Growing Up Grid-Free

As a homeschooling family, we’ve made the choice to sacrifice that double full time income life. I am often looking for ways I can contribute to the family financially while still being home with the kids. With a newborn baby soon to make his debut, I started thinking about finding something I could do on my laptop during the many hours spent feeding/ holding a sleepy babe. I wanted to find something part time and flexible that I can work on here and there at my own pace. I stumbled upon Amazon KDP. It’s basically a way for anybody to be able to design and self publish books. These can be physical books or e-books. So far I’ve been drawn to designing physical books geared towards kids. 

Back in the day I used to love playing around on Shutterfly and would use our favourite photos to design personalised family yearbooks for every year. I loved using this method to summarize each year’s highlights but unfortunately with the chaos that raising young kids brings, it’s something that has been pushed to the back burner. To be honest, I think I’m about 7 years behind! I really cherish these books and I do intend to get back to them eventually. I love the memories they provide, but I also really loved the actual design aspect of it. With my return to digital design through Amazon KDP, I’ve been able to tap into that creative outlet again and it feels good!

As with anything new, there’s definitely a learning curve. The designing comes naturally to me but figuring out the marketing side of things – key words, advertising strategies etc,  is a whole new ball game! I’m sure those skills will come with time. For now, I thought I would share my first couple designs with you. I’ve tried a couple different styles of books – journals, primary composition books, sketch books, and even a coupon book! Good quality children’s picture books have always had a special place in my heart and I’ve always wanted to write a few… so hopefully this journey will lead me there in the future! Check out my first couple of books and let me know what you think, what you’d like to see, or any other feedback. It would be greatly appreciated! 

My first design is a one-line-a-day gratitude journal that helps people look for the glimmers of joy that can be found every day. I ordered a copy of this one so I could see the quality of the product and it did not disappoint! 

I designed two different dream journals which kids can use to record their dreams to help remember them and discover more about themselves and their subconscious mind. 

When my kids saw what I was doing they wanted to try so I let them each design a cover for a sketchbook. The Dog Lovers Sketchbook is Maddy’s design, Unicorn Lovers Sketchbook is Zoey’s, and Ben helped with the Robot Sketchbook design.

I also designed this primary composition book. Geared towards kids ages 5-8, It has space for writing and drawing. This one is a summer journal for Mermaids, but I intend to design a couple more cover options soon! 

This last one is a fun birthday gift. I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff my kids have accumulated over the years and have started looking for experience based gifts. A coupon book is a great way to give experiences instead of toys and can be personalised to your child/ grandchild/ niece/ nephew etc. A fun way to get creative – they are sure to love it! It’s inspired by my long distance bestie, Erin, who gifted me a homemade coupon book for one of my birthdays as a child and I still remember it fondly. I probably even have a couple coupons left to cash in on if I can find it! 

You can click on each book to check them out on Amazon. If you end up ordering one, please be sure to leave a review and let me know your feedback, I appreciate it! 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon link on this blog and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue creating content. Thank you for your support!

With new addition of baby #4 due to arrive in a couple of months, we are focusing on setting ourselves up for success and making the kids responsible for more of the household tasks. They’ve always been expected to help out, and they did have specific jobs they had to do everyday – unloading the dishwasher, feeding the dogs, tidying their toys, setting and clearing the table etc… But I was still doing the majority of it. There were definitely areas of house cleaning I was struggling to keep up with and clearly needed help doing but I just didn’t want to face the inevitable protest that usually comes with introducing a new chore. Though we have a ton of it, I actually really enjoy doing the laundry and the kids are usually fine with switching a load or helping to fold when asked. The area of daily cleaning I struggled with the most was the dreaded after dinner dishes. Making food from scratch and cooking for a family all day everyday usually means making a lot of dishes. After a long, often exhausting day with the kids, spending time cooking and then pivoting to bedtime routines, those dishes often felt like an insurmountable mountain that I just couldn’t bring myself to conquer. I’d rinse and organize them, and then load up the dishwasher as much as I could but the rest usually waited for the morning. This had me feeling like I was starting each day in a deficit. Not a great way to start the day. A couple of weeks ago it all changed. A magical day I’ll never forget… One of the biggest and best parenting milestones I’ve experienced thus far. We finally gave our kids the responsibility of cleaning the whole kitchen after dinner. After a few obligatory complaints, the three of them worked together and got the job done. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t exactly how I would have done it, but it was better than I had imagined for their first time… and they were proud!

