Apparently, there is a new thing we need to worry about in the homesteading world…
“Fake homesteads.”
Yes. You read that correctly.
Apparently, if you post pretty pictures of your animals, your garden, your fresh eggs, or a beautiful sunset over your property but fail to include the junk pile and 47 pounds of poop in the background, someone might accuse you of being fake.
Well, shit.
Literally.
I guess I’ve been doing homesteading wrong.
Because apparently I’m supposed to start photographing my goat poop for authenticity.
“Good morning, everyone! Today we have a beautiful sunrise, a happy herd, and approximately 63 fresh goat turds. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!” 😂
I guess I’ve been doing homesteading wrong.
Listen, I understand what people mean.
Homesteading isn’t always pretty.
There are muddy boots.
Dirty barns.
Broken fences.
Flies.
Dust.
Sweat.
Feed everywhere.
Animals doing things they absolutely should not be doing… and that one chicken who apparently believes the entire homestead is her personal bathroom.
But here’s the thing…
I don’t have a junk pile.
My husband would probably have a stroke.
He has a place for everything, and if something doesn’t have a place, then its in the trash.
Now, do we have a pile of chicken feed bags?
Oh, absolutely.
And apparently the children have decided that the trash bin is approximately 14 miles away because somehow those bags magically remain sitting exactly where they were dropped.
Every.
Single.
Time.
But that’s not really a “junk pile.”
That’s a parenting failure with chickens. 😂
And yes, we have poop.
Lots of poop.
We’re raising animals.
Poop is basically one of the founding members of the homestead.
But I’m not going to photograph it just so someone on the internet can say, “See! Now THAT’S a real homestead!”
No.
I’m good.
If you’re genuinely excited about looking at piles of poop, though…
I’m not judging.
But maybe talk to someone. 😂
And here’s where I think we need to calm down with the whole “fake homestead” thing.
If someone posts beautiful photos, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re pretending homesteading is perfect.
Maybe they just don’t feel like posting the ugly stuff.
Maybe they took 37 pictures that day and the only decent one didn’t have a shovel, a broken bucket, and a pile of chicken feed bags in the background.
Maybe they simply wanted to share something beautiful.
And that’s okay.
We don’t demand that food bloggers photograph their dirty dishes before showing us dinner. We don’t demand that photographers show us every blurry picture they took before posting the good one.
So why do we expect homesteaders to prove their authenticity by showing us their poop?
Homesteading has enough actual problems.
Let’s not invent a new one.
I follow people because I learn from them.
Because I relate to them.
Because they make me laugh.
Because they teach me something I didn’t know.
Or sometimes…
because they have ridiculously cute goats.
That’s it.
I don’t need to see their entire property looking like a disaster zone to know they’re legitimate, And honestly, sometimes the pretty moments are the moments worth sharing.
The baby goat jumping around.
The first garden harvest.
A quiet morning with the animals.
Fresh eggs.
A sunset.
A successful milking.
Those moments are part of homesteading too.
Just because we’re not showing you the part where we’re covered in dirt, sweating, swatting flies, and questioning every decision we’ve ever made doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
You can show the pretty without pretending the ugly doesn’t exist.
So yes, my homestead has poop.
Yes, there are chicken feed bags that apparently my children believe are permanent decorations.
Yes, there are messy days.
Yes, there are days when homesteading kicks my ass.
But if I want to post a picture of a cute goat looking adorable in the sunshine instead?
I’m going to.
Because sometimes I want to remember the beautiful part.
And sometimes…
I just don’t think the internet needs to see my goat’s bathroom habits.
You’re welcome. 😂
Thank you for reading. Please share!
#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #thankyou #sunday #goats #selfsufficientliving
Backyarding And Kids 
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