Homestead

We Put a Bed in our Living Room and Here’s What Happened

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We’re still renovating our farm and our house, and our current big project is putting a bathroom in the master bedroom. There’s a lot going on in there. Plumbing, tile, demo. The works! Nate and I can’t sleep in there while all that’s going down, so we had to find an alternative. We thought about sleeping in one of our offices (too close to the back door), the playroom (too messy) and the boys’ room (too stinky). The solution? Putting a bed in our living room.

How to Fuel a Spouse who works a Shift Schedule

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I’ve mentioned a time or two that Nate works a shift schedule in his role as an emergency first responder for the county. He’s on for 12 hour blocks, three or four days per week, with overtime often adding up to 20 extra hours weekly.

Navigating the First Day of Childcare with an Energetic Kid

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The first day of childcare with my first son was fairly typical. I’d read numerous studies about the benefits of childcare (I’m a former elementary school teacher, after all) and I knew that socialization would do him good. We started with a half day for practice, we implemented a brief goodbye routine, I sent him in with a lovey from home and tried to act super-confident before secretly dashing to the car and loudly sobbing about my baby growing up. My second son’s transition was similar.

And then came child number three.

Voice control TV

How to Voice Control your TV with DISH and Amazon Alexa

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Christmas has come and gone. You’ve got all sorts of fun new technology itching to get out of the box and get put to good use! We’re here to help, with quick and easy rundowns of all our favorite new smart home gear to get your New Year house ALL jazzed up. First on the list? Amazon Alexa and her best pal, DISH. Oh yeah, these two pieces of tech mastery play super well together.

Purpose

Word of the Year: Purpose

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It’s time for our word of the year! You may recall that Nate and I always pick a word of the year that comes from a bible verse that speaks to us. There’s always a specific word or short phrase that jumps out at us, and we usually do a little craft or make a frame to display that passage in our home. We keep it in our hearts to guide our decision-making from month-to-month. This practice has had a massive impact on our lives.

Learn from farmers

7 Things I’ve Learned from Farmers

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I’ve received a couple messages on Instagram lately asking what my DEAL is with farmers. “Are you a farm family?” one curious follower asked. “I’ve noticed you post pictures of goats and tractors, but you also travel a bunch soooo I’m wondering how that works.” It’s true that my love of homesteading and my love of travel are in direct competition with one another. Such is life when you’re the daughter of a flight attendant and grew up in a farming neighborhood!

Nintendo for the whole family

Three Benefits of the Nintendo Switch for Young Children

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Life is an adventure that is full of many twists, turns, lessons, hardships and joys. Hopefully, the overall net result is something that leaves one satisfied and fulfilled. Some vest their value in family and some find their pursuits aimed at the overall experience. Some seem to wander aimlessly while others are driven toward something great. I went to high school with plenty of aimless wanderers. They bounce off a lot of things.

How to (Quickly) Decorate around a Hot Tub

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Awhile back, we told you all how we installed our own hot tub. As we explained then, it was kind a sudden swap-out. We were expecting some huge endeavor, so we kept putting it off. When the time came, though, we were surprised at how simple it was! It arrived, got plugged in, and was ready for action within hours. The only thing left to think about was how to make this oh-so-luxurious hot tub fit in with our farm house vibe.

This Amazing Outdoor Laundry Shed keeps Grime at Bay

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The outdoor laundry room we’ve been working on for months is finally done! I’m utterly smitten with this new area of our home, and it’s quickly become the command center for all of our family’s activity. We pass by this room on our way in and out. It helps us keep all the dirt and grime where it belongs as opposed to getting tracked in the house on its way to the sanitation station!

This Smart Wi-Fi Hub helps connect ALL the things

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This time of year is no joke. So much running around and things to do. Not gonna lie, you guys, I’ve been STRESSED! As I always do when things get overwhelming, though, I’ve taken a nice big step backwards and looked for inefficiencies that I can rectify. Where am I spinning my wheels? What minor, aggravating tasks are eating away at my day? I realized that we’ve become heavily reliant on tech as a family, but we were missing a smart home controller to bring everything together and minimize friction.

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