Every evening, the 4 year old empties the dishwasher and the older two wash and dry the dishes, load the dishwasher, and wipe the surfaces. Voila. The kitchen is relatively clean without me having to help, and it’s honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to me. One night the kids were doing the dishes and Aaron and I were relaxing, playing old school Nintendo. Is this real life?! As Mario and Luigi were levelling up, it dawned on me that we’ve just levelled up our parenting game. Maybe even warped to another world. Bye bye after dinner dishes, my nemesis… I won’t miss you at all.  

Kids are more capable than we give them credit for and though they may resist, the benefits of doing chores is worth the complaints. “So, what are some of the benefits of chores aside from getting other people in the household to carry some of the load? Participation in chores contributes to: increased independence while also learning the value of teamwork, a sense of responsibility, learning the value of hard work, being self-disciplined, being better prepared for challenges and difficult life experiences, being accountable, being better with delayed gratification, being trustworthy, learning time management, being less self-centered, being more empathetic and cooperative.” – Jan Cheek, MSW, LCSW

Most of us had chores growing up, but kids are so busy these days with school, homework, and many different extra curricular activities. A large percentage of parents are opting out of including children in household cleaning and maintenance duties. Their intentions are good, but this approach will likely cause harm in the long run. Kids need chores and responsibilities at home. It’s essential for them to be productive members of their communities and helps to set themselves up for success when running their own homes as adults. 

I think most people can agree that chores are important, but how do you start? I suggest meeting the child where they’re at and start small. Start with one new habit and slowly layer in new responsibilities over time. Just remember, consistency will be the key to success here. Chores don’t have to be isolating, finding things the family or siblings can do together to accomplish a shared goal can be great for relationship building. Most children like to have visuals to help them. A checklist might help some kids want to accomplish tasks. We bought these years ago and the kids find them to be helpful. They are large magnetic chore charts that go on the fridge. They are customizable and easy to change with the seasons. Lots of different styles to choose from on Amazon, find this one by clicking here.

I also bought this menu planner at the same time, years ago and I love it! Find it by clicking here.

Seeing how capable the kids are and how much better it is when the family works together to keep the household running has us thinking about the next steps. Our oldest enjoys baking and is very capable in the kitchen. We plan on having her and her little sibling kitchen helpers start being responsible for planning, prepping, and serving one dinner a week. This will be a big change for me as I am currently the sole meal provider in the family. Although they all enjoy helping me make dinner from time to time, having one day a week without that responsibility on my shoulders will give me a chance to focus on other things, especially when the needy little newborn makes his arrival… in 3 months! 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon link on this blog and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue creating content. Thank you for your support!

Our kids have been asking for another sibling for years and it’s finally happening! Baby #4 will be joining us this fall and we are all so excited for this addition! This time around, all the kids are old enough to be thoroughly interested in the process of growing a human and are constantly asking questions and are always proud to tell everyone what size of fruit the baby is each week (currently, a large cantaloupe). Witnessing the growth of a new human really is the ultimate home school project… especially when the baby arrives! Plus, they are all old enough now to actually be helpful with baby duties and household tasks which is awesome and sure beats trying to get through the newborn stage with a toilet training, temper tantruming, toddler tornado running around the house…

This boy is very excited to be promoted to Big Brother! VERY excited.

We are over half way through the pregnancy (and all the way through the nauseating first trimester! woo!). With this being my forth announcement, I cant help but notice an expected difference in people’s reactions. Here’s what I’ve observed:

1st baby announcement – Most people are excited! After baby is born they immediately ask when you’re having another because the first baby needs a sibling.

2nd baby announcement – Most people are so excited! 2 is the perfect number. They are even more excited to tell you that your hands will be full!

3rd baby announcement – Most people are shocked and think you are crazy. Your hands are already full, but.. it’s your circus and your monkeys so, congrats!

4th baby announcement – Most People are shocked but excited for you… Some people are shocked and ask you if you’re sure this is what you want. A Dr. friend even suggests that they perform a vasectomy right then and there for you. Most people think you must be crazy!

