A Homestead: Possible Goal or Wishful Thinking

Justin performing at Legoland

       As many of you know, this year has been an interesting limbo year for our family. We gratefully - but unplanned - had our baby boy Cedric five months ago, which had me stopping my work at Trader Joe's to take care of him. Justin is only able to work part time at Legoland as he is on his last year of getting his masters degree in Celtic Studies. With not a large income, we moved in with Justin's parents as we needed the help as he finishes up his schooling.
       We always talk about our future and the exciting possibilities that could come from different career choices and places to live. The huge decision that is imminent over any decision is the career Justin can find that will be able to provide for our growing family no matter where that might take us. Lately we have been on the same page and excitement when we talk about the idea of homesteading, whether it be right here in Southern California, or across the country, or even across the world. It has been our daily prayers for discernment as Justin finishes this school year. Isn't it awesome how with no clear sight on the future, you can be at peace knowing God has a plan for your future? 

     

     So Homesteading. What is that you may ask? Here is a little background.

       The term historically traces back to when our country was opening up the American West. Homesteading was the reference used to granting families land at low to no cost to encourage them to farm and tend the new unpopulated land. This helped spread people to sparse, unpopulated areas to pioneer and establish communities which in turn helped establish the government more. Fast forward to the 1970s, homesteading evolved into being a new lifestyle for tens of thousands of young rebellious souls who wanted nothing to do with the cultural norms of suburban living but rather to return to their old rural ancestral roots. Today, it has evolved once again into mostly meaning living off the grid and the use of self-sufficiency.
        If you asked twenty different people the meaning of homesteading, you would probably get twenty different answers. The fundamentals range anywhere from growing herbs in your backyard and buying eggs at your local farmers market, to having acres of land and producing all your food from farming and animals. Today we live in a consuming culture. With homesteading, you are trying to decrease outside consumption as much as you can. It's really about getting back to the natural, unprocessed living and supporting simple lifestyle.

So the first big thing for Justin and me was to define OUR perception of 
homesteading to see if it was something we wanted to pursue.

       Justin looked at the two words 'home' and 'stead'. Stead, as in steadfast, a home that is strong and self-sufficient. The idea that we created is to have our own safe harbor, that if we needed, could live off our land for weeks without needing to go buy anything. It's creating a home that you love and can stay in. We love the idea of having a few acres of land to have a huge garden, animals, and even natural energy sources, of trying to create a productive home. We also feel being technologically smart matters too. Technology is a great asset in today's world but one that is often exploited, over used, and draining. We would move to basics; internet for blogging and work, lights, TV for the occasional movie, and household appliances. That would be it for electricity and of course plumbing and running water. We aren't trying to be Amish...!

       A homestead, though, comes with its potential drawbacks. First, it's hard work. Period. There is potential to produce 50-80% of the food you need, but this will require constant maintenance. Feeding animals, milking, weeding, planting, watering, harvesting, storing, and always room for more. There are times where it's going to feel like just work, and won't be as enjoyable. We believe that through this it will be rewarding, after all, nothing good comes easy. Second, a homestead needs so much constant care that it would be hard to take a break from it for long. This means, not much for vacationing, maybe a few days here and there or a week. But if we want to create a pretty self-sufficient home, it would be hard to leave. Which can be good and bad...

        So, why do we think this a viable possibility? As you probably know, Justin and I are so in love with all things natural and yearn to research and discover more and more about health, nutrition, and simple living. With that in mind, homesteading is right in line with our lifestyle. Also, being a stay at home mom is not a choice that comes easily, but we feel like it's our responsibility as parents to mentor and raise our children. With homesteading, the whole family (feeling the possibility of 4+ kids!) could tend the homestead while Justin is working. We would be able to save a lot with what we could make on our own. With less technological distractions it would give us more time to invest into homemade crafts and textiles which means less money spent having to buy the things we think we need.

      Another huge decision we feel called to do is home school our children. What better way to home school then to be out in nature, hands-on tending the land and learning about the earth. I feel like learning in the moment and from experiences is way more powerful then a classroom being talked at. Also, I have no peace in sending my children to a public school in today's day and age. I could do an entire post on the reasons I don't want to send my kids to public school: the standardization, too large of class of student to teacher ratio, teachers aren't paid enough to care, students grow up not feeling like they matter or are unique. Looking at all the statistics comparing homeschooling to public school pretty much just sums up the solidity of why I will home school. I want to be able to give my children the best I can as they grow and help instruct them with their individual needs and desires to learn. But this has drawbacks too. Being at home so much, more so if we decide to create a home in a more rural area, we would need to take extra care to make sure our kids have friends and a social world outside of us.

If that's not motivation to home school I don't know what is...

     So what are we thinking of doing to prepare for the maybe of our future, RESEARCH research RESEARCH! We want to figure out and be well-versed in different aspects of homesteading. We want to learn how to take care of goats, chickens, and other useful animals, what plants to crop for the area we live in. We want to look into crafts and textiles like soap-making or knitting that may help with self sustenance and lower outside costs.

It's funny how when I was younger, I always made fun of "tree huggers" and "mother nature fanatics," but the older I get the more I am turning into one. I realized though, if you take out all the unnecessary "mother earth" jargon and decide that you are truly just appreciating God Almighty's beautiful handiwork, I don't mind being labeled as a "naturalist" in that definition. If we are appreciating God's glorious gifts of soil, forests, animals, and herbs to its fullest, I feel like as a family we are worshiping God through that and truly being blessed by what God has blessed us with.

         All in all, if we want to make this hopeful wish into a goal, we need to prepare for it, and all that it encompasses, and know all that we are getting ourselves into. Once you choose a homesteading life, its pretty hard to untrace those steps. 

I will leave you with scripture that always encourages Justin and me about the unknown future:

Matthew 6:26-29 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to your life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these."

We truly appreciate prayers as we trust in God's direction and opening of doors in our future! Does homesteading appeal to anyone else?  Or are we just a few 'naturalist hippies'? What is an ultimate goal you have had that may have taken a long time to achieve?