Get a glimpse at a homestead mom DITL on a typical fall day of gardening, homeschooling, meal planning, and more!
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As we transition into Fall, I decided to document a typical homestead mom DITL. From homeschooling to gardening to meal planning, I’ll be sharing a glimpse into the daily tasks and activities that keep me busy!
I like to start my day with a cup of coffee, and some morning chores. Then I move on to homeschooling my children for several hours. Afterward, I focus on household tasks such as meal planning, cleaning, and restoring a cast iron skillet. Join me as I take you through a day in my life.
Homestead Mom DITL Key Takeaways
- Daily tasks include homeschooling, gardening, and meal planning.
- Cleaning and restoring household items are also important tasks.
- Prioritizing and planning my day helps me stay organized and productive.
Homestead Mom DITL: Morning Routine
Making Coffee
The first thing I do almost every day is make coffee. While the coffee is brewing, I usually throw in some laundry, feed my sourdough starter, and do the dishes if I failed to the night before…which happens more often than not!
Gathering Eggs
While the coffee was brewing, I went and gathered the eggs. I am really loving this spiral egg dispenser because it keeps the eggs organized so I know which are fresh. I use this cute chicken wire egg basket for gathering.
Feeding Sourdough Starter
Every morning, I feed my sourdough starter, so it is ready for afternoon bread baking. The loaves that I make won’t be baked until the next morning.
Breakfast Preparation
For breakfast, we keep things pretty simple. Today, I made scrambled eggs and toast. Normally, on homeschool days, I usually have the books out and when we sit down to breakfast, for lesson time. But today, I wanted to get out to the garden and do some harvesting before it got too hot.
Every homestead mom DITL is different!
Gardening
Harvesting Pumpkins
The kids and I ran out to the garden and harvested the pumpkins. We spent about an hour and a half harvesting pumpkins. They were running around eating grapes and picking late-season peaches. The kids ran around in the cool morning with me, harvested,…. and snacked.
This year, I planted only three varieties of pumpkins – an apricot-colored, a blue-green, and a white. One of the pumpkins must have been mislabeled because I also came up with these kind of buttery popcorn little gourds too! I didn’t plant them, but we also ended up with some of those.
Post-Gardening Cleanup
After spending some time harvesting pumpkins in the garden with my kids, I came back inside to a messy kitchen. I quickly wiped down the table and cleaned up the breakfast dishes. We were now ready for lessons!
Homestead Mom DITL: Homeschooling
Setting Up Schoolwork
I set out the books for the day. We have a new homeschool setup that has been efficient for us. Having a visual timeline of expectations is so helpful. It keeps me motivated during those 3 to 4 hours that we are doing intensive book work. Some of my kids need longer than that and some of them need less time than that. I’m typically busy with helping them for about 3 to 4 hours. If they need longer, it’s usually independent work that they already know how to do.
Conducting Lessons
I find inspiration in books, podcasts, and quotes when it comes to homemaking tasks like cleaning. In fact, I have a blog post about my 100 favorite homemaking quotes if you need some inspiration too!
Homestead Mom DITL: Afternoon Planning
After finishing up with homeschooling, I like to take some time to regroup. Using my planner helps me refocus my energy. The time before dinner is basically the only time to check items off of the to do list. I usually grab my coffee and planner and sit down to think.
Today, after morning chores and homeschooling, my plan was to:
- Meal plan
- Get pumpkin into the freeze dryer
- Do some baking
- Clean the kitchen
- Restore a cast iron skillet
Homestead Mom DITL: Meal Planning
Meal planning is extremely helpful in providing peace around meal times. Having what our dinners are going to be visual for the family has been a huge help in setting expectations. My meal planning looks a little bit different than just choosing what I want to eat and then getting the ingredients. Homestead meal planning looks like:
- Utilizing what we already have
- Using what is in season
- Working in long term food storage pantry items
If you’re interested in my meal planning method, you can read more specifically about homestead meal planning HERE.
After finishing up with meal planning, it was time to move on to other tasks on my to-do list.
Pumpkin Freeze Drying
After harvesting our pumpkins from the garden, I wanted to start preparing them for long-term storage in our pantry. Freeze drying is a great way to preserve food without losing its nutritional value or taste.