And I guess we are crazy. Crazy in love with our kids, the love they provide, the sense of purpose they give us and the bonds they build with each other. The sibling relationship is so unique and is one I have always valued. I am so excited to give my kids another human to have that incomparable, unbreakable bond with. I realise that it’s uncommon for families these days to have more than 2 kids, but it’s what feels right for our family and our lifestyle. Heck, if my grandparents stopped after 3 kids neither of my parents would be here (and neither would A LOT of other amazing people!)

First family portrait, by Zoey.

I’ve learned over the years through friends and family member’s immense sorrows that new life is a precious gift and I am so blessed to be able to bring these babies into to the world. We never take a pregnancy for granted and it’s always been the more the merrier for us. We have never made a decision on how many kids we would have or when, we let life guide us and so far, it’s worked in our favour.

One thing we ALWAYS do during pregnancy is find out the gender. It’s a personal choice and many people like to wait until the birth to find out. For me, in a time when you have countless appointments and are spending months being poked and prodded, it’s nice to have one fun appointment to look forward to and get excited about! Knowing the gender of the baby always makes me feel more connected to them and helps me to mentally and practically prepare. It’s also nice to be able to narrow down possible baby names.

One thing we NEVER do during is pregnancy is an elaborate gender reveal party… Ain’t nobody got time for that! So without further ado, we are excited to announce that baby #4…

IS A BOY!!!

There are many people, myself included, that are striving to cook more of their food from scratch, but what does that mean? You made your own bread but did you first grind the flour? Did you grow the wheat? You made your own cheese but did you milk the cow yourself? “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Carl Sagan

My definition of cooking from scratch is using a variety of whole ingredients and mixing them together to create something delicious. The percentage of from scratch food we make varies depending on the seasons of our life. There was, for example, very little scratching in the newborn and baby days, or the days we were in full out renovation mode. Now that the kids are older and also more interested and capable in the kitchen, there is a whole lot more. We are far from the idealistic goal of making 100% of our food from scratch, and that’s OK. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.       

We lived off convenience foods for many years and it was, well, convenient. We still include these foods in our diets but are a little more conscious about our choices, compare labels, and choose to eat less nutrient dense food in moderation. Living in a rural area makes it easy for us to avoid getting food delivered simply because it is not an option. If we want take out we have to go all the way into town and pick it up ourselves and it’s usually only lukewarm by the time we get back. Much more effort and less satisfying than scrolling, ordering, and waiting… so we don’t do it often. One day, years ago, we wanted burgers but we didn’t have any buns. I got ready to go to the store to pick some up. A 1 hour mission. 20 minutes there, a stroll around the store, buying other things I don’t really need and going through the check out process added another 20ish minutes, then a 20 minute drive home. This former city girl was not used to how much longer simple errands like this would take now. Aaron suggested we make our own buns instead. The thought literally never occurred to me. I looked up recipes but most needed hours to rise. Then I stumbled across this 40 minute hamburger bun recipe and I’ve been using it ever since (I use half the amount of recommended sugar). For us, it literally takes less time to make the buns from start to finish than going to the store and they taste so much better! 

I’m pretty sure I had never made any type of bread before and I was soooo proud of my first buns! I’ve always had a love for baking, and the whole bread making process felt like magic. I was addicted. I’ve been experimenting with different dough recipes for all kinds of buns and breads and have definitely mastered the hamburger buns, but looking back at those first buns I was so proud of, I realised how hideous they were! They probably didn’t even taste great, but we didn’t know any better at the time! The first bun photo shoot with these uggos is truly cringey, but it just goes to show you that practice makes progress!   

Since then, we’ve tried our hand at many different from scratch recipes. Some turn out better than others. There are many things I’ve tried making from scratch that I will be reluctant to buy from a store again. Croutons for example, are so easy to make, taste so good, and are a great way to use up old bread. I also much prefer making my own salad dressings, soft tortillas, pizza dough, soup broth, pasta, sauces, and desserts. Of course our kitchen experiments aren’t always successful, but always worth a shot. One example of something that I’ve tried to make from scratch many times but haven’t mastered is ketchup. There’s nothing like a good old fashioned bottle of Heinz. Everything in moderation. I’ve also had a tough time finding a good cereal recipe, everything I’ve tried so far has been a tasty dry snack, but not great with milk… But I’m determined to find the perfect solution to this so stay tuned! (And if you have a good recipe, send it my way!)

