Hey friends, how’s the week going? You know, I’m just over here still pregnant. 39 weeks and 4 days to be exact, but who’s counting? ha. I’m very grateful that I haven’t been induced yet and I’m trying to enjoy these baby kicks while I still can.
I’ve had some people message me on Instagram about starting a homestead, but the timing is never right. Maybe you’ve been dreaming about chickens and goats or you want to start a garden, but you’re waiting for the “right time”. Friends, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the “right time” doesn’t exist.
Moving to the Farm
Ben and I were talking a few weeks ago about how our timing is really awful. Our 3 year wedding anniversary is next week (what?!) and it’s crazy to think about how much has happened in such a short period of time.
Even before we got married, Ben talked about moving to the family farm someday. “Someday” felt like a lifetime away. Ben’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly, so we needed to make a decision about moving to the farm ASAP. The timing was far from ideal and I was really worried that I would hate farm life, but we decided to go for it. We sold our house (to my sister!) and moved to the farm weeks before our wedding.
When the Timing isn’t Right
The farmhouse was in really rough shape, but we weren’t in a huge rush to remodel. We decided to live in the house for a while “as is” before diving into construction. We just finished remodeling and flipping our previous house, so the idea of living through construction again didn’t sound very appealing.
But then our kitchen and living room flooded, which left us with significant damage. And then within just a few months of being married, I got pregnant. We clearly needed to expedite the remodeling agenda. Ben and his dad started developing construction plans and we moved into an apartment. We moved back into the farmhouse just a few short weeks before I delivered our first baby. (We lived in three different throughout my pregnancy!) We didn’t time things perfectly, but we made it work.
And Then Came Pregnancy #2…
I’m a bit of a control freak (sorry Ben). I obsessively write to-do lists and live by my daily planner, so it’s no surprise that I spent a lot of time planning for baby #2. We knew that we wanted our daughter to be at least 2 years old by the time we had a second baby, and we also had a few upcoming summer weddings and events that we needed to plan for accordingly. I remember sitting down with Ben and writing down exactly when we could start trying for baby #2.
We were fortunate to get pregnant quickly again and I thought that my due date was perfect timing – our daughter would be just over 2 years old and it didn’t interfere with summer obligations. Even though we spent so much time planning for baby #2, looking back the timing didn’t really matter. Summer plans fell through and our toddler would have adjusted either way, but it’s hard to let go of control when it comes to planning for major life events, isn’t it?
(As a side note, pregnancy #2 coincided with our frenchie, Henry’s, MRSP diagnosis. The day before I got a positive pregnancy test, my OB advised me to hold off on getting pregnant. It was just a precaution, but talk about the worst timing ever!)
Starting a Homestead
Right when life starts to feel “comfortable”, we tend to tackle something new. When Ben and I were in the middle of remodeling the farmhouse, I always looked forward to the time when life would slow down. Now I’m starting to realize that the crazy times are also the best times.
Our timing for starting a homestead was really awful. Not only was I was newly pregnant, but we also had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Rather than waiting for the “right time” to start a homestead, we decided to impulsively go for it. Plus, the idea of growing our own food, collecting fresh eggs daily, and milking goats sounded pretty awesome.
We’re a few months into this homesteading adventure and I’m so grateful that we just went for it. Because let’s be honest, would it ever be the right time anyway?
Starting a Homestead: Questions
Have you ever thought about starting a homestead? Is there anything you want to do but you’ve been waiting for the “right time”?
Alright friends, I’m off to another OB appointment this afternoon. I’ll update Instagram stories this weekend with farm fun and baby watch updates! 🙂