebay
-Homeschool Classifieds
-Craigslist
-Local Facebook swap groups

2. Join A Group

If you are not already part of a homeschool group, now is the time to start.  Some families link up with others in their church, their friends, or even their community.  If your group doesn't already swap or rent books to one and other, head up the movement.  All it takes is a bit of organization and a "librarian" to keep tabs on things.  You can nominate someone to record who borrowed whose books and viola, you are in business.  If this doesn't work you can opt for a rental program among friends as well.

3. Check out Free Online Resources

If all else fails, you can homeschool virtually free, with a printer and a little leg work.  Here is a fantastic list of places to look for free curricula, unit studies, or topics of interest...(Including some free planners here)

-The Frugal Homeschool Mom
-Easy Peasy Homeschool
​-Homeschool Free For Shipping
​-Freely Educate
​-YouTube
-Homeschool Share
-Schooling a Monkey
-Year Round Homeschooling
​-Free Homeschool Deals

4. Combine Grades

If you have more than one child that you are teaching and your children are only a year or three apart, consider teaching them the same subjects together so you aren't buying individual grade levels.  I also don't ever buy grade level kits.  The beauty of homeschooling is that we don't have to use the same guidelines as a public school, who says your child who is 7 can't learn alongside your 9 year old when reading or doing science?

5.  Don't Spend $ on Pre-K or Kindergarten 

 This is too easy to just do for free or next to nothing so don't waste your cash on curricula for this age.  Let them play and incorporate reading to them, file folder games (you can print tons free or make your own), use what you have around the house and don't stress about it.  Here are a few of my favorites:

-Itsy Bitsy Fun
-Homeschool Preschool
-From ABC's to ACT's
​-Playdough to Plato
-Worksheet Fun

So see, its not so hard to save some cash and still homeschool.  It is all about the creativity and your willingness to think outside the box.  Here's to a great homeschool  year!

Did you like this post?  I think you would love these...
​
Best Printer for homeschool families
So, you think you want to homeschool...
5 ways to improve your homeschool day
8 reasons every parent should consider homeschooling

Do you see that smile? Its almost contagious.  She was jumping up and down and just plain thrilled.  She worked hard, she memorized A LOT (way more than mom could retain) and she won 1st place in her age and 1st place in her division for Showmanship.  That means she beat out about 50 other excellent showman to attain this award.  She was asked questions such as:

-What type of fur does a Dwarf Hotot rabbit have?
-How many recognized breeds are there for ARBA? (American Rabbit Breeders Assoc)
-What is a dewlap?
-What are the long hairs on a rabbit's coat called?

She knew all the answers thanks to loads of studying and even some helpful worksheets given to her by another adviser in our 4H group.

To say I am a proud mama is a bit of an understatement.  The best part was her sheer surprise at the whole thing, she is a great sport and was helping and congratulating her competitors as well.

My 10 year old son wound up with a 2nd place ribbon for his showmanship of chickens, he also did an amazing job and was also asked some pretty difficult questions but the one that knocked him out of first place was concerning a breed of bird (turkey) that he was not showing and did not know much about.  He still did excellent and learned so much.

The experiences they had for this, their first year in 4H, were amazing.  They are both eager to compete and show again next year and their quest for knowledge makes me proud, this is how learning should occur, with a zeal, a zest and a desire to learn more.  

​If you haven't looked into 4H for your child, you are really missing out.  Not all of the projects are livestock ones and I am very impressed with the amount of detail and information that these kids learn whether they are doing a project on healthy snacks, sewing, cooking, lizards, robotics, gardening or even CPR.  Read my post here on why you should get involved.

Many kids are already back in school, so take a moment to look back and check out this list to see how you did.  If you didn't complete them all, sneak a few in before the weather turns cold or just start your bucket list for next year!