So we love to make our own pasta and have invested in the tools to make it easy to do so. Does this mean we always make our own? No. We have everything we need to make our own bread so we never buy any from the store? Also no. We still get caught up in the hustle and bustle and fail to plan ahead. Our pantry isn’t as stocked with homemade preserves as we’d like. Switching from mostly convenience foods to mostly making food from scratch isn’t achieved overnight, It’s a long process that affects all aspects of your life. You definitely need to carve out more time in your schedule for this method of cooking. You also need to include time to meal plan, gather ingredients, prep food, plant and harvest wheat, milk a cow, create the universe, etc. A slow and steady process. If you’re new to this, I suggest dedicating one meal a week to cooking from scratch. It is easier than you think, and the satisfaction you get from making a whole meal using whole ingredients is addicting and so rewarding. 

One thing that keeps me going with this is my kids reactions when we’ve created something familiar out of random ingredients. They are shocked and amazed when we make something that they’ve previously only had from grocery stores and they truly enjoy learning about the process of how it’s made. The first time we made bagels, we were surprised to learn we had to boil them before baking. We’ve whipped cream many times to accompany desserts but they were overjoyed to witness the transformation that happens when you take it past the point of whipped cream and end up with butter and buttermilk! The fact that my 9 year old child can confidently and easily make a loaf of bread (weighing and dumping ingredients into a bread maker and letting the machine do the rest) and fresh butter all by herself is so empowering for her. It’s hard to even comprehend the amount of natural learning that comes from doing these simple tasks and gaining these skills. 

If you’re in the market for a bread maker, we love this one. Aaron did a ton of research and although it’s a higher price point than many it stood out as the winner. We knew we would use it a lot so it was worth the investment for us. You absolutely do not need a bread maker to make bread, we have had great success with just bread pans and the oven. Our electric oven uses a lot of power, and living off grid means we can’t always use it on the stormy days. A bread maker uses less electricity. It also doesn’t heat your house up as much in the summer months which is a bonus. Using a machine makes bread making more convenient as you just dump the ingredients in, set it and forget it, which means we make bread more often than we otherwise would. I’ve definitely seen people find great bread machines at their local thrift shop for a bargain, worth a look! This machine comes with a bunch of recipes and we love the fact that the bread maker is in a horizontal orientation so bread comes out like a normal loaf with the top being toasted as opposed to just one side of it. You can also choose between a small or large loaf for sandwich bread and set a time for it to start baking which has come in handy for us as we can prep the bread the night before and wake up to the delightful smell of a fresh loaf!                                                                                                                                          

We just got our oldest child this cookbook for her birthday. It’s 100+ simple recipes for making everything from scratch which is aimed at kids and is truly simple. She loves it but I also have used it many times, a great addition to our cookbook library. Cooking from scratch is such a great skill to have, let’s learn together and start ‘em young!

Disclosure: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that when you click on certain links on this blog and make a purchase on Amazon, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help support the maintenance of this blog and allow me to continue providing valuable content. Thank you for your support!

Many people think of the term preppers as people who are preparing for the ultimate doomsday in a very over the top way. Spending all their time and resources on bunkers, guns, and ammo. Prepping for a zombie apocalypse that most people believe will never happen. 

Let’s shift our mind set. As a society we have gotten too comfortable with a convenience lifestyle that is being pushed on us from all angels. Everything is designed to save time and effort but at what cost? Our collective physical and mental health is declining. For the first time in recorded history, there are now more obese adults than underweight adults in the world. Convenience and technological advances have led us to a more sedentary lifestyle with less nutritious food. We have become dependent on the government and corporations instead of our own family and small communities. Growing and preserving your own food and being prepared for emergency situations used to be the norm. 100 years ago, we were all preppers. We need to get back to this way of life. Being prepared for life’s inevitable curve balls is not crazy, it should be common practice. 