Here’s what I did:
- First, I washed and peeled the pumpkins, removing the seeds and cutting them into small pieces.
- Then, I roasted the pumpkin at 400 degrees.
- When the pumpkin was fully cooked, I smashed the pumpkin with and spread it onto a freeze dryer tray.
- I set the machine to the pumpkin drying cycle, which typically takes about 24 hours to complete
By freeze drying our pumpkins, we can enjoy them all year round. Some of our favorite ways to use the pumpkin is in pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin bread. Plus, it’s a great way to reduce food waste and save money in the long run.
Here is the freeze dryer that we use.
Cast Iron Skillet Restoration
I few months back, I was gifted a large cast iron skillet! It was in need of some restoration, so I decided to spend some time today bringing it back to life.
Here’s what I did:
- First, I cleaned off any rust and dirt from the skillet using the rough side of the sponge, and a wire brush.
- Once it was all clean, I dried it COMPLETELY.
- Next, I applied a thin layer of vegetable oil to the skillet and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. This process is known as seasoning and helps to create a non-stick surface on the skillet.
- After the hour was up, I turned off the oven and let the skillet cool down inside the oven.
- Once the skillet was cool, I repeated the seasoning process two more times to ensure a good non-stick surface.
Now my cast iron skillet is ready to use and will last for generations with proper care. Cast iron skillets are a great investment for any kitchen and can be used for a variety of cooking methods, from stovetop to oven.
Homestead Mom DITL: Kitchen Cleaning
As a homemaker, cleaning is a regular task that I have to do. I like to break by home into zones, so the cleaning is manageable each day. Today, my designated zone was the kitchen. I spent some time getting the kitchen cleaned top to bottom!
We have open shelving and so I start on the highest shelf, removing items and cleaning. Then moved down to the lower shelves, counter, cabinets, and floors. I also cleaned out my refrigerator and pantry. The stove needed scrubbing and so I got that spic-and-span!
After cleaning up the kitchen, I did a little bit of baking.
Baking
Today, I decided to make some oatmeal raisin cookies, and sourdough bread.
My sourdough schedule currently looks like:
- Feeding the sourdough starter in the morning
- Once the starter has doubled in size, make the dough in the afternoon.
- Throughout the afternoon until dinner I stretch and fold, bench rest, and get the sourdough into the baskets.
- After dinner the sourdough loaves go into the refrigerator to proof overnight. The next morning they will be baked.
I don’t bake everyday, to save time, so baking two loaves at a time is super helpful!
Homestead Mom DITL: Checking on Kids and Projects
After lessons are complete, my kiddos are generally content to play independently. Usually they play outside, or work on personal projects. Sometimes they like to help me with my projects as well! Today, they were all busy outside, and so I took a break to go check on them. I love seeing how creative they can be!
Homestead Mom DITL: Make Dinner and Mylar Packing
Overall, I feel accomplished knowing that I was able to complete these tasks before starting dinner. It’s important to make the most of the hours between homeschooling and dinner. This help to ensure that everything that needs to be done around the house is taken care of.
I made venison stew with artisan bread for dinner. While I was working Grey and the kids packed mylar bags. We recently brought home 125 pounds of storage corn from a local mill. It is important to store grains in food grade air tight containers. Mylar extends the shelf life, espically when packed with an oxygen absorber. We use corn for our wood fire pizza, cornbread, grits, etc.
Pre-Bed Family Time
After dinner, my family and I like to spend some quality time together before heading off to bed. This time is important to us because it allows us to connect and wind down after a long day. Here’s what we usually do during our pre-bed family time:
- We play board games or card games together. This is a fun way to bond as a family and get a little competitive too!
- We read books together. We take turns reading out loud and it’s a great way to relax and unwind before bed.
- We watch a family-friendly movie or TV show. This is a great way to spend some time together and enjoy a good story.
- We have a family discussion. This is a time where we can talk about anything that’s on our minds, and just enjoy each other’s company!
During this time, we avoid using our phones. This helps us be fully present with each other. It’s a great way to end the day and get ready for a good night’s sleep.
Related Articles:
Homestead Meal Planning (Save Money & Time)
Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Review (Extremely Honest)
The Ultimate Guide for Modern Homemaking
100 of the BEST Homemaking Quotes
Homeschooling for Homesteaders
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