Each new year brings new resolutions, whether they be spiritual, personal, health or career oriented. We all strive to be better versions of ourselves and a new year is a wonderful time for a reset. To reset, focus on areas of your life you want to enhance, change or remove. This year I have chosen to do all of the above: enhance skills that I know a little about or know absolutely nothing about, change my routine and focus to better suit myself and my family, and remove all the time I have previously wasted doom scrolling and binge-watching tv.
For the next year, I have decided I am going to learn a new skill or hobby each month and I want to take all of you along! Join us each week as we update with what we’ve learned, comment with anything you’ve learned and pass along any tips that were helpful. Most importantly, I’d love to grow together with anyone who wants to embark on this journey. My goal is to post each Friday with what I’ve learned each week, share progress and failures. If you would like to follow along, below is a breakdown of the skills and hobbies each month.
Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional in any of these categories and just plan to share what I learn and hope to learn from you as well!
Through January, I am going to share all things planning. We are going to go over the types of planners I like and how I use them. There are hundreds of options and I will do my best to share a variety to find the best options for all needs! We will also start our home off with pantry staples necessary to help your home running smoothly and keep your family healthy for the whole year with a few simple steps.
February is gearing up to be snowy and cold, so what better way to spend it than inside baking and filling your home with the scent of fresh baked goods. We’ll dive into the benefits of different grains, their uses and all things sourdough!
Gardening starts with a seed and seeds take time to grow and time to nurture, so we will start our journey in March. But there is so much more that goes into gardening than just putting a plant in the ground, watering it and reaping the harvest. Between when and where to plant, which plants benefit others (or don’t!) and best times to water or harvest. There is not much better than in life than working your own soil, tending to your own plants and reaping what you sew!
Learning to cook from scratch allows for the best ingredients, cheaper food and better tasting meals for the whole family. When learning to cook it is important to know kitchen and food safety, how to properly cut, prepare and cook your foods and so much more! Join us in April to get cooking!
We are going to get down and dirty in May with composting. Let’s dig into the types, how to’s and all the nitty gritty of soil. Then we will clean up the month with Spring Cleaning by breaking down decluttering to freshen up our homes together. Chances are you are like us and have too much stuff hanging around that needs to find a new forever home.
With summer in full swing by June, there is probably plenty of clothing, blankets and more that could use a mend! We are going to learn the basics of sewing, types, fabrics and adventuring into embroidery. As you have probably noticed, a lot of these are “granny hobbies” and I think it is incredibly important that we learn hands-on skills so we don’t lose them. Technology is wonderful, but if ever there comes a day (no matter how brief) that we don’t have it, I want to know that I can tend to these things for my family with even just the basic knowledge.
Like technology, modern medicine plays such a crucial role in our lives, but many of our current medications are based off natural ingredients. God has given us everything we need in life, we just need to look around, learn about it and use it for His intended purposes. With that, God has also provided so many delicious and nutritious plants that are in our own backyards so to speak. This July, let’s take a little walk in nature to find plants that will benefit our bodies in a variety of ways!
Some of those things we foraged in July can be turned into all natural cleaning products, soaps or even candles by August! Instead of spraying chemical filled cleaners, lathering our bodies with toxic ingredients or burning candles that hurt our bodies rather than help; we are going explore plants and other natural ingredients that benefit our bodies and our homes.
Fall is approaching, our houses are clean (hopefully) and our bountiful gardens should be nearing harvest. With harvest on the horizon we need ways to preserve all those delicious fruits and vegetables that we labored over all summer. There are multiple ways to preserve your food for this September to last you through the cold days of winter such as: dehydration, canning, freezing and freeze drying.
Another way to insure your family has proper and quality nutrition is to raise your own animals. Obviously this is easier if you live in the country, but some animals like chickens can be kept in some towns depending on ordinances. Our family dream is to someday have a barn full, but before we can achieve that it is vital to our success and more importantly their health that we know how to tend to them. Through the month of October we’ll learn about all different types of animals and how to care for them.
Our November skill may not be for everyone, but a main benefit to raising your own farm animals is using them to feed your family! With so many different animals, there are ample ways to use them whether it be food, dairy, or even labor on your farm. We will break it down and find as many uses as we can. (Warning: We are a hunting family, so we may dive into some venison or wild game as well!)
To wrap up a year full of trials, learning, knowledge and growth we are going to venture into the beautiful (and cozy!) world of knitting and crocheting. To be able to make something with your own hand and wear it or gift it is so fulfilling and I would love to be able to pass that on to my children and eventually their children one day!
Once we wrap up the year, hopefully we will have all learned something useful, found a way to make thoughtful and heartfelt gifts for Christmas or for our families throughout the year and filled our home with nothing but the best! I hope you join us on this adventure and help us learn as we walk together.
