I want my children to know where food comes from. Not just the aisle of the grocery store. It's such a fabulous thing to run to the grocery store for the extra items I need but raising our own meat, eggs, and produce is a process I want to pass down to my kids.
Knowing where and how our food comes is important especially in today's world. For example GMO's aren't labelled, everything is corn fed just to put on weight, produce is picked to ripen while in transit, and much of the items grown on large scale are doused in chemicals. That is not what I want for me or my children's consumption. Of course there are drawbacks to raising your own produce and meat. Losing something to a predator or a fire in your chicken coop can really be frustrating and a waste of time and money. But as the process goes along, you can quite or teach valuable lessons to children as I try to do. So many teachable lessons come from homesteading. In the case of predators, teaching little ones death and disappointment are part of life is hard but how do we overcome it? And how to we protect the coop better? Seeing all the positive things that come from homesteading are easy. The bountiful harvests, self-preparation for winter months, how healthy our food is that we are putting into our bodies, and the enjoyment it gives us are just some examples.
We address homesteading with children as they are part of the process. When I plant trees, they help. My kids are 5, 3 and 8 months. My daughter drags along her mini wheel barrow and picks out the top grass pieces and throws them in the woods, I stroll my little guy along in the stroller, and my son puts my shovel and rake in the little red wagon and brings them to location where I plant the next tree. I, of course to do digging and planting but My daughter LOVES to place the tree in the hole while I cover up the roots. They also love being involved with the animals. Our egg chickens are so friendly because they are constantly handling and hand feeding them. It makes me smile when I see them 'understanding' the process of food, life, and nurturing something that can give back to them.
We also would like our children to know how to provide food for themselves and others. In a crisis (current issues include less honeybees, higher GMO production, the economy?), I want my children to be survivors. Those that know the woods, livestock, and growing vegetables. I am not a doom and gloom type of person, but it is certainly beneficial to know a bit about food producing in a time of need.
In our homesteading adventures, it's critical for children to see death and birth. We figure the sooner they learn this, the sooner they can understand and help change things for the better or to witness the miracle of life. So many children now-a-days are almost sheltered from this process and given answers that never answer their innocent questions. After all, they are just people.
Lastly, we want ourselves and our children to eat healthy. The best. And the only way to do that, is to grow it yourself or know a small farmer/homesteader that does. Supporting them is critical to getting good food for other families that do not have the space or time to grow.
I love watching animals grow and be part of the life cycle and incorporating my children into that is fun. Trying at times, but educational and purposeful.

Coffee. Need I say more. Ok, I will... I have been trying different coffees everywhere I have traveled. Most of them have one thing in common, the burnt taste. And after roasting my own, I can tell just why they taste burnt, because essentially, they are. In my quest for great coffee, I have now learned to roast my own. I ordered my 'green' coffee beans ( green means un-roasted) from Sweet Maria's. They have many varieties to choose from. I chose beans from Peru and Guatemala. The Peru beans are defined as "Wonderful creamy quality, chocolate syrup that lingers nicely, subtle, malic acidity provides a nice backdrop for the sweetness of this lot." So, I really needed to read nothing other than the first three words, SOLD. As for the Guatemala beans they are defined as "Good caramelized sugar sweetness, hazelnut roast tones, dark honey finish, cinnamon stick hints, raisin and milk chocolate at darker levels." In this demonstration I have roasted the beans from Peru but the same process is equal for all un-roasted coffee beans.
The items you will need are: coffee grinder, metal strainer, green coffee beans, and an old fashion popcorn maker. This one has the lid removed.

Plug the popcorn maker in. Wait 30 seconds for it to warm up. Take a handful of the beans (1/2 cup) and put them all in the popcorn maker. Place a wire strainer over the top of the machine (you will have beans all over if you don't).

You will hear after 1 minute or so crackling. This is called the "first crackle." This is a VERY light roast if you were to remove the beans now. This is what the first crackle looks like:

After about 3 minutes, the "second crackle" happens. You can now start to see a change in color while roasting.

Now they are starting to get pretty chocolate brown color to them. I like my coffee medium to full roast. So I roasted for approx. 4 minutes to roast that I like. The longer the roast, the darker the bean and the flavor. If you wanted an Italian roast (very dark) you would roast 5-6 minutes. Keep and eye on them the entire time to make sure you don't get them past what you like. It's trial and error too. Try a little bit at first to see what you like. In the process of roasting, the hulls will come off, you want to separate those from the beans before you move on and grind them. The hull is similar to that of a popcorn seed:

They should be very shiny as the oils are being released when roasting. Do not wipe them! The oils are what makes the coffee so delicious. These are now done to my liking. Beans should rest 2 days after roasting so their flavor develops with the released oils.

It's been a couple days now, let's grind em. When grinding, be sure they are ground well, if not the full flavor is not release from the pieces. After opening the cap of the coffee grinder, inhale DEEPLY. There is nothing like this. Bound to relieve any morning fog :)

I use a French press but you can use any standard coffee maker you like.

*Note: Fresh roasted coffee is always best within a week of roasting. There is no other coffee that can beat the coffee you roast yourself. Enjoy!

