In this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast, I offer an observation on how we often spend time trying to remedy the things we can’t… at the expense of ignoring the things we can.  Are you caught up in the noise? Are you distracted by stuff that doesn’t even touch your life? Life happens, every day and everywhere. What are you focused on? — Amy Dingmann, 7-31-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Lifesteader Chat Groups: Telegram, Facebook Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books

In this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast, I offer an observation on how we often spend time trying to remedy the things we can’t… at the expense of ignoring the things we can. Are you caught up in the noise? Are you distracted by stuff that doesn’t even touch your life? Life happens, every day and everywhere. What are you focused on? — Amy Dingmann, 7-31-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Lifesteader Chat Groups: <a href="https://t.me/+xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/284348554153839/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Dingmann/author/B00AU97B9E" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a>

248: Take Care of What is Yours

On this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life Podcast, I dig into the concept of “finding yourself”.  Some of us struggle with trying to figure out who we are, like it’s some pre-determined being “out there” we have to discover in order for all to be right with the world. Well. What if there’s nothing to find… because it’s all right here?  — Amy Dingmann, 7-24-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Lifesteader Chat Groups: Telegram, Facebook Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

On this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life Podcast, I dig into the concept of “finding yourself”. Some of us struggle with trying to figure out who we are, like it’s some pre-determined being “out there” we have to discover in order for all to be right with the world. Well. What if there’s nothing to find… because it’s all right here? — Amy Dingmann, 7-24-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Lifesteader Chat Groups: <a href="https://t.me/+xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/284348554153839/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

247: You Can’t Find Yourself

On this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life Podcast, I tackle the issue of “control”. I offer a different perspective on the illusion of control, and ask some hard questions about correlations you may have drawn about “time spent” vs. control of a situation. Being a control freak doesn’t always look like you think it should. — Amy Dingmann, 7-17-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Lifesteader Chat Groups: Telegram, Facebook Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, TikTok

On this episode of the Farmish Kind of Life Podcast, I tackle the issue of “control”. I offer a different perspective on the illusion of control, and ask some hard questions about correlations you may have drawn about “time spent” vs. control of a situation. Being a control freak doesn’t always look like you think it should. — Amy Dingmann, 7-17-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Lifesteader Chat Groups: <a href="https://t.me/+xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/284348554153839/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>

246: The illusion of control

It doesn’t matter what you do or who you are, one thing is true for all of us: you’re building a life. Who are the lifesteaders? It’s all of us. You and me.  Many people know me best as the homesteading gal from this longstanding Farmish Kind of Life website and podcast. But there are many more facets to who I am. I’m also a fiction writer, a veteran homeschooling mom, a firearms enthusiast, a law enforcement wife, and a hardcore motivational mentor for misfits.  I know YOU are lots of things, too. Why are we boxing ourselves in? Social media and the internet asks us to niche down and categorize ourselves for better reach. And while “know your audience” and “read the room” is admittedly decent advice in certain situations, it doesn’t realistically celebrate the whole of who we are. And honestly, I’m tired of that. In a time where we can be so many things, why have we settled for boxing ourselves in? Back a million years ago when I decided I wanted to raise chickens and have a big garden and started searching for a farm, no one called themselves “homesteaders”. But they do now. And when this way of living became a thing again, when it got popular again, and people started reinventing the wheel again, they added rules and boundaries. Dos and don’ts. Things we like and talk about and things we like but also hide. And that’s a lot of work for someone who happens to like raising chickens and pigs because they are tasty but also kind of likes watching live theater and likes to blow off steam at the range and likes to pick up agates on the road and has a mouth like a sailor and really adores her husband and likes the idea of being a 1940s housewife but sometimes also kind of wants to burn the world to the ground. All of this to say… Lifesteaders have chickens or pigs or ducks or grapevines or sunflowers and maybe they also dress up for a full time office job they actually like that’s an hour from home. Lifesteaders grow organic tomatoes and cucumbers and also maybe treat themselves to a campfire mocha or a Fender guitar. Lifesteaders raise rabbits for meat and make comfrey salve and also maybe really like Dairy Queen ice cream cake or trashy novels or serial killer documentaries or pole dancing fitness. I don’t know what lifesteading means in your specific situation but lifesteaders are all about living a full, honest life. On and within and apart and aside from whatever you equate HOMEsteading with. I want to know. I want to see. So yes, I want to see that awesome tomato you grew. But I also want to see the trip you took with your friends or the cool thing your partner built (that has nothing to do with your farm). I want to see the ducklings you just hatched but please don’t be afraid to also show me the iced coffee drink with all the whipped cream that you’re hiding out of frame. I want to see your garden that failed. The bread that didn’t raise. The messy kitchen. The dog hair all over your living room furniture. The poem you’re working on. The new fantasy novel you’re writing. I want to know your favorite show to unwind with. I want to know about the salve you made and how it helped you stop itching but I also want to know about the cool new glasses you have. The song you can’t stop listening to. That thing you bought that you didn’t need but you really wanted. Your tips for keeping your house organized, and your admission about lazy days when you just sit on the couch with your dog and a book or the remote. I want to hear about the raspberry bushes and the grapevines and also how you dyed your hair blue. I want to hear that you’re alive and experiencing every facet of life you want to and that you’re not worried about how or if it fits with chickens or cucumbers or mason jars. Because this? This is all of us.  We’re not just building a homestead. Ultimately, we’re building a life. Go live your life, fully and authentically. Be you. Be a lifesteader. Where does The Lifesteaders go from here? I’ve got a few different directions I want to explore with The Lifesteaders, but I thought the best place to start was a group where everyone could chat about life. Whether that’s the tomatoes you’re trying to grow, the trip you took with your friends to the beach, the cool agate you found, the guitar riff you’re trying to learn… or whatever. So right now, you have a couple options: Existing Telegram Chat Brand new Lifesteaders Facebook group A Farmish Kind of Life isn’t going away, but you may see a few new things crop up as well as a few other things morph. Because I approve of full, honest lives… and that includes BEYOND what might be happening in your barn, garden, or kitchen.  — Amy Dingmann, 7-3-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

It doesn’t matter what you do or who you are, one thing is true for all of us: you’re building a life. Who are the lifesteaders? It’s all of us. You and me.  Many people know me best as the homesteading gal from this longstanding Farmish Kind of Life website and podcast. But there are many more facets to who I am. I’m also a fiction writer, a veteran homeschooling mom, a firearms enthusiast, a law enforcement wife, and a hardcore motivational mentor for misfits.  I know YOU are lots of things, too. <h2>Why are we boxing ourselves in?</h2> Social media and the internet asks us to niche down and categorize ourselves for better reach. And while “know your audience” and “read the room” is admittedly decent advice in certain situations, it doesn’t realistically celebrate the whole of who we are. And honestly, I’m tired of that. In a time where we can be so many things, why have we settled for boxing ourselves in? Back a million years ago when I decided I wanted to raise chickens and have a big garden and started searching for a farm, no one called themselves “homesteaders”. But they do now. And when this way of living became a thing again, when it got popular again, and people started reinventing the wheel again, they added rules and boundaries. Dos and don’ts. Things we like and talk about and things we like but also hide. And that’s a lot of work for someone who happens to like raising chickens and pigs because they are tasty but also kind of likes watching live theater and likes to blow off steam at the range and likes to pick up agates on the road and has a mouth like a sailor and really adores her husband and likes the idea of being a 1940s housewife but sometimes also kind of wants to burn the world to the ground. <h2>All of this to say…</h2> Lifesteaders have chickens or pigs or ducks or grapevines or sunflowers and maybe they also dress up for a full time office job they actually like that’s an hour from home. Lifesteaders grow organic tomatoes and cucumbers and also maybe treat themselves to a campfire mocha or a Fender guitar. Lifesteaders raise rabbits for meat and make comfrey salve and also maybe really like Dairy Queen ice cream cake or trashy novels or serial killer documentaries or pole dancing fitness. I don’t know what lifesteading means in your specific situation but lifesteaders are all about living a full, honest life. On and within and apart and aside from whatever you equate HOMEsteading with. <h2>I want to know. I want to see.</h2> So yes, I want to see that awesome tomato you grew. But I also want to see the trip you took with your friends or the cool thing your partner built (that has nothing to do with your farm). I want to see the ducklings you just hatched but please don’t be afraid to also show me the iced coffee drink with all the whipped cream that you’re hiding out of frame. I want to see your garden that failed. The bread that didn’t raise. The messy kitchen. The dog hair all over your living room furniture. The poem you’re working on. The new fantasy novel you’re writing. I want to know your favorite show to unwind with. I want to know about the salve you made and how it helped you stop itching but I also want to know about the cool new glasses you have. The song you can’t stop listening to. That thing you bought that you didn’t need but you really wanted. Your tips for keeping your house organized, and your admission about lazy days when you just sit on the couch with your dog and a book or the remote. I want to hear about the raspberry bushes and the grapevines and also how you dyed your hair blue. I want to hear that you’re alive and experiencing every facet of life you want to and that you’re not worried about how or if it fits with chickens or cucumbers or mason jars. Because this? This is all of us.  We’re not just building a homestead. Ultimately, we’re building a life. Go live your life, fully and authentically. Be you. Be a lifesteader. <h2>Where does The Lifesteaders go from here?</h2> I’ve got a few different directions I want to explore with The Lifesteaders, but I thought the best place to start was a group where everyone could chat about life. Whether that’s the tomatoes you’re trying to grow, the trip you took with your friends to the beach, the cool agate you found, the guitar riff you’re trying to learn… or whatever. So right now, you have a couple options: <a href="https://t.me/+xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Existing Telegram Chat</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/284348554153839/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brand new Lifesteaders Facebook group</a> A Farmish Kind of Life isn’t going away, but you may see a few new things crop up as well as a few other things morph. Because I approve of full, honest lives… and that includes BEYOND what might be happening in your barn, garden, or kitchen. — Amy Dingmann, 7-3-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

245: Calling all Lifesteaders

Today I chat about Parkinson’s law and the idea that a task will swell or shrink to fit the time we’ve allowed for it. I’ve learned a few things since having “less time” that are pretty eye opening as it relates to my day, as well as life in general. This episode goes deeper than how to get more done in your day and asks some big questions about Life. — Amy Dingmann, 6-5-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

Today I chat about Parkinson’s law and the idea that a task will swell or shrink to fit the time we’ve allowed for it. I’ve learned a few things since having “less time” that are pretty eye opening as it relates to my day, as well as life in general. This episode goes deeper than how to get more done in your day and asks some big questions about Life. — Amy Dingmann, 6-5-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

244: The thing about time

Today I chat about a brick upside the head realization I had a week ago. It has to do with what happens when we try to go back to how life “was”—even when we don’t immediately realize that’s what we’re doing. Spoiler alert: you can’t go back to how life was. Let’s talk about something you can do instead.  This episode came out of a post I made on social media. The comments to my original post are definitely worth a read, as it shows so many people are sitting in (or have sat in) the same exact place as my post (and this episode) talked about. I think hearing other people’s insights and experiences is so helpful, and I appreciate everyone who shared their stories as a comment to the original post.  — Amy Dingmann, 5-22-23 FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