The ever so popular but very unlikely zombie apocalypse scenario is not the only emergency situation you should be prepping for. The likelihood of certain emergencies will differ depending on where you live and your personal circumstances, but here is a list of emergencies  you might come across that future you would be thrilled you were prepared for: 

• Sudden Unemployment
• Financial Hardships
• Pandemics
• Natural Disasters 
• Inclement Weather
• Inventory Shortages 
• Economic Collapse
• Medical Emergencies 
• Civil Unrest
• Illness Death and Grieving 
• Power Outages
• Global Conflict 

Preparedness is nothing more than just planning ahead. Making sure you have your house in order, having what you use and need in stock, and consistently taking inventory and adding to your preps when you can. It may feel overwhelming but the only wrong way to prep, is to not do it at all. Grocery prices are astronomical right now, but you don’t have to go out and buy a year’s worth of pantry food all at once. If you look for sales and buy just 2 extra cans of food a week to store, after one year you would have 104 cans saved for a rainy day. You can search local thrift stores, garage sales, and online marketplaces for many helpful items too! 

There are a couple different areas preppers focus on. The most important prep is water storage and filtration. The truth is, whether you’re getting water delivered to you by the city or you have a personal well, your water could be unexpectedly cut off or contaminated at any time. Humans, animals, and plants can not survive long without water. Make it a habit to have bottled water on hand. This can be but does not have to be individual bottles of water. You can get big jugs or fill your own sterilised vessels for pantry storage. Some people even use their unused mason jars for water storage since they would take up the same amount of room anyways. The water should be rotated every couple of months to keep it fresh and safe. It’s also a good idea to have a rain storage collection system. We have 2 large totes collecting water off our roof that we use for watering our garden. But what if you do have access to water but it’s all contaminated? Time to think about water filtration. You might think to boil water, but do you have a way to heat water without access to electricity if need be? We have invested in a Berkey water filter which can filter raw, untreated freshwater sources in situations where potable water is not available. You don’t have to wait for an emergency to use this either, many people use it daily to filter city water. We have also purchased life straws which are survival tools that are essentially big straws you can stick into any water source and drink though. They filter the water and protect against bacteria, parasites, microplastics, silt, sand, etc. Hikers use them as well. 

Food is absolutely essential for survival, every single person should have a basic knowledge of gardening and food preservation. But we don’t. Most people spend over 2,000 days in the public school system, and yet knowledge of how to grow and store food is not a requirement. Sure, there are some schools that have veggie gardens and teach some gardening lessons here and there, but we are nowhere near where we should be. In an ideal world, schools would be growing enough food to provide daily lunches to students and staff and the kids would be involved in growing, harvesting, preserving, and prepping the food. One can dream… The reality is, If SHTF and all the sudden grocery stores weren’t a thing, we would all be screwed. Most people do not have the knowledge, skills, or tools to grow and store food, and those that have dedicated time to building these skills will be targeted by these hungry humans looking to stock up. Our food system is fragile, a number of things could jeopardise it. The more people that are growing and storing their own food, the better off all of us will be. So join the club, and learn along with your kids!

Gardening is simple and straightforward, consistency is key. You don’t have to have a big garden to get started. A couple of containers on a patio or balcony, or some potted plants on a window ledge inside is enough to get you experimenting and learning! Seed storage is a great way to add to your food security too, you can even save seeds from previous crops or organic fruit/veg you buy. 

Food preservation is something we have been focusing on. There are many foods you can wash and freeze, which is one of the easiest food preservation methods. We freeze fruits, veggies, butter, meat, full meals, etc. This is great, until you’re exposed to a prolonged power outage. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to can food. This is a skill I have been reluctantly practising for a couple years. It’s definitely intimidating and nerve racking at first, but practice makes progress. Also, you don’t have to grow it to can it. Buy in season food in bulk from farmers markets or pick-your-own when you can and then have a little canning party with a friend or neighbour. You will both walk away with new skills, a closer bond, and an added layer of food security. You can also look into dehydrating or freeze drying food. These methods require investing in specialty tools but from what I hear, they are worth it!

Shopping in bulk and look for sales to help with stocking up on pantry items. We have invested in 5 gallon buckets and oxygen absorbers which we use to store bulk rice, beans, and wheat berries long term. Wheat berries are the part of the wheat that you grind to make flour. They store longer than flour and can also be planted! We purchased a wheat grinder too. When we stock up on canned goods, we focus on protein (tuna, beans, etc) and a variety of fruit and veggies. Just remember to only prep the items that you actually eat! If your family doesn’t enjoy eating fish, don’t stock up on tuna cans!

