Survival Tips...
On this page I would love to add the wonderful tip for survival in being a single mom. Tips for inspiration, relaxation, stress relief etc...
Here a some survival tips that got me through rough times...
1. Writing. I am a novelist by nature. I love to write and to research for my historical novels. So, far I have not earned enough to make a living at it. But it eases my pain and is very healing. I have written and researched three novels now and hope to find a publisher that will help me earn a living on them. For more on the novels I wrote you can find it on my author page at; http://www.sharondnovels.com/
2. Crocheting. I have always loved to crochet and it felt good when money was tough to make my girls handmade hats and blankets to keep them warm. I put my "Momma love" in each stitch. Now I own a fiber farm, a dream I have always had. The window of oportunity opened and I jumped. Now I have wool from my Icelandic sheep to crochet with.
3. Spinning wool and carding wool etc.. This came about from pure luck. I purchased a farm in the middle of nowhere and being a single mom, when my ride-on lawn mower broke, I could not dream of affording another to replace it. So I looked around to see what I could do to get my lawn mowed. In the country, people sometimes stake their sheep and goats out around the yard. I thought it was funny but practical all the same. So, I went about purchasing my own sheep. She is named Freyja and she is Icelandic. The owner of the farm where I purchased her taught me all about working with the wool. I eventually ended up buying my own lawnmower and started a hobby of working with the wool from this great oportunity. I now have eight sheep and have recently opened up my fields on this antiquated farm to breed some more. I learned how to drop spindle first and then finally saved up for a spinning wheel and now do that. Much easier with a spinning wool since I now have quite a bit more than one sheep! I also learned to skirt the wool (sort it by good wool and bad and by color-I have very colorful sheep and do not have to dye the wool), wash the wool, dry it and then to card it for the roving wool which I spin to make yarn that I crochet for my hats and blankets. I now have set it up where I can finally sell my hats, since I made so many of them. This you can see on my farm site at; http://www.mymainesheep.webs.com/
4. Reading. I am a readaholic and could never read too many books. They have kept me sane through many tough times as well. I have books which I love to read over and over all around my home and am always looking for more.
5. Snowshoeing. I live in Maine and have a huge backyard. I would love to ski, but I cannot afford it, so I put on my snowshoes and hit the backyard! I am always looking for cheap ways to entertain myself and my kids and this-just the cost of snowshoes at Walmart! We don the hats we make on the farm, layers of wool socks and clothes and warm winter jackets and hit the great outdoors!
6. Camping. There are lots of places in Maine where you can camp for free in the wilds. They are far from anything posh and most places do not have any facilities at all. But, it is gorgeous and free and absolutely fun! Now, I have recently found a place in the backyard to make one of our own. Since I actually live in vacationland, why go anywhere else? This builds confidence as well!
2. Crocheting. I have always loved to crochet and it felt good when money was tough to make my girls handmade hats and blankets to keep them warm. I put my "Momma love" in each stitch. Now I own a fiber farm, a dream I have always had. The window of oportunity opened and I jumped. Now I have wool from my Icelandic sheep to crochet with.
3. Spinning wool and carding wool etc.. This came about from pure luck. I purchased a farm in the middle of nowhere and being a single mom, when my ride-on lawn mower broke, I could not dream of affording another to replace it. So I looked around to see what I could do to get my lawn mowed. In the country, people sometimes stake their sheep and goats out around the yard. I thought it was funny but practical all the same. So, I went about purchasing my own sheep. She is named Freyja and she is Icelandic. The owner of the farm where I purchased her taught me all about working with the wool. I eventually ended up buying my own lawnmower and started a hobby of working with the wool from this great oportunity. I now have eight sheep and have recently opened up my fields on this antiquated farm to breed some more. I learned how to drop spindle first and then finally saved up for a spinning wheel and now do that. Much easier with a spinning wool since I now have quite a bit more than one sheep! I also learned to skirt the wool (sort it by good wool and bad and by color-I have very colorful sheep and do not have to dye the wool), wash the wool, dry it and then to card it for the roving wool which I spin to make yarn that I crochet for my hats and blankets. I now have set it up where I can finally sell my hats, since I made so many of them. This you can see on my farm site at; http://www.mymainesheep.webs.com/
4. Reading. I am a readaholic and could never read too many books. They have kept me sane through many tough times as well. I have books which I love to read over and over all around my home and am always looking for more.
5. Snowshoeing. I live in Maine and have a huge backyard. I would love to ski, but I cannot afford it, so I put on my snowshoes and hit the backyard! I am always looking for cheap ways to entertain myself and my kids and this-just the cost of snowshoes at Walmart! We don the hats we make on the farm, layers of wool socks and clothes and warm winter jackets and hit the great outdoors!
6. Camping. There are lots of places in Maine where you can camp for free in the wilds. They are far from anything posh and most places do not have any facilities at all. But, it is gorgeous and free and absolutely fun! Now, I have recently found a place in the backyard to make one of our own. Since I actually live in vacationland, why go anywhere else? This builds confidence as well!