Today I chat about a brick upside the head realization I had a week ago. It has to do with what happens when we try to go back to how life “was”—even when we don’t immediately realize that’s what we’re doing. Spoiler alert: you can’t go back to how life was. Let’s talk about something you can do instead. This episode came out of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/posts/pfbid02Lvhw3rP7nFvoAx5SjNoxVrTBSX1cV2oA5HHq3mChbqXDusCa1AtgBAWyH2cDWG3rl" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">a post I made on social media</a>. The comments to my original post are definitely worth a read, as it shows so many people are sitting in (or have sat in) the same exact place as my post (and this episode) talked about. I think hearing other people’s insights and experiences is so helpful, and I appreciate everyone who shared their stories as a comment to the original post. — Amy Dingmann, 5-22-23 <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

243: Make it a masterpiece

Today I want to talk about a different way to look at first impressions. We generally worry about making a good first impression and we get wrapped up in the assumptions people might make about us after we’ve made that first impression. But I’ve recently pondered about the thought that first impressions, even one you think is a disasterous fail, can be a really good path to your own self-discovery—especially as you get older. Let me explain. What someone sees If someone sees me giving a how-to speech about homesteading as Amy from A Farmish Kind of Life, they see me as one thing. If someone sees me working a booth at a trade show for my away-from-the-farm job, they see me as completely different thing. If someone sees me at a coffee shop in a messy bun and aviators walking out with two whipped cream covered blended ice coffees, they see me as another thing. Right? There are assumptions based on what we see when we first meet someone—or when we know someone a little better and consider how we see them spend their time or money or how they talk to other people. Impressions are made and assumptions follow because that’s the way it works for 99% of people out there within the boundaries of human nature.  We normally place a lot of importance on this whole first impression thing. And first impressions are important, but I want you to think about them as important in a very different way today—especially if you’re at a place in your life where you’re in a “who the hell am I” sort of mode, or you’re frustrated that all the parts of you don’t fit together nicely, or you’re going through a major life change or shift. What I’m getting at here is this: What if today someone sees you baking a ton of cookies so they see you as a nice parent who is making a homemade treat for her kids. They have no idea that you’re also a drummer in a ska band and a saltwater tank maintenance expert or that you’re trying to start a non-profit to help country folk with barn cat vet bills. And maybe instead of you being upset or frustrated that they don’t see all the layers and levels of you, you just think “yeah, right now in this moment, I am a super awesome mom making cookies for my kids.” Maybe instead of being worried that whatever you’re doing in this moment doesn’t line up with what those people saw you doing an hour ago and a week ago or a year ago, maybe you just think “yeah, you’re right. In this moment I am an author of western erotica novels.” Or, maybe, “yeah, you’re right. In this moment I am someone who really sucks at trying to fix a leaky pipe in the basement.” What if someone meets you today and you answer all their questions about an invoice you emailed them about a vehicle modification they ordered and they don’t know you homeschooled all your kids and you have a farm and you butcher your own pigs and you’re working on your 11th book?  How would they know all that? Are they supposed to know all that stuff? Do they need to know all that? What this is really about This is about you realizing you’re a lot of different things, but you don’t have to be everything all at once. You are what you are right now. This is also about letting go of who you used to be. Admitting when things need to change. Being okay with yeah, that thing people used to know me for was a super cool place in my life but that part is over and that’s okay and I’m good with moving on. This is about being okay with taking on new things that maybe challenge people’s impressions of who you are or who they thought you were. We go into our day with all this baggage of all the things we are and all the things we’ve been and all the things we think people see us as and all the things we want to do. And maybe instead of getting tangled up in all that we could just live in the moment? Do that thing we all talk about doing (live in the moment!) but exactly zero of us actually do for more than a minute before we freak out about something we remember we did last week or get really worried or excited about something that’s coming up later today? It is so hard for us to just live in the right now. You are so many things. Who are you? You’re a lot of different things. But you’re also the thing that you’re doing in this moment right now, and that’s perfectly okay. Own it. What would people assume about you if they saw you right now? That’s perfectly okay. And so are the things they’d assume if they saw you two hours from now in a completely different situation. First impressions give us a clue to who we are. First impressions can be freeing. You are who you are in this moment. And if you’re in an uncomfortable stage of life where you feel stuck by what you think other people expect from you because of what you’ve been up to this point, my friend, listen to me. You don’t have to be anything other than what you are.  People will figure it out. And if they don’t, that’s a them problem, not a you problem. FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

Today I want to talk about a different way to look at first impressions. We generally worry about making a good first impression and we get wrapped up in the assumptions people might make about us after we’ve made that first impression. But I’ve recently pondered about the thought that first impressions, even one you think is a disasterous fail, can be a really good path to your own self-discovery—especially as you get older. Let me explain. <h2>What someone sees</h2> If someone sees me giving a how-to speech about homesteading as Amy from A Farmish Kind of Life, they see me as one thing. If someone sees me working a booth at a trade show for my away-from-the-farm job, they see me as completely different thing. If someone sees me at a coffee shop in a messy bun and aviators walking out with two whipped cream covered blended ice coffees, they see me as another thing. Right? There are assumptions based on what we see when we first meet someone—or when we know someone a little better and consider how we see them spend their time or money or how they talk to other people. Impressions are made and assumptions follow because that’s the way it works for 99% of people out there within the boundaries of human nature.  We normally place a lot of importance on this whole first impression thing. And first impressions are important, but I want you to think about them as important in a very different way today—especially if you’re at a place in your life where you’re in a “who the hell am I” sort of mode, or you’re frustrated that all the parts of you don’t fit together nicely, or you’re going through a major life change or shift. <h2>What I’m getting at here is this:</h2> What if today someone sees you baking a ton of cookies so they see you as a nice parent who is making a homemade treat for her kids. They have no idea that you’re also a drummer in a ska band and a saltwater tank maintenance expert or that you’re trying to start a non-profit to help country folk with barn cat vet bills. And maybe instead of you being upset or frustrated that they don’t see all the layers and levels of you, you just think “yeah, right now in this moment, I am a super awesome mom making cookies for my kids.” Maybe instead of being worried that whatever you’re doing in this moment doesn’t line up with what those people saw you doing an hour ago and a week ago or a year ago, maybe you just think “yeah, you’re right. In this moment I am an author of western erotica novels.” Or, maybe, “yeah, you’re right. In this moment I am someone who really sucks at trying to fix a leaky pipe in the basement.” What if someone meets you today and you answer all their questions about an invoice you emailed them about a vehicle modification they ordered and they don’t know you homeschooled all your kids and you have a farm and you butcher your own pigs and you’re working on your 11th book? How would they know all that? Are they supposed to know all that stuff? Do they need to know all that? <h2>What this is really about</h2> This is about you realizing you’re a lot of different things, but you don’t have to be everything all at once. You are what you are right now. This is also about letting go of who you used to be. Admitting when things need to change. Being okay with yeah, that thing people used to know me for was a super cool place in my life but that part is over and that’s okay and I’m good with moving on. This is about being okay with taking on new things that maybe challenge people’s impressions of who you are or who they thought you were. We go into our day with all this baggage of all the things we are and all the things we’ve been and all the things we think people see us as and all the things we want to do. And maybe instead of getting tangled up in all that we could just live in the moment? Do that thing we all talk about doing (live in the moment!) but exactly zero of us actually do for more than a minute before we freak out about something we remember we did last week or get really worried or excited about something that’s coming up later today? It is so hard for us to just live in the right now. <h2>You are so many things.</h2> Who are you? You’re a lot of different things. But you’re also the thing that you’re doing in this moment right now, and that’s perfectly okay. Own it. What would people assume about you if they saw you right now? That’s perfectly okay. And so are the things they’d assume if they saw you two hours from now in a completely different situation. First impressions give us a clue to who we are. First impressions can be freeing. You are who you are in this moment. And if you’re in an uncomfortable stage of life where you feel stuck by what you think other people expect from you because of what you’ve been up to this point, my friend, listen to me. You don’t have to be anything other than what you are. People will figure it out. And if they don’t, that’s a them problem, not a you problem. <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

242: The benefit of first impressions

I heard something interesting on a podcast the other day that talked about how we’re going into something they referred to as a “social media and content recession” — it was the term they used to explain that people are no longer looking for more posts (!!) or more content (!!)… they’re looking for **BETTER** content.  It talked about how the days of posting multiple times a day or writing multiple articles on the same topic (or drilling the topic down in to so many specifics that one simple thing can give you ten articles) are gone. Because people are tired of the overwhelm. People are sick and tired of quantity. They want quality. People are tired of being overloaded, and they’re willing to wait for something decent.  The online overwhelm This podcast episode got me thinking about lots of stuff and I brought the topics up in various other places. There was lots of feedback, much of it sounding like: I just don’t have time to listen to long podcasts or several podcasts a week. I just don’t have time to watch all these videos. I don’t need to have 40,000 articles on the same thing, or I don’t want to feel like I have to add my two cents on a topic that already has 40,000 articles on the same thing. I am tired of people posting just to post. I’m tired of wading through a bunch of fluff to find something decent. There’s an overwhelm with everything that’s out there. And while some people can pick their way through, other people are looking at that ocean of stuff and not even wanting to wade their way through because it seems like a big mess to get pulled into. My thoughts on a social media/content recession Now I have conflicting views on all of this, which makes sense because I consume the content as well as produce it, so I see it from two very different angles. I do think the days of making sure you post 4-8 times a day on Facebook are over. This isn’t 2018 anymore. All we learned from posting that much “and trying to stay relevant” is that when everyone posts that much, no one can keep up. Not the platform or the people trying to read your stuff. I do think that a lot of people are craving more intentional, meaty stuff, but I also see an opposite trend where people say they want that but then also say they don’t have time to dig into the meaty intentional stuff, so they end up getting stuck in the fluffy, surface stuff because that’s what they have time for. I also realize there are people who say they are craving something awesome from their social media experience and they are tired of the fluff. are also the people who will sit and scroll for 20 minutes on Tiktok or Reels or Shorts before they even realize that’s what they’re doing. I also know there are people who will say they hate social media and think we should “abolish social media” – and yet… they are posting that on social media. Ironic? I will also say that if there is a lot of space between your posts/podcasts/blog posts/YouTube videos, people DO forget about you (unless you’re really well established). And the reason that is is because there’s so much content flying around, it’s easy to be replaced. But you know where you’re not replaced, right? You know where you really matter, right? Where do you matter? If you don’t hear from your dad, your kid, your girlfriend, your best friend for a month, that’s a problem. If you don’t hear from your favorite podcaster for a month? If you don’t hear from your favorite social media page for a month? Isn’t that super flip-flopped? It’s like the internet took all the walls off our houses and that was really awesome in many ways and it made our worlds so much bigger (whether that means your circle of friends grew or you had more opportunities, etc) but making everything bigger also changed the rules and I think we’re just now starting to figure out the side effects of those rules being changed. But I think this is really about the difference between small talk and meaningful conversation. During in person conversations, small talk is a tool to figure something out about the other person. Their mood, their interests, their willingness to talk, if it’s even someone you should invest time talking with. The problem is some people never make it past small talk. It’s all small talk. And I think in some ways, that’s what social media has become. It’s this combination of fluffy small talk mixed with (oddly enough) everyone has this really big important thing to say (article, blog post, podcast) and they want you to tune in all the time.  I think what this boils down to is a really big question: Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why is your life online? Why do you share what you share? If you just want to share stuff, it doesn’t matter if you post ten times today and don’t post again until next month. If you’re trying to build a business, it’s a different game to play. Being at the party because you want to hang out and chat with people is completely different than going there with the intention of giving your Pampered Chef or Scentsy or life changing diet pill sales speech. And some people are sucked into all this online/social stuff can be your business and we’re telling ourselves that’s what it is, but that’s not what it is, it’s just a very time consuming hobby.  Do you know what you’re doing? Do you know why you’re here? Why do you do what you do with your time online, whether you are creating or consuming YouTube, blogs, podcasts, social media, etc? Is it connection? Is it community building? Is it community building as a cover for selling your product? Is it hard sales? Why do you hop online? Or is your phone in your hand and you’re scrolling the screen before you even realize it’s happening? Why do you do what you do? I sometimes think we forget the intention behind what we’re doing. We just jump in the river and get carried with the current. And specifically as content creators I think we forget to check and see what’s actually working for the people we’re putting content out for. We forget to check in with ourselves and say  hey, “why am I posting this? Does this fit with my goals? Is there a purpose here? What is my purpose here? Am I still on the right track?” The reason the internet is overwhelmed with stuff and things and posts and fluff and meat and everything is that people are constantly trying to figure themselves their lives their businesses out and they’re doing it online in a public space and that shit is forever. That doesn’t go away. Never before in history have we been so public. Never before in history have we had the opportunity to put it all out there, whether that’s a piece of writing we are really proud of or a recipe we like or some motivational speech about goals or some new joke about how many whoevers it takes to change a light bulb or easy instructions on how to build a chicken feeder from a 5 gallon bucket. All this stuff used to be in our head and shared with people we knew in person. Now it’s all out there for the world to see. And that’s awesome and it’s also really, really squished and suffocating and mind numbing and overwhelming. There’s a better question So are we in a social media recession? Are we in a content creation recession? I don’t know. I think the better question is why are you doing what you’re doing? When you choose to create or consume content, do you know your why? Is there intention behind it? It doesn’t matter to me what your intention is, I just care that you have one and that you know what it is. Because if more people knew the why behind what they were creating or consuming, we might actually find the things we need online. FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

