Ever thought about disconnecting from reality for a moment, and quietly be alone in the woods somewhere, where all you need to do is sit and breathe? Take in nature's beauty? Well that happens more often than not for me. I am a mom of 4; 2.5 yr old twin boys, a 4 yr old girl, and a 9 year old boy.. and sometimes all I long for is 5 minutes of quiet. My house, although its filled with love, is very VERY loud with different emotions coming from 4 different personality types. We got the screaming, the crying, the whining, the typical fighting and bickering; we got it all. But what keeps my husband and I sane through all of this is: A) Knowing that this is a temporary stage of life and B) Knowing our heart lies in the mountains, and we can mentally visit that special place if we just step outside for 3 seconds, close our eyes, tilt our heads' back, take a deep breathe, and feel the breeze on our faces.
This love is just one of the reasons of why my husband and I decided to change our family's path and our current way of living for an "Off Grid" Life. The other reasons will come later, but for those of you who are wondering - that very important question: what is "Off Grid"? Popular opinion is disconnecting yourself from the Electrical Grid that modern day society has pretty much forced down our throats. Some believe that it is living "cave man style" or living extremely primitive. My personal opinion of "Off Grid" is becoming self-sufficient in most aspects of life, using alternative power sources to better help the planet (and our wallets), and living in harmony with nature as one can learn to appreciate all that it has to offer to our souls. I know that last part sounds earthy-crunchy, but there is just something about seeing and hearing the wind blow against the trees or for instance, seeing the simplistic motives of cattle grazing in a field. Once you pause and look, its the most calming thing you can experience.
Now you may be wondering, "How in the hell are you going to do that with children?" or "Why on earth would you attempt that with children?", or "This sounds more like a retirement dream than a now dream, why now?" And the answer to all those questions is we want a better life for our kids than what current society can offer them. I was raised in a wholesome rural environment, but still on grid. My parents provided me with all the modern day conveniences that were available growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, yet they were still able to raise my sister and I with values and morals. Sadly, in today's world, its different. Life is technology ridden, Life is labeled, and Life is governed. This is not the life I want for my children. I want them to explore, I want them to learn, I want them to form opinions on their own, and I want them to use their IMAGINATION. Enter Off Grid LIFE. Now, as much as my husband and I want to protect our children from outside sources and keep them in a pretty little Bubble, we know that socializing is a big part of the development of a child. We would never prevent them from experiencing that in life, so public schooling and extracurriculars will still be apart of their lives allowing for opportunities to become available to them as they grow up.
So what is our "Off Grid" Journey?
We recently purchased an 11 acre property in New England that was pure raw wooded land. My husband spent 3 weeks clearing a homestead space, and creating a driveway. We ordered a small cabin shell, and are building it from the inside out. This will be our special escape from reality while this whole transition takes place. It is not an overnight transition. Our children are accustomed to modern day conveniences and we have to tread lightly, and start "dipping their toes in" so to speak, as we what them to enjoy this process instead of completely forcing it on them all at once. This Off Grid Cabin will have no connection to the electrical grid, it will either be powered by solar or at least a propane generator as we continue to prepare the sight for larger sun exposure. It will also have rainwater collection for means of showering/washing hands, and a composting toilet (but for now while we are building it, its a simple camp toilet). Our goal for our homestead is to live self sufficient, so that means growing foods, hunting foods, canning and preserving those foods, homemade breads and pastas; pretty much learning to get creative and not rely on processed "easy" foods, like EasyMac or Ramen. Although in a tight pinch ramen will work with boiled water, I mean- my kids are still kids.
We simply want our kids to be well rounded, knowledgeable, and respectful individuals that can succeed in whatever life throws at them. We don't want our children to have to rely or pay someone else to do something for them. We want them to know how to do it for themselves. There is so much more knowledge in life than what is in textbooks and the only way to learn that knowledge is having one on one experiences doing it.
Believe me, I'm not going into this blindly. My kids are young, I know there will be meltdowns. I know there will be times that I ask myself that same question of "Why did I do this?" . Then I will look at what my husband and I built for our family and know and trust that it is for the better. It is for THEIR better. It is for their future. The one thing that can never be taken away from you is your knowledge and your belief system. And that is what we can only hope for them to gain.
Here's to the future; here's to a sometimes difficult, yet fulfilling life; here's to my family.
With Love & Light,
Kelly
Comments