Country Kids | The Prairie Homestead

Keeping my Sanity as a Stay-at-Home-Mom

April 19, 2012 By Jill

Sometimes I get this sneaking suspicion that some people think I’m a freak of nature.

I mean, I live 35 miles from the nearest grocery store and stay at home all day with our daughter and a boatload of animals and chores.

And I like it.

People see that I’m not always clamoring for ways to get out of the house, or trying to find every possible “playgroup” just so I have something to do, or driving to the library for the toddler storytime every day, and I think they assume I’m some sort of anti-social hermit.

Generally, I only head to the “big city” about twice per month for shopping or appointments. (We attend a small country church in the neighboring town (pop. 250) 10 miles away, so that does provide some closer social interaction.)

Join me over at The Better Mom today where I’m sharing a few of my simplest tips for staying sane as a stay-at-home mom. You can apply these ideas even if you live smack dab in the middle of the city, too.

Filed Under: Country Kids 3 Comments

Spiritual Lessons from a Toddler

December 19, 2011 By Jill

You know all the “sayings” you hear about becoming a parent?

Things like how your life will never be the same and how having children of your own will change you forever?

Well, to be quite honest, before I became a mother, I used to frequently roll my eyes whenever someone would tell me those things…

But oh how my perception has changed.

There is nothing like having a toddler to drive a whole new set of life lessons home.

Join me over at The Better Mom as I share what God has taught me through my 18 month old daughter.

Filed Under: Country Kids 1 Comment

Don’t Take it for Granted: Raising Rural Kids

September 2, 2011 By Jill

Life is all about routine, and it seems that the more often you do something, the more you (unintentionally) take it for granted.

Right now, my routine consists of making a home and the endless amount of chores that come with running a homestead. As a result, Prairie Baby spends a LOT of time outside with me.

Sure, I could wait to do all my chores until naptime, but I usually can’t fit them all into those precious few hours. And, truthfully? While other moms tell me they can’t wait for school to start, or for the babysitter to show up because they “can’t be with their kids that much”, I will freely admit that I enjoy my child’s company. Really.

So, my days turn into a whirlwind of putting on baby shoes, sunscreen, and play pants, going outside to accomplish a few things, then coming back in, washing her hands (and sometimes feet!), having a snack or taking a nap (her, not me!), and repeating the process.

Discovering cucumbers

We go in and out sometimes dozens of times per day. Hanging laundry, harvesting from the garden, locking animals in, turning animals out, collecting eggs, watering, weeding, petting the cows, taking kitchen scraps to the goats and chickens, and the list goes on.

She squeals with delight each time I open the door and can hardly contain herself by the time we get to the barn. She starts “mooing” and “baaing”, stretching for whatever animal is close enough for a scratch. As I clean pens or water, she happily toddles around the barnyard picking up baby-sized handfuls of hay to “feed” to the cows, or chasing the “ki-ki” (cat) and begging for it’s attention.

Prairie Baby lives a unique life as compared to most “modern” 16 month olds whose days are filled with cartoons, child-safe play yards, and daycare centers.

Right now, her existence consists of the natural world: dirt, plants, the elements, and animals.

Yesterday, we spent part of our morning digging potatoes from the garden. She was fascinated by the plump, red spuds that I deposited one by one into our box as I dug them from the earth. She had a blast rummaging around in the box, picking out the teeny, tiny ones, then tossing them back for the biggest one she could find. When she grew tired of that game, she toddled around the garden, digging her fingers into the dirt, exploring all the plants (and weeds) until her tiny nails were packed with soil.

Keeping an eye on the harvest

Then I stopped what I was doing for a moment, and took it all in.

I never want to take it for granted how fortunate we are to be able to raise our child(ren) in this setting, and I hope that if you are homesteading or living rurally, you won’t either.

Prairie Baby knows how dirt feels under her bare feet, the way the wind whips at her hair, that you can eat peas and beans right off the plant, how you must move softly and gently to coax a kitty to play, and how ticklish it is when a horse thinks your hand is a fly.

Though all of these things and more were an common part of our ancestor’s lives, do you realize how many adults and children in our modern times have NEVER experienced these things?

That thought makes me sad.

So many children and adults today never really get to experience nature. Their days consist of going to work or school in an industrial-type enviroment, then coming home to sit inside and watch TV. They hardly have a chance to get off asphalt.

