Before I started, I thought homesteading would mean endless chores and calloused hands. Instead, I’ve discovered these quiet joys that keep me hooked on this life.
1. Dry toast mornings that actually work
Recently, I started my 6-year-old son’s day by hugging him for two minutes (and telling him how great it was to see him) instead of rushing him. He ate his plain toast (despite us asking three times if he wanted butter or peanut butter—little monster), and we got to school early enough for playground time. Who knew starting slow could make us faster?
2. Winter carrots tasting like candy
Pulled bright orange carrots from frozen ground under snow and straw this past February. The deep cold turns their starches to sugars—they’re sweeter than anything from the store. I’m eating them in a pot roast dinner tonight. Proof that nature knows best.
3. The taste of fresh mushrooms is incomparable
I’ve successfully grown oyster mushrooms in a straw substrate, and they are delicious—so much tastier than the button mushrooms you get at the store (and those are good). I started shiitakes last year too, but they haven’t fruited yet (hoping they will this spring).
4. Kids eating garden “weeds” they hate from stores
My children turn up their noses at store kale but devour it fresh from our beds. They pull radishes straight from soil and munch like apples. Familiar dirt makes everything taste better.
5. Fresh air fixing my mood instantly
Ten minutes outside—picking beans, checking chickens, or just sitting—resets my whole nervous system. No therapy session beats weeding when anxiety creeps in. It’s free medicine growing right in my yard.
6. Writing turning chaos into clarity
Hospital stays, morning meltdowns, scar shame—scribbling it all down transforms tangle into meaning. What starts as venting becomes connection when I hit “publish.” This blog is my compost pile for hard emotions.
7. Self-care mornings making me patient
A quick workout and solid sleep before the kids wake up changes everything. Instead of snapping at heavy feelings, I can breathe through dysregulation and model it for my kids. The mom who shows up calm handles chaos ten times better.
8. Crockpot smells everyone loves
Even in my college dorm, that slow cooker made my floor smell like home. Now it draws my family to the kitchen hours before dinner’s ready. Simple food, big magic.
9. Small wins building big confidence
One perfect carrot harvest, one peaceful school drop-off, one good paragraph—they stack up. Each success whispers, “You can do hard things.” Homesteading proves I’m tougher than I think.
10. Coming home to my roots wiser
The girl who couldn’t wait to escape Dodge County returned at 33—not out of failure, but choice. I’ve circled back to gardening, animals, community with new eyes. Leaving helped me love it more.
Practical Homesteading: growing food, raising kids, building community.
What’s your unexpected love in this lifestyle? Share below—I’d love to hear!
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