Born and raised on the farm for her first 18 years, then embracing city life for 19 years, Jen’s heart always longed for wide open skies and gravel roads. Finally, 8 years ago, she and her husband made the decision to return to their roots, settling as proud professional farm squatters on family land in the picturesque prairies of Alberta, Canada.
For Jen, homesteading isn’t just a lifestyle choice, but a passionate commitment to self-sustainability. Their farm is a haven of abundance, where most of their food is lovingly raised and harvested right on the property or exchanged with other local farms. Stepping away from the reliance on grocery stores and conventional convenient food, they savor the reward of creating delicious meals from scratch, cherishing the effort put into every bite.
Farm days are typically a whirlwind of activity, filled with preserving the garden bounty, tending the sour cherry orchard, baking, sewing, mending, knitting, hunting, foraging, and homeschooling her vibrant daughters. Speaking of which, it’s not just about tending the land; it’s about nurturing the future. Jen takes immense pride in instilling lifelong skills and wisdom in her 4 and 6-year-old girls, preparing them to be capable and well-rounded individuals who appreciate the beauty of a simple and fulfilling life.
Beyond the farm, Jen and her husband lead worship at their local church and are proficient at playing a plethora of instruments, ranging from guitar, bass, banjo, keyboard to accordion.
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. Animals need daily care, gardens are at top output, freezers and pantries need to be planned and re-stocked, and multiple checklists need to meet completion before the fast approaching winter. Good luck finding someone dependable to manage it all in the possibility of your absence.
Considering the rare opportunity for a summer family vacation, things actually almost seemed to fall into place for my family this year. We arranged quality farm-sitters to move in next door and rent out my dad’s basement for the summer! Family summer fun, here we come!!
But then, this spring, a hand grenade was thrown into our calendar in the form of an inconvenient cancer diagnosis. Our road trips became weekly doctor appointments and tests. Showing off the summer beach bod was replaced with a mastectomy surgery. Camping trips were nudged out with chemotherapy. On top of the emotions that came with being told that I had cancer, I felt an immense sense of guilt for disrupting my family’s fun this summer.
“Sorry to disappoint you, kids, vacation plans have changed again this year.”
But, you know what? Each day I observe my kids out and about on the farm and I can only conclude that they are genuinely happy. They have incredible fun making up their own games in the backyard and going on adventures to the swamp. We have long chats about nothing in particular while they pick berries with me. They sing at the top of their lungs while propelling their bikes up and down the driveway. We shell peas together on the deck and they beam with pride over how they’ve contributed to dinner. We’ve attended several local rodeos, had family backyard water-gun fights, and arranged BBQs with good friends. They get to experience daily treasure-hunts for eggs in the chicken coop. They forage for treats for the bunnies…
They don’t even know what they might be missing out on. If I were to ask each of them what their summer highlight has been so far, my 4 year old would answer that it was the free pony ride at our last rodeo. My 6 year old would say it was rediscovering old 80’s Sunday school cassettes in storage and listening to them non-stop on a little pink cassette player. She’s listened to the same Psalty the singing songbook (#iykyk) album on repeat at least 8 times today.
My girls don’t need to experience the line-ups at Disneyland or the sudden blanket of humidity felt stepping off of a tropical flight to mold them into the well rounded, grounded adults we are raising them to be. Kids need humble experiences, uninterrupted by society’s pressures for extravagant vacations. They need quality time with loved ones, discovering new activities to fall in love with, free from distraction. In 5-10 years from now, looking back on this season, they will possess rich memories that they will genuinely cherish.
So next time you feel guilt creep in about not being in a position to accommodate lavish vacations, or budget for the newest and greatest toy or video game, remember that your children are already experiencing something priceless – the joy of a simple, humble living that will stay with them for a lifetime.
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…
Try, what is the worse that can happen? Ether, it works and that’s great or its failed and you learn. One lesson I learned early was to own it. If you laughed the loudest at yourself, it gave less room for other people to poke and bug about it. Plus, if you can grow to the point of being ok just uncomfortable (its probably always going to be uncomfortable failing at something) in your mistakes you are less likely to ignore or forget the important lesson that you were being taught. Unless its leaving hoses running for hours or all night, why is that one so hard to remember?!
when we choose to live closely bonded with the land, to turn to it in reciprocity, tending to the soil and the water and the plants and the animals for our mutual thriving, we are reclaiming a pattern of collaboration with all that lives. when we take the responsibility for what we need back into our own hands, those intimate relationships become vivid and immediate. we bring it home….
“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…
