"Our time to live in the moment, taking guidance from our hearts, our minds, and our bellies".
Home, work, family, farm, community. These are the things that come together to form my current memories of this time in my life. They work together, they are one with me. This is very different from my former path where work happened away from home. Home was a place to escape work and work was a place to provide for those at home. I was seeking balance at that time, something that would allow me the comfort of home and the provider that is work...and I'm not just talking about providing income and financial structure, but also providing purpose, social interactions, leadership opportunities and skill building. I was yearning to go all in as an artist while purposefully creating something that would provide for me and my family. From the depths of these dreams, our business was built within the home.
Working from home is continually rewarding and challenging. Everyday I sanitize the kitchen to make our high quality products in a safe environment, and everyday I clean up from that hoping to avoid the ever-present flavor of soap in our dinners. As much as some days I wish I could just sit on the couch and watch the "Price is Right", I usually end up only getting to glance it from the kitchen. Even with the hustle and bustle this holiday season presented for us at YB Urban?, it's still hard to let it go, but we did! And it was awesome.
Every year since we started our homestead we've taken 2 weeks of vacation from all of our activities except everyday life...the chickens just won't feed themselves. During this time there is no grading for Chris, no labeling for me, no math for Kai, and no tests for Ani. This year was especially blissful once I put my email in vacation mode and got into creating some new holiday traditions and enjoying those we do every year. We decided this year to allow everyone to open one gift each day from the day the kids got out of school until Christmas Eve, when we open the rest of them. This was AWESOME! I can't believe we haven't done it before! What I loved most about this was that we got to enjoy a gift each day individually. The second day Kai got a new board game and we played it together all afternoon while eating the chocolate coins Chris and I both received. That night Ani snuggled up in her new sleeping bag and we all enjoyed the slippers we had opened the day before. By the time Christmas Eve arrived, we had less gifts to open, and had time to focus more on each one. It was really lovely.
Working from home is continually rewarding and challenging. Everyday I sanitize the kitchen to make our high quality products in a safe environment, and everyday I clean up from that hoping to avoid the ever-present flavor of soap in our dinners. As much as some days I wish I could just sit on the couch and watch the "Price is Right", I usually end up only getting to glance it from the kitchen. Even with the hustle and bustle this holiday season presented for us at YB Urban?, it's still hard to let it go, but we did! And it was awesome.
Every year since we started our homestead we've taken 2 weeks of vacation from all of our activities except everyday life...the chickens just won't feed themselves. During this time there is no grading for Chris, no labeling for me, no math for Kai, and no tests for Ani. This year was especially blissful once I put my email in vacation mode and got into creating some new holiday traditions and enjoying those we do every year. We decided this year to allow everyone to open one gift each day from the day the kids got out of school until Christmas Eve, when we open the rest of them. This was AWESOME! I can't believe we haven't done it before! What I loved most about this was that we got to enjoy a gift each day individually. The second day Kai got a new board game and we played it together all afternoon while eating the chocolate coins Chris and I both received. That night Ani snuggled up in her new sleeping bag and we all enjoyed the slippers we had opened the day before. By the time Christmas Eve arrived, we had less gifts to open, and had time to focus more on each one. It was really lovely.
Ever since I was 13 my family has made pizza from scratch as our Christmas Eve dinner. We'd choose toppings, make the crust, and prepare the pizzas. While they were in the oven, with my brother, Joe, leading the chant "PRESENTS, PRESENTS", we would open presents. Somewhere during that time the pizzas would be done, and we would leave them to cool. Once presents were done being opened, we would all sit together and eat pizza. We have incorporated this tradition into our family, as well. This year, Chris outdid himself on a crust that he babied all day, through each rising, punching, and finally spreading in the pan. We all got a quarter section of the pizza to top any way we wanted. Ani loves shrimp and had shrimp on her pizza for the first time earlier this year, so Chris and I joined that bandwagon and had shrimp pizza for the first time!
We spent a day here making cookies, and a day there baking bread. We took a trip up to Duluth, and then to Babbitt and Ely. My grandpa turned 98 this year and I try to see him as often as I can, even if the temps are 25 below zero with a negative 45 wind chill. My dad was able to come home from the hospital for Christmas, and we were grateful to be there with him and mom for a few days as they get used to life again after enduring much this year from complications to dad's diabetes. We are reminded not to take the lives of our older loved ones for granted, but also not to take the time of our lives for granted. Slowing down now allows us to make those memories that will follow us through future Christmases.
It wasn't easy during this time to not think about working, about business. It's a part of us, not just somewhere we go to make money. It's become like glorious clockwork the way all parts of life come together on a homestead and work seamlessly. Certain times of the year, though, it becomes apparent one is taking some precedence over the others. It is then that we intentionally slow down, purposefully live in the moment. No plans, no alarms. Listening only to the belly, the brain, and the heart.
It wasn't easy during this time to not think about working, about business. It's a part of us, not just somewhere we go to make money. It's become like glorious clockwork the way all parts of life come together on a homestead and work seamlessly. Certain times of the year, though, it becomes apparent one is taking some precedence over the others. It is then that we intentionally slow down, purposefully live in the moment. No plans, no alarms. Listening only to the belly, the brain, and the heart.
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