Ellis and I have 4 kids. If we want to attend a function together, that means taking all 4 kids along, even if it is an “adult” (read: “boring”) event. Repeatedly, we are complimented on how well our children behave
Gun ownership is not what’s wrong with America.
I haven’t posted anything in a long while, and I have so many feelings swirling around in my head right now that, well, here I am. First off, as a mother of four very young children, my heart breaks for
The balancing act: wanting it “all” for our kids.
And by “wanting it all”, I don’t mean material goods. We don’t even have cable, and I’m not about to buy my kids an XBox or anything like that. I am a worrier, and I grew up uninvolved with my
Adventures in gardening: my black thumb.
Ellis has accused me (on multiple occasions) of not only NOT having a green thumb, but actually having a black thumb. He says that I can kill any plant, given just a short amount of time. I’d like to say
Efforts in self-sufficiency: breadmaking.
With now 6 family members to officially feed on a daily basis (I say officially, because the nearly-2-year-old now eats as much as our bigger kids), we’ve started to go through a lot of bread in the last year. It
A big lifestyle change: homeschooling.
As young urban professionals with blossoming careers, Ellis and I both worked full time (and then some). I cut back to part-time after our first was born (and second, and third, and fourth), but Ellis was still expected to be
Adventures in self-sufficiency: canning.
I never canned anything in my life until 2 years ago. A local friend that lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse has a huge, old apricot tree and offered us some. That apricot jam has been one of my favorite things
Shrugging: efforts in frugality.
Ellis and I have always lived beneath our means, but that wasn’t saying much when we lived in the city and both worked at lucrative jobs. Now that we live in the boonies and our income is only a fraction
Launching our blog…
The idea of this blog has been a long time in the making. With all the lifestyle changes we’ve made in the last few years, and things we’ve learned (and hoping to learn!), we’re hoping this blog is a way