I heard something interesting on a podcast the other day that talked about how we’re going into something they referred to as a “social media and content recession” — it was the term they used to explain that people are no longer looking for more posts (!!) or more content (!!)… they’re looking for **BETTER** content.  It talked about how the days of posting multiple times a day or writing multiple articles on the same topic (or drilling the topic down in to so many specifics that one simple thing can give you ten articles) are gone. Because people are tired of the overwhelm. People are sick and tired of quantity. They want quality. People are tired of being overloaded, and they’re willing to wait for something decent.  <h2>The online overwhelm</h2> This podcast episode got me thinking about lots of stuff and I brought the topics up in various other places. There was lots of feedback, much of it sounding like: I just don’t have time to listen to long podcasts or several podcasts a week. I just don’t have time to watch all these videos. I don’t need to have 40,000 articles on the same thing, or I don’t want to feel like I have to add my two cents on a topic that already has 40,000 articles on the same thing. I am tired of people posting just to post. I’m tired of wading through a bunch of fluff to find something decent. There’s an overwhelm with everything that’s out there. And while some people can pick their way through, other people are looking at that ocean of stuff and not even wanting to wade their way through because it seems like a big mess to get pulled into. <h2>My thoughts on a social media/content recession</h2> Now I have conflicting views on all of this, which makes sense because I consume the content as well as produce it, so I see it from two very different angles. I do think the days of making sure you post 4-8 times a day on Facebook are over. This isn’t 2018 anymore. All we learned from posting that much “and trying to stay relevant” is that when everyone posts that much, no one can keep up. Not the platform or the people trying to read your stuff. I do think that a lot of people are craving more intentional, meaty stuff, but I also see an opposite trend where people say they want that but then also say they don’t have time to dig into the meaty intentional stuff, so they end up getting stuck in the fluffy, surface stuff because that’s what they have time for. I also realize there are people who say they are craving something awesome from their social media experience and they are tired of the fluff. are also the people who will sit and scroll for 20 minutes on Tiktok or Reels or Shorts before they even realize that’s what they’re doing. I also know there are people who will say they hate social media and think we should “abolish social media” – and yet… they are posting that on social media. Ironic? I will also say that if there is a lot of space between your posts/podcasts/blog posts/YouTube videos, people DO forget about you (unless you’re really well established). And the reason that is is because there’s so much content flying around, it’s easy to be replaced. But you know where you’re not replaced, right? <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/where-you-matter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You know where you really matter, right?</a> <h2>Where do you matter?</h2> If you don’t hear from your dad, your kid, your girlfriend, your best friend for a month, that’s a problem. If you don’t hear from your favorite podcaster for a month? If you don’t hear from your favorite social media page for a month? Isn’t that super flip-flopped? It’s like the internet took all the walls off our houses and that was really awesome in many ways and it made our worlds so much bigger (whether that means your circle of friends grew or you had more opportunities, etc) but making everything bigger also changed the rules and I think we’re just now starting to figure out the side effects of those rules being changed. But I think this is really about the difference between small talk and meaningful conversation. During in person conversations, small talk is a tool to figure something out about the other person. Their mood, their interests, their willingness to talk, if it’s even someone you should invest time talking with. The problem is some people never make it past small talk. It’s all small talk. And I think in some ways, that’s what social media has become. It’s this combination of fluffy small talk mixed with (oddly enough) everyone has this really big important thing to say (article, blog post, podcast) and they want you to tune in all the time.  I think what this boils down to is a really big question: Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why is your life online? Why do you share what you share? If you just want to share stuff, it doesn’t matter if you post ten times today and don’t post again until next month. If you’re trying to build a business, it’s a different game to play. Being at the party because you want to hang out and chat with people is completely different than going there with the intention of giving your Pampered Chef or Scentsy or life changing diet pill sales speech. And some people are sucked into all this online/social stuff can be your business and we’re telling ourselves that’s what it is, but that’s not what it is, it’s just a very time consuming hobby.  Do you know what you’re doing? Do you know why you’re here? Why do you do what you do with your time online, whether you are creating or consuming YouTube, blogs, podcasts, social media, etc? Is it connection? Is it community building? Is it community building as a cover for selling your product? Is it hard sales? Why do you hop online? Or is your phone in your hand and you’re scrolling the screen before you even realize it’s happening? <h2>Why do you do what you do?</h2> I sometimes think we forget the intention behind what we’re doing. We just jump in the river and get carried with the current. And specifically as content creators I think we forget to check and see what’s actually working for the people we’re putting content out for. We forget to check in with ourselves and say  hey, “why am I posting this? Does this fit with my goals? Is there a purpose here? What is my purpose here? Am I still on the right track?” The reason the internet is overwhelmed with stuff and things and posts and fluff and meat and everything is that people are constantly trying to figure themselves their lives their businesses out and they’re doing it online in a public space and that shit is forever. That doesn’t go away. Never before in history have we been so public. Never before in history have we had the opportunity to put it all out there, whether that’s a piece of writing we are really proud of or a recipe we like or some motivational speech about goals or some new joke about how many whoevers it takes to change a light bulb or easy instructions on how to build a chicken feeder from a 5 gallon bucket. All this stuff used to be in our head and shared with people we knew in person. Now it’s all out there for the world to see. And that’s awesome and it’s also really, really squished and suffocating and mind numbing and overwhelming. <h2>There’s a better question</h2> So are we in a social media recession? Are we in a content creation recession? I don’t know. I think the better question is why are you doing what you’re doing? When you choose to create or consume content, do you know your why? Is there intention behind it? It doesn’t matter to me what your intention is, I just care that you have one and that you know what it is. Because if more people knew the why behind what they were creating or consuming, we might actually find the things we need online. <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

241: Why do you do it?

I know, I know. You’re stressed out because you don’t think you measure up as a homesteader. You don’t think you’re doing enough. You worry about doing it right. And not only that,  but there are parts of your life that don’t fit with homesteading and you feel like you have to hide those, or down play them. Is that you? Listen to me right now. Maybe you’re not a homesteader.  Maybe you’re something else. Life as a homesteader today Life is more than what you do or don’t have in the garden. It’s more than whether you butcher your pigs or send them to someone else to do for you. Life is more than how many acres you have, how much lawn you allow to grow, whether or not you free range your chickens, what kind of bread you bake, or whether your diet is all home raised meat or organically grown vegetables. And as more people get into homesteading, it’s almost as if it gets clouded with rules of how to do and not do stuff. As in, there is a socially accepted way that it all goes down (which hello, can we talk about how ironic that is? Homesteaders. Breaking away from the mainstream, but still having an “accepted way” to do things within homesteading?) As more people get into homesteading, there’s also a kind of “look at me!” vibe. And the only way we get known is by what sets us apart:  Maybe it’s because you have that one angry emu Maybe you live with your big family in a teeny tiny house Maybe you raise everything your family uses except for salt—or at least that’s what people think Maybe you have a cool way of planting that you happened to make a tiktok about and it went viral and now you’re the go-to for that way of planting—at least for this ten minutes. Maybe you’re a more political type homesteader (even though you say you’re not political) and get really angry on YouTube about what the government is or isn’t doing and you relate that to what you are or aren’t or can or can’t do on your homestead.  As more and more people get into homesteading and try to take their homesteading vibe or knowledge off their homestead—to a podcast or a YouTube channel or a blog or whatever—it can change what homesteading feels like. It makes homesteading a “thing”, not just an experience you decided to dive into one day as a person or a family. Now, it’s a “thing”. The problem with attaching yourself to “homesteading” Back in the day, I attached myself to homesteading. As in, homesteading became my identity. And shortly after that, I attached homesteading (my identity) to a business. A lot of people did that because the internet and social media made it super easy. But that can actually be a problem because then everything you’re doing on your homestead becomes about business, it’s not about the homestead you wanted to build for your family. And when you’re a homestead content creator who has done that for awhile—ahem, 14 years—you sometimes step back and try to look at the larger picture, and the choices people/other content creators make:  Some are pushing hard to be successful as a teacher in the homesteading arena, some are like “dude, I’ve already taught you everything I know” other are like “I don’t like where the community is headed and I’m gonna pivot”  I totally understand why people are choosing any of those options, and none of those options are wrong. Ok, if I’m not a homesteader, what am I? If you’re homesteading and it’s stressing you out—the vibe, the content, measuring up, doing the right or wrong thing—today I just want you to consider that maybe you’re not homesteading. Maybe you’re doing something different. Maybe you’re lifesteading. If homesteading is the process of building a homestead, lifesteading is the process of building a life. I don’t own that word. I’ve never heard that word before, but I definitely didn’t make it up. I think it was something that flew into my brain because I needed it for perspective. What we are building here is not a homestead, we are building a life. And there is way more to life than this homestead. And in an age where we find each other online the easiest by the labels we attach to ourselves, calling yourself a homesteader nowadays can very often mean you’re going to spend all day stuck in conversations about how to harvest wild yeast and whether rebel canners are descended from Satan, and are you even really a chicken keeper if you don’t free range them, and omg you tilled your garden? and omg why don’t you have goats? We forget that the kids still have to get to softball practice. We forget that mortgages still have to be paid (and for most of us, the homestead isn’t the way to make that happen). We forget that the vast majority of people who homestead also have full time jobs away from the homestead (or have someone in the household who is working a full time job aside from the homestead) which somehow makes them feel fake or like there is something wrong with leaving their homestead to make money. We forget that there are concerts to go to and cool boots to buy and motorcycle trips to take or cruises to go on or appointments to get to at the salon or the doctor or the mechanic’s shop. And I don’t know why any of us are hiding that or pretending it’s separate from the fact we happen to grow tomatoes or know how to butcher a duck or know how to start a generator. Don’t let homesteading make your life smaller This isn’t homesteading. This is lifesteading. We are building a life. And as we are building that life, we are living that life.  This is your life we are talking about. Don’t make this smaller than it should be. You’re not a homesteader. You’re a lifesteader. FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