My little man has graduated to more complex foods. These are for 7 months+. He loves these combinations. To make, I just roast the fruits for 30 minutes and the veggies for 1 hour in the oven separate from each other, then blend the combinations you chose together in the blender. Jar them and store them in the freezer.

The 'conventional' smokers out there hold 2 chickens maybe 3, unless you get the deluxe smoker for $400 that holds 6-8. Pheuuy! Make your own :) From start to finish this cost us $108 total, including the fridge. This cute bad boy does about 15 chickens at once, and has area to hang large sausages and bacon. With the dampner, we can control the smoke and also do cheeses on the top of the fridge. Check out the video below to make your own.

Planted my melons and squash today! To get them to come up with strong roots, it is recommended they have bottom heat. I think its a little excessive to charge $20 for a 2' X 1.5' heating mat for plants so, I busted out a heating blanket that I never use and BLAM-- enormous heating mat for free.

Ever hear of an old wives tale about what to put in or around your plants to help them produce a more abundant supply? From marigolds to matchsticks these are some that I use and find not only a wives tale, but backed by research!

Magnesium sulfate aka Epsom salt can help revive a plant. The reason is magnesium sulfate helps the plant photosynthesize. For whatever reason, plants can get stagnant and need a boost to help them get going again. Adding a bit of Epsom salt to water and giving it to your plants that look a little sad can help it tremendously. It is typically helpful for older plants.

Plant some matchsticks with your peppers this summer. Match sticks contain phosphorous and  phosphorous sesquisulfide. These chemicals are important for peppers to grow because they help the plant develop buds and fruit but do not get replaced in the soil. Phosphorous also helps add a little acidity to the soil which pepper plants love. Therefore, adding matchsticks around your pepper plants will grow bigger, healthier plants. Adding the matchsticks to the soil is most beneficial when the pepper plants are transplanted to the garden up until they start producing fruit. Push about 10 matchsticks head first into the soil, 2 inches from the base of the plant. Or you can take a book of matches and when transplanting your pepper plants, bury the booklet next to the pepper plant- do not place the booklet on the plant but near it.

Marigolds are the ultimate companion for tomatoes. Planting them around or in the same area as your tomato plants will help keep aphids away naturally. Marigolds add a little beauty and help deter those little nasties from ruining your goods.

In addition, tomatoes love the color red. For whatever reason they gravitate towards it and it makes them happy. Start tomatoes in red containers and placing red plastic around them in the garden will stimulate more growth. The red plastic helps hold heat as well and tomatoes love it hot.

Know a bee keeper or want to beeeee one? You won’t only get great local honey and the natural benefits from eating it, your garden will thank you with abundant supplies of produce. Having honey bees around helps pollinate your trees, veggies, fruits, and berries resulting in higher, bigger  yields.

Horticultural molasses mixed with a few simple ingredients sprayed on plants helps drive off harmful insects while giving your plants a boost. Insects like a very specific window of sugar content in plants. If you raise that, they will not want to eat it and if they do will die. Insects cannot bloat or release gas, therefore sugars create gas and it basically kills them from the inside out. Though bugs hate it, plants love it. Adding molasses to the soil in your garden helps to increase the microbial activity resulting in soil that holds moisture better and is also easier to plant in. When soil microbes are exposed to simple sugars, they multiply quickly. As microbes go through their living cycle, they add important nutrients to the soil, therefore, the more the merrier. You can also rid your yard of fire ants by spraying this over your grass too. This is the most inexpensive way to add sugars and ward off harmful insects to your yard and/or plants.

Simple recipe for soil and plants (spray bi-weekly directly onto the leaves)
3 T. molasses
1T. liquid garlic
1T. liquid fertilizer
1 gallon of water

I love the fresh, relaxing smell of when you walk into a spa. I loved it so much I sniffed around my favorite place until I found where it was coming from. It was a reed diffuser they had in a very large, beautiful jar. I asked about it and they had one for sale. For $119. Reasonable. Ha! I mean yea, it smelt good but seriously- is it gonna do my dishes for that price too? SO, on a quest to make my own, I thought I would share- SUPER EASY. And here's the good news...it won't cost $119, more like $10 that can be re-used 30+ times.
I re-use glass jars- especially pretty ones. In this case, I had some shot glasses that were contemporary and I also had a cork that fit it just right. You can buy rubber corks at a beer/wine store for super cheap or you can get the real cork material ones at Lowes, Linen n Things or Bed Bath & Beyond. You will need to drill a hole in the top of the real cork ones.

Items you will need:
Cork - rubber or real cork
Small Glass Jar
Water
30 drops Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil (I buy mine from Bramble Berry)
Wood Twigs from a tree (keepin it simple) or got wood skewers- they work great too

Instructions:
Cut wood twigs to come out the top 1.5 times the jar length- or there about. Add water to the glass jar 3/4 full, add 30 drops of fragrance oils (you can get creative and blend scents too-- ie Lavender Peppermint, Amber Musk, mix of citrus scents etc.). Swirl with the wood sticks.

