My Week as a Part-time Homesteader
I ain’t going to sugar coat it, and will continue to reiterate that working full time and then coming home and trying to take care of the homestead and DIY projects is not for the faint of heart. I am a full time physical therapist in a hospital based outpatient clinic, working 36-38 hours a week with direct patient care. This is a Monday-Friday job with the weekends free which makes the weekends important to get stuff done, but also find some work life balance. I have a fairly regular schedule and have figured out when I am able to get things done on a regular basis to help me keep up with things. Having these rhythms helps keep me on track and accountable. Here is a sample schedule of what my normal week might look like:
Monday:
-Wake up and make hot oats for family
-Shower and get ready for work
-Open up goats and feed hay to them
-Work 7am-3:30pm
-Check in with kiddos who are at our house with Grandma
-Clean chicken coop
-Refill chicken feed
-Feed goats
-Cook dinner for family and clean kitchen
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Take some time to catch up on emails and texts
-Take time for myself (guitar, watch a show, relax on couch, etc.)
-Close up goats
-Bed time
Tuesday:
-Wake up and make hot oats for family
-Shower and get ready for work
-Open up goats and feed hay to them
-Work 8am-12pm (occasionally until 1pm)
-Get home to take kids over from Ciera so she can go to work
-Get a 45 min work out in
-Homeschool lesson for kids
-Clean yard
-Check garden/weed garden (spring and summer)
-Play with kiddos
-Feed goats
-Collect eggs
-Cook dinner for family and clean kitchen
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Dumyahn Homestead Business Night (Writing Blog posts and updating instagram)
-Close goats up
-Bed Time
Wednesday:
-Wake up and eat overnight oats
-Shower and get ready for work
-Open up goats and feed them hay
-Work 7am-3:30pm
-Get home and check in with family
-Take out trash
-Take out compost
-Go on short run (depends on time of year)
-Check chickens (food, water, etc.)
-Yard and garden clean up (usually with Bodhi’s help)
-Collect eggs
-Feed goats and check their water
-Play with kiddos
-Eat dinner
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Time for self
-Close up goats
-Bed time
Thursday:
-Wake up, let out goats and feed them hay
-Work out or run (depends on time of year)
-Make and eat breakfast with family
-Get cleaned up and ready for work
-Work 9am-5:30p
-Go home and relieve grandma from watching kids
-Cook dinner for family, eat and clean kitchen
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Time for self
-Close up the goats
-Bed time
Friday:
-Wake up, let out goats and feed them hay
-Get cleaned up and ready for work
-Quick Breakfast
-Work 8am-4:30p
-Get home and check in with family
-Play with kiddos
-Small yard and garden chores
-Check chicken and goat water and feed
-Feed goats
-Collect eggs
-Family dinner time
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Time for self
-Close up the goats
-Bed time
Saturday (Subject to change if we have a small weekend trip planned):
-Wake up, let out goats and feed them hay
-Quick small breakfast
-Long trail run
-Cook breakfast for family with Ciera
-Family breakfast/brunch
-Clean goat pen and house
-Clean all animal water tanks/fixtures (chickens, goats, outdoor dog water)
-Clean stock tank pool, check and maintain filter, check and maintain safe water chemical levels
-DIY projects around house
-Feed goats
-Collect eggs
-Family dinner time
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Time for self
-Close up the goats
-Bed time
Sunday:
-Wake up, let out goats and feed them hay
-Cook breakfast for family
-Work out
-Weekend project or work in yard and garden
-Family time
-Feed goats
-Collect eggs
-Family dinner time
-Get kids ready for bed
-Get kids to sleep (alternate with Ciera)
-Time for self
-Close up the goats
-Prep for work on Monday
-Bed time
There is a lot packed into these days, but what I don’t have here is all the extra dad duties as well. Sprinkled in amongst all of these tasks is playing and spending time with the kiddos. Out of all the important tasks I have, making sure I spend that quality time with the kids is probably the most important. I am very lucky that both my son (5 years old) and daughter (3 years old) like to come outside and help me with some of my chores, or at least make up some chores that they will do outside with me while I work on mine.
What do I do if I can’t get everything done? I try to step back, take a deep breath and prioritize. There are things that may not have to be done each week or each day, and that’s okay. As hard as it may be for me, I am currently trying to let go. What this means is if I don’t get everything done that I want to, and if it is not going to affect the health of our animals, myself, or my family, I try not to get down on myself or get frustrated that it did not get done. This is a work in progress for me, but it is important when it comes to that work-life-homestead balance.