"Urban homesteading"

Interesting article:

Is Urban Homesteading Keeping Women Down?

Today, I remarked that every mother should have a skill or two up her sleeve (and, yes, mothering-related skills are also real skills), both as a useful hobby to balance out the hectic life that fulltime-mothering is and in case it's needed for a little extra support. At least, I think I would have to have something(s!) for the first reason. Don't/Wouldn't you?

I, of course, agree with cooking from scratch. :) I also agree with how they're disagreeing with the mentality that everybody should be slaving away and having so little time and energy left that all they can do is collapse upon arriving home. If I had a family, I'd be entirely content if my kids had their needs met; the home environment was a pleasant, peaceful and organized one; and I was serving the Lord according to my ability. Where's the life balance in making more to spend more, needing to make more to cover more spending and on and on -- what does all that toiling profit, in the long run? (All extra-and-extreme-busy-ness-for-the-sake-of-the-lost or needing-to-get-set-up aside, of course, if that's the way it should be. For a time.)

I know that circumstances and environments mostly dictate what's required of people in life and many find it necessary to run the vicious cycle, just to survive. In a lot of cases, "survival" requires it. But in too many other cases (?), "survival" is probably quite relative and what one requires in order to "survive" may be entirely unnecessary. I guess a lot of it comes down to priorities and being content. I'd probably be too content at a level that a lot of people would consider inadequate, hahaha. Although I do expect to have a reasonably high standard of living, even though it's not luxurious or excessive: clean, tidy, needs met and all that important stuff. Well, it's nice to have nice things, but if I have to make a choice between laboring for more nice things and having less nice things but spending more time with my family and friends (or saving my tiny monies to see my family, when I can), the family and the personal connections are much more important to me.

Besides, it's difficult to get attached to possessions when the "moth and dust doth corrupt" on a daily basis: the eternal fight against that corruption of the mold.

Also, if I have to make a choice of for-(personal)-profit or not-for-profit, I'm still currently choosing the latter, because it makes more people happy (in entirely intangible ways -- yes, yes, you scoffers). :D Oh, and that's what that God Whom I serve has told me to do. :)

Thankfully, Jesus is good and gives us nice things along the way, too ("he that is faithful in that which is least...").

As an aside, I do appreciate the gestures and loving-kindness of each and every friend and member of my family who has ever gone out of their way to give me the "nice things". It does touch my heart. Being thought of and remembered makes me happy, so even if the stuff decays, in time, or has to be left behind, your care for me, which motivated your giving, lives on... :) (--And I do take good care of and value pressies -- it's not that I don't. :] )