A Full Day of Homesteading

We had our first warm weekend of the new year and we made the most of it.  It was a full-blown homestead Saturday!  These are the days I look forward to the most…family time outdoors with the feeling of great accomplishment (and exhaustion) when the day is done.

We started our day in the goat pen.  We walked through the field scooping up poop to use as fertilizer for the garden.  The kids helped rake and scoop and even provided their big plastic dump truck as a means from getting the poop to the garden.  My husband raked out the goat’s shelter and started a compost pile of hay and poop (as there was a lot of fertilization that had taken place in the shelter).  This task inspired him to go to the local farm store and buy a pitch fork.  It’s always exciting to get a new tool, right?

We made a family trip out of the deal, too.  We love going to Tractor Supply!  The kids got new kid sized shovels and gloves with which they helped shovel the garden and play in the sandbox.  The gloves also came in handy later when moving firewood to the house (and climbing trees).  We have had our fair share of cold weather lately and had depleted our rick of wood.   While in town we got produce seeds and onion starts so we will be ready for planting as it warms up.  I can’t wait!

After adding the fertilizer (goat poop) to the garden and returning from the store, it was time to till the garden.  I had gone to the front yard to water the flower bed shrubs and ivy and was thrilled to return and find my husband teaching our youngest son to use the small tiller.  They were having a great time of bonding!  My son thoroughly enjoyed tilling and continued to help till all 3 beds were done.  He was dancing and entertaining us as he tilled.  He is as full of life as they come!

Now that the garden was ready and we had prepped for more cold weather we were able to do other things around the homestead.  We cleaned up the inside of the barn and cut a huge dead limb out of a tree that was hanging from an ice storm a couple years ago.  We made small shelters in the chicken run since we have had hawks preying on our chickens.  I also added fishing line across the top of the run to see if that would keep the hawks out and the chickens in.  Only time will tell if this will help.  We also ran the sprinkler in the goat pen and chicken run since it has been so dry lately to help get the nitrogen (chicken/goat poop) into the soil.

The best part of this full day of work, was that we had fun together as a family.  I’ll be honest in that there was one kid that needed persuasion to join us outside but once he was out there he never went back inside.  The kids worked right alongside us enjoying the work as if it were play.  And when you are together as a family, that’s just what it feels like…play. 

My Take-Aways:

1. There is something very fulfilling about working on a homestead.  Fresh air and sunshine, tasks completed, and all working towards one goal as a family.  It’s more than a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.
2. Kids are capable of much more than we give them credit.  Teach them life skills and watch them grow!
3. Sometimes you need to persuade kids to get outside.  Once outside, they flourish with creativity!  Be a good role model and get out there with them!