I know, I know. You’re stressed out because you don’t think you measure up as a homesteader. You don’t think you’re doing enough. You worry about doing it right. And not only that, but there are parts of your life that don’t fit with homesteading and you feel like you have to hide those, or down play them. Is that you? Listen to me right now. Maybe you’re not a homesteader. Maybe you’re something else. <h2>Life as a homesteader today</h2> Life is more than what you do or don’t have in the garden. It’s more than whether you butcher your pigs or send them to someone else to do for you. Life is more than how many acres you have, how much lawn you allow to grow, whether or not you free range your chickens, what kind of bread you bake, or whether your diet is all home raised meat or organically grown vegetables. And as more people get into homesteading, it’s almost as if it gets clouded with rules of how to do and not do stuff. As in, there is a socially accepted way that it all goes down (which hello, can we talk about how ironic that is? Homesteaders. Breaking away from the mainstream, but still having an “accepted way” to do things within homesteading?) As more people get into homesteading, there’s also a kind of “look at me!” vibe. And the only way we get known is by what sets us apart: <ul> <li>Maybe it’s because you have that one angry emu</li> <li>Maybe you live with your big family in a teeny tiny house</li> <li>Maybe you raise everything your family uses except for salt—or at least that’s what people think</li> <li>Maybe you have a cool way of planting that you happened to make a tiktok about and it went viral and now you’re the go-to for that way of planting—at least for this ten minutes.</li> <li>Maybe you’re a more political type homesteader (even though you say you’re not political) and get really angry on YouTube about what the government is or isn’t doing and you relate that to what you are or aren’t or can or can’t do on your homestead.</li> </ul> As more and more people get into homesteading and try to take their homesteading vibe or knowledge off their homestead—to a podcast or a YouTube channel or a blog or whatever—it can change what homesteading feels like. It makes homesteading a “thing”, not just an experience you decided to dive into one day as a person or a family. Now, it’s a “thing”. <h2>The problem with attaching yourself to “homesteading”</h2> Back in the day, I attached myself to homesteading. As in, homesteading became my identity. And shortly after that, I attached homesteading (my identity) to a business. A lot of people did that because the internet and social media made it super easy. But that can actually be a problem because then everything you’re doing on your homestead becomes about business, it’s not about the homestead you wanted to build for your family. And when you’re a homestead content creator who has done that for awhile—ahem, 14 years—you sometimes step back and try to look at the larger picture, and the choices people/other content creators make: <ul> <li>Some are pushing hard to be successful as a teacher in the homesteading arena,</li> <li>some are like “dude, I’ve already taught you everything I know”</li> <li>other are like “I don’t like where the community is headed and I’m gonna pivot”</li> </ul> I totally understand why people are choosing any of those options, and none of those options are wrong. <h2>Ok, if I’m not a homesteader, what am I?</h2> If you’re homesteading and it’s stressing you out—the vibe, the content, measuring up, doing the right or wrong thing—today I just want you to consider that maybe you’re not homesteading. Maybe you’re doing something different. Maybe you’re lifesteading. If homesteading is the process of building a homestead, lifesteading is the process of building a life. I don’t own that word. I’ve never heard that word before, but I definitely didn’t make it up. I think it was something that flew into my brain because I needed it for perspective. What we are building here is not a homestead, we are building a life. And there is way more to life than this homestead. And in an age where we find each other online the easiest by the labels we attach to ourselves, calling yourself a homesteader nowadays can very often mean you’re going to spend all day stuck in conversations about how to harvest wild yeast and whether rebel canners are descended from Satan, and are you even really a chicken keeper if you don’t free range them, and omg you tilled your garden? and omg why don’t you have goats? We forget that the kids still have to get to softball practice. We forget that mortgages still have to be paid (and for most of us, the homestead isn’t the way to make that happen). We forget that the vast majority of people who homestead also have full time jobs away from the homestead (or have someone in the household who is working a full time job aside from the homestead) which somehow makes them feel fake or like there is something wrong with leaving their homestead to make money. We forget that there are concerts to go to and cool boots to buy and motorcycle trips to take or cruises to go on or appointments to get to at the salon or the doctor or the mechanic’s shop. And I don’t know why any of us are hiding that or pretending it’s separate from the fact we happen to grow tomatoes or know how to butcher a duck or know how to start a generator. <h2>Don’t let homesteading make your life smaller</h2> This isn’t homesteading. This is lifesteading. We are building a life. And as we are building that life, we are living that life. This is your life we are talking about. Don’t make this smaller than it should be. You’re not a homesteader. You’re a lifesteader. <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

240: Maybe you’re not a homesteader

Yesterday I turned 44 and I realized there has been this feeling in the back of my head that’s keeping me stuck. We put a lot of stress on entering a new phase of life—whether that’s an age or a big event—and sometimes that gets us stuck. I think when we come to big changes in our life (graduated, raised your kids, moved across the country, retired from a long term job) we’re at a crossroads. What’s the next thing? The problem is the older we get, the less we push for that next thing because we feel silly for thinking it’s worth our time. We relinquish some kind of energy or control to the fact that “I’m already (insert age or whatever thing is holding you back) so meh, I’ll just coast where I am.” So, I’ll be honest. Sometimes in trying to figure out all the places I want to go from here, I feel like, “I can’t do that. Dude, I’m 44.” But here’s this crazy thought that entered my head in between birthday tacos and dessert: What if I was just born today? What do you mean by that, Amy? What I mean is this. What if you doubled your age at this point in your life (and you could realistically be alive at that point) … and considered that today you’re just a baby? And you’ve got the same amount of time as you’ve been alive already—all those years!—to still be alive? Sit with that for a minute. Sit with that perspective. You’ve been alive all. these. years. But what if that’s just the beginning? What if the amount of time you’ve been alive already is “nothing” and you’re just getting started? I’m now 44. If I double my age, I’m 88. Now, will I be kicking as hard at 88 as I am now? Probably not. But my 83 year old Grandma gets around just fine and is still feisty as hell so why should I be thinking ugh, I’m 44. I’ll just coast? Now I understand that if you’re listening to this and you’re 60, you won’t “still be kickin’” at double your age. And I know that if you’re 20 and listening to this, you might not make it to 40 because shit happens. But the point is “why, at any point in our life, are we just deciding meh, it’s not worth starting anything OR where I am right now is my lot in life.” Your life starts today What if I live until I’m 88? Then today it’s really like I’m just being born. Isn’t that a crazy perspective? What if today was your birthday, as in it is the day you are born. What if today you are just a wee little baby, with a whole world of opportunity before you? Now obviously you’re not really a baby. You can walk and talk. You probably have a mortgage and a job. You have responsibilities. Commitments. Habits. Issues. But what if you approached today as your BIRTH day? I get it, this day is the first day of the rest of your life is like a motivational poster that hangs in a classroom or at the gym or in the dentist’s office. But let me ask you a serious question. What do you want to do? What do you want to do with your life that you haven’t already done? What do you want to do with your time? Things are changing You’re going to start to see A Farmish Kind of Life go hard on motivation, encouragement, deep thoughts, and hard questions.  I’m so excited for all the stuff we’re doing on the farm this year but as we dig into the projects, I will be honest, things are different. We’re doing lots of non-farm stuff, too, and there needs to be room for that. Hardcore homesteading requires a schedule of sorts. I feel like we’re entering a space where I’m looking at homesteading differently. A lot of people getting into the homesteading game are very excited and doing all the things (much like we were when we moved here 12 years ago). When I look at “teaching people how to homestead” it leaves a different taste in my mouth than it did before. At our farm, I know what animals and other stuff works for us, we’ve got a system and it’s not “a thing” anymore. It’s just our thing. This is normal as people morph and life moves forward. I’m here to motivate you I’m starting to think that what I’m really here for is motivation, ass kicking, deep thoughts with the back drop of homesteading. I have had many people tell me “I don’t listen to you for homesteading how-to or advice, I can get that anywhere. I listen to you because you make me think.” The podcast has really morphed away from “homesteading only”, so listeners might wonder where this all came from, but every other thing I do with A Farmish Kind of Life has had me thinking “it has to relate to homesteading some how!”  But I realized something a few nights ago after an ugly cry to my husband: this belief that everything has to relate to homesteading, or somehow teach something about homesteading, has been holding me back. It’s absolutely been a roadblock and a source of stress. And that’s a problem. Am I homesteader? Yes. Will I talk about homesteading sometimes? Yes. But as human beings we morph, and all the things we do become part of our experience. I’ve been on big stages performing for lots of people. I’ve been a very pregnant 24 year old. I’ve been the mom of a 8 and 9 year old. I’ve been a lot of various things in life—so have you!—and I will continue to be many things if I don’t get stuck in the list of things I currently am or currently do. Do something different It’s okay to morph. It’s okay to do the thing you want to try. It’s okay to do something different than you did before. So at 44, what do I want to do? (Well, we’re gonna find out!) At whatever age you are, what do you want to do? Today is your BIRTH day. Go celebrate.  Related blog posts/podcast episodes: Don’t Get Stuck FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE: Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: Subscribe here Books by me, Amy Dingmann: My books Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): My fiction books Social media: Discord, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram,  Videos: YouTube, Odysee, TikTok, Rumble

