About Me, What I'm Doing, and Why.....
Hi! I'm Cindy, an ordinary mum living in small-town New Zealand with my darling husband of 26 years. We have 5 children, whom I have homeschooled for the last 20 years. They are now ages 16-24, and at the time of writing this in Jan 2016, three of them still live at home, but they are all so busy with their individual work and study that most of the homesteading tasks fall to me, with a little help now and then.
As I mentioned on the home page, we're aiming to live as self-sufficiently and cheaply as possible. This is complicated by the fact that my kids and I have multiple food allergies and intolerances and I have an auto-immune disease. This means we have to eat well and carefully, and can't just pick the cheapest foods out there, most of which are far from healthy! As well as living more self-sufficiently, I'm aiming to build our health and for me to lose weight, but eating seasonally and well.
In thinking about HOW to live the way we're aiming for, I find I have to first prioritize what matters most to me, and what I'm willing to be flexible on. These decisions are influenced by what I believe about faith, life, people and the world in which we live. Let me share with you a summary of those beliefs. If yours are different, I'm sure we can still find some common ground, and respect each other's differences.
I am a Christian - this means I believe that Jesus is the son of God who died and rose again, saves me from my sin because I have trusted in Him, and who walks with me through my life, able to help, heal, and provide.
I believe God has provided this earth for our enjoyment and provision, and that He gives man dominion over the earth. To me, this means that we should respect the earth, but not worship it, care for it and the people and animals upon it, and work to use it well, producing food, enjoying nature, and avoiding unnecessary damage.
I believe that this earth is only our temporary home, for as long as we live or until Jesus returns. We should be good stewards of it, but people come first. This means I look to ways to take less from the earth, but at the same time I believe in balance - not making life so hard for ourselves that we become martyrs to the ideas we hold. Sometimes that means compromise - ideally I would love to live without plastic, for example, but finances and other restrictions mean that there are likely to be some plastics in my life, though I may find ways to slowly reduce them.
I believe that the more we are able to provide for ourselves (with God's help), and not rely on industry or government to meet our basic needs, the better off we will be. All people should know how to grow or raise at least some of their own food, plan menus and finances to make best use of what is available, do some basic DIY to build or maintain the things the need, and at least consider other possibilities such as self-sufficiency in power, water, firewood etc.
I believe we would all be a lot happier with a lot less STUFF clogging up our homes and lives. Living in chaos creates stress and time struggles, and makes everything else way harder!
I believe in striving to be the best steward of our resources I can be - using money wisely, caring for our necessary possessions so they last, sharing our excess with others, learning how to be as thrifty as possible.
And I believe all this should be FUN! Life is supposed to be joyful. Sure, self-sufficiency is hard work, and life is often full of struggles. But through it all, there should be laughter and joy. If living this way turns me into a grumpy old sourpuss, I'm doing it wrong! I know my own limitations - especially with my health struggles. Therefore I endeavour to pace myself, ensure I get enough rest, and take things one step at a time. The work I don't get done today will still be there tomorrow.
Ok, so honestly, I've been known to take on way more projects that the average human should consider, and I've been called "Super Mum" (even the newspaper used that in the title of an article about me). But really, I'm just your average woman with too much to do and too little time. Actually, I refuse to be superwoman - she's a myth. I tried to be her once. That ended in exhaustion and depression. Not going there again!
I hope you enjoy my website, in which I attempt to hold myself accountable, share my experiences (for better or worse!), share ideas and skills, and offer encouragement and hopefully some laughs along the way!
As I mentioned on the home page, we're aiming to live as self-sufficiently and cheaply as possible. This is complicated by the fact that my kids and I have multiple food allergies and intolerances and I have an auto-immune disease. This means we have to eat well and carefully, and can't just pick the cheapest foods out there, most of which are far from healthy! As well as living more self-sufficiently, I'm aiming to build our health and for me to lose weight, but eating seasonally and well.
In thinking about HOW to live the way we're aiming for, I find I have to first prioritize what matters most to me, and what I'm willing to be flexible on. These decisions are influenced by what I believe about faith, life, people and the world in which we live. Let me share with you a summary of those beliefs. If yours are different, I'm sure we can still find some common ground, and respect each other's differences.
I am a Christian - this means I believe that Jesus is the son of God who died and rose again, saves me from my sin because I have trusted in Him, and who walks with me through my life, able to help, heal, and provide.
I believe God has provided this earth for our enjoyment and provision, and that He gives man dominion over the earth. To me, this means that we should respect the earth, but not worship it, care for it and the people and animals upon it, and work to use it well, producing food, enjoying nature, and avoiding unnecessary damage.
I believe that this earth is only our temporary home, for as long as we live or until Jesus returns. We should be good stewards of it, but people come first. This means I look to ways to take less from the earth, but at the same time I believe in balance - not making life so hard for ourselves that we become martyrs to the ideas we hold. Sometimes that means compromise - ideally I would love to live without plastic, for example, but finances and other restrictions mean that there are likely to be some plastics in my life, though I may find ways to slowly reduce them.
I believe that the more we are able to provide for ourselves (with God's help), and not rely on industry or government to meet our basic needs, the better off we will be. All people should know how to grow or raise at least some of their own food, plan menus and finances to make best use of what is available, do some basic DIY to build or maintain the things the need, and at least consider other possibilities such as self-sufficiency in power, water, firewood etc.
I believe we would all be a lot happier with a lot less STUFF clogging up our homes and lives. Living in chaos creates stress and time struggles, and makes everything else way harder!
I believe in striving to be the best steward of our resources I can be - using money wisely, caring for our necessary possessions so they last, sharing our excess with others, learning how to be as thrifty as possible.
And I believe all this should be FUN! Life is supposed to be joyful. Sure, self-sufficiency is hard work, and life is often full of struggles. But through it all, there should be laughter and joy. If living this way turns me into a grumpy old sourpuss, I'm doing it wrong! I know my own limitations - especially with my health struggles. Therefore I endeavour to pace myself, ensure I get enough rest, and take things one step at a time. The work I don't get done today will still be there tomorrow.
Ok, so honestly, I've been known to take on way more projects that the average human should consider, and I've been called "Super Mum" (even the newspaper used that in the title of an article about me). But really, I'm just your average woman with too much to do and too little time. Actually, I refuse to be superwoman - she's a myth. I tried to be her once. That ended in exhaustion and depression. Not going there again!
I hope you enjoy my website, in which I attempt to hold myself accountable, share my experiences (for better or worse!), share ideas and skills, and offer encouragement and hopefully some laughs along the way!
Disclaimer:
I'm a wife and mother sharing my own journey and what works for me. Nothing on this website is intended to take the place of the advice of health (or other) professionals. Please use your own common sense when deciding what to try at home (at your own risk), and consult a doctor if you have medical needs.
Note: I hate disclaimers, but in this modern day and age they seem to be necessary! :-(
Note: I hate disclaimers, but in this modern day and age they seem to be necessary! :-(