First aid is of utmost importance. This is admittedly an area we need to focus on bettering in our preps. Let’s assume you could no longer go to the ER. Do you have everything you need to stop bleeding? Stitch someone up? Treat an illness? It’s impossible to be prepared for everything, but you should have the basics on hand. Of course, these won’t help you if you don’t know how to use them. Another thing I think we should have all been taught in school  – basic first aid and CPR training. There are plenty of jobs that require you to take a first aid course, I had to take one to be an E.C.E., but I think it should be mandatory for all humans to learn. So if you haven’t yet, invest in a weekend or online course so you feel confident enough to help your loved ones if need be. Making sure you have a decent supply of your prescription drugs is also something to think about. 

Security. As I mentioned before, if we get into a situation where food and/or shelter is scarce, honest but hungry humans will get desperate. You need to take proper security measures to ensure your safety. You have a lock on your door but is it strong enough? If you have weapons, do you have enough ammo? Are they stored safely? Are you trained in self defence? Are your kids? All things to consider. 

Last but not least, what would you do for a prolonged period of time with no power, and no internet? Do you have a way to heat your home and your food? If you have a wood burning fireplace, how long will your wood pile last you? If you have a generator, how much fuel do you keep on hand for it? Do you have a way to contact loved ones? Walkie-talkies and radios would come in handy here. Do you have a stash of candles, solar powered lights and/or flashlights? A good stock of batteries would be immensely helpful in this situation as well as some good old fashioned hand tools. With the absence of google, something we’ve all grown accustomed to, an extensive library will be crucial. We have found many essential books at thrift stores for very low prices. I recommend “how to” books for learning basic skills (sewing, wood working, food preservation), local foraging books to help with your food supply, local maps, recipes books, etc. I have taken up the habit of actually printing the recipes we have tried and love and putting them into a binder so we have physical copies. This will also be great to pass down to my kids when they’re older. 

I know it seems overwhelming to think about all the things that could go wrong in the world. This is not meant to frighten you. Proactively getting your house in order will allow you to focus on being prepared, not scared. It’s about taking as much control over your situation as you can. Hoping for the best, and planning for the worst. The more people that get onboard with preparedness, the better off we all will be. When SHTF the government won’t be able to help you, and everyone else will be busy helping their own family. Your family is your responsibility. What are you going to do today that your future self will thank you for?

Living Off-grid means different things to different people. Some internet trolls people challenge me when I say we live off-grid because we still use the internet, cell phones, and get Amazon deliveries. When they think of off-grid life they think of people in the middle of nowhere living entirely off their land and away from society. However, when I use this term I am merely referring to living in a house that is not connected to public utilities (electricity and water). We have created our own power system using solar panels, a wind turbine, and batteries, and our family relies on a personal well on our property for all of our water needs. We are living apart from the power grid in an effort to be more self reliant and have a little more control over our power because the current grid system is fragile and could be disrupted at any time for a number of different reasons. The non-existent hydro bills are also a bonus! Other than where our power comes from, we lead a fairly normal lifestyle with plenty of modern amenities. Modern off-gridders you could call us. Over the years we have slowly upgraded our system to meet our needs and for the most part, do not have to make too many energy sacrifices. For the majority of the year, we can’t even begin to use all the power that we have available to us. But it wasn’t always this way… 

When we purchased our home over 10 years ago, it came complete with a solar system and well. This sad little system could barely power a lightbulb overnight much less our lives. A little bit of power was certainly better than nothing, but barely. We used this system during most of the renos, which were very extensive and we did a lot more work than we originally had planned to do. We relied on that little system as well as a generator to power us through. We also used more hand tools than we otherwise would have and invested in a couple more battery powered tools as well, charging the batteries during sunny times or off site when we could. 

When we were coming to the end of our renovations we were able to invest in a whole new system including 2 solar trackers with 40 solar panels and a couple of lead acid batteries for energy storage. This served us well for a while but we were longing for more power in the winter months, with a goal to be able to last a couple of days without solar charging, instead of having to run a generator to boost our power every super snowy or cloudy day. 

