If you are looking to break away from the mainstream, unhealthy, commercialism lifestyle and break into your own backyard, this blog is for you! Here you will find proven, efficient and budget friendly ways to win as a working parent, in the house, the yard, the garden and in the kitchen!
Here you will learn tips and tricks to save money, while creating the beautiful, non toxic lifestyle that you desire, for a better mind, body and soul! So if you are interested in gardening, cooking, farming, and preserving food all while cutting costs and improving your health subscribe here and keep reading!
In this day in age, most people are looking to live a more natural, non-toxic life and who can blame them?? With all the ideas, products, and methods thrown at you by the thousands, it can be incredibly challenging ( and OVERWHELMING) to know where to start and what will work for you!
As a busy working (Realtor) mother of two, I lived the American suburban family dream, which often consists of living in an HOA neighborhood with large homes, perfectly manicured lawns, eating crappy food on the go, and being stressed to the max. At the end of almost every day, you are completely spent. In exchange for the “good life” you often sacrifice your health, happiness and sanity. Sound Familiar?
At the beginning of 2022, I woke up one morning and asked myself, “Why am I doing this?” And the answer that always came back to me is, “That’s what I’m supposed to do..” the more I thought about the answer, the more ridiculous it sounded. The “good life” isn’t so great, no one around me is truly happy, everyone’s working their asses off to pay for a 4000 sqft home with a four car garage, that they rarely spend time at (because they are always working) and so they can have a place to park all their expensive toys, that they will never have time to use. Seems silly right?
Simultaneously, the cost of food and everything else was rising, my city was doubling in size, and the real estate market was expected to take a dive. I knew I wanted a change. In May of 2022, we sold our house for a large profit and bought a new construction home on five acres, about an hour away from our previous address. I was nervous how the kids would adjust to a new lifestyle and a new school, but I felt it would be better for them in the long run.
With all the shortages and price hikes, I wanted to create a more self sustainable home life, complete with raising my own vegetables and eventually, my own meat. I also wanted to have “organic” food, that I knew was truly organic, without the price tag.
I am happy to report that everyone is absolutely loving their new lives! I created this blog to share our journey in hopes to inspire others to make changes (even if they are small) in pursuit of a more happy, healthy and fulfilled life!
I am a young mother of two boys, one seven and one seventeen. My oldest is adopted from Ukraine and has been home with us since the end of 2020. I met my husband when I was nineteen years old, while earning my degree in Interior Design at Georgia Southern. We have been married and building our lives together for the last eleven years. I grew up in Marietta, Georgia in a prominent area, packed with neighborhoods that were full of cookie cutter houses, manicured lawns, top rated schools and families with more money than since.
Even at a young age, I knew that my family was a little different than the rest. My dad was an uneducated, self made business man, raised by a Marine World War II Vet. My mom was a homemaker, raised by a farmer and one of the original Navy Seals. Their grandparents were very much survivors of the Great Depression, and even in good times, they were living a life of conservatism. Plainly put, they never knew when they would have to go without, so they always planned for that day. A great example is, every Christmas, we would painful watch my Nana unwrap all of her presents, carefully preserving every piece of wrapping paper for later use. Now who in the modern world does that??
Although we lived in a suburban area, my dad still managed to find a property on three acres, right in the middle of everything. Despite being very successful, my parents always had a garden, my mom always canned food, she cooked from scratch almost every night and taking scraps to the compost pile was a nightly ritual. We worked on our own boats and lawn mowers and our favorite pass times were fishing with dad and going horseback riding.
Until I started this homestead adventure, I never fully understood why someone with plenty of money, status and success, would take the time to grow their own food and preserve it in jars. The answer, I have come to find, is that not only is it way better for your body, but it is good for your soul. Growing something from seed and delivering the end result to your family is a reward you will only understand the magnitude of, if you do it for yourself. The same is true of raising chickens, making things like biscuits and waffles from scratch for your kids. Creating with your hands, something that is good for your family’s well being, is the ultimate “cup filler.”
I hope you find the things I write about useful and implement some of them so that you too, can have a full cup!
