10/19/2026
“Is this life easier and less stressful?”
That's the question I was asked this past weekend at Old Farmer's Day.
We had the privilege of demonstrating chicken and turkey processing. Teaching some of the old ways in today's world. We also got to share a little bit of our story while we were there.
We left the corporate world because we wanted something different. We wanted to raise our own food, teach others to do the same, raise our kids, and build a business of our own. Now that has turned into two businesses!
So when I was asked if life was easier now of course a laugh slipped out. 😂
Because no, it's not easier. It's just a different kind of hard.
We're living paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes it still isn't enough. I stay home with the kids while Kael works to keep the bills paid and the homestead running. We can have over a hundred animals to care for at a time, and if you've ever raised animals, you know they don't always make the best decisions. Especially the meat birds. Those chickens have no survival skills 🤣 Sometimes things die, predators get in, the weather doesn't cooperate, or something else happens that costs us money we weren't planning to spend. The loss hurts.
It's early mornings, long days, and plenty of late nights. Vacations are few and far between, and taking a day off isn't always an option. When your livelihood depends on your animals, trusting someone else to take care of them is hard.
Then there's homeschooling. I think every homeschooling parent has those days when they wonder if they're doing enough or if their kids are learning what they need to learn.
And just when you think you've seen it all, you wake up to turkeys that have escaped and climbed onto your roof. Or you're saving chickens from the excess rain. Yes, this has actually happened. 😂
But even with all of that, I wouldn't trade this life.
I get to watch my husband find something he's truly passionate about and watch him thrive in it. I get to see him teach others, share what he's learned, and do something he genuinely loves.
And I'm finding my own way, too. I get to be home with our kids, care for our family, work on marketing our businesses, bake, and keep figuring out what I'm good at and what I love. I'm still growing right alongside him.
Our kids get to run around outside, get dirty, explore, and learn about the things they're actually interested in. They're learning about hard work, where their food comes from, and about God and how much He loves them. They get to be kids, a little wild and a lot feral.
Starting something different isn't always understood by everyone, and there have definitely been some hard seasons. But we've also watched people come alongside us, support what we're doing, shop with us, encourage us, and help us keep going. That means more to us than they probably realize.
We're still figuring things out. We're learning every day, making mistakes, changing plans, and trying again. Some days we feel like we're getting somewhere, and other days we're just trying to make it through the day.
But somehow, we find a way. God provides, often through people and in ways we didn't expect, and we keep moving forward.
So no, this life isn't easier. It's still stressful and still a whole lot of work.
But we're happier. We're building something that's ours, raising our family the way God has called us to, and teaching others that it's possible.
And honestly, that's worth it to us. ❤️
- Jadan Wilson
