*Planting a garden, Planting a garden*

We just recently moved to get more off "the grid" and we are taking the first, albeit, baby steps towards living our more natural, anti-mainstream life. Even though we practice several non-mainstream {or as we call them here on AMM anti-mainstream} we are always looking to increase what we do and raise our children cleaner. One of these ventures is in our family garden this year. Combined with the produce we produce, the access we have to local grass-fed meats and living right outside an Amish community we will have a plethora of other fruits and veggies to sustain us for the summer/fall months not to mention being able to store for winter.

Our garden plots. Aside from these two SFG boxes we have 4 large drums that we are going to grow crops in.

Our goal is to produce enough to feed us for most of our summer/fall dinners and put away what we can. By doing this we picked the vegetables our kids like the most and what we eat most frequently. Our kids are different than most. Broccoli is actually their favorite! Not that I'm complaining.

Our large bed has a trellis for some of our vine plants.

So what are we growing?

3 Broccoli
20 Green Onion Plants
18 Green Bean Plants
8 Spinach Plants
Mixed Greens (Mescalin Blend)
Black Seed Lettuce
Butter Lettuce
4 Cucumbers
4 Summer (Yellow) Squash
4 Acorn Squash
4 Zucchini
4 Watermelon
4 Cantaloupe
4 Tomato
4 Bell Peppers
Countless Carrots 
Assorted Herbs (Chives, Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, Parsley, etc.)


We are pretty excited for growing our garden. Even started it before the New Moon so it would grow in favor with the moon cycle. We are very excited and can barely contain our joy to see what lessons growing a garden brings for us. 

And I think our garden was greeted with lots and lots of rain! I'm taking it as a sign of good fortune. 

So what are you growing?


Hugs & Coffee, 
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom
Please join the conversation over on Facebook!

  

Coffee Musings

I'm thinking of starting a new theme. Friday Coffee Musings. Just things that have randomly come into my head, heart or life in the last week. Just leave them to be pondered or even chuckled at. So grab your coffee -mines an Organic Kona Blend with Organic Coconut Milk Creamer (Vanilla) and Sugar- what's yours?

This week has shown me a few things.

I'm horrible at keeping my schedule and word. It's not that I intentionally blow people off, but I get lazy or stuck in a mindset that breaking it will be the curse of me. I really need to work on this. Focus and direct my energies where they need to be directed. Follow through. Respect myself and others enough to stay on top of my goal. 

How evil are "comfort foods" from your childhood. Like pizza rolls. Why is it that they are so yummy and ruin ever single goal I had set for myself this week to eat clean? Why were they even invented. Just to bring demise to our health? It really isn't fair.... nom, nom, nom. 

No matter how small my lap is, I can get both kids on it at the same time and love them both equally. Even if we look like a Tetris game-board. It is worth it and I can feel a noticeable difference in my stress level after just getting on the floor and loving on them. 

Little Row can talk. She just refuses to. This was proven when she was singing along with a song on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood or Little Einsteins. The stinker... she's been holding out all along. 

Noah can officially count to 20, again, when he wants to. You have to wait until he thinks you aren't paying attention and then he'll do it. Same for writing his name, identifying his ABCs and more. Stinker status too.

I am so excited to save up the money and join a certain birth movement. It came to my attention about a month ago and no one else I knew had liked it. Now I know 15 other friend like it. It was a nice feeling to be the first. It won't compare to the feeling when I'm the first certified in it in our area! Come on money!!! I need to attend two births to have enough money to attend!

I like this. It feels purging. And nice to randomly put my thoughts down. Word Vomit of sorts. Thanks for reading. So..... tell me.....

What kind of coffee are you drinking and what musings did you have this week? 



Hugs & Coffee, 
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom
Join the conversation over on Facebook!

Simplifying our Wardrobe: The Purge (Pt 1)

We are getting ready for a big change. A change that involves less closet space. And we are very excited about the prospect that it brings. But there is one little hitch. There will not be enough room to keep what is considered a full wardrobe for all of us. Which is okay, I'm tired of all the laundry anyway. So we are downsizing. 

"The Purge" as you've noticed it being called has started. I've sorted about 10 baskets full of laundry already. (See, told you we have a lot of clothes.) I probably have about 10 more to do as well. Plus bedding. This is getting fun.

Fun? Yes fun. Because we are making it fun. I ask my son if he wants to keep something or send it off into the Universe. We aren't just purging and throwing away. Or even selling. We are going to be giving all our kids clothes to a great inner city organization. Because coming from our homeless and in desperate need background, we know the value simple things hold. And I don't even want my kids to forget that! 

This is proving to be an exercise in learning what are wants and needs. Because we may want to keep all our favorite t'shirts, but we don't need too. And any that are stained and are not going to be able to be used my the groups we are donating to, I plan to turn them into fun little blankets. It will be a great memory and have a practical, new use in our home. 

Now on to what are we keeping.
Each family member will have their wardrobe. I will have 2. (One is a set of work clothes, the rest are home/daily clothes.) 

3 pairs of short
3 pairs of jeans/khaki's/etc.
10 t'shirts-6 short sleeve/3 long sleeve
3 pairs of sweats/house pants
3 pajamas
1 dress up outfit (for church, weddings, etc.)
1 jacket
1 sweater
1 winter coat

for the girls only
3 skirts
3 dresses
3 pairs of tights


I will not be getting rid of any socks or under wear or under shirts. We will be keeping all of those. Because with little kids, sometimes you go through lots of socks and underwear!

This is going to be an exercise in frugality. And picking our favorites to keep. I plan on keeping some extras in storage in case we need them. But for the most part we plan on relying on just what I will have on hand.  This is going to end up being an exercise in patience and all of us picking what we really love most. All clothes have to be versatile, strong, clean and  practical.

Do you think you could slim your wardrobe down? Would it be easy or hard? 

Hugs & Coffee, 
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom
Please take a moment to join in on the conversation on Facebook!