Yesterday I turned 44 and I realized there has been this feeling in the back of my head that’s keeping me stuck. We put a lot of stress on entering a new phase of life—whether that’s an age or a big event—and sometimes that gets us stuck. I think when we come to big changes in our life (graduated, raised your kids, moved across the country, retired from a long term job) we’re at a crossroads. What’s the next thing? The problem is the older we get, the less we push for that next thing because we feel silly for thinking it’s worth our time. We relinquish some kind of energy or control to the fact that “I’m already (insert age or whatever thing is holding you back) so meh, I’ll just coast where I am.” So, I’ll be honest. Sometimes in trying to figure out all the places I want to go from here, I feel like, “I can’t do that. Dude, I’m 44.” But here’s this crazy thought that entered my head in between birthday tacos and dessert: What if I was just born today? <h2>What do you mean by that, Amy?</h2> What I mean is this. What if you doubled your age at this point in your life (and you could realistically be alive at that point) … and considered that today you’re just a baby? And you’ve got the same amount of time as you’ve been alive already—all those years!—to still be alive? Sit with that for a minute. Sit with that perspective. You’ve been alive all. these. years. But what if that’s just the beginning? What if the amount of time you’ve been alive already is “nothing” and you’re just getting started? I’m now 44. If I double my age, I’m 88. Now, will I be kicking as hard at 88 as I am now? Probably not. But my 83 year old Grandma gets around just fine and is still feisty as hell so why should I be thinking ugh, I’m 44. I’ll just coast? Now I understand that if you’re listening to this and you’re 60, you won’t “still be kickin’” at double your age. And I know that if you’re 20 and listening to this, you might not make it to 40 because shit happens. But the point is “why, at any point in our life, are we just deciding meh, it’s not worth starting anything OR where I am right now is my lot in life.” <h2>Your life starts today</h2> What if I live until I’m 88? Then today it’s really like I’m just being born. Isn’t that a crazy perspective? What if today was your birthday, as in it is the day you are born. What if today you are just a wee little baby, with a whole world of opportunity before you? Now obviously you’re not really a baby. You can walk and talk. You probably have a mortgage and a job. You have responsibilities. Commitments. Habits. Issues. But what if you approached today as your BIRTH day? I get it, this day is the first day of the rest of your life is like a motivational poster that hangs in a classroom or at the gym or in the dentist’s office. But let me ask you a serious question. What do you want to do? What do you want to do with your life that you haven’t already done? What do you want to do with your time? <h2>Things are changing</h2> You’re going to start to see A Farmish Kind of Life go hard on motivation, encouragement, deep thoughts, and hard questions.  I’m so excited for all the stuff we’re doing on the farm this year but as we dig into the projects, I will be honest, things are different. We’re doing lots of non-farm stuff, too, and there needs to be room for that. Hardcore homesteading requires a schedule of sorts. I feel like we’re entering a space where I’m looking at homesteading differently. A lot of people getting into the homesteading game are very excited and doing all the things (much like we were when we moved here 12 years ago). When I look at “teaching people how to homestead” it leaves a different taste in my mouth than it did before. At our farm, I know what animals and other stuff works for us, we’ve got a system and it’s not “a thing” anymore. It’s just our thing. This is normal as people morph and life moves forward. <h2>I’m here to motivate you</h2> I’m starting to think that what I’m really here for is motivation, ass kicking, deep thoughts with the back drop of homesteading. I have had many people tell me “I don’t listen to you for homesteading how-to or advice, I can get that anywhere. I listen to you because you make me think.” The podcast has really morphed away from “homesteading only”, so listeners might wonder where this all came from, but every other thing I do with A Farmish Kind of Life has had me thinking “it has to relate to homesteading some how!” But I realized something a few nights ago after an ugly cry to my husband: this belief that everything has to relate to homesteading, or somehow teach something about homesteading, has been holding me back. It’s absolutely been a roadblock and a source of stress. And that’s a problem. Am I homesteader? Yes. Will I talk about homesteading sometimes? Yes. But as human beings we morph, and all the things we do become part of our experience. I’ve been on big stages performing for lots of people. I’ve been a very pregnant 24 year old. I’ve been the mom of a 8 and 9 year old. I’ve been a lot of various things in life—so have you!—and I will continue to be many things if I don’t get stuck in the list of things I currently am or currently do. <h2>Do something different</h2> It’s okay to morph. It’s okay to do the thing you want to try. It’s okay to do something different than you did before. So at 44, what do I want to do? (Well, we’re gonna find out!) At whatever age you are, what do you want to do? Today is your BIRTH day. Go celebrate. <h2>Related blog posts/podcast episodes:</h2> <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/155-dont-get-stuck/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Don’t Get Stuck</a> <h2>FIND MORE GOODIES FROM A FARMISH KIND OF LIFE:</h2> Monthly Snail Mail Newsletter: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/the-farmish-newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a> Books by me, Amy Dingmann: <a href="https://afarmishkindoflife.com/my-books/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My books</a> Fiction books by Shay Ray Stevens (my pen name): <a href="https://shayraystevens.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">My fiction books</a> Social media: <a href="https://discord.gg/cQYj5FXbdb" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Discord</a>, <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,  Videos:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://odysee.com/@AFarmishKindofLife:8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Odysee</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, <a href="https://rumble.com/c/AFarmishKindofLife" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumble</a>

239: Today is your BIRTH day

Welcome to A Farmish Kind of Life where we talk about the how to of homesteading and the deep thoughts that come from it!

Today is an audio replay of the fourth episode of the Spicy Sisters; a monthly livestream chat between myself and Nicole Sauce of Living Free in Tennessee.

Spicy Sisters 004 with Nicole Sauce

Today I chat about the image we portray to the world, and offer perspective on how that image helps, hurts, or maybe doesn't even matter.

238: What your social media post does and doesn’t do

Today is a possibly uncomfortable truth bomb view on the whole concept of what high school gave us a glimpse of.

237: 5 Ways High School Prepared Us for the Real World

Let's dig into (and get real about) the fallacy of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. For all our talk about "we can do it ourselves, we don’t need anyone"... we actually need other people in ways we don’t even realize.

236: None of Us Are Self-Sufficient

Let's start the busy homestead season off right by making some big lists...and then letting them stare back at us to show what we've really got on our plates.

235: Productive Homestead Planning

Today I give my two farmish cents about some popular food rules, and ask us to care more about what we put in our bodies... without stressing ourselves out.

234: A Farmish Take on Food Rules

Today’s podcast episode digs deep to ask about the things we need to admit to ourselves—both good and bad—in an effort to move forward in our journey through life.

233: The Things We Need to Admit

Today we're learning how to grow a tasty treat for your chickens—sprouts! They're easy to make and you probably already have all the materials in your house already.

232: Sprouting seeds for chickens

Today I discuss another way to think about the honest “what and how much” of the food you're eating, and it all has to do with money.I delve into rations, bank accounts, dinner plates, privilege... and lots more. Things are gonna get spicy. ;)

Today I discuss another way to think about the honest “what and how much” of the food you're eating, and it all has to do with money. I delve into rations, bank accounts, dinner plates, privilege... and lots more. Things are gonna get spicy. ;)

231: Count cash, not carbs

It's been a hot minute, but we're actually going to talk about something homesteadish on the podcast today! Today's episode puts together all the articles I just wrote for my new hydroponic gardening series so you can have all that hydroponic information in your lil' ears. :)

230: Adventures and Mistakes in Hydroponic Gardening

Let the haters hate… you’re rich in farm wealth

Very nice sound quality. Short n sweet looking forward to more

Great little podcast!!

A Farmish Kind of Life

Melissa K Norris

Many people think I'm a gardener but here on the homestead, the chickens, pigs, ducks, turkeys, and other animals are really my forte. When it comes to gardening, I'm little more than a toss some seeds at the ground and hope for the best kind of gal. So the concept that one could grow a year's worth of food in their garden is mind blowing to me, and I had to find out more on how to make this happen.(Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!)I recently had the opportunity to talk with Melissa K Norris of Pioneering Today, and she taught me a lot about the prospect of growing more food on my property and helped banish the feeling of overwhelm (meaning, hyperventilation followed by I-give-up) that often happens when I try to dig into this.Melissa's new book The Family Garden Plan: Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food digs into how to increase your harvest and maximize the space you have using organic and natural methods to raise a year's worth of the fruits and vegetables your family enjoys by using her super fabulous step-by-step plans and charts.Okay, but be honest. Can you really grow a year's worth of food in your garden?While Melissa says it's totally possible to grow a year's worth of food, she is also quick to point out that even the pioneers—who many of us aspire to be like—did not grow 100% of their own food.Melissa suggests starting the process of growing a year's worth of food by planning to grow a year's worth of one particular crop. You can grow other crops—and she highly recommends it—but she also advises that you start slowly. Begin with one crop, the one your family eats the most of, and year after year you can add more and more crops to your year's worth of food plan. By trying to grow a year's worth of food in this way, you won't get overwhelmed and quit.This approach is attainable. It's do-able. And it's realistic.When planning to grow a year's worth of food, how do you figure out how much you need to plant of what crops?It's not as much as work as you think, Melissa says.It is, however, important to figure this out for your family. For instance, my family goes through a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and squash, but doesn't use hardly any green beans or radishes—which might be the complete opposite of what my neighbor is raising and using.If you actively plan your menus on the homestead, you're already ahead of the game in figuring out this puzzle. You know which individual fruits and vegetables your family consumes. If you're not a menu planner, you can start keep tracking now. Start keeping track of what fruits and veggies your family eats every single day. Tally it for a month, then multiply by 12. With that final number, you can start to figure out what things you will need to plant in your garden.After determining if those fruits and vegetables you're eating actually grow where you're living, and whether or not preserving those items is realistic for you, you can go about doing the math to figure out how many plants will need to be planted to net you what your family needs.And how in the world do you do that?Actually—Melissa already did the work for you. And I told her I loved her. Because friends, math is not my favorite subject or my strong point.Melissa has—among many other things—a chart in her new book, The Family Garden Plan, that will help you figure this out! How much does each plant give you on average when it comes to needing your cups? If you need 100 cups of green beans to get you through the year, how many green bean plants does that require?My gal Melissa has got it figured out for you.If I'm going to grow a year's worth of food, is this going to take a ton of space?It will obviously depend on the crop you're choosing. For instance, root crops take up more space than if you are doing something  that can ...

Many people think I'm a gardener but here on the homestead, the chickens, pigs, ducks, turkeys, and other animals are really my forte. When it comes to gardening, I'm little more than a toss some seeds at the ground and hope for the best kind of gal. So the concept that one could grow a year's worth of food in their garden is mind blowing to me, and I had to find out more on how to make this happen. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) I recently had the opportunity to talk with Melissa K Norris of Pioneering Today, and she taught me a lot about the prospect of growing more food on my property and helped banish the feeling of overwhelm (meaning, hyperventilation followed by I-give-up) that often happens when I try to dig into this. Melissa's new book The Family Garden Plan: Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food digs into how to increase your harvest and maximize the space you have using organic and natural methods to raise a year's worth of the fruits and vegetables your family enjoys by using her super fabulous step-by-step plans and charts. Okay, but be honest. Can you really grow a year's worth of food in your garden? While Melissa says it's totally possible to grow a year's worth of food, she is also quick to point out that even the pioneers—who many of us aspire to be like—did not grow 100% of their own food. Melissa suggests starting the process of growing a year's worth of food by planning to grow a year's worth of one particular crop. You can grow other crops—and she highly recommends it—but she also advises that you start slowly. Begin with one crop, the one your family eats the most of, and year after year you can add more and more crops to your year's worth of food plan. By trying to grow a year's worth of food in this way, you won't get overwhelmed and quit. This approach is attainable. It's do-able. And it's realistic. When planning to grow a year's worth of food, how do you figure out how much you need to plant of what crops? It's not as much as work as you think, Melissa says. It is, however, important to figure this out for your family. For instance, my family goes through a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and squash, but doesn't use hardly any green beans or radishes—which might be the complete opposite of what my neighbor is raising and using. If you actively plan your menus on the homestead, you're already ahead of the game in figuring out this puzzle. You know which individual fruits and vegetables your family consumes. If you're not a menu planner, you can start keep tracking now. Start keeping track of what fruits and veggies your family eats every single day. Tally it for a month, then multiply by 12. With that final number, you can start to figure out what things you will need to plant in your garden. After determining if those fruits and vegetables you're eating actually grow where you're living, and whether or not preserving those items is realistic for you, you can go about doing the math to figure out how many plants will need to be planted to net you what your family needs. And how in the world do you do that? Actually—Melissa already did the work for you. And I told her I loved her. Because friends, math is not my favorite subject or my strong point. Melissa has—among many other things—a chart in her new book, The Family Garden Plan, that will help you figure this out! How much does each plant give you on average when it comes to needing your cups? If you need 100 cups of green beans to get you through the year, how many green bean plants does that require? My gal Melissa has got it figured out for you. If I'm going to grow a year's worth of food, is this going to take a ton of space? It will obviously depend on the crop you're choosing. For instance, root crops take up more space than if you are doing something  that can ...

