For years people have told me I should start a blog, and I’m finally doing it. Behold: my first entry! This blog is a way for me to chronicle my journey with beginning urban homesteading, and also express some of my thoughts and experiences on faith, homeschooling, and parenthood. My hope is that maybe I can help others along the way.

Let’s start with who’s writing this! My name is Chandra. I live in a small town in Nebraska with my loving husband and four awesome kids, whom we homeschool. I am passionate about God, my family, animals, teaching, nature, and birth. I’m from Montana originally, and my dream is to have an acreage in the mountains someday. Most of the time I’m a stay-at-home mom, but I’m also a doula, attending several births each year. I love learning new things and then sharing what I know with others – whether it’s about healthy birth, homesteading, homeschooling, or anything else.

In fact, homeschooling is where the title of this blog came from. In our state each school is required to have a name. I wanted our name to reflect the two main reasons we chose to homeschool. First, that I want our children to have a deep sense that this world is not their home, that God is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Our goal is Heaven, our true Home, and everything we do here on earth points us there. Second, I want to instill in my kids a strong love for family and the home we have here on earth. I want to create a home that my kids want to bring their friends to, and return to with their own children when they are grown. With these two goals in mind, “The Way Home” was born. It’s the name of our little homeschool, and the base for this blog.

So what will I be writing about? Well, that’s where the homesteading part comes in. This year I am finally gathering my courage and beginning some urban homesteading projects! In all the years I’ve considered blogging, I never really thought homesteading would be a main focus. To tell the truth I am more than a little nervous about it, as I have basically zero experience in this area. Honestly, my current garden is exactly 8 feet by 2 feet! (Should I admit that?) I have a lot of passion, but little actual know-how. So I am very new to this, and inviting you along for the ride. If you are a beginner too, welcome! We’ll do this together. I hope that by reading through my mistakes – er, experiences, that you will gain the knowledge and courage to do some of the things you’ve been afraid to try as well. Or if you already know what you are doing, you can just enjoy laughing with me as I try to find my way!

I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you, and I hope you are too. Together we will tackle some new things that maybe we’ve been intimidated by before, knowing that any mistake or setback just means we are learning. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? As my favorite quote says,  “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot

Now that I’ve introduced myself, I would love to know more about YOU! Where are you at in your homesteading journey? Is it just a dream right now, or are you well on your way? Or is homesteading not your thing at all? Tell me in the comments!