It seems as though there are questions about our life and even some questions regarding the legality of what we are doing. Once again, this comes from "Anonymous." And yes, this is an "Anonymous" who fails to identify herself. But, I will answer and if there are any other questions that people may have, feel free to ask. You don't have to be "Anonymous" to ask questions.
How can you stand the dirt? Honestly, there are days that I get sick of it. And then the sun comes out and after a couple of days of sun, things dry out. The dirt that was covering the children was due to everything being mud after days of rain. And here is not the only place we have dealt with this. When we were living in New Goshen, those that have followed my blogging for a year or more have seen pictures of mud, standing water, listened to my gripe about the amount of mud, hoof rot in the goats, and have seen pictures of the large amount of mud. They have also probably seen pictures and read about the children playing in the dirt for the house plants. Children and dirt are not a new concept. Those that know me know I expect my children to get dirty. It is what children are supposed to do. And guess what? Children are washable. So is clothing. Amazing how that works.
Do you ever get clean? Yes. It is called taking a shower. It's a fairly new concept that was invented sometime in the last few years. I know we tend to be behind the times on certain things, but I didn't realize that there were people with access to computers that had never heard of a shower.
How do you keep your living space clean? Soap and water. Same concept with getting ourselves clean, but we used a different soap for cleaning tables, counters, etc than we use for ourselves. We also have a washing machine and a clothes line for our laundry.
What sort of bathroom are you using? It's called an outhouse. The little church we go to here has one. It's a two seater which Bethany loves because she and Hannah can "pee at the same time and hold hands while peeing."
I wonder if the lack of running water and sewer is a legal way to raise your children? We didn't have sewage in New Goshen either. We had what is called a septic tank. Look it up. Also, look up shower, soap, water, outhouse. And, yes, what we are doing is legal. Otherwise one of the members of the church we attend here would have arrested us. He is, after all, the sheriff. He knows exactly where we live. Exactly how we live, and our plans. He is excited for us and has offered to help us in any way. Including manual labor. He also answered our gun carry questions no problem with a "everyone around here carries." And if the officer didn't arrest us, the pastor of the church would report us since we are neighbors and he is a mandated reporter. Being a neighbor, he also has that strange "Arkansas resident with a Missouri address" thing going on as well so there would be zero question of jurisdiction when it comes to reporting.
Do you have a clean space where you can tend to cuts and injuries? Yes we do. And having a diabetic husband, this is very important. We also have band-aids and Mommy kisses to make boo-boos feel better.
How are you keeping your children safe? The same way I always have. I am their mother. I watch out for them and set down rules and guidelines. Any regular reader of this blog knows how I addressed basic safety for living on 80 acres.
How are you keeping your food cold? Very little we have needs refrigeration. There are no left-overs. We aren't milking any goats right now. Eggs require no refrigeration unless they are washed. They have their own protective coating.
Are you feeding your kids canned foods only? If by canned, you mean home canned that I did myself and brought here with us, then yes, they are eating a lot of that. But we have also had lasagna, spaghetti, homemade granola, pancakes, oatmeal, and many other things. Our diet has not changed except for a drop in actual animal meat. And even that is not cut out completely since I have meat that I canned while we were living in New Goshen.
I hope I have sufficiently answered these questions and if there are any more, please feel free to ask. All questions will be answered honestly and some will have sarcasm thrown in.
9 comments:
I love your wit, Kim. And your patience.
Hi, Kim, I don't know about "Anonymous", but the questions you presented and answered are not that far out of line . . . I don't know with what attitude that "Anonymous" asked them, but I have wondered about some of those same things.
I am happy that you addressed them because they are both something I've worried about and are interesting.
You have chosen a way of life that is not what most people choose these days; therefore, curiosity is raised. When I read your blog, I think of settlers and the path they carved across our country many, many years ago.
Keep writing . . . your writing can educate those of us who have questions. If you throw in the sarcasm, it comes off that you are defensive . . .
Stay safe . . . and dry!
I just wanted to say how much I miss you guys!
That and to politely disagree with Lisa's comment about "If you throw in the sarcasm, it comes off that you are defensive..."
In my opinion, I feel the opposite. I would be extremely concerned if there were no sarcasm from Miss Kim! I miss that quick wit and sarcasm. And I fully expect some sarcasm from Kim when I ask questions or make comments.
Love reading all the blogs and hope to see you when you come back to Indiana.
Hi, Amy, I see you point, but I'm thinking about readers who don't know Kim. They might not see it that way. But, it doesn't matter, it is her blog. I was just expressing the feeling I got from it . . . and yes, I do know Kim's wit.
People have provided nicely for their families very well over the years.And they had mud,outhouses etc.I know I was one such person than lived that way when I was a kid.I know you and your husband well enough to know your kids are very healthy and happy.we miss seeing you all.We will get down your way sometime.
once again I tried to get to Bethany's blogsite and for the fourth time was in error. Please just let Bethany know I am trying to write to her. Don't know what I am doing wrong. Oh well. also left you a note about the latest blog entry. Loved it. Don't worry about Anon (not me). It's like your saintly father in law used to say...stand on the porch and ect.ect. ect...
Hi, Kim, I just clicked on the link on your blog that says Bethany's Blog and it worked just fine for me. I was able to get in and read it and post a comment. Thought this might help to let you know it is working, so maybe you will know what to do to help Auntie B get in to Bethany's blog. :-)
I am fully aware of what a shower is, I was under the impression that your family did not have access to one.What sort of set up do you have for a shower since you do not have a home or a bathroom?
Laundry.. I am wondering if your clothes actually get clean in a wonder wash. It most certainly lacks the friction a standard washer would have.
An outhouse? Really?Why? Why not have a home with an actual toliet?
Lack of protein in your childrens diet would be a major concern if I were you. The diet you listed in most certainly not well rounded nor complete. You need to fix that. The diet is hardly ok for your husband also.
With the work required to live the lifestyle you have created, I wonder how much time is actually spent on education. Why do you believe you have the ability to educate your children?
"A Mom",
I'm not the type to get into personal matters that aren’t my own, but I felt very defensive of Kim as I read what you had to say.
Whether one agrees with her choice of living or not is, by no means, a reason to be hateful.
I am a homeschooling Mom as well. I have often been asked what gives me the ability to educate my children. My only response is that I have no idea. Just as a teacher second guesses herself as she wonders how on earth she is going to teach her 25 students everything they need to know for that year, a homeschooling mom will often lay awake at night praying that she is doing right by her children. I can honestly say that parents who choose to home school do not do it out of selfishness. There are many times when I day dream about sending my children off for someone else to rear and teach for 8 hours a day while I go get a "real job", but I am always brought back to reality when I hear a child being disrespectful to their elders or speak of things that are not age appropriate.
As far as homeschooling is concerned I think that perhaps you might want to educate yourself on the subject a little before you have such an accusing tone. For a homeschooler, LIFE is the classroom. Kim’s children are learning science and mathematics when they are grocery shopping, working on a budget, growing plants and tending to their animals. They are obviously reading, or being read to, often. No child that has little experience with the written word would choose a book over candy or other such treats.
The bottom line is, whether you agree on certain topics, mothers all around the world have one goal in common and that is to raise bright healthy young children. Perhaps instead of attacking her, Kim could use a little support and encouragement from someone who obviously care about the future of children in our nation.
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