Pioneer Mom

Over the three years that I have been at home caring for my young children, I have noticed that I'm getting closer and closer to... well, Pioneer Mom. It started out with an interest in cloth diapering. Experiments in washing methods led me to discover recipes for homemade natural cleaning products. Then, I couldn't part with some memorable baby clothes... so I quilted together a couple of baby blankets out of them. After that, sewing knee patches or mending a skirt didn't seem too hard. Then, I focused my creative energy on healthy home-made foods and started baking my own bread each week. This Spring's adventure will be my vegetable garden that I am already mapping out now. Where did Pioneer Mom come from? Why did she suddenly start to show up in my life?

I think Pioneer Mom has been my solution to the sometimes repetitive, sometimes isolating, sometimes... frankly, boring daily tasks of mothering young children. Pioneer Mom gives me a creative outlet, provides endless projects to research and figure out, connects me to my local community and has economical benefits for a 1 income family.

There is of course one large difference between me and Pioneer Mom. When my day gets hectic or my kids are sick or I need a break from one of these "creative outlets," I can put it all on hold and wrap my baby in Huggies, spray the Lysol, and order take out.