Now, the purpose of this post is NOT to make you feel bad if you live in town or haven’t yet been able to fulfill your homesteading dreams. Quite the contrary, in fact. If you are a city-dweller, or unconventional homesteader, there is hope!

If you have kids or grandkids, make a concious effort to engage them in the natural world around them, even if you live in town. Grow something; whether it be in a pot or a small garden plot. Allow your excitement to inspire them, to pull them away from the Xbox. Visit neighboring farms or join a Community-Supported Agriculture program. Show them the importance of knowing where their food comes from. Let them get dirty. Take them to the park, roll around in the grass and get dirt between your toes.

Enjoying a fresh pea

And if you are homesteading or living a rural life with your children, please don’t take it for granted. Know that yours is an unique and special experience. Encourage your children to be an active part of your homestead. Inspire in them a love for the land, animals, and real food. A love for life.

As I watch Prairie Baby explore the natural world around her, I can’t help but think that this has to be how God intended us to live. After all, life did begin in a Garden.

On a side note, have you checked out the new ebook from Modern Alternative Mama? Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts was released this week, and boy-oh-boy, I can’t wait to start trying some of the recipes. There is something to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, plus, every.single.ingredient is 100% real food. Yum! Order your copy today!

This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday and the Raising Homesteaders Blog Hop

Filed Under: Country Kids Tagged With: Homesteading, Kids, Rural Life 34 Comments

Whole Food Cakes for Baby

April 27, 2011 By Jill

Prairie Baby turned one this week! It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year. But on the other hand, I can scarcely remember what life was like without her!

Of course, every year old needs the obligatory cake to smash and smear into their hair and clothes. It just wouldn’t be a first birthday party without it!

We’ve been pretty careful with what Prairie Baby eats up to this point. We are still breastfeeding, and I try to make sure she eats exclusively whole foods (although we can’t always be purists, especially when eating away from home…). I’ve held back on the majority of grains and dairy to this point, just to be safe. Although I don’t flip out if she eats a bit of tortilla now and then.

Prairie Baby is an adventurous eater who has yet to turn anything down. She has a pretty “advanced” palate for a one-year-old. She loves well-seasoned foods with lots of flavor; garlic, onions, sausage, and she even scarfed down a bit of sourdough bread I offered her the other day. Who says kids will only eat pizza and chicken nuggets?

So I just couldn’t bring myself to feed her a sugary, processed cake from the store with loads of hydrogenated frosting and refined ingredients. Nope, just couldn’t do it. Even for a birthday.

I was excited to find several whole food, first birthday cake ideas as I was surfing around the blogosphere.

I chose a whole wheat, sourdough cake from with cultured goat cheese frosting for our party (links below). While it wasn’t super sweet, Prairie Baby thought it was just right, and had a great time making a mess with it.

Of course, use discretion with anything you feed your child. Obviously, not all of these recipes will be a fit for every family- it depends on whether or not your family eats grains or has dairy allergies, etc.

That being said, these cakes are a great alternative to store-bought cakes or those made with sugary boxed mixes, especially if you are avoiding grains or gluten in your family!

1. Basic Chocolate Sourdough Cake from GNOWFGLINS. Chocolate-y, yet not too sweet, this is the recipe I chose for our party. Even though this cake is not grain-free, I think that the souring/fermenting of the grains helps a lot. I also made the Citrus Yogurt Cheese frosting, but instead of yogurt cheese, I used the soft, cultured cheese found in the Fundamentals eCourse.

2. Chocolate Banana Birthday Cake from Frugal Granola. This looks like an amazing cake, it was a close runner-up! It can be gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free! Perfect if your family is sensitive to those things. Yum!

3. Black Bean Brownies from Naturally Knocked Up. Another grain-free alternative! I’ve made these before, and thought they were great, even though hubby couldn’t quite get over the idea of beans in his brownies. But these would be a great first birthday cake. Imagine them topped with real whipped cream and fresh strawberries? Oh my!

4. Chocolate Mousse Cake from Naturally Knocked Up. Grain-free again! You could easily substitute the cocoa powder with carob powder instead, and leave out the Kaluha. I think the adults would have no probably eating this delicious cake as well!

5. White Bean Vanilla Cake from the Against the Grain ebook. This cake is on my list of try-very-soon recipes! It sounds so moist and decadent, as well as being grain-free! The recipe calls for honey, so you might want to substitute maple syrup instead if you are making it for a small child (honey isn’t advised for children under the age of 1, because of botulism). The Against the Grain ebook is an awesome, affordable resource, with a total of 30 amazing recipes!

