Alyssa Bricker: homeschooling, homesteading, and hoping in Jesus. Along with her husband,
Benjamin, who works full-time outside of the home and also leads worship at their local
church, they are raising and homeschooling seven beautiful children, while building their
home debt free.
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Alyssa and Benjamin purchased their forty acres six years ago and continue to work on building their home and farm as they can. Alyssa is a lover of all things beautiful which inspires her as an artist.
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She believes that homesteading is a beautiful blessing but is also full of trials and hardships and that contentment and avoiding comparison is vital.
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She would encourage, that through it all, we must recognize the Lord’s sovereignty in our lives and rest in His grace and mercy while giving Him all the glory.
@mercyfarms
What a high calling to teach, train, and raise our children. Yet all around us the world is screaming of how little worth motherhood holds. It is truly a detriment to the family how the world would belittle the work of a mother.
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How it weaves lies and twists truth to make you believe that children are a burden and that the work done with them holds the least of value. How it deceives you to trust that children are thieves of your time and that you would get so much more accomplished without them. That those with children have sacrificed their dreams and lost who they really are. Friend, let me speak truth to you today, it is by far one of the greatest sacrifices you will ever make!
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To faithfully and diligently train and raise your children as they are by your side every minute of every day soaking in and learning what you value the most. As they watch you serve your family and care for their needs let them be a part of it. As you rise early and sip your coffee and read let them be a part of it.Â
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As you feed and water animals, check the eggs, move electrical fencing, fold the laundry, do the dishes, weed the garden, milk the cow, bake the bread, cook the meals, whatever it is you are doing invite them to come along side you no matter how little they are or how big the job is. Teach them and let them do hard things!
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A home does not run smoothly unless everyone sees and knows the value of hard work and the reward of job well done. Teaching your children this and having them be apart of what it takes to accomplish your families goals is vital and so rewarding.
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And the things they learn are far more than getting tasks done but that of patience, harmony, selflessness, stewardship, communication, failing, succeeding, flexibility, teamwork, safety, obedience, creativity, laying aside preferences, striving to be faithful not striving for perfection.
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When you consider what you are pouring in and what it is producing don’t be discouraged by the weight of the calling of motherhood. Don’t make excuses and don’t buy into the lies. It is exhausting and challenging but oh to taste and see the fruits of our labor far surpasses any other work you could ever do!Â
Please join us by sharing, continuing the conversation below, and connecting with Alyssa at the following:
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Involving Our Children
Even when the task is risky
As homesteaders there are many instances when we are creating things that hold a certain level
of risk, or even where we need to keep our concentration on the task at hand…
When they are young and excited about everything you are doing…. include them. This is the actual challenge. Because it’s way easier and more efficient to milk animals alone, to make dinner alone, to plant 400 onion plants alone. But really the only way to get through this time is to learn how to include them.
Raising your own meat can seem very intimidating. There are major learning curves, and you are dealing with living, breathing things that have to be taken care of every single day. But let me tell you… It is beyond worth the fears, and you won’t regret it one bit! I would always tell anyone who wants to raise their own meat to start with smaller animals – pastured poultry is a great place to start!
There will be times when you cannot have a family milk cow, or plant that last succession of lettuce. There will be times when the plants go to seed, and you don’t reap the harvest you planned. I think the goal with anything you love should be, as cliche as it sounds: never stop dreaming, never stop learning, and never stop growing.
My introduction into farming has been more of a crash course. After 13 years in the military, our family decided to go into farming full time. My husband served in USASOC – special operations. If you’ve ever seen a military themed movie, these are the guys who go on super secret missions, jump out of planes, bust down doors, taking down names and the bad guys. You know, the cool job. Well for him… But not so cool for our family.
Homesteading can be lonely. You can feel like the only people in the world who want to know where your food comes from. You want friends and it would be even better if those friends have kids because then your kids can not feel lonely either. It was easier when the kids were younger because they didn’t know what they were missing out on.
Being a mom and a homesteader means you have to have a lot patience and forgiveness. I’ve learned that just a little bit of guidance makes all the difference. Children are so willing and eager to help and learn. Giving them a simple task to accomplish will allow them to have fun, feel included and build their confidence.
It’s messy, it’s fun, and it’s a real childhood. On days when I’m a less than perfect mother, I try to remind myself that, at least in general, my little girl is living the way kids should live.
I truly believe that homesteading isn’t about the size of your property or the amount of food you produce, it’s a lifestyle of intentionality. It’s learning new (old) skills, making do with what you have, and sometimes creating something out of almost nothing just like our great grandparents did.