068: How to Grow a Year’s Worth of Food (with Melissa K Norris)

Teri Page

I am frequently asked questions about homesteading with kids, especially little ones. My family came to homesteading later in life—my sons were turning 8 and 9 when we moved to the farm. So while I can answer some questions of the the ins and outs of homesteading with kids, there are also some phases of life we didn't experience on our farm, because we weren't here yet.  Thankfully Teri Page from Homestead Honey (author of Family Homesteading: The Ultimate Guide to Self-Sufficiency for the Whole Family) does have experience with that and was willing to sit down and talk with me.(Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!)Teri and her husband started homesteading in 1999, pre-children. So from the very beginning, their kids were immersed in the lifestyle. For them, it wasn't even a question of are we homesteading with kids? It was more this is our life and the kids were along for the ride because homesteading is what their parents did.What are the pros of homesteading with kids?We all know that when electing to live as homesteaders, there is so much stuff we have to learn. As a homesteading family, you get to learn that stuff together. Your kids will see you learn, fail, adjust, and make decisions. There are a ton of life lessons that happen on the homestead that are hard to get elsewhere.I also think kids have a much deeper understanding of the circle of life and what it requires to get food—vegetables or meat—from the land to their plate. They have a much deeper comprehension of that process and how much works goes into it.Teri agrees, and offers that homesteading with kids is really all about the values you want to share with your kids— you're out in nature, connected with plants and animals and something bigger than yourself. You are teaching your kids how to be self sufficient, work hard, and respect other beings. As Teri sees it, the homesteading lifestyle is an outward expression of those values. Teri says, "the homesteading lifestyle is about creation—making and doing—and it's the ultimate gift I can give to my kids."What are the cons of homesteading with kids?There are things that can be tough about homesteading with kids. For instance, growing up on a homestead that raises animals for meat brings with it many challenges in dealing with the reality of life and death—both for the kids, and as the parent witnessing the emotions the kids may experience.When involving kids, sometimes the reality of what is and isn't possible on the homestead can also be a tough discussion. Sometimes money is tight, space is limited, or schedules are full."My kids' wishes and their desires (of what they want on the farm) doesn't always mesh with the adults' desires," says Teri. "If it were up to my kids, they'd have baby chicks every day of the year! I mean they are adorable, but sometimes reconciling the reality of this is what we can do and this is what we can't do can be tough." Having a life off the homestead can sometimes be tough as well."I love traveling and I love being able to take the kids out on adventures," says Teri, "but it's so hard to find house sitters and animals sitters and it can be hard to get away for periods of time to do some of those adventures. It doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Especially now as the kids are getting older, I feel like the time we have with them to do those kinds of things off the homestead is really fleeting. When we talk about are we going to get cows again, are we going to get goats again, there is part of me that is really hesitant because I know that not only do I want to do those (traveling) adventures, but my kids are also getting into a phase of life where they may want to choose their own adventures.""How do you know what tasks are age-appropriate when homesteading with kids?"

I am frequently asked questions about homesteading with kids, especially little ones. My family came to homesteading later in life—my sons were turning 8 and 9 when we moved to the farm. So while I can answer some questions of the the ins and outs of homesteading with kids, there are also some phases of life we didn't experience on our farm, because we weren't here yet.  Thankfully Teri Page from Homestead Honey (author of Family Homesteading: The Ultimate Guide to Self-Sufficiency for the Whole Family) does have experience with that and was willing to sit down and talk with me. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Teri and her husband started homesteading in 1999, pre-children. So from the very beginning, their kids were immersed in the lifestyle. For them, it wasn't even a question of are we homesteading with kids? It was more this is our life and the kids were along for the ride because homesteading is what their parents did. What are the pros of homesteading with kids? We all know that when electing to live as homesteaders, there is so much stuff we have to learn. As a homesteading family, you get to learn that stuff together. Your kids will see you learn, fail, adjust, and make decisions. There are a ton of life lessons that happen on the homestead that are hard to get elsewhere. I also think kids have a much deeper understanding of the circle of life and what it requires to get food—vegetables or meat—from the land to their plate. They have a much deeper comprehension of that process and how much works goes into it. Teri agrees, and offers that homesteading with kids is really all about the values you want to share with your kids— you're out in nature, connected with plants and animals and something bigger than yourself. You are teaching your kids how to be self sufficient, work hard, and respect other beings. As Teri sees it, the homesteading lifestyle is an outward expression of those values.  Teri says, "the homesteading lifestyle is about creation—making and doing—and it's the ultimate gift I can give to my kids." What are the cons of homesteading with kids? There are things that can be tough about homesteading with kids. For instance, growing up on a homestead that raises animals for meat brings with it many challenges in dealing with the reality of life and death—both for the kids, and as the parent witnessing the emotions the kids may experience. When involving kids, sometimes the reality of what is and isn't possible on the homestead can also be a tough discussion. Sometimes money is tight, space is limited, or schedules are full. "My kids' wishes and their desires (of what they want on the farm) doesn't always mesh with the adults' desires," says Teri. "If it were up to my kids, they'd have baby chicks every day of the year! I mean they are adorable, but sometimes reconciling the reality of this is what we can do and this is what we can't do can be tough."  Having a life off the homestead can sometimes be tough as well. "I love traveling and I love being able to take the kids out on adventures," says Teri, "but it's so hard to find house sitters and animals sitters and it can be hard to get away for periods of time to do some of those adventures. It doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Especially now as the kids are getting older, I feel like the time we have with them to do those kinds of things off the homestead is really fleeting. When we talk about are we going to get cows again, are we going to get goats again, there is part of me that is really hesitant because I know that not only do I want to do those (traveling) adventures, but my kids are also getting into a phase of life where they may want to choose their own adventures." "How do you know what tasks are age-appropriate when homesteading with kids?"

70: Homesteading with kids can be tricky – do it anyway (with Teri Page)

Kris Bordessa

Have you ever walked through the grocery store and looked at all those pre-made items like mayo, ketchup, and sour cream? Have you ever wondered how you could DIY your pantry and start making those things yourself?I had the opportunity to talk with Kris Bordessa recently about how to DIY your pantry -- and her book Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living. (That's an affiliate link, friends.) Kris was so fun to talk to (listen to the actual interview by pressing the play button at the top of this post!) and she blew my mind about how easy some of these pantry items are.Y'all, why are we buying this stuff pre-made at the store?Why should you DIY your pantry?The great thing about DIYing anything is that it's a step towards self-reliance."It's really an awareness thing," says Kris Bordessa of Attainable Sustainable, "and getting to the point where you realize oh, I can probably figure out how to do this at home."Homemade mayo and homemade salad dressing? Yep. Simple.For me, the choice to DIY my pantry is because I hate going to the grocery store. The less I go, the happier I am. By learning to make my own pantry items, my grocery list is much shorter. It's a move from buying pre-made items to buying ingredients—and those ingredients often help you make multiple items.Kris says, "People eat every single day. For a lot of people, that (means going to) the supermarket. What's going in your cart every single week that you could replace, that you could do at home instead of buying?"Choosing to DIY your pantry also means you will use less single-use plastic. Which works out great because condiments in glass jars look way cuter anyway. ;)Additionally, if you DIY your pantry it will save you money, and let's be honest -- what you're making is going to taste better, too!DIY your pantry by starting with condimentsCondiments are a great place to start your DIYing, because you can make them regardless of where you live. Garden space or permission to have chickens doesn't matter.I have enjoyed making my own chicken broth, salad dressings, BBQ sauce, mayo, relish, and ketchup for awhile now, but after talking with Kris, I was inspired to try making my own sour cream.She shared with me two recipes: a simple homemade sour cream, and a thicker creme fraiche style sour cream. Both are easy and only take two ingredients! Easy!Homemade sour cream is SO easy, and so delicious. Two ingredients!!I'm already making my own ketchup, so Kris also inspired me to start making my own mustard. Who knew THAT was so easy??Again, the most basic way to make it is only two ingredients! No lie—and the recipe is in her new book!Bring out the brats we made from our home raised pork. Let's turn these jars into mustard!I'm continuing to make my way through her new book, and have plans to tackle homemade Caesar dressing, hummus, apple cider vinegar...the list goes on!Too busy to DIY your pantry?When I talk to people about moving towards a more from-scratch based life, the common response (from a place of excitement or frustration) is Gah! We have to make everything from scratch!No, friends. You don't.Going from zero to 60 is a good way to end up in burnout mode."I'm a big proponent for doing one thing at a time," says Kris. "Is there one little thing we can tackle each day that will start working us towards (a DIY pantry)? Find something you use a lot that you could replace easily."Hear that? Kris says it's okay to slow your roll. It's good to DIY your pantry, but don't feel you have to DIY your pantry all at once! Do what you can, do what you have time for.My dog even hops up in the chair to check out Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self Reliant LivingNeed help to DIY your pantry?*Remember, you can hear our actual interview by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!*

Have you ever walked through the grocery store and looked at all those pre-made items like mayo, ketchup, and sour cream? Have you ever wondered how you could DIY your pantry and start making those things yourself? I had the opportunity to talk with Kris Bordessa recently about how to DIY your pantry -- and her book Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living. (That's an affiliate link, friends.) Kris was so fun to talk to (listen to the actual interview by pressing the play button at the top of this post!) and she blew my mind about how easy some of these pantry items are. Y'all, why are we buying this stuff pre-made at the store? Why should you DIY your pantry? The great thing about DIYing anything is that it's a step towards self-reliance. "It's really an awareness thing," says Kris Bordessa of Attainable Sustainable, "and getting to the point where you realize oh, I can probably figure out how to do this at home." Homemade mayo and homemade salad dressing? Yep. Simple. For me, the choice to DIY my pantry is because I hate going to the grocery store. The less I go, the happier I am. By learning to make my own pantry items, my grocery list is much shorter. It's a move from buying pre-made items to buying ingredients—and those ingredients often help you make multiple items. Kris says, "People eat every single day. For a lot of people, that (means going to) the supermarket. What's going in your cart every single week that you could replace, that you could do at home instead of buying?" Choosing to DIY your pantry also means you will use less single-use plastic. Which works out great because condiments in glass jars look way cuter anyway. ;) Additionally, if you DIY your pantry it will save you money, and let's be honest -- what you're making is going to taste better, too! DIY your pantry by starting with condiments Condiments are a great place to start your DIYing, because you can make them regardless of where you live. Garden space or permission to have chickens doesn't matter. I have enjoyed making my own chicken broth, salad dressings, BBQ sauce, mayo, relish, and ketchup for awhile now, but after talking with Kris, I was inspired to try making my own sour cream. She shared with me two recipes: a simple homemade sour cream, and a thicker creme fraiche style sour cream. Both are easy and only take two ingredients! Easy! Homemade sour cream is SO easy, and so delicious. Two ingredients!! I'm already making my own ketchup, so Kris also inspired me to start making my own mustard. Who knew THAT was so easy?? Again, the most basic way to make it is only two ingredients! No lie—and the recipe is in her new book! Bring out the brats we made from our home raised pork. Let's turn these jars into mustard! I'm continuing to make my way through her new book, and have plans to tackle homemade Caesar dressing, hummus, apple cider vinegar...the list goes on! Too busy to DIY your pantry? When I talk to people about moving towards a more from-scratch based life, the common response (from a place of excitement or frustration) is Gah! We have to make everything from scratch! No, friends. You don't. Going from zero to 60 is a good way to end up in burnout mode. "I'm a big proponent for doing one thing at a time," says Kris. "Is there one little thing we can tackle each day that will start working us towards (a DIY pantry)? Find something you use a lot that you could replace easily." Hear that? Kris says it's okay to slow your roll. It's good to DIY your pantry, but don't feel you have to DIY your pantry all at once! Do what you can, do what you have time for. My dog even hops up in the chair to check out Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self Reliant Living Need help to DIY your pantry? *Remember, you can hear our actual interview by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!*

