As a mom, I grow weary of that word. “Why?….Why, mom? Why?”, but in actuality, there is something very important and valuable in knowing your own “why” for things.

The last time I went to the grocery store I came home very frustrated. I mean, I should have had way more bags than that for the amount of money I had spent. I tried so hard to be as frugal as I could and didn’t actually get that much, but $400 later… 😑 I was thinking, as I put my groceries away, how much money I could save if I started to grow some of my own produce, make my own bread, cook and bake from scratch. That is how I was raised and I loved it! I remember running out the back door and down to the garden with my mom. We would pick whatever was on the menu for dinner and dessert that night. We were happy and healthy and living sustainably. Now, 30 years later, I am dreaming of that same thing for my son.

Homesteading can look very different for different people, and I know that sometimes life is too crazy to even think about taking that on. It is just so much easier to run to the market and grab something quick to fix. BUT hear me out! If I can do it, so can you! I am a single mom homeschooling an ADHD kid with an autoimmune disease while blogging, running a remote transaction coordination job for a TN Realtor, and taking care of my own local real estate clients. Life gets busy and overwhelming, but the value of it is worth the labor. Plus, in the past, I had a black thumb and I watered my mom’s fake plant once. Yeah, I did that. 😂 Now, I am not telling you all to go out and start homesteading (unless you want to), I am just encouraging you to follow your dreams and aspirations.

Start small! My biggest mistake was to look at these absolutely incredible women who blog about their choice to homestead who live off the grid in tiny homes utilizing solar power for energy and rainwater runoff for a water source. They have huge organic gardens, chickens, livestock, and are living 100% sustainable green, clean lives. I was like…..well crap. I just can’t with that. I hung my head in discouragement and went to Target for snacks. After I ate my emotions with Bare Snacks (which is hardly eating your emotions), I decided that I would stop looking at others because I am not others; I am me. A great thing to remember throughout all the things you do in life: Comparison can be the stealer of joy and inspiration! Just do you. So I did, and I started researching how I could homestead my little space. I got excited all over again and will totally Urban Homestead Hack all day long.

Did you know that 70% of autoimmune disease is environmental? That is what we breathe, what we eat, and what we put on our skin. Yeah. I was blown away. The majority of the “foods” that we eat are not even completely food! It has been modified, grown with chemicals, mixed with additives, artificial flavors & colors, and packed full of preservatives. There are “foods” that we eat here that are not even legal in some other countries, and we wonder why more and more people are presenting with an autoimmune disease every year?! I have an 8-minute speech on this topic that I spent weeks researching and preparing for. Autoimmune Disease is actually an epidemic in our nation, and not very many people even know. I could go on for….well…at least another 8 minutes. haha! 😉 But I will save that for another blog.

So what is my big why?…. Sam, always Sam. 😍 As you can imagine, with what I just said, his disease requires very strict diet to keep him in remission, and it is an expensive diet! They charge you so much money to be healthy! Seriously, I so want that to change that for others suffering from the same things my household does,  but until that time, I have to take care of my little man. So, I am taking the steps to live a life that will help him be healthy and maybe even heal. Oh, my gosh you guys, how much do I pray for that?! Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis is no joke. It has been a very long, hard road for both of us. I have to do what I can to give him a fighting chance for a happy and healthy future. Plus, it is a great idea to at least know how to homestead and have some survival skills. I can at least give him that.

What are your dreams and your big “whys”? Don’t let comparison, doubt, or fear bog you down! I sure did, but the time is now and it is never too late to start.