It was a fun little party, and I felt good knowing I didn’t compromise on our whole-food convictions for our kids!

Do you have any good first birthday cake ideas or recipes to share?

This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Country Kids 4 Comments

Dirt {Wordless Wednesday}

April 12, 2011 By Jill

Yesterday was beautiful, so we headed outside to dig up a spot to plant lettuce and spinach. For the first time in her 11 months, I turned her loose outside. She was in heaven. And she joined the ranks of countless children before her as she popped some dirt into her mouth when mama wasn’t looking…

I shared this post at Wordless Wednesday

Filed Under: Country Kids 6 Comments

Outfitting the Homestead Baby

February 21, 2011 By Jill

When it comes to baby gear, I am definitely a minimalist.

When I was pregnant with our daughter, I was inundated with catalog after catalog of supposed baby “necessities”. Fancy bathtubs with built-in toys, wipe warmers, massive electronic play gyms, vibrating bassinets… Really? Not only is my house too small for all those things, they are outrageously expensive, especially since they will only be used for a short period of time.

I chose to ignore the majority of trendy baby items, and I’m glad I did. Especially since my daughter regularly passes up playing with her basket full of toys for pieces of random fuzz she finds on the carpet. She doesn’t seem impressed with the high-tech toys and all the bells and whistles.

That being said, we live a unique lifestyle as compared to most new parents. When many other mothers are dropping the kids off at daycare, Prairie Baby and I are bundling up to do morning chores. Rather than going to “baby play group”, we load up the horse trailer, head to my friend’s ranch, and spend the afternoon riding.

Because of this, we require some unique baby gear. In a short time as a homesteading mama, I have found a few must-have items for the country baby. These have been absolute lifesavers for our family!

1. A Jogging Stroller

I didn’t know what these were called for the longest time. I just knew that I wanted one of those “big strollers with the 3 rubber tires”! They were originally designed for mamas who wanted to ”jog and stroll”, but I am happy to report they work wonderfully on gravel, bumpy pastures, mud, and snow drifts! However, they don’t really fold up (at least mine doesn’t), so this isn’t a good choice for strolling the mall. But if strolling through the barnyard is more your style, then this is a necessity!

2. Front Pack or Baby Carrier

I have both a Moby Wrap and a Baby Bjorn carrier. I would say it is a toss-up between the two. I used these both when Prairie Baby was a newborn and she loved them. It gave her a different view to enjoy and freed up my hands at the same time. The only downfall to front packs is that it is hard to bend over while carry the baby. I tried to plant potatoes one day while carrying her in the Moby Wrap and it didn’t work so well! They work best if you are simply walking outside or doing simple activities such as watering the garden.

3. Bug Nets

In my opinion, these are the greatest things since sliced bread, hands down. Last year we had an incredibly “buggy” year. It seemed as though the swarms of flies and grasshoppers were of biblical proportions. I was constantly trying to keep them off of my baby, until I came across these nets. I bought one to cover the playpen and another for the stroller. They are wonderful!

4. A Play Yard

I don’t use a playpen or a play yard in my house, but I found it to definitely come in handy outside. Since we don’t have air conditioning, there were many days last summer when the house was hot and stuffy in the afternoons. I would set up the playpen in the shady barn and cover it with a bug net. Oftentimes a gentle breeze would flow through the barn, and I would clean pens and fill water buckets while Prairie Baby peacefully napped. I use a simple playpen that I found at a yard sale. It’s easy to clean if it becomes dusty or gathers bits of hay from being set up in the barn.

5. Snow Suits

I am constantly running back and forth from the house to the barns. The trips are usually short, but there is the potential to spend a significant chunk of my day bundling up the baby in her insulated pants, coats, mittens, hats, and boots. That is why I love snowsuits so much! Mine are “footie” snowsuits and have built in hoods and mittens, so they make the multiple trips outside much less time consuming. Just zip up and go!
The uniqueness of the homesteading lifestyle definitely calls for unconventional baby gear. My baby has traded fancy electronic toys for her trusty bug nets! What are your favorite baby items?

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of these items or companies and will receive no compensation for anything I said in this blog post. These are items that I genuinely use and enjoy!

This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS.