Taylor, her husband Ross, and son Judah are the founders of Avodah Farms. A nonprofit farm offering housing + community, growing herbs and medicinal mushrooms, and selling herbal goods to help fund the whole thing.
Their farm is also home to a flock of icelandic sheep, chickens, and two donkeys.
When I was pregnant, I had images of walking around the garden with a baby wrapped up on my chest in a gorgeous fabric carrier. People offered all the cliche warnings about how my life will never be the same. But I was a homesteader after all, and homesteaders just make things work. Looking back at that pre-motherhood version of myself makes me thankful for my innocence. I didn’t have any clue what was coming.
Fast forward to after our son, Judah, was born. My pre-baby daydreams came crashing down. Instead, my reality was sitting in a chair, nursing for hours, tearfully looking out the window at my once beautiful garden turned weed patch. The lack of sleep and messy house wasn’t the problem. It was the inability to physically work that was the hardest part of early motherhood. We all know that homesteading attracts a certain type of person. Someone who thrives off of physical labor, being outside, working with their hands, and visually seeing the progress of their goals. Im sure all of us nod our heads proudly when we read through that list. We are a group of women with grit. And motherhood can seem to rip that away from you.
If your a mom-to-be and are reading this, please don’t let my words discourage you. My son is now almost 2 and we spend so much time outdoors! This past summers garden was the most bountiful it has ever been. I set up electronet paddocks for our sleep all summer with Judah on my back. I am slowly learning how to homestead WITH a child. It takes time, but you will find your rhythm.
Hopefully, I can be voice of encouragement to anyone out there struggling with early motherhood. It can be heart shattering when your stuck on the couch while your partner does the chores you once loved to do. Or when you try and try to accomplish something on the homestead but your baby has other plans. It can feel lonely, especially if you don’t have many other mom friends who share your struggle. Thankfully, the wonderful founders of homestead mamas have already created this beautiful resource for us to connect with each other. It has been so encouraging to learn from the struggle and success of other moms in this community.
Here are my 3 biggest lessons learned during my first year as a homestead mama.
1. What looks impossible now may be doable tomorrow.
Babies always seem to have an ever-evolving issue we can’t fix. Sleep, bath time, putting everything in their mouths, and then they drop a nap. I remember when my son started pulling himself up and standing. I couldn’t leave him for a second or he would fall and smack his head on our wood floor. I called my mom in tears saying “Is this my future?! I’ll never be able to do anything again!” I know, very dramatic. But in the moment, It really feels like your against a brick wall. It was such a relief when I realized that when one issue passes, there is always another right behind. I started to take a deep breath and look at the big picture. It’s all so much easier when you learn to roll with the punches. The same goes for homesteading. Maybe you can’t find the time to weed your garden, that’s okay. Next year will be a blank slate to try again. Just be patient and creative when it comes to keeping your baby happy and entertained while you work. As they get older, sitting up, walking, or even just a longer wake time can change everything.
2. If you can’t do, plan.
Being stuck underneath a baby. It can be the most magical moment, or the most disheartening. My son was very attached to nursing(still is actually). I spent most of the first year nursing him to sleep, and much of the first six months comfort nursing while he was awake. I so badly wanted to get something done, but just couldn’t. So instead I turned to planning. I researched, daydreamed, and organized projects we wanted to do on the farm. Looking back, I’m so grateful for those hours of planning. It saved us lots of time, money, and mistakes on a huge electric fencing project my husband finished this summer.
3. Make one small goal, and DO IT!
This is my favorite, and I still live by it today. When it all seems impossible, pick just one thing you want or need to get done. Maybe you need to harvest tomatoes, move your sheep or goats to a new paddock, haul water, whatever. Plan your day around it, mentally prepare for it, and figure out what you need to accomplish it. This past summer, our garden paths really needed a new layer of wood chips. I found that I could put Judah in a stroller and he would happily watch me work for about 20 minutes. So every morning, for two weeks, I forced myself to fill at least 5 wheel barrows of mulch with Judah his stroller. I knew our limit, and made it happen. When he was a newborn, it was simply feeding the chickens. That seems like such a small task, but my postpartum recovery was rough and that was all I could handle. It doesn’t have to be a big project, but accomplishing a small goal feels so much better than being overwhelmed by all the other things that need to get done.
Be gentle with yourself. Early motherhood is two full-time jobs. If you and your baby are alive, reasonably clean, and fed, you are doing an amazing job. Accept your limits. Find accomplishment in the small victories. But most importantly, enjoy the ride. It really does go by so fast.
I am not well traveled. I’ve never flown on a plane. I’ve never been north of Ohio or west of Texas.I’m not as well traveled as some may say one should be, but this piece of land has housed all of my fondest memories…
Do you ever worry that your kids will miss out because of this homesteading lifestyle choice? This fear crosses my mind time to time. I’m sure many, if not most of you, could agree that it can be extremely difficult to get extended time away from the homestead for more than a full day, especially in the busy summer months when daily chores demand our regular attention…
“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us’ … the land knows you, even when you are lost.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass…
Babies, Business, and Bumper Crops: How I am Learning to Homestead with Babies in Tow
Have you ever had one of those days? You know the days when you are cleaning the baby’s diaper, milking the cow, scooping poop in the barn, wiping noses, and cleaning more poop off of kids’ shoes…
Hey there, Homesteading Mama’s!
I’m Rachel from @frontier_homesteading. My husband Ryan, three children and I have been homesteading for about 10 years now, first in Wyoming and now in Alaska.
We currently have milk goats, pack goats, sheep, a pig, a cow, chickens, rabbits, bees and a dog. Seasonally, we also have more pigs, meat chickens and turkeys….
Stained glass windows date back to the 7th century. With the earliest known reference dating
from 675 AD when workmen were imported from France to Britain to Glaze the windows of a
monastery…
Homesteading and growing food is not the easy way out of this life, i would say it is the hard way as there’s nothing convenient about it. It’s a lifestyle, a life change not a trend or hobby. Well, that’s my opinion any way…
Awakino Station is a child’s dream. There is the river to splash in, tussock covered hills to explore, animals to raise and a bustling kitchen with a baking tin full of something yummy to eat…
Like many in this homesteading space, this has been a completely unexpected journey for our family.
Even 10 years ago I would have laughed at the thought of getting up to milk a cow each morning and
canning endless amounts of tomatoes…