We started tracking power usage and used a watt meter to see how much power each appliance and device was really using. We learned some valuable lessons along the way that came in handy on the not so sunny days. One thing I never thought about before was ghost power. This kind of ghost is especially spooky for the bracket of people who have been forced into adulting and actually have to pay electricity bills (or people who live off-grid and need to be conscious of their energy usage). Ghost power is the energy your home devices, such as laptops, gaming consoles, TVs, appliances, electric toothbrushes, etc., are consuming when they are plugged in but not turned on. We found that our TV especially was using a significant amount of power all day everyday even when it was off! Our simple solution to this was to keep the easily accessible big energy items unplugged when not in use, and plug the hard to reach items into a power cord equipped with an on/off switch. Simple as that. We only had to turn the power bars off on super low energy days, but it made a big enough difference for us. 

Our system was sufficient for most of the year but it left us wanting more. Seeing as on a lot of the days the sun was hiding, the wind was out in full force, we decided a wind turbine would be a good addition. After a little planning, a lot of prepping, tree clearing, pole designing and assembling, etc. we raised our wind turbine high into the sky! This addition also gave us the potential to collect power at all hours of the day, not just when the sun was up, which was limiting especially in the weeks surrounding the winter soltice. I’ll tell ya, living off grid has definitely given us a huge appreciation for the solstice and the promise of longer days. Definitely a cause for celebration around here! So now, on stormy days, instead of feeling discouraged and getting ready to fire up the generator, we get excited to see those turbine blades spinnin’!

So all was well but Aaron knew our current lead batteries weren’t going to last forever so he started researching batteries and was drawn to a different style – lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFe PO4 batteries). The problem was, at this time these batteries were fairly pricey and we still had many other house projects to do so we didn’t really want to find room in the budget for that. But it kept nagging at us so after a little more research, Aaron decided we should definitely go for the LiFe PO 4 batteries – we’ll just make them ourselves! He, a master convincer, talked me into this wild plan of designing our own batteries, ordering all the components from overseas, and assembling them ourselves. 

After ordering we had a about a month-long waiting period at which time our old lead acid batteries got the word that they were being replaced with a younger, more attractive model and straight up just started dying. Did I mention this was during the winter, when we needed them the most? We had to limp by and really lean into the whole off-grid lifestyle vibe. For 3 weeks, we saved power any way we could. We used our indoor fireplace for heat so as to avoid using power for the heat pumps in our house. This meant that we had to feed the fire every 3 hours around the clock, giving life-with-a-newborn vibes. *Yawwwwwn*. We also had dinner and evening playtime by candlelight, used the wood stove as an oven, washed all dishes by hand, used wifi only when needed, and did very select loads of laundry only during super sunny times. 

It was tough at the time but boy did it make us appreciate those new batteries even more! It also gave us the motivation to complete the battery project in record time! We made these batteries together, as a family, at our kitchen table. A very unique home school project and a core memory for us all. It turned out to be a really great decision! We are still using these batteries today, have been thoroughly impressed by their capabilities, and are in the process of adding more. 

Living off-grid has been challenging at times, but we have learned so much along the way and it would be hard for us to revert back to living on grid. We love being in control of our own power, not having an ever increasing hydro bill, and not even noticing when the world around us is having a black out. Being able to store power gives a great sense of security in these uncertain times.

If you’re thinking of adding solar panels to your house to off-set your bill and give yourself energy security, please reach out. Aaron has installed systems for other people both on and off grid and is passionate about renewable energy and helping others take charge of their power!

My first baby turned 9 this week which is shocking to me. She’s so mature now, it’s sometimes hard for my brain to link the big girl she is now with the silly little toddler she used to be. All she wanted for her birthday was to have a slumber party with her fav friends and it’s hard to believe she’s at the age now where they actually try to stay up all night! She had a blast with her friends and also celebrated with all her aunties, uncles and grandparents at a restaurant the weekend before, so her actual birthday was very low key. My girl is a little foodie so she planned an epic birthday menu and had me busy in the kitchen all day long. I don’t mind at all because I love cooking and preparing their favourite foods. As a foodie myself, it is my favourite way to make a birthday feel special. 