81: DIY your Pantry with Kris Bordessa

Organization is important on the homestead, and if you're anything like me, it helps to write things down. Here are 9  lists I keep to help with my homestead organization (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!)Note: You'll find I haven't created these lists for you—I don't have anything for you to download and fill in. The reason why is that everyone's set up is different and the way I keep track of things might not be the way that works for you. If you're absolutely in love with the idea of me creating a set of lists for you to fill in, email me at amy@afarmishkindoflife.com. If I get enough requests, I'll pull up a chair to the computer and design something awesome. Otherwise, just take a gander at the very much pen and paper examples of what I use in my own home.Homestead organization list #1: what's happening this week/month/season?While it can be easy to look at a calendar and know what's happening this week, it's good to sit down and connect with your family about what's going on longer term. It is good to figure out what needs to be done at what point, and then work backwards to figure out when you need to start those projects!Is this the month you have to butcher the chickens? Move the wood pile? Clean the back of the barn to get ready for a new animal? Go through your pantry and figure out a new way to organize it? Maybe this is the season to watch the grapes and find that perfect moment when they're ripe but before the yellow jackets attack.It's hard to have all hands on deck when not everyone knows their hands are needed. It is so helpful to sit down with family members and make a "what's happening" list so everyone is on the same page.Homestead organization list #2 - what you need to remember for next yearThis is a list you make this year (as the year progresses) to help remember things you will need for next year. I usually keep this list in my farm journal.Did you end this gardening season realizing you need new tomato cages? More tomato cages? Do you need to replace the solar fencer? Do you need to start your seeds earlier? Later? Did the netting around the main garden get a huge rip in it after the last storm of the year? Do you need to fix the floor in the back chicken coop before you can put birds in there again next spring?It's no fun to be standing in the garden next year and realize oh, that's right. We were gonna... This list is very helpful to compile all the things for next year's homestead so you won't be behind.Homestead list #3 -  future plans/goalsThis is the long term list of things that will take more time, money, or require that something in your life changes. You may know you want to add a porch to the front of your house, but it may need to wait until your old windows are replaced and paid for. You may know that you want to build a bigger chicken coop, but that might need to wait until you fence off the back pasture.This list is for things that will take more budgeting, planning, time, and/or muscle. And it will keep your homestead more organized if you write these things down!Homestead list #4 - costs associated with what you're raising/growingSometimes people make this list because they plan to sell what they raise or grow, and want to know they're charging enough to make a profit.But even if you don't plan to sell what you raise or grow, there are two reasons you should still keep this type of homestead organization list. First, it helps you know if it's a cost efficient adventure for you, or if you need to change something up regarding your feed, etc. But secondly, people who are interested in homesteading and raising/growing their own food will often ask you about your costs when they're in their research phase. If you don't keep track of your homesteading stats, your answers won't be as helpful to them.

Organization is important on the homestead, and if you're anything like me, it helps to write things down. Here are 9  lists I keep to help with my homestead organization  (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Note: You'll find I haven't created these lists for you—I don't have anything for you to download and fill in. The reason why is that everyone's set up is different and the way I keep track of things might not be the way that works for you. If you're absolutely in love with the idea of me creating a set of lists for you to fill in, email me at amy@afarmishkindoflife.com. If I get enough requests, I'll pull up a chair to the computer and design something awesome. Otherwise, just take a gander at the very much pen and paper examples of what I use in my own home. Homestead organization list #1: what's happening this week/month/season? While it can be easy to look at a calendar and know what's happening this week, it's good to sit down and connect with your family about what's going on longer term. It is good to figure out what needs to be done at what point, and then work backwards to figure out when you need to start those projects! Is this the month you have to butcher the chickens? Move the wood pile? Clean the back of the barn to get ready for a new animal? Go through your pantry and figure out a new way to organize it? Maybe this is the season to watch the grapes and find that perfect moment when they're ripe but before the yellow jackets attack. It's hard to have all hands on deck when not everyone knows their hands are needed. It is so helpful to sit down with family members and make a "what's happening" list so everyone is on the same page. Homestead organization list #2 - what you need to remember for next year This is a list you make this year (as the year progresses) to help remember things you will need for next year. I usually keep this list in my farm journal. Did you end this gardening season realizing you need new tomato cages? More tomato cages? Do you need to replace the solar fencer? Do you need to start your seeds earlier? Later? Did the netting around the main garden get a huge rip in it after the last storm of the year? Do you need to fix the floor in the back chicken coop before you can put birds in there again next spring? It's no fun to be standing in the garden next year and realize oh, that's right. We were gonna... This list is very helpful to compile all the things for next year's homestead so you won't be behind. Homestead list #3 -  future plans/goals This is the long term list of things that will take more time, money, or require that something in your life changes. You may know you want to add a porch to the front of your house, but it may need to wait until your old windows are replaced and paid for. You may know that you want to build a bigger chicken coop, but that might need to wait until you fence off the back pasture. This list is for things that will take more budgeting, planning, time, and/or muscle. And it will keep your homestead more organized if you write these things down! Homestead list #4 - costs associated with what you're raising/growing Sometimes people make this list because they plan to sell what they raise or grow, and want to know they're charging enough to make a profit. But even if you don't plan to sell what you raise or grow, there are two reasons you should still keep this type of homestead organization list. First, it helps you know if it's a cost efficient adventure for you, or if you need to change something up regarding your feed, etc. But secondly, people who are interested in homesteading and raising/growing their own food will often ask you about your costs when they're in their research phase. If you don't keep track of your homesteading stats, your answers won't be as helpful to them.

9 Lists You Need for Homestead Organization

Making plans and setting goals for the homestead can be exciting, but also overwhelming. Let's talk about how to work through three stages of homestead goal setting to help you most effectively plan your next year of homesteading awesomeness. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) These stages of homestead goal setting will work if you're brand new to homesteading or have a new property, but will be a little different and more specific if you've been at it for awhile. With a little experience under your belt, you may find different ideas for stage 1—and more realistic admonishments in stage 2. The first stage of homestead goal setting is brainstorming! My friend Tom Domres from Small Scale Life calls this stage "The Insanity"—and that's a great way to describe it. Because this is the stage for all the ideas. All of them. This is where you dream about all the options you have—while silencing the inner critic. This is when you toss a bunch of things at the wall—because some of them will stick. It's where you think about all the things you've ever wanted to do along your homesteading journey. It's time for dreaming about things like why yes, I'd love to grow horseradish and garlic and comfrey and plant more apple trees and... And wouldn't it be a great idea to build a smokehouse? And you know what chickens I've always wanted to raise? Black Copper Marans. Those chocolate brown eggs... And I've always wanted to make a huge fenced and netted free ranging area outside the meat bird/turkey coop. This is such a fun stage! Here is an example of the giant sheet of paper I keep on my office closet door where I do my homestead brainstorming and planning. (This one was the beginnings of my brainstorming for the 2020 homestead. Oh, if we only would have known what was coming...) It's fun to do this stage with someone else, perhaps your spouse. Just make sure you're both in stage one and that neither of you move into stage 2 until stage 1 is exhausted. Stage 2 of homestead goal setting? It's the Come to Jesus Talk. If stage one was the sweet, dreamy little angel on your shoulder telling you that you can do everything your little homesteader heart desires, stage two is the devil on the other shoulder telling you that you will get absolutely nothing done. Stage 2 is the necessary opposite of Stage 1. This is where you get really honest about: — the resources you have available, whether that's time or money — what you're willing to do — the stage of life your family is in — and all the other stuff that's happening in your life that has nothing to do with homesteading. The problem is that the new year comes in the winter. And this is the time in Minnesota where all we can think about is when the snow will finally be gone and it will be above freezing outside. Because of this, we tend to storybook things a bit. The bugs weren't that bad last year. And I know the garden got away from me, but that's because... (fill in excuse that you're pretty sure won't happen this year. Maybe.) We're stuck in our homes waiting for the growing season and baby chicks and we tend to gloss over the reality of some homesteady stuff that made us curse, cry, and emptied our bank accounts last year. Not my blood, thankfully. Hindsight should be 20-20, but sometimes the staring at the frozen tundra makes us look back over the past year with rose colored glasses. I'm talking about things like, Amy, seriously. You tell yourself 14 times that you need to go out to the barn before you actually go out to the barn because you’re so busy with your writing. Or, Amy you have never once in your life planted all the seeds you order.  Or, Amy, you already tried fermenting feed last year and you couldn't keep up with it. Or, Amy, remember that one time you had 23 dozen eggs in your garage fridge and couldn't find people to buy them all?

Making plans and setting goals for the homestead can be exciting, but also overwhelming. Let's talk about how to work through three stages of homestead goal setting to help you most effectively plan your next year of homesteading awesomeness. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) These stages of homestead goal setting will work if you're brand new to homesteading or have a new property, but will be a little different and more specific if you've been at it for awhile. With a little experience under your belt, you may find different ideas for stage 1—and more realistic admonishments in stage 2. The first stage of homestead goal setting is brainstorming! My friend Tom Domres from Small Scale Life calls this stage "The Insanity"—and that's a great way to describe it. Because this is the stage for all the ideas. All of them. This is where you dream about all the options you have—while silencing the inner critic. This is when you toss a bunch of things at the wall—because some of them will stick. It's where you think about all the things you've ever wanted to do along your homesteading journey. It's time for dreaming about things like why yes, I'd love to grow horseradish and garlic and comfrey and plant more apple trees and... And wouldn't it be a great idea to build a smokehouse? And you know what chickens I've always wanted to raise? Black Copper Marans. Those chocolate brown eggs... And I've always wanted to make a huge fenced and netted free ranging area outside the meat bird/turkey coop. This is such a fun stage! Here is an example of the giant sheet of paper I keep on my office closet door where I do my homestead brainstorming and planning. (This one was the beginnings of my brainstorming for the 2020 homestead. Oh, if we only would have known what was coming...) It's fun to do this stage with someone else, perhaps your spouse. Just make sure you're both in stage one and that neither of you move into stage 2 until stage 1 is exhausted. Stage 2 of homestead goal setting? It's the Come to Jesus Talk. If stage one was the sweet, dreamy little angel on your shoulder telling you that you can do everything your little homesteader heart desires, stage two is the devil on the other shoulder telling you that you will get absolutely nothing done. Stage 2 is the necessary opposite of Stage 1. This is where you get really honest about: — the resources you have available, whether that's time or money — what you're willing to do — the stage of life your family is in — and all the other stuff that's happening in your life that has nothing to do with homesteading. The problem is that the new year comes in the winter. And this is the time in Minnesota where all we can think about is when the snow will finally be gone and it will be above freezing outside. Because of this, we tend to storybook things a bit. The bugs weren't that bad last year. And I know the garden got away from me, but that's because... (fill in excuse that you're pretty sure won't happen this year. Maybe.) We're stuck in our homes waiting for the growing season and baby chicks and we tend to gloss over the reality of some homesteady stuff that made us curse, cry, and emptied our bank accounts last year. Not my blood, thankfully. Hindsight should be 20-20, but sometimes the staring at the frozen tundra makes us look back over the past year with rose colored glasses. I'm talking about things like, Amy, seriously. You tell yourself 14 times that you need to go out to the barn before you actually go out to the barn because you’re so busy with your writing. Or, Amy you have never once in your life planted all the seeds you order.  Or, Amy, you already tried fermenting feed last year and you couldn't keep up with it. Or, Amy, remember that one time you had 23 dozen eggs in your garage fridge and couldn't find people to buy them all?