Take them out. Place the cork on top of the jar, fit snug. Place the wood sticks through the hole. Done! You can do one for each room of the house - bathroom, living room, kitchen etc. There are so many awesome glass jars (brightly colored) to make into reed diffusers. These really make your house smell lovely :)

Between going out to eat, cutting and coloring our hair, purchasing expensive makeup and buying the latest technology craze - we can really rack up the dollars each year. Eating out alone can cost thousands of dollars. Take a small to normal sized family of four. If they go out to eat for a 'inexpensive' dinner, it would cost them about $65. Now if they do that two times a week that is $130 a week. That doesn't seem like much but considering that for an entire year equals $6760. That's a NICE vacation somewhere! Now, I don't claim to not eat out, because we do. But being aware of the overall cost to eat out is important! I cook mainly from scratch but certainly not everything. We, as a country are so fortunate- so fortunate that 'convenience' items have moved into the necessity category because we would be lost without them and "we just don't have time." However, a little planning goes a LONG way. And your body will thank you!
Let's look at the money you could save by cooking at home (with eating dinner out two times a month): 65 x 2= 130 per month x 12= $1560. Cost of food (excellent quality) for two weeks of food for a family of four =$250. $250 x 26 weeks = 6500. Therefore, it would cost 6500+1560=$8060 per year to eat great, healthy, quality home cooked food with eating out 2 times a month for dinner. 
Now let's figure it with eating out two times a week: if we spend 250 per two weeks on groceries 250/14=$17.85 per day to cook at home. 17.85 X 5 nights a week STAY WITH ME... = $90. 52 (weeks in a year) x 90 = $4680 + 6760 (eating out 2 times a week per year)= $11,440. Saving you roughly $3400 a year. By not changing much, you can save quite a bit. Many people wonder where their money goes or why it goes so quickly, it's because we spend so much of it on convenience, and yes, it's worth it every now and again, or 2 times a month but its certainly worth it to scale back for other endeavors like retirement, college funds, travel etc. Take that $3400 a year and stash it into a ROTH IRA and you'll be saving tons and gaining for a cush-ier tax free retirement.
Take a look at your personal areas where you cut costs. Are you cutting them in the right areas? "Oh, I'll just grab this cheap bottle of lotion full of chemicals (enter your poison here), that I cover my SKIN in" instead of finding  something that lasts twice as long and all natural. All while rushing through the checkout so we can make it to the hair appointment that will cost us $130 every 6-8 weeks.  Why is it we scrimp on some items that should mean so much while splurging in other areas that mean nothing or do not last very long? Sure, it's instant gratification and that is certainly how we have been programmed or more appropriately, conditioned to be like. Look at every commercial you have been exposed to (or worse, your children). You need it, it's the coolest, it tastes the best (mind you, no fast food commercial says its the best for you), and now you want it. It's almost a sickness, a sickness I am not above by any means, but am trying to be cognizant of.
In my quest to become more self-reliant, I have established some items now that I consider luxury items. They include: paper towels, paper plates (anything paper that you just throw away), 4 different types of shampoos and conditioners (GUILTY!), nail polishes in 20 different shades of red (guilty again), pre-made food/snack items, GMO cold cereals (yep, said it), pre-packaged fruits and anything that comes in pre-packaged little dishes that get thrown out.
Things I've been working on over the years to reduce costs and improve my family's health. This isn't a new concept for me and been in motion for awhile. I add new things every year: less paper items, budget/meal plan for dinners and lunches, plant a garden, start raising meat, thrift shop (SO FREAKIN FUN), and highlight my own hair (yes, at first this was disastrous but I've finally got it down. My husband still thinks its funny to remind me of looking like Denise the Menace), make some of my own body prodcuts, craigslist for any items extra I would like- for example beer fridge, arts and craft table etc. There are so many things I am incorporating into my life to save money for the future and honestly, since I've started it's been so worth it in the financial aspect but also because it give me a sense of accomplishment and it's fun. I must say as well, sometimes we try something and it doesn't quite work out to what we thought it might. And saving a few pennies or dollars isn't worth the extra trouble on some items. But trying it is part of the journey and you can pick and chose what works for you and your family. If you can impact one area, that's huge!
Got questions on how or areas that you think you could save? Leave a comment!

My ladies are feathering out nicely and are in need of some more room. My husband made them a nice area in our garage corner to spread out and stretch their legs. We think this will be a great transition to the outdoors. Their lights will still be on them, but at least have area to roam around a bit and do their chicken stuff. It's really cute too, my husband (who was kind of reluctant to getting chickens) has made friends with one of the buff orphingtons. He goes out there and pets her and she talks and cackles to him.

I really got sick of Lola's cage or kennel in our room. It looked, well not so pretty and it was getting to be uncomfortable for her. The sound of her 'redecorating' everynight at 2, 3, 4 am was quite annoying. So, with pallets we decided to make Lola a custom bed. Literally, she has not gotten out since we showed it to her. With a little custom upholtery fabric, it's complete.
Blows my mind that PetSmart wants $89.99 for a cheapo, tiny bit of stuffing, medium size dog bed with no frame that dogs love to chew up cause let's face it, they think it's ugly.