I have decided to be a homemaker. Just so there is no confusion, I do not mean a housewife where I shuttle around kids, eat bon bons, and buy things. I am actually going to radically change my life by learning all the things my Grandmother could have taught me if I had been listening. Even my mother has many of these skills, which will be handy as she is still able to pass them down to me. If you want a better description of a homemaker I suggest you check out Radical Homemaking by Shannon Hayes. That is the book that is changing my life. Anyway, this is going to enable my husband and I to live somewhat comfortably off one income.I believe it is also going to have far reaching benefits for our family life, community life, and the footprint we leave on this earth. It will also, hopefully, free up some small amount of time for my writing.
Some are probably thinking that this sounds easy, where is the challenge? Stay at home Moms are everywhere. The challenge for me is I am almost starting from scratch. In all seriousness, I don't even know how to cook. I can burn water while trying to boil it. I can ride a horse and teach someone else to do so and I can catalog books for a library, but in the realm of homemaking skills I am starting pretty much at zero. And I am going farther then just staying home to raise my child. I am staying home to learn to be more self reliant, to decrease my impact on the earth, and to free my soul from the drudgery of having to earn a living instead of having a life. So this blog is here to chronicle the adventure as I try to learn domestic skills that honestly many people do not even care about anymore. My successes and my failures and what I have learned will be here for all to see.
So to begin, I am calling this year my transition year. I have gone down to part time in my day job. This is going to enable me to spend more time with my 7 month old daughter Eowyn, as well as give me time to research and start learning the skills I need. I will still continue to teach riding lessons as I enjoy it and it is good income for not a ton of time investment. Priority wise I am going to start learning to cook first, from scratch. Real cooking using vegetables that are grown locally and meat that was raised in a way that honors the animal and the earth. My husband will be my mentor in this as well as my mother because they are both darn fine cooks. I am also going to be learning to sew this year. I will make some clothing, but mostly I want to be able to mend and extend the life of any clothes we buy, especially as we try to shop from thrift stores and often need things hemmed or adjusted. I am going to research raising chickens for eggs and meat, so that we will be providing some of our own sustenance. I am also going to research growing vegetables in the Adirondacks. I have had a small garden the past couple years with limited success and I need to be able to get a good crop next summer and fall. This is because I am going to learn to can food myself for the winter months. I did it with my family as a child and I still miss the taste of those foods. Store bought just does not compare. I will also be practicing the long lost art of frugality. I will be trying to buy less and do more with what I have. That is the beginning. More animal husbandry may follow, as well as learning some basic handy man type skills like changing the oil on our vehicles. The list can go on, but I am stopping here for now. Hopefully, I do not bite off more than I can chew. Any advice is always appreciated, even if it is to tell me I am crazy. Which I must be.