Maddy’s Birthday Menu:

Course 1

Smoked salmon eggs benedict

Course 2

Her favourite local donuts 

Course 3

Homemade mac and cheese

Swiss chicken

Veggies and dip

Course 4

Homemade lemon meringue pie  

As I reflect on this birthday girl and her life so far, I realise she is one of the main reasons that we chose the lifestyle we’re currently living. Our home school journey started because this sweet but stubborn oldest child didn’t want to go to school. Yep. That’s it. No matter what I said or did to try to entice her, she simply did not have any interest in going to school. As a former preschool teacher, I am well aware that there are many kids that don’t want to go to school and the adjustment takes time but they eventually get used to it. Trust me when I say that this child of mine would have needed a lot more time than most to adjust, but would have gotten to that point eventually. At first I was bracing myself for the inevitable daily morning battle of forcing her to go. In our society, most 4 year olds go to school, whether they like it or not. It’s just the way it is. To make matters worse, I was scheduled to have a baby on Labour day weekend, just days before school started, and my partner was mostly working from home at that time. This meant that the whole family would be home, settling into life with a new baby (which was already a big transition) and just one family member, a 4 year old, would have to set off into the world on her own everyday and do her own thing. If she were excited for school and wanted to go, I would have sent her. But she wasn’t, so forcing her to go just didn’t sit right with me. I certainly wasn’t ready to commit to homeschooling for life at that point, though it was definitely percolating in the back of my mind. Then I remembered that in our province, junior and senior kindergarten were not “mandatory” ; they were merely recommended. So I decided that we would keep her home that year and revisit the whole school situation the next year.

Cue the global pandemic. In March of what would have been her junior kindergarten year, just when my very slow to warm up child would have finally been getting used to school life, the schools shut down. Since I was a stay at home Mom it was a no-brainer to keep her home the next year. Kids were mostly learning online and were rarely actually in school. When they were in school they had to wear masks and keep their distance. This school model just did not appeal to us so she stayed home and we learned together as a family. 

After stumbling into this home school life, we fell in love with it. Learning at our own pace, following the kid’s interests and sharing our interests with them too. She was thriving with this style of learning. Over the years she has taught herself to read, how to knit, sew, bake, etc. A beautiful forest/farm school opened up down the road from us and it is filled with wonderful humans. Our kids attend this school once a week and spend 7 hours outside, rain or shine, ice or snow. It’s a great opportunity for them to meet local friends and gain some independence being away from their parents and learn some practical skills while appreciating the beauty of nature. 

So, with almost a decade of parenting now under our belts, and seeing our kids thrive with this lifestyle, we are growing more and more confident with our choice to home educate. With this comes a responsibility to make sure our kids have plenty of resources available to help them learn and grow. Birthday and Christmas presents are a great way for us to build up those resources. From time to time I will share some of the toys/ activities that our family has seen benefits from. Here are a few of Maddy’s favourite birthday presents that she’s gotten over the years and she still uses on a regular basis:

There is a sea of kids’ cookbooks out there but we absolutely love the America’s Test Kitchen books. They are simple, easy to follow, yet still challenging. They have been a big part of helping her be so confident in the kitchen. She’s made many of the recipes and our whole family agrees that every recipe she has tried so far has been delicious! 

Snap Circuits are a fun way to teach kids basic engineering, electronics, and circuitry concepts. We’ve been using this for years and all of my kids have shown interest in them. There are so many different ways to connect the pieces, the book shows you many but you can also create your own! It’s very satisfying for them when they’ve completed a circuit and make the lights turn on, motors run, etc. 

Always very artistic, we got her this Cricut Joy a couple years ago and it totally upped her card making/ present making skills. We love a homemade gift, and with this she’s been able to make her friends and family some pretty cool personalised presents that she’s proud to give. We’ve gotten some blank mugs, sketch books, pencil holders, etc and she’s used the Cricut to decorate them and add her friends names, favourite animals etc. The computer program she needs to use for this has really advanced her computer knowledge too! 

She loves Lego, especially Lego Friends, so we decided to challenge her with this Lego Mindstorms Robot. She can build a couple different robots with it and after you build it you also program the robot which introduces you to the world of coding. We got this a couple years ago and it’s been discontinued, so the price has risen. It’s worth looking for second hand though as it is such a cool toy and they get so much out of it! We found an older version at our toy store that was super discounted because the product box was completely french (which didn’t matter because you can get English instructions online). So, keep your eyes peeled!

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