overwhelmed on the homestead

I feel overwhelmed every single day (so, I can relate).

I've figured something out about myself ~ I want it ALL, and I won't settle for less. I want the horses, the fresh eggs and goat's milk, homemade bread, fresh veggies, meals from scratch, etc.

I don't have any help out here, no one, unless I hire help, which is very, very rare. I work a fulltime job and a ton of OT. I love my job, I love my life, but it is killer sometimes.

Duckidaho, pound it out. You can do it!!

I love this, quoting Mathew Lindsay "When I am feeling overwhelmed with farmstead chores, I make a list of everything that needs to be done then don't rest until it is. I feel much better afterwards and get a kick from crossing things off the list, then looking back at all the things we got done. Also, most times there is a nice piece of homegrown meat on the grill and some grain based beverages chilling in the fridge, just waiting for me to finish!"

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I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

This is a great thread! Really encouraging to see all of us struggle with the same stuff but it is so worth it in the end!

Prioritize, priorotize, prioritize. And find another partner!

I posted a reply on your site. We are relocating to Boise. Not sure how far that is from you but I have my horse, son and his GF(17) with me...and some dogs and the cat. lol. We will be staying at an RV park near my friends in Boise till I finish with all my VA stuff and a new farm to buy. But I am looking for a place to keep my horse so if you are close enough maybe we can do some trade. I had a farm here in TX with milk goats, chickens,horses,dogs, cats, pigs ect. so I know a little bit lol. And I am pretty easy to get along with. I could come help out during the day while the kids are in school. Anyway its an idea....

Like all the other posters on here, there's always more work to do than hours in the day. A lot of the work we bring on ourselves by the things we undertake. Homesteaders simply want to do it all! I'm the same way. If I can grow it, I will. If I can do it myself, I will. If I can do things the "old way" I will! and on and on and on..............

Here in MN we have lots to do before winter sets in, and it's going to set in real quick. I hear we will have frost by next Tuesday. The garden still isn't finished (I'm probably stupidly trying to grow watermelons and cantalopes), there's tomatoes left on the vines, and then I need to tear apart the gardens, get them tilled up, clear up stuff from the yard, bring in the flower pots, etc. Hubby needs to cut about 10 cords of wood, and get plenty of horse hay for the winter, clean the barn, etc. etc. Our list of things to do gets longer every year. And there's folks in my family who live in the city who think it's "boring" to live out here in the country because there's "nothing to do" !! Ha!!

It makes me feel SO good to see other homesteaders who can't seem to get caught up this time of year (or any time of the year..)! I'm big on lists and make one every day of normal chores and then add whatever else I feel I'm (we're) likely to get accomplished. Once everything is checked off I'm DONE for the day and feel like it's OK to relax. Of course, I'm not working alone, DH and DD (21) work on the homesteading, housework and our small business. If I were working alone I'd definitely have to cut back. If I were you I'd take some time and sit down and definitely prioritize right now.

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YES! I'll chime in on the overwhelmed feeling. I have a small herd of milk goats and I'm caretaker for a gentleman who has been severely depressed for months and has congestive heart failure. He used to be my business partner helping me remodel older homes to turn them into rental properties. Now, he has trouble walking from the house to the truck.

Yup. Tried to do it all this summer, and I learned that I can't. I won't plant a garden next year at all.

Priorities - family, business, health, goats

It has been a challenging learning process.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

I'm trying to remember a time, when I was "underwhelmed".

Nope, can't remember any.

Thank you all, what a great thread. I "aced" my day teaching today and feel much better. I got home in the afternoon and got done all of the vital chores. No animals will starve tonight. I am going to work on my scheduling and prioritizing. I'm going to ask some friends to help last minute harvest in exchange for produce. I've contacted a 4H family in the area to watch the critters so I can take a long weekend for opening of deer/elk season. It'll be alright. I feel at peace for the first time in days.

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Novitiate Homesteader
http://novitiatehomesteader.blogspot.com/

This is what I do everyday. Vital chores get done, and I ask myself before I go to bed if the animals are all fed and bedded I'm okay. The dirty dishes and pile of laundry can wait.

duckI..put your animals to work. Harvest what you have to out of the garden and then put the animals in the garden to weed, harvest and fertilize it..and start a new garden for fall after they are done.

that will save you a bunch of work and you can make them fat and happy in the meantime.

Any of your harvest that can handle harvest and storage before using, store it, if it won't fit into the storage situation and you can't get to it, feed it to the animals too, or exchange it as you said for help.

a lot of people forget that their animals can do a lot of work if allowed to do so..if nothing more, stake out a goat in the garden and let it clean it up or just let the chickens all loose.

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Hm... Hand-milking 13 goats, feeding 11 babies (um... Yah, they're weaned), feeding a calf (going to get 2-3 more) and raising 3 others on the nurse cow, as well as canning and freezing foods, and managing 24 ewes and 16 lambs. That sure adds up, on top of the fact that the house is literally starting to fall apart, and there are no real outbuildings. There is the barn, only one side works, the other side needs re-roofed, although I'm not sure, it is very rickety and looks like it make cave in if you step on it too hard. The milk parlor needs the doors rebuilt (the goats smashed them up), and roofing needs to be put on the roof before the tar paper is demolished, actually it needs replacing anyway since it's warped. The fences are not up all the way, and new fence needs to be put up pronto for our plans of getting rid of the hoof rot (NEVER BUY SHEEP FROM THE AUCTION), and keeping the sheep trapped who think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
MWAAAA Empathy for you all!

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I'm an environmentalist, left wing, Ron Paul loving Prius driver with a farm. If you have a problem with that, kindly go take a leap.

Do you have an extra room you can "rent out" in exchange for help with chores, weeding, ect....