Great musings, like always! I wish I had something smart to add to the conversation, but I'm a little too tired. Instead, I have a (not serious) question. How do you manage dinner time so your little ones don't need another bath after?!? Dinner with our 15 month old is so chaotic that we have it right before bath time.
Also, I really enjoyed your conversation with Kerri Christopher this week and I am so excited for your podcast with Katherine Johnson Martinko next week!
Ha, Cristina, good question! Well, we probably couldn't have done it even a few months ago but we seem to have entered a phase where the 18 month old *mostly* refrains from throwing too much food on herself. So for the moment the bath works well.. It also works with our timeline because we go down to the barn around 530 and my toddler always gets SOAKED playing in buckets so a bath is just a necessity!
Thanks so much for tuning into the podcast! I'm so excited to share Katherine's interview, she is just so smart on these tough topics!
Is anyone going to dispute the goat cheese claim? Not I!! It’s a bit of a unicorn because it can be enjoyed on its own, and both with savoury and sweet foods. *dreamy*
I'm so honored by the share, Katie. Thank you so much. Incidentally, I'm currently reading "A Wrinkle in Time" for the first time ever. I keep thinking how much I would've adored it as a kid.
Thank YOU Heather for sharing your beautiful words with us! I'm so excited for you experiencing 'A Wrinkle in Time' for the first time. I think I still feel so much like Meg Murry on the inside much of the time!
I really enjoyed these musings (and have been listening to your podcast since discovering it recently: it’s wonderful!). I love the *Wrinkle in Time* series, but my favorites are actually *Many Waters* and *An Acceptable Time*…maybe because I tend to enjoy historical fiction more than sci-fi? In any case, I hadn’t heard of the other book about the O’Keefes, so I’ll have to read that one. Thanks for the rec!
Thanks so much Christina and I'm so glad you are enjoying the podcast! I also really liked An Acceptable Time and Many Waters for similar reasons -- I'm definitely more a historical fiction person than sci-fi, though L'Engle's curiosity about science/space/concepts I can't pronounce is contagious :)
Loved reading your thoughts! That trial and error life of homesteading is real. Ask me how many chickens we’ve lost due to predation/human error (too many). But, as you said, learning to do things right even when it’s hard and slow and risky is so worth it. I have kids similar ages and I’m with you on both how much fun they are to be around, and how over stimulated I can be. I carry my reading books and a craft around the house with me and whenever I can snatch a few minutes to work on them-and those breaks are necessary to getting me through the day/recharging me. My husband joked yesterday I should get a mini butler cart to make transporting all my random things easier
Thanks Elise!! Glad to know we're in this together, just trudging along, trial and error! We have so many foxes here I haven't attempted chickens, though our neighbors have kept theirs + their ducks *mostly* alive. I love the idea of a butler cart :) keep those mind-saving crafts/books handy!
It’s one of the joys of Substack-finding others trying to live that life and muddling along like we are. We have quite the variety of predators and had to go full cage eventually. And yes!
Great reflections! But I just have to say I disagree about the Olympics streaming. For our family, it was awesome to find random events we wanted to check out, and then watch more if we wanted to. For example, my husband and I both discovered we LOVE watching the surfing. It was so restful and the location was so beautiful. And because of streaming, we were able to watch every single heat of the event. We also enjoyed the opportunity to check out the less well-known events that don't make it to primetime.
That totally makes sense Angela! And the streaming option definitely did help me find sports I wanted to watch that definitely wouldn't have been on primetime (I enjoyed the surfing too!) And I could watch all my equestrian feeds in one place, which is great. I guess more what I'm saying is it all lost a lot of 'suspense' but it definitely was still fun to watch :)
Katie, what a lovely, lively post! It is so rich, thoughtful, and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your recommendations. I now have a checklist for a good life. I’m deeply honored that you mentioned my post.
(sorry I sent the above message before it was finished, but Writer, interrupted is the name of my Stack as well as the story of my life😊). I’m just delighted that I found you here. Thank you for finding me! 🙏🫶
Mary, thank you for these kind words! I believe it was Ann Kennedy Smith (such a fan of hers!) who shared your work on Notes originally. I've perused much of your archive and am so moved by your story and the beauty of your writing. Thank you for putting it out there, and I'm so glad to have you following along here as well!
Katie, you are so kind. Ann was one of my first pledged subscribers, right after I started posting in November 2023. She is incredible. It was a huge boost to my confidence, and a real blessing, especially as I started from zero. Your story is so intriguing. I can’t wait to read more. Again, thank you for honoring me with the link.🫶
Great musings, like always! I wish I had something smart to add to the conversation, but I'm a little too tired. Instead, I have a (not serious) question. How do you manage dinner time so your little ones don't need another bath after?!? Dinner with our 15 month old is so chaotic that we have it right before bath time.