72: Homestead Goal Setting – The 3 Stages

We raise all of the meat we consume—except for beef, which a friend raises and we exchange pork and chicken for. But what surprises some people is that we also butcher all our own meat here at the farm. Is this the next skill you're ready to add to your self reliance and self sufficiency bag of tricks? Let's talk about the reasons you too might want to butcher your own meat.(Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!)Butcher your own meat? Growing up, it was my normal.While I didn't grow up on a farm, I did grow up in a family of hunters. We usually had several deer to process every year, and people would come over and we’d have a big gathering to get the job done. I remember my sister and I standing on chairs pushed up to the table so we could reach to help with the process. It was our normal. If you wanted meat in the freezer, this is just what you did.So after growing up, getting married, and eventually moving to a farm, it was never a question of who would do the butchering of the animals we raised. My husband (also a hunter) and I both knew how to do it, so we decided to take on the job ourselves.For what reasons do people not want to butcher their own meat?There are a few common reasons that people give for not wanting to butcher their own meat.It’s a lot of work/time.And this is absolutely true. It is time consuming and a lot of work—especially if you're butchering a larger animal.They don’t know how or are afraid they’re going do something wrong.When you don't yet have the skill set, it can certainly seem overwhelming! But a great piece of advice my husband gave me was that even if you cut in the wrong spot or separate a cut of meat "incorrectly", the meat is going to taste the same.Too emotional/ I can't kill an animal I raisedSome people want to raise their own meat for a multitude of reasons, but aren't able to complete the end of the process because they can't wrap their head around killing something they have raised.I also know some people who say I could butcher my chickens if I didn’t have to be the one to kill them. Once they are dead, then I could continue the process. Once the animal is dead, it's easier to separate themselves from the process.Too bloody, don’t want to deal with the mess.If you butcher your own animals on site, there were certainly be a "mess" to deal with—and some people don't deal well with that part of raising animals for meat.7 reasons to butcher your own meat1 - You don’t need to haul animals anywhere.Once our animals get to the farm—or are born on the farm—they never leave the farm. We do not have a livestock trailer here and it’s been a long time since we’ve needed to borrow one. We get our feeder pigs small enough that they actually can go in extra large dog kennels in the back of a truck. It's a very closed system, and we don't have the extra stressor of having to load/trailer the animals to an off site butcher.2 - You’re going to get all the parts you want in the way that you want them.There are some butchers out there who can cater to the specific things you want—and that's awesome!—but it's generally not the norm. If you're looking to keep parts of the animal that aren't what people usually request (organ meat, fat, bones, carcass, etc) it's not always easy to get it back. Additionally, some folks want specific cuts or things done that aren't what the butcher usually does, and it messes up their efficient system when they step out to fill your specific request. By butchering your own meat, you guarantee you will get what you want in the way that you want it without any specific instructions.3 - Less expensive to butcher yourselfAfter the initial investment of tools, choosing to butcher your own meat at home is absolutely going to be less expensive. Time is money, and in this case if you've got the time to butcher,

We raise all of the meat we consume—except for beef, which a friend raises and we exchange pork and chicken for. But what surprises some people is that we also butcher all our own meat here at the farm. Is this the next skill you're ready to add to your self reliance and self sufficiency bag of tricks? Let's talk about the reasons you too might want to butcher your own meat. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Butcher your own meat? Growing up, it was my normal. While I didn't grow up on a farm, I did grow up in a family of hunters. We usually had several deer to process every year, and people would come over and we’d have a big gathering to get the job done. I remember my sister and I standing on chairs pushed up to the table so we could reach to help with the process. It was our normal. If you wanted meat in the freezer, this is just what you did. So after growing up, getting married, and eventually moving to a farm, it was never a question of who would do the butchering of the animals we raised. My husband (also a hunter) and I both knew how to do it, so we decided to take on the job ourselves. For what reasons do people not want to butcher their own meat? There are a few common reasons that people give for not wanting to butcher their own meat. It’s a lot of work/time. And this is absolutely true. It is time consuming and a lot of work—especially if you're butchering a larger animal. They don’t know how or are afraid they’re going do something wrong. When you don't yet have the skill set, it can certainly seem overwhelming! But a great piece of advice my husband gave me was that even if you cut in the wrong spot or separate a cut of meat "incorrectly", the meat is going to taste the same. Too emotional/ I can't kill an animal I raised Some people want to raise their own meat for a multitude of reasons, but aren't able to complete the end of the process because they can't wrap their head around killing something they have raised. I also know some people who say I could butcher my chickens if I didn’t have to be the one to kill them. Once they are dead, then I could continue the process. Once the animal is dead, it's easier to separate themselves from the process. Too bloody, don’t want to deal with the mess. If you butcher your own animals on site, there were certainly be a "mess" to deal with—and some people don't deal well with that part of raising animals for meat. 7 reasons to butcher your own meat 1 - You don’t need to haul animals anywhere. Once our animals get to the farm—or are born on the farm—they never leave the farm. We do not have a livestock trailer here and it’s been a long time since we’ve needed to borrow one. We get our feeder pigs small enough that they actually can go in extra large dog kennels in the back of a truck. It's a very closed system, and we don't have the extra stressor of having to load/trailer the animals to an off site butcher. 2 - You’re going to get all the parts you want in the way that you want them. There are some butchers out there who can cater to the specific things you want—and that's awesome!—but it's generally not the norm. If you're looking to keep parts of the animal that aren't what people usually request (organ meat, fat, bones, carcass, etc) it's not always easy to get it back. Additionally, some folks want specific cuts or things done that aren't what the butcher usually does, and it messes up their efficient system when they step out to fill your specific request. By butchering your own meat, you guarantee you will get what you want in the way that you want it without any specific instructions. 3 - Less expensive to butcher yourself After the initial investment of tools, choosing to butcher your own meat at home is absolutely going to be less expensive. Time is money, and in this case if you've got the time to butcher,

067: Butcher Your Own Meat: 7 Reasons Why

I recently received this question in my inbox, and it was the perfect mash-up of many questions I've received in the last couple weeks regarding my thoughts on the uptick of sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance skills due to the current health and economic issues we are facing. The email said:Hi. Curious what you think about all the people who are buying tons of baby chicks and all the seeds suddenly trying to prepare to feed themselves. Does that make you mad? Does this create shortages for you? Or are you just happy people are getting in to it? If so, do you think it will last?After thinking through my answers, I decided I'd turn them into a post here. My thoughts were also recorded more in depth in a podcast episode, which you can find by pressing play on the black bar at the top of this post, or by finding episode 87 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast player/podcatcher.Am I mad about people's sudden interest in homesteading and self reliance?I'm not mad that people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance stuff. I don't have a monopoly on it. I don't own the concept of being farmish. And any homesteader or self-reliance supporter who acts like they do, should have their motives questioned. You're not creeping on my turf by wanting to bake bread or get chickens. In fact, I welcome you to the club.Does people's sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance create shortages for me?Personally, it's harder to find some baking supplies and ingredients, like flour and yeast. But that also means I get to be creative—like Ma Ingalls, you know? Homesteading is all about using what you have. And when you don't have something to use? You find something else to take its place. Or you change what you're doing.Lately, I've been grocery shopping once a week. In and of itself, that's not really that big of a deal. The issue is that if I can't find something during that grocery shopping trip, I have to wait until the next grocery shopping trip. I'm not going to drive to several stores looking for something that I don't really need. If I can’t find something, I’m not going back tomorrow to check again. I'm also not going to order a bunch of ingredients on Amazon that I don't really need because I think it's most responsible to not overload an already stressed system with "wants". Because of this, there are a few things we've not had in our house for about a month. And it's fine.What's funny is that social media is a buzz with posts like our kids will remember this quarantine as the time mom baked from scratch and we sat down as a family and we had real food for the first time because we had time to cook. But my kids will remember this as the time Mom made fried chicken using a pre-made envelope of batter instead of making her own because she was trying to save the flour we had for making bread.And it's fine.Shortages affect people differently. While they're not necessarily fun to deal with, I do think they allow us to be creative in ways we might not have explored had there not been a shortage. It's all about perspective. Am I just happy people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance?I'm very happy people are taking interest in more self-reliant living! I just hope that people who are buying up the flour, the yeast, the baby chicks, the seeds, (or whatever you're seeing shortages of in your area) are putting the stuff to use. I hope that if they don't know what they're doing, that they ask. That's why I (and other homesteaders) am/are here.I think it's very important that homesteaders pay attention to how they are talking about (and to) people who are new to homesteading and self-reliance. The reaction should not be “OMG, all these people are getting into it and they don’t even know what they’re doing and they’re going to waste everything and screw everything up!”Will there be people who waste?

I recently received this question in my inbox, and it was the perfect mash-up of many questions I've received in the last couple weeks regarding my thoughts on the uptick of sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance skills due to the current health and economic issues we are facing. The email said: Hi. Curious what you think about all the people who are buying tons of baby chicks and all the seeds suddenly trying to prepare to feed themselves. Does that make you mad? Does this create shortages for you? Or are you just happy people are getting in to it? If so, do you think it will last? After thinking through my answers, I decided I'd turn them into a post here. My thoughts were also recorded more in depth in a podcast episode, which you can find by pressing play on the black bar at the top of this post, or by finding episode 87 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast player/podcatcher. Am I mad about people's sudden interest in homesteading and self reliance? I'm not mad that people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance stuff. I don't have a monopoly on it. I don't own the concept of being farmish. And any homesteader or self-reliance supporter who acts like they do, should have their motives questioned. You're not creeping on my turf by wanting to bake bread or get chickens. In fact, I welcome you to the club. Does people's sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance create shortages for me? Personally, it's harder to find some baking supplies and ingredients, like flour and yeast. But that also means I get to be creative—like Ma Ingalls, you know? Homesteading is all about using what you have. And when you don't have something to use? You find something else to take its place. Or you change what you're doing. Lately, I've been grocery shopping once a week. In and of itself, that's not really that big of a deal. The issue is that if I can't find something during that grocery shopping trip, I have to wait until the next grocery shopping trip. I'm not going to drive to several stores looking for something that I don't really need. If I can’t find something, I’m not going back tomorrow to check again. I'm also not going to order a bunch of ingredients on Amazon that I don't really need because I think it's most responsible to not overload an already stressed system with "wants". Because of this, there are a few things we've not had in our house for about a month.  And it's fine. What's funny is that social media is a buzz with posts like our kids will remember this quarantine as the time mom baked from scratch and we sat down as a family and we had real food for the first time because we had time to cook. But my kids will remember this as the time Mom made fried chicken using a pre-made envelope of batter instead of making her own because she was trying to save the flour we had for making bread. And it's fine. Shortages affect people differently. While they're not necessarily fun to deal with, I do think they allow us to be creative in ways we might not have explored had there not been a shortage. It's all about perspective.  Am I just happy people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance? I'm very happy people are taking interest in more self-reliant living! I just hope that people who are buying up the flour, the yeast, the baby chicks, the seeds, (or whatever you're seeing shortages of in your area) are putting the stuff to use. I hope that if they don't know what they're doing, that they ask. That's why I (and other homesteaders) am/are here. I think it's very important that homesteaders pay attention to how they are talking about (and to) people who are new to homesteading and self-reliance. The reaction should not be “OMG, all these people are getting into it and they don’t even know what they’re doing and they’re going to waste everything and screw everything up!” Will there be people who waste?

87: A Homesteader’s Response to Everyone’s Sudden Interest in Homesteading

What is this?
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from a carefully curated podcast episode.
Every Monday & Wednesday.

Want a 3rd insight and episode every week? Email me at curation@owltail.com.

OwlTail

OwlTail 1-3-1

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!