​

1. Drinking from a water hose.
2. Catching fireflies
3. Riding in the back of a pickup truck
4. Buying ice cream from an ice cream truck
5. A Drive in movie
6. Camping out in the backyard
7. Playing in the rain
8. Walking barefoot in the mud
9. Climbing a tree
10. Roasting marshmallows/making s'mores

Did I miss any?  These are some that come to mind when I think of the way I grew up, that was way before digital media took a huge toll on our children, these are some of the things I want my children to experience, regularly.  How about yours?

You’ve thought about homesteading, you’ve perused land, you may even be well on your way to purchasing a farmhouse.  On the other hand, you may live on some land already but feel a bit overwhelmed at how to start the process of homesteading and becoming more self sufficient.  You have come to the right place and I am here to help.

It has only been a short time (we are in our fourth year) that we have had our own little homestead.  I call it little because we live on just shy of 6 acres, not grandiose by any means but definitely large enough to raise some livestock, garden, can the bounty and feel like I am at least on the road to homesteading.  Looking back though, I realize that this is a journey that I really began years and years ago when I started wanting to be more in touch with the way my grandmother and mother grew up.  I wanted to learn some of the old skills, the ones we would now refer to as “self sufficiency skills” it is more of a pop culture word now but what it really means is that we can do for ourselves. 

Many of the skills of our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents for that matter are becoming lost to so many generations because we feel that they are antiquated, there is  a growing movement happening though.  It is a bit of an enlightenment really, some of us are starting to realize that when those previous generations are gone, the skills and knowledge that they have are also lost, forever.  Unless…we get busy and begin learning now. 

It is all to easy to feel inadequate if you look online at homesteaders who are blogging about their great accomplishments and adventures, but just know that we all start somewhere and we all are on a journey, I know I still am and there will always be someone further along that journey than me. (I have a post here to give you a healthy perspective)  We all have to start somewhere though.
Where do you start though?  Here are some great tips to get you going.

1. Check out the print
​
There are a number of fantastic books out there where you can begin to glean information even if you haven’t purchased that land yet.  The skills you can read about and learn are an education that cannot be taken from you so get busy!

2. Read About Other's Journeys (not to compare yourself but to learn)

 Here are a few of the bloggers I love to read...

 - The Farm Barbie
 - Oakhill Homestead
 - Simple Life Mom
 -Not So Modern Housewife
 -The Chicken Chick
​

3. Start Small

This relates to ANY topic be it Gardening, Animal Husbandry, Canning, Sewing, Homeschooling, From Scratch Baking...any of them.  Start where you are and start small.  Master a few areas through some trial and error and you will feel even more confident about your ability to move forward and on to the next area of interest.

4. Keep a Journal

Many of us start down the homesteading path and become easily discouraged when we have a few fails (and you will).  Keeping a journal of what you are doing, what is working and what is not is very helpful.  Also, if you are venturing into livestock KEEP NOTES.  

​This is so important because in the excitement of getting those new chicks, piglets or any other animal you will forget.  However, many months or even a year down the line you may want to know what all of your hard work is netting you in your pocketbook, without good records of the amount of cash you spent up front, and the amount you regularly spend on feed, there is no way to go back and get accurate facts.

5.  Connect with Mentors

None of us can do this alone.  You will find (if you haven't already) that many a farmer, gardener, or homesteader will relish sharing their knowledge with a fledgling newbie.  Just be respectful of their time and compensate them when possible (a homemade loaf of bread, some fresh cool new variety of veggie you grew, a dozen eggs, you get the picture).  

I find that the BEST advice out there is that which comes from the crowd of folks over the age of 70 years old.  The older the better actually.  They have lived this life, they have years of experience that is worth its weight in gold, go out there and get some for yourself. If you aren't sure where to find someone, look for a local farmer's market and find the oldest gent or lady there.  If that isn't an option, look around you, find some farms and go introduce yourself, taking along some goodies from your place for the introduction never hurt either.

Related Posts: Not Yet A Homesteader, Chickens on the Farm,  and Organic Gardening.

Want to read more posts by other homesteaders?  Check out these roundups that have tons of fantastic information!