The Homestead Journal~ Week 117~ Beautiful Weather and A Growing Belly

On the Homestead

We are in the middle of February now.. Its been 15 weeks now since we moved into the cabin. There have been some ups and downs. I will say that we have no regrets on this decision, but we have learned a few things we could have/should have done differently. I would have liked to been able to get some flooring down. The plywood floor is impossible to keep clean. We sweep several times a day. Insulation would have also been on the "must do". The floors being a first. It was on our plans to do over the winter but the weather caused a cut back on income. Considering that, we did fairly well.. The cabin got chilly when it dropped below 20°, and the single digit temps were very difficult. We burned through a lot of wood those days. Fortunately, we had just a few of them. The small space has only been an issue on the really cold wet days, not due to cabin fever so much as wet cold jackets and shoes... We need a closed in porch to resolve this next year. We also need to finish out our shelves and begin organization. We are still dealing with too many things in boxes ( mostly books, ok, all of it being books!) 

All in all, I am still ok with tiny house living. A micro~home for a family our size. We are pretty close family, we have some squabbles, but everyone gets along, most days. Its a great lesson in simplicity. Life is easier when you just have the bare essentials. Warmer weather is on its way and our living space will be expanded for the next 8 months. We are already working on the outdoor kitchen. 

Along with simple living, we are also focusing on self reliance and independence.. this does not mean we reject any outside help, or interaction, but rather work along side others. We try to do what we can here and hope to teach others. We also know when to ask others for help. 

Basic first aid is important to know. One point I always try to relay to expectant mothers is that you may not be planning a home birth, but sometimes you end up with one. Educate and be prepared. This applies to everyday injuries as well. A few weeks after Quinten burned himself I met a young lady at the laundromat who had a burn on most of her right forearm. Her brother was telling how she was cooking dinner and the grease caught fire. You have a matter of seconds, do you know what to do? This week there was a national story of a woman who stopped on the freeway to give her 5 month old nephew CPR. Because of her quick thinking and CPR knowledge, her nephew survived because of it. 

We have had our own share of scares. And so far we have had the skills to tend at home. But I also know, that we can handle most emergencies, even if we are on the way to the hospital.  I don't ever want to be in a position where my ignorance and/or fear prevents me from helping my child. 

3 weeks ago, Isaac and Quinten were horsing around in the kitchen and Isaac hit his head on the counter. Blood everywhere. Head wounds are terrible! 

 It was a pretty deep gash, so I was a little concerned. 

I cleaned it up and held pressure on it to keep it closed for a while, taking turns with Jacob. 

Isaac spent the rest of the day laying down, Abigail kept his head clean for us, wiping his forehead as needed. 

Over the next few days I kept it clean and open, cleaning it several times a day, so as not to abscess. The next week I tended to it nightly. Along the way I missed a day and Isaac came to me and said his head was hurting. I felt the would and knew why, the top layer had scabbed over, causing a build up.. A clean cloth and a bit of pressure to drain and Isaac immediately said, "wow, it feels better already" healing continued and this is his scar, on day 20. 

So far this year we have had lessons in burn treatments and head wounds. In a few weeks another run with childbirth, then who knows whats next... With a family of 12 on a homestead, anything is possible!

Speaking of homestead, here are a few photos of the baby goats!

Abigail milking Black Betty.. We get a few cups a day ( I know we need a milking bucket!) 

We will start milking Fiona in a week or two

The warm weather has been a blessing. The children got some projects done, and played. They spent one afternoon building boats ( so many unschool lessons there!) 

This was a photo I snapped the next morning on my way out

Our Adventures

Monday we spent the day running errands. It was a very long day and we covered well over 100 miles. We did stop to stretch while dad was at an appointment.

36 weeks, 5 days ( Estimated) 

 The children stood still for a few seconds

Saturday Joe and the children ran a few errands and  picked up a few more loads of cinder blocks for the garden. We have a few more loads to pick up.. The garden is getting closer to being set up

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