Also, I really enjoyed your conversation with Kerri Christopher this week and I am so excited for your podcast with Katherine Johnson Martinko next week!
Ha, Cristina, good question! Well, we probably couldn't have done it even a few months ago but we seem to have entered a phase where the 18 month old *mostly* refrains from throwing too much food on herself. So for the moment the bath works well.. It also works with our timeline because we go down to the barn around 530 and my toddler always gets SOAKED playing in buckets so a bath is just a necessity!
Thanks so much for tuning into the podcast! I'm so excited to share Katherine's interview, she is just so smart on these tough topics!
Is anyone going to dispute the goat cheese claim? Not I!! It’s a bit of a unicorn because it can be enjoyed on its own, and both with savoury and sweet foods. *dreamy*
Yes! So true - some honey on goat cheese...amazing. In something savory? Perfection. You can't go wrong.
I'm so honored by the share, Katie. Thank you so much. Incidentally, I'm currently reading "A Wrinkle in Time" for the first time ever. I keep thinking how much I would've adored it as a kid.
Thank YOU Heather for sharing your beautiful words with us! I'm so excited for you experiencing 'A Wrinkle in Time' for the first time. I think I still feel so much like Meg Murry on the inside much of the time!
I really enjoyed these musings (and have been listening to your podcast since discovering it recently: it’s wonderful!). I love the *Wrinkle in Time* series, but my favorites are actually *Many Waters* and *An Acceptable Time*…maybe because I tend to enjoy historical fiction more than sci-fi? In any case, I hadn’t heard of the other book about the O’Keefes, so I’ll have to read that one. Thanks for the rec!
Thanks so much Christina and I'm so glad you are enjoying the podcast! I also really liked An Acceptable Time and Many Waters for similar reasons -- I'm definitely more a historical fiction person than sci-fi, though L'Engle's curiosity about science/space/concepts I can't pronounce is contagious :)
Loved reading your thoughts! That trial and error life of homesteading is real. Ask me how many chickens we’ve lost due to predation/human error (too many). But, as you said, learning to do things right even when it’s hard and slow and risky is so worth it. I have kids similar ages and I’m with you on both how much fun they are to be around, and how over stimulated I can be. I carry my reading books and a craft around the house with me and whenever I can snatch a few minutes to work on them-and those breaks are necessary to getting me through the day/recharging me. My husband joked yesterday I should get a mini butler cart to make transporting all my random things easier
Thanks Elise!! Glad to know we're in this together, just trudging along, trial and error! We have so many foxes here I haven't attempted chickens, though our neighbors have kept theirs + their ducks *mostly* alive. I love the idea of a butler cart :) keep those mind-saving crafts/books handy!
It’s one of the joys of Substack-finding others trying to live that life and muddling along like we are. We have quite the variety of predators and had to go full cage eventually. And yes!
Great reflections! But I just have to say I disagree about the Olympics streaming. For our family, it was awesome to find random events we wanted to check out, and then watch more if we wanted to. For example, my husband and I both discovered we LOVE watching the surfing. It was so restful and the location was so beautiful. And because of streaming, we were able to watch every single heat of the event. We also enjoyed the opportunity to check out the less well-known events that don't make it to primetime.
That totally makes sense Angela! And the streaming option definitely did help me find sports I wanted to watch that definitely wouldn't have been on primetime (I enjoyed the surfing too!) And I could watch all my equestrian feeds in one place, which is great. I guess more what I'm saying is it all lost a lot of 'suspense' but it definitely was still fun to watch :)
Katie, what a lovely, lively post! It is so rich, thoughtful, and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your recommendations. I now have a checklist for a good life. I’m deeply honored that you mentioned my post.
(sorry I sent the above message before it was finished, but Writer, interrupted is the name of my Stack as well as the story of my life😊). I’m just delighted that I found you here. Thank you for finding me! 🙏🫶
Mary, thank you for these kind words! I believe it was Ann Kennedy Smith (such a fan of hers!) who shared your work on Notes originally. I've perused much of your archive and am so moved by your story and the beauty of your writing. Thank you for putting it out there, and I'm so glad to have you following along here as well!
Katie, you are so kind. Ann was one of my first pledged subscribers, right after I started posting in November 2023. She is incredible. It was a huge boost to my confidence, and a real blessing, especially as I started from zero. Your story is so intriguing. I can’t wait to read more. Again, thank you for honoring me with the link.🫶