Well, we survived the first day and a half of going back to school. It already felt a little trying, but I know we’ll find our rhythm soon enough. I’m just not a huge fan of the school routine—there’s no time for quality moments in the morning, and evenings seem to fly by. That’s why it’s so important to me to make the most of the time we have before bed. Thankfully, I’m blessed to be at home when the kids arrive.
The “trying” part, I’m sure, is partly due to this time of year and our lifestyle. Things are still going full throttle, and my able help now hops on the bus early in the morning, leaving me with the child who gets distracted by every jumping frog or cuddly kitty during chores! We still have several brooders of growing chicks, quail, and guineas. The yard isn’t taking care of itself but keeps right on growing. The random bucket calves I’ve collected still rely on me for feeding. The garden—or what you can find of it—is still thriving and needs to be watered and picked…and is in dire need of weeding. It’s supposed to be canning season, but with the heat, I keep tossing everything in the freezer to can later. We’re back to milking two cows in the mornings, all the while I’m praying that somebody’s alarm actually went off to get up for school.
And what’s even more fun? The kids want to take a home lunch almost every day of the year. That’s my fault, for giving them nutritious, homemade meals 95% of the time—so now school lunches fall short in several departments. What I love, though, is that they made that healthy decision together. They decided it was important to them. Is it going to be a lot of work? Heck yes. But eating healthy is worth it, and most things that are worth it take time and commitment. Are we going to fall short on time sometimes or not have something easy to throw together? Yes, I am sure of it. But I will do what I can to help them take healthy, filling lunches to school as often as possible without getting overwhelmed. It’s also another thing that goes against the norm. School lunch is provided every day, but they are choosing to do something different—which can be hard to do—even if it’s just beelining it to the cafeteria fridge instead of standing in the long lunch line with their homemade pizza pocket or egg sandwich.
I know things on the homestead will slow down as the season winds down. I’m truly learning to just embrace every little thing we do. And the things that need done? We’ll get to them. There is a bit of prioritizing that goes on for sure, but this life is beautiful when it’s not being stressed over. I know I can’t do everything I’d love to do in certain seasons of life. There will be things I put on the back burner, and that’s okay—we have to deal with what is most pertinent right now. And what I wouldn’t do to keep my youngest in awe of all of life’s little wonders, even if it means she’s distracted from the task at hand. I know she’s going to be a greater help as she gets older—she’s already proving that—until there’s a cute calf or chick in front of her, of course. She surprised me last Friday as we were getting ready for the local farmer’s market again. We baked lots of bread and cookies, and we all know what that means— lots of dishes. She did what I asked each time, which was mainly dishes, measuring ingredients, and loading trays with cookies. All went well until the evening when I asked one last time if she’d do something for me. Before I even stated the task, she said, “I’ve already done enough dishes.” She’s a funny one.
Clearly, we didn’t have enough going on, so we added a new species to the barnyard. I knew we’d have plenty of milk once my Jersey calved, and thankfully, she is still pressing on with life and blessing us with a plentiful amount of milk morning and evening. Pigs can be raised on raw milk, do you see where this is going? Already raising our own meat birds and eating home-raised beef had us dreaming of growing our own bacon. The kids fully want to raise pigs for 4-H, but I have milk NOW. Lo and behold, this Facebook post pops up with these little Meishan piglets. The research began, and I found that they would be a pretty good fit for us. They are slower growing, docile, do not root much, and are known for their quality meat and lard. They are unique looking with floppy ears and wrinkly faces, but they are sweet, entertaining, and most importantly, they LOVE raw milk. My husband got the honor of naming them, he doesn’t usually get to name much with the kids beating him to it. I might be regretting letting him, but they’ll be in the freezers within a year anyway.
Offerle Days is upon us next weekend, and I think the kids and I will be setting up a table for the farmer’s market being held there. My oldest will have her handmade reading pillows and zipper bags, maybe a wood craft or two from my son, and baked goods from the youngest and me—if we’re on the ball this week.
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