1. Who would read blogs full of moans and groans and negativity?
2. We don't really want to be real in cyberspace and share our struggles.
I know other bloggers who present a very "perfect" image of their homes and children and I think this is a very dangerous thing as it will more than likely leave moms who do not have it "all together" or who are battling with different issues feel even worse about themselves, their home, their family.
I am all for cyber privacy...decidedly so! I think however it is important to be real and not present an image to others that is not honest, true, trustworthy and reliable. We need to be able to encourage one another when we are down, rejoice with one another when up and know that everyone has struggles - no one is perfect, we all have failures and sometime we all just get fed up!
As it relates to this blog...we have had some failures this year in the garden and kitchen. I learn from failures as well as successes...so I hope you can learn from what I share too.
1. We have still not seen any savings in vegetables since growing our own. The initial set up costs of the garden are yet to be paid back in cash savings! I suppose we could have done it cheaper, but Superman likes things orderly.
2. Leading on from #1...Superman and I have had many differences of opinion about the layout of the garden. He doesn't like my, as he calls it, "ADD eclectic" style :-) I don't really mind his ordered pathways and square beds...it is in fact much easier to plan like this and the gravel keeps the weeds under control.
3. We would have starved by now had we been the pioneers of the 1800's [blush blush] Our garden does not yield anywhere near what we need to feed our family. Even in the height of harvesting we probably eat about 3 - 4 meals from the garden, never 7 night a week!
4. My children are wonderful helps to me, they bless me so much with their helping hands...however, they are children and towards the end of the autumn planting season they had HAD ENOUGH :-) I am a little older and wiser so while I also had HAD ENOUGH, I wasn't anywhere near as vocal as them!
5. I have had some tremendous flops as I was too idealistic. Taking on too much too soon is one of my traits. Having this ongoing back problem now has made me reassess what I am doing and to par back to what we can do. There are certain non-negotiables but there were also other things that just had to slide for now.
6. Some of the flops are food related. We all agree that the cold cucumber soup was the all time low...tonights one-pot-crockpot-chicken comes in a close 2nd :-)Some of my breads were simply yuck...but we keep learning.
7. In the garden this year we again had a very unsucessful tomato crop. Better than last year, but really not what it should be. We have lost ALL our turnips to some critters AND our second last planting of potatoes was too late and the winter shade has robbed us of any winter spuds.
It is now coming up to the beginning of our 4th year in this Urban Homestead adventure. We are a little less idealistic, a little more tired, but still looking ahead to what more we can learn.
Despite the hardships, disappointments and disagreements, we are keeping on! The rewards definately outweigh the drawbacks, particularly when we see spring around the corner in a couple of months time.