When I started my blog, I thought long and hard about what to name it and after long and careful consideration, ended up calling it 'Homesteading Gypsies'. If you have read the 'about' section of this blog you already know why. For those of you who haven't had the chance or the time yet, here's a real quick summary for you. We love to travel! It's what brought us together and it's one of the biggest passions we share. We wish we could be on the road a lot more and share all those amazing travel stories and adventures with you, but right now we simply don't have the means. When you can't do one thing you're passionate about, you need to focus on another thing you love, which in our case happens to be homesteading!
So what exactly is 'Homesteading'? That's a question I've asked myself more and more lately, because even though we love the idea of homesteading, we are still a long way from calling ourselves 'real' homesteaders; However, we're very determined to get there. But how do you transform yourself from a 'regular' human being to a homesteader. What do you have to do to actually turn your home into a homestead?
According to Wikipedia Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale. Modern homesteaders often use renewable energy options including solar electricity and wind power. Many also choose to plant and grow heirloom vegetables and to raise heritage livestock. Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make.
According to this particular definition of the word 'Homesteading', we already have a good head start. We will be planting a heirloom vegetable garden for the third time this year and are learning more and more about gardening and growing organic food. We are currently keeping 9 laying hens who provide us with delicious and healthy free-range eggs, and we had a well drilled that is providing us with water. We have looked into solar panels, but as much as we would love to have them installed asap, it's simply not in our budget and not a priority right now. It is definitely something we'd like to install in the future though. We are currently heating our house with a wood stove and are always looking into ways of getting us closer to a life of total self-sufficiency. Most of those things (solar-panels, additional space for food storage etc.) however cost money and time we simply do not have at the moment. But there is always something you can do to make yourself feel better, and there is always room to grow and learn. So we've been looking into things that require very little of either money or effort. Here's the thing. Everyone can work on relying less on society and become more self-sufficient and in turn, help you live a healthier lifestyle.
For example, I've done a lot of research about natural cold remedies lately, because my kids have suffered through numerous colds and even a nasty stomach flue lately, and I simply wasn't comfortable giving them Advil or Tylenol every day for weeks on end. I stumbled upon a website called wellnessmama.com a while back and fell in love with it instantly. I read something on her page that hit me like a ton of bricks. When her first son was born, she was sitting at the doctors office and read the following headline in a magazine:
For the first time in centuries, the current generation of children will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents...
Just let that sink in for a moment while you're looking into the adorable faces of the kids you love so much. That means that this generation will face higher rates of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease and many other health problems, and I think we all know why. Pesticides, chemicals in everything you can think of and most times, you can't even trust the labels on the products you're buying. How many times have I bought something, thinking I'm purchasing a great product, simply to find out that I was tricked and what I've actually purchased was expensive crap that is making me sick. So the only way of knowing just what it is you're putting in your body, is by doing research and making it yourself. I shared a picture of homemade cough syrup on my Facebook and Instagram account a while back and a lot of people have asked me to share the recipe. Not only does it taste delicious, but we've taken it for a while now and it truly does the trick. Even my son Noah, who doesn't touch anything new and is suspicious of everything I try to give him loves it, and he has even faked a few coughing fits to get his hands on a spoonful. And best of all, it was super easy to make. So for anyone who's interested in a natural and healthy alternative to store-bought cough syrup, you can look up the ingredients and directions here:
I have also started buying a miracle juice called elderberry syrup (homemade from a local lady but easy to make yourself), which we have taken daily for a month now and love it. It is an immune booster and has been shown to prevent flu and speed recovery in those who have the flu. Plus, it is delicious! Here's the recipe:
I feel so good about knowing exactly what it is I'm putting into my body and what's even more important, what I'm giving to my children, especially during those winter months where they constantly pick up colds from play groups and schools, and you simply want to avoid giving them prescription drugs on a regular basis. So if you're kids have a cold or like my son an eyelid infection (which I've successfully treated with raw honey and water eyedrops by the way), do some research before you head to the pharmacy to pick up a bottle of Advil or even antibiotics. Sometimes a homemade remedy can be just as effective, healthier and a lot cheaper. Believe it or not, but we took our dog Rocky to the vets once where he was diagnosed with tonsillitis, and our vet told us he could either prescribe us expensive antibiotics or we could head on over to the health food store and buy some raw honey. We gave him 3 tablespoons 3 times a day for about a week and he was good as new.
Now, let me be very clear about this. I'm not saying never take your kids to the doctors and treat everything naturally, because that would make me a hypocrite. I'm the first one to book an appointment with our family doctor whenever something isn't quite right with my kids. I'm a relatively new mom, and I panic and am seriously paranoid when it comes to their health. I do take them to see their doctor, even if it's just so he can make a diagnosis. I do not gamble with my child's life and it does put my mind at ease to get a professional opinion. If it is something severe, I will listen and do whatever it takes to make them better. But if it is just a viral infection that needs to run its course or a simple cold, I'd much rather help the healing process along with natural remedies than prescription drugs. You can also simply ask your doctor if there is a natural alternative to prescription drugs. When I asked mine about the raw honey and water eyedrops for my son's eyelid infection, he said it certainly couldn't hurt and I should give it a try. I'm simply trying to do what I can to avoid unnecessary prescriptions. Everyone needs to make their own choices though and do whatever they're most comfortable with.
Now, let me be very clear about this. I'm not saying never take your kids to the doctors and treat everything naturally, because that would make me a hypocrite. I'm the first one to book an appointment with our family doctor whenever something isn't quite right with my kids. I'm a relatively new mom, and I panic and am seriously paranoid when it comes to their health. I do take them to see their doctor, even if it's just so he can make a diagnosis. I do not gamble with my child's life and it does put my mind at ease to get a professional opinion. If it is something severe, I will listen and do whatever it takes to make them better. But if it is just a viral infection that needs to run its course or a simple cold, I'd much rather help the healing process along with natural remedies than prescription drugs. You can also simply ask your doctor if there is a natural alternative to prescription drugs. When I asked mine about the raw honey and water eyedrops for my son's eyelid infection, he said it certainly couldn't hurt and I should give it a try. I'm simply trying to do what I can to avoid unnecessary prescriptions. Everyone needs to make their own choices though and do whatever they're most comfortable with.
If you want to learn about how to make natural shampoos, lotions, face masks, make up, laundry detergent or anything else you can possibly think of, please check out wellness mama's website. She truly has a recipe for everything and has really motivated me to try new things!
I started crocheting a couple of years ago but had not done it in a very long time. I was just so busy with the kids during the day and too tired in the evenings. I started up again just before Christmas to make some Christmas gifts for friends and have really fallen in love with these neck warmers I found a tutorial for on Youtube.
I've also made a bunch of beanies for us, as well as friends to keep us warm throughout the winter and am playing with the idea of making a bunch whenever I have the time, because I might try selling some stuff at the local farmers market in combination with my children's book 'Helen May Saves the Day'. Maybe even some farm fresh eggs, if the girls are producing well and we can spare a few dozen.
Even something as simple as making your own homemade bread can save you some dollars and is getting you closer to a self-sufficient lifestyle. I have had so much fun trying new things lately and even if it's nothing huge, like installing solar panels, it's still considered homesteading. So if anyone is interested in experimenting a little and most importantly, living a healthier life, don't hesitate to do some research and look for alternatives. And what's even more important, have fun with everything you do and 'Do it yourself'!
