| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 14 2011 : 2:38:50 PM
Is there a badge for learning to blog?
I am on a huge quest--farm girl style of course. I am currently 5 months pregnant with our sixth baby! While we feel blessed and welcome this baby with open arms, the financial timing wasn’t exactly opportune. Therefore this baby’s preparation and arrival will be just about completely “homemade”. I am planning my first homebirth--what began for financial reasons I learned to appreciate the beauty behind this grass roots movement of birthing at home. Not to mention I’ve met some incredible women with farm girl-like qualities who like living green and making everything from cheese and yogurt to cloth diapers from scratch, which I appreciate and admire. I had an idea for a Merit Badge Project fro myself. (My motto for this project, “Blessed are the poor, it provides opportunity to hone their farm girls skills!” lol) This whole experience is new me. I am learning as I go, from other ladies, books, and researching. As I prepare for the birth of this baby I am/will be collecting many merit badges--learning and honing my farm girl skills:
1. Sewing, crocheting, knitting: a baby quilt, baby clothes, baby items, etc.
2. Green cleaning: in preparing for my homebirth I will be giving my house a thorough scrub down--using my green cleaning products (homemade where applicable), of course.
3.Organic eating- prenatal, afterwards while I am breastfeeding, then learning to make my own homemade, organic baby foods.
4.Crafting: decorating the nursery area with handcrafted décor.
5. Scrapbooking as I record this journey.
6. Photography.
These are just some of the skills I’ll be accomplishing. Plus other farm girl admired attributes like resourcefulness and thriftiness: things like thrift store shopping for maternity clothes (you‘d think I be stocked but I always donate my clothes to the unplanned pregnancy center after each child), switching over to cloth diapers, clothes line drying, other little tidbits like sale/coupon shopping to save money for things like my sewing fabrics, etc; hiring a student doula so I can have the benefit of a birth assistant to help ease my labor pains but at a fraction of the cost--also it’s a mutual relationship I need her to cope with the pain, she needs me to get her doula certification-a win/win situation.
I was originally thinking of gathering my experience learning these skills and earning the corresponding Mary Jane badges in a scrapbook/journal, as I record this process of preparing for this little life: a place to put some of the facts/info I’ve learned about natural home birthing, midwifery, natural living and baby care, recipes, photos, etc. But I only (dare I admit) discovered blogs this past year. I got to thinking about maybe making this project into a blog. Since I discovered the world of blogging I always secretly wanted to try one myself. But I know nothing about starting or keeping up a blog. Or if I’d even have anything interesting to post. Maybe some other ladies feel similar, and would like the challenge of learning the art of blogging??
I have 5 daughters I will be sharing parts of this journey with them and they will be learning these great farm girl skills along with me; passing them on the next generation. With exception of my oldest daughter, we home school giving my girls even more of opportunity to pick up the skills in lessons and projects as we give baby girl #6 or our first boy (eek, I could make a whole new project out of learning how to raise a boy after 5 girls, lol!--clueless) a (home)made with love welcome.
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 23 2011 : 07:28:32 AM
P.S. For some of you other fledgling bloggers like me, just getting your wings, I'm willing to add you to my blog link list to get your name out. A farmgirl sister has to help a fellow farmgirl sister. |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 23 2011 : 07:19:56 AM
I am SO excited! Today is my birthday and my official set start day for my blog!! Let the postings begin. What a learning experience it has been. Putting it together has been been both challenging and fun. It literally took me close to an hour to even figure out how to put the MaryJaneFarms button on it, lol. Gosh darn it, I was GOING to have that button! And I got it in the end! The more I play around with it the more familiar I'm becoming with the site. In no time, I'll be proficient at it. That's one thing I love about the Sisterhood, it challenges you to go out on a limb and try things you wouldn't ordinarily do. . . like starting a blog :) So I'm getting it listed on the MJ Blog Roll but until then, stop by visit from time to time:
http://spiritualhomesteading.blogspot.com/ |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 17 2011 : 4:35:32 PM
I've gotten some great help on newby blogging tips. You farmgirls are awesome, thank you for sharing the info. I even found another Farmgirl beginning blogger to learn along with. So you veteran bloggers keep the tips coming, we're listening! I am up and running, officially kicking off my posts Nov 23, my 30th birthday :) Now I'll get my blog registered on the Farmgirl Blog Roll . . . And eventually find me some bloggies to follow me! |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 12:12:02 PM
Sounds awesome. I love my blog. I like writing in it and I like decorating it especially.
One of my suggestions is if you find yourself slowing down on ideas to write about, do some searches and join something that has a weekly post for it. I do The Simple Woman's Day Journal, but there's ones for sharing recipes on a certain day of the week, sharing ideas a certain day of the week etc.
I also wanted to add that if you want to save even more money on baby food, do not "make" baby food. You may want to look into baby lead weaning, or baby lead feeding. It's a concept where you do not use purees, but rather just give foods to baby at age appropriate times that they can handle on their own. Usually sliced into french fry sized slices, but really anything that baby can handle is fine. I never make
"special" food for my children. I just put on their plates the parts of our meal that they can handle.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Chelsea |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 09:29:08 AM
Hi Carrie,
We don't have a badge for learning to blog yet, but I like the idea. We are in the process of creating the new badges for January 2012 and I will add "Blogging" to the brainstorm list. I am glad that we get such great ideas from our sisters!
Thanks,
Chelsea
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryJanesFarm
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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~ George Bernard Shaw |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 06:37:39 AM
Wonderful advise. Thank you I will do that. This blog is for me for the most part, to share the stuff I enjoy and living how I like to live (farmgirl style ;)--I'm just now learning to find my own voice, I'd hate for someone to shut me up before I even got started. |
| ceejay48 |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 06:16:01 AM
Hi Carrie,
Just have fun with your blog. There are lots of things you can do with them.
I suggest that, if you are going to allow comments to be posted, you set your settings so that you have to monitor the comments BEFORE they are posted. That way, if anything unsavory comes your way you can delete it before it is posted. It would come to you in an email notice first and then you can choose to "publish" or "delete".
At first I wasn't monitoring comments to my blogspots and there were some unbelievable comments posted!   
I now monitor them.
Have fun!
CJ
..from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665.
Mother Hen: FARMGIRLS SOUTHWEST HENHOUSE
From my Heart - www.fromacelticheart.blogspot.com
From my Hands - www.cjscreations-ceejay.blogspot.com
through my lens - http://ceejayscamera.shutterfly.com/
from my Hubby - www.aspenforge.blogspot.com |
| Homestead Dreams |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 04:20:09 AM
I DID IT! I took a leap of faith and signed up for my first blog. It was a gift to myself for my 30th birthday next week! Now I just need to figure out to set it up and run it--learning as I go :) Any tips and hints from seasoned bloggers welcome! |
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