homesteading How I discovered my personal mission In the short time that I've made public both this blog and our intention of running a real farm, the primary response I've gotten from people have been variations of the following: "That's so meaningful!" "It's so special what
farmlife Homesteading with Kids: Meredith Aycock Meredith and Bryan Aycock of Willow Hill Family Farm [http://www.willowhillfamilyfarm.com/] met in Wyoming, where they became interested in sustainable farming and started their family with the birth of Millie in December 2013. When Meredith's parents offered use of their 100 acre property in Palmyra, Virginia,
#homesteading Baby Bucket List #GSD I work well with deadlines. And I'm not sure I've ever experienced a more motivating deadline than the arrival of a new baby. 23 Weeks Pregnant and feeling the urge to nest (aka THROW AWAY ALL THE CLUTTER and ORGANIZE ALL THE THINGS) Nesting for me
homesteading How and Why I Cloth Diaper... I’ve toyed with the idea of giving myself the nickname “semi-homesteader” a la Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee on the Food Network. I use to scoff at the concept of her show but as a mama of a growing family and with several business pokers in the fire, I get
homesteading Why I'm a terrible homesteader Being left alone for five days and nights with two toddlers is daunting for most people but doable. For a pregnant lady with 26 chickens, 3 goats, 2 dogs, 1 pony, and 2 cats to take care of, taking care of the toddlers becomes the easy part of the five
pregnancy It's a... I refused to let them take my blood pressure - I was so anxious. There's no way they would get a good reading. I've been dreading this ultrasound. What would I do if it's another boy? I knew this was a possibility and I
gardening We bought a tiller! I've talked before how we are not ones to eschew technology [https://www.sfumatofarm.com/2016/04/28/a-trip-to-nyc-and-the-dirty-life/] in favor of the "purity" of hand tilling and old school organic farming so it might surprise you that we just bought our first tiller last weekend!
toddlers Juggling toddlers and a pregnant belly this summer Yesterday Gabe took a very productive 2.5 hour nap. I say productive because I let him take credit for what I get done when he takes especially long naps. (BLESS HIM! I don't know if Quincy ever napped more than 90 minutes at a time.) We were
naturalbirth Why I keep choosing natural birth If you are pregnant and live in Albemarle County or the surrounding area, we would love to help you feel empowered and informed about giving birth. You can register for my next Bradley Natural Childbirth classes here [http://bradleybirth.com/whitneyathayde] that starts Sunday, June 19th! If you are pregnant
canning Strawberry jam On Friday, I took the boys out to Chile's Orchard for Strawberry picking. It's just about 35 minutes from our place - east of Charlottesville - with beautiful pastoral views. We did have a couple strawberry plants that overwintered...barely...but I knew I wanted to
workingfromhome How I earned the privilege of working from home by age 29 Buying our homestead and moving to the country couldn't have happened as soon as it did if it wasn't for John and I both working from home. This was an explicit goal I set for myself back in college... > Work my butt off in the
beekeeping Making up for lost sunlight. So this elusive ball of fire called the sun decided to emerge this weekend and so we tried to get as much done as we could! We definitely feel behind. We started early on Saturday. I focused on cleaning up the memorial garden (aka the pretty garden). I purposefully planted
Ilovecville What do farmers wear to a business meeting? Last night, I attended a Wegman's Buyer presentation for local farmers hosted by the Piedmont Environmental Council. Yes, I was out of my league! Also: let's talk about this crappy weather the mid-Atlantic region has been experiencing. This Texan hasn't seen the sun in
pregnancy First Trimester Update Well I'm 15 weeks and STARTING to feel a little more like myself. Like most women, I'm relieved the first trimester - full of queasiness and fatigue - is over. And I'm actually excited to have a pregnant belly and not to just feel
Ilovecville Why I love Cville I think it says a lot about Charlottesville that the Onion picked Cville for this satirical item [http://www.theonion.com/article/couple-spends-morning-farmers-market-verbalizing-e-52861] about a couple at a farmer's market. We do love farmer's markets here and it's one of the reasons I love
farm life A trip to NYC and The Dirty Life When I was pregnant with Gabe, I booked a kid free trip to Chicago to visit my girlfriend Rebecca. When I got pregnant with sprout #3, I asked John if I could book a trip to NYC to visit my bestie Sean. John graciously agreed - bless him! Thankfully we
beekeeping Bee Install! After dropping Quincy off at preschool this morning, Gabe and I drove to Fishersville's Valley Bee Supply Store to pick up our pre-ordered bees. It was a zoo when we got there as they had at least 100 3# bee packages ready for pick up that day. They
lifedesign Dreaming big In 2016 I'm saying yes to less negative self talk and yes to owning my own business and time. Three and a half years ago 6 months pregnant with my first child, Quincy, I thought I landed my dream gig working from home doing fundraising for a nonprofit
compost 8 Ways To Reduce Food Waste Waste Not, Want Not The average American family throws away 25% of the food they buy. I know it bums me out when I forget about the zucchini in the veggie drawer or the leftovers that got pushed to the back - that's wasted money and energy! 8
pregnancy Our newest sprout! We are happy to announce that we are pregnant with baby #3 due in October! Pregnancy FAQs: Do we know how babies are made? Yes, this baby was much desired and prayed for! Will we stop at 3? Ask me in a year. How am I feeling? No energy or
motherhood 5 things I wish I did before kids 1. Travelled more. I actually traveled quite a bit. My dirty little secret: I used student loans to subsidize short-term study abroad programs through my graduate school so I got to go to South Africa and China, checking two more continents off my bucket list (hello low interest rate!). I
breastfeeding My Breastfeeding Journey Having struggled with breastfeeding the first go round, I cannot tell you how ecstatic, proud, and thankful I am to say that it worked this time! Tonight, I nursed Gabe for the last time, just two days before his first birthday (my goal!!!) I'll write about our weaning
placenta Yes, I ate my baby's placentas... Warning: Do not open this post if you have a weak stomach. Placenta in full color at end of the post. While some still dispute the research [http://www.placentawise.com/research-studies-supporting-placenta-encapsulation/] that's out there (and admittedly more needs to be done), I decided to encapsulate my placentas
boys Walking in Nature “Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walking Q on one of our nature walks in April. That's our driveway leading up to Constitution Highway (aka Route 20). It's called Constitution
