Hello Steemit Community! Im Franchi, a boot making -eco building
-fundraising travelling Irish girl (mama!) living off grid
in my campervan with my 5 year old boy
and my 11 month old baby, nice weather here allows
us to be outside in nature most of the time :-)
-fundraising travelling Irish girl (mama!) living off grid
in my campervan with my 5 year old boy
and my 11 month old baby, nice weather here allows
us to be outside in nature most of the time :-)
So....what i have been getting up to! In the past 5 years I have been busy doing the things I love...Being with my kids, sharing in our community, Building 2 strawbale houses and one cobb (I will post later on how to build a comfortable house yourself with no prior experience for 500 euro ;-)
I started a free school (forest school) so that my son and other kids can enjoy fully their school in nature and not be put into a concrete box with bars on the windows 7 hours a day :-O (posts to follow on how i did this and 4 years on the wonderful results), I Set up my handmade womens leather boots making business, I would like to share skills here too, Also last year me and a friend and our 3 small kids did a 2 month long trek walking with 2 horses across the mountains to raise money for Syrian refugees.
I cant say that its all been easy! there have been some very hard times, but i choose this life, I could work in a normal job (i used to design shoes for Sergio Rossi in Italy!) or teach horse riding full time, but i choose to live without rent, work less hours because I have very few small bills to pay, I try to recycle, reuse and fix when i can and to avoid the temptation of new shiny stuff!. This way i have less cash but I also need less cash, I have lots of time with my kids and to enjoy the beautiful surrounding mountains, nature and time and food sharing in a wonderful creative dynamic community of like minded souls.
I love to travel, meet new people, be in the big wild places, connect with animals, try to live as simply as I can with as little possesions as possible, It feels so good to visit the clothes recycling site and offload unused things for others to enjoy, and to also collect some needed items ;-)
Im planning in the near future to build a 'Post Partum Support center' for women who have new babies (but not the support they need) in the first 3 months after birth, more on this project later.
Thanks for sharing your story, I've always been fascinated by the off-grid folks and their lifestyles. Btw, that is a great username you picked! Steemit will benefit greatly from free-spirited people such as yourself.
What a wonderful life and I would be interested in your postpartum series. We used to have large families help us when we gave birth and now new Moms and Dads are alone and also have to work. Besides lack of good nutrition and sleep, support is so important!
Thank you! I was lucky enough to have good support for my second baby with postpartum, so i know the huge difference it can make, yes sleep soooo important, and support love and yes good food!
such luck you had @steemama to get good post partum support... I guess somebody really loves you somewhere there. xx
Welcome to this crazy train we call steemit. I found your post through @markwhittam , he's great and if you are a friend of his, then you are a friend of mine.
Hey! Yep he is my neighbour at the moment! thanks for your support :-) love your oatmeal cookie recipe, I looooove all things oaty!
Wow you sound like one kickass mama ;) welcome to Steemit. I'm sure you're a wonderful addition to the community and I look forward to your posts. I'm very curious to read about your offgrid life. Definitely following!
Welcome home, sister @steemama ! We have cookies on the other side! Beautiful intro post! So good to read about you!
Upvoted, resteemed, fallowed.
xx
Hello! This are very nice pictures. Enjoy!
So very cool! we are happy to have you here on Steemit!!
I have a few tips for you......:
find a community. Maybe join the @minnowsupport project.
comment and follow other's articles for your first 1-4 months here more than you do your own posts. This will actually help you to gain Followers. And improve and refine your Posting style(by seeing other's good examples and bad examples).
don't plan to get rich. If you come for money, it will probably be a struggle.
it will still be a struggle when you are new.... for 2 or 3 months. As you meet more steemians and ask questions and figure things out, it will get easier.
only Post original work. Many new Steemians get into trouble when they copy and paste things from Google or from the internet, AND IT IS NOT their photo, writing or work. IF you can't post your own things, better not post. Otherwise @cheetah will get suspicious!
comment and make friends, but don't ask "Follow me" or "please Upvote me" Maybe after you have become friends... maybe. But never as your first, second or third comment to them. Never!
Use appropriate tags. If the tag doesn't match. Don't use it. Tags are important to help people find what they are looking for. Misusing tags causes many problems here on Steemit.
have fun!
I am a community volunteer. I try to stop SPAM and trash and things that hurt Steemit. IF you see anything like that, please feel free to let me know, I will look into it!
so inspiring to me and really a blessing to read at this time. i gave up my career to be with my daughter and as a single mother, most tell me that i'm crazy or that im not setting a good example by not working two jobs. i follow my intuition but sometimes when enough friends and family question you, they start to plant seeds of doubt. i look forward to following your journey and for continued inspiration. thank you for posting <3
Good on you, the way i see it is there will be time again for career if we so choose after the little ones fly the nest, and right now you have the most important career in the world - being a great mum to your daughter :-), i found that my family disapproved until they saw how confident and happy my son is, then they see the benefits of having lots of mum time, your doing a great job :-)
good point! pressure should die down as time passes. hopefully. but either way, i feel good following my heart. thank you for the encouragement and inspiration!
Welcome to Steemit @steemama...... Let the games begin. :)
loving your intro post :)
followed, upvoted, Resteemed.
Wow, that's amazing. I couldn't ever imagine living off grid myself and I have so much respect for you to do it with 2 kids. Incredible. But I truly believe you are happy. Great having you here and I'm looking forward to your posts and updates on this amazing way of life :)
Oh my god, like you already. I always admired woman as you taking care her children as a single mama. But you are doing so much further than that. You are doing it far away from civilisation! I'm looking forward for your next posts.
By the way, please tell your children my regards :)
Thank you for your support :-) wishing you the best too
Bravo @steemama Love what you are doing. You have certainly found a community here with Steemit that welcomes you with open arms. We look forward to make the journeys with you and your beautiful young ones. What a wonderful world you are making for them.
Hi vickie, thank you so much for your message, totally new to this so its encouraging :-)
Gorgeous little hut! Welcome to steemit! Happy to see more eco conscious people joining like yourself :) you may also find some good connection in the #homesteading tag. <3 following you!
Thank you! now just done that tag :-)
welcome steemama. lovely photos. lovely life. will be following you. x
Thank you shivvi neighbour :-) xx
What a life, steemama! Keep rockin'!
Thank you steemrockin :-)
Very interesting person :) Welcome to Steemit and hoping to read more of you in the future
hey bikergirl! loving your travel adventures!, I also like motorbikes but never did long distance :-)
Welcome to @Steemit @steemama! I love you post couse me and my friend @minigunner are very interested into #permaculture and food forests and #offgridlife. Will follow and already cannot wait for your next blog. Have Fun!
P.S. This is definitely @originalworks
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @steemama to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
Hey! thank you so much for your encouragement, i will check out the tags you suggested, new blog coming soon! best wishes to ya
Great intro post @steemama. So much cool stuff in here. Looking forward to reading more of your posts, especially about the straw bale house. Have fun! - Resteemed :)
Thank you, i will post soon on the straw bale house build :-)
Welcome. Sounds like you have an amazing existence and I look forward to reading more. I'm a corporate man and although I love the thought of living off grid, I don't think I'd ever have the guts to do it. Certainly not a lifestyle my wife would cope with.
thank you for your comment, maybe you could introduce your wife gently...off grid weekends?!
I've been trying to get her camping for.thr past 10 years! I don't fancy my chances :)
welcome to #steemit @steemama..
looking forward for more about you and your place.
God bless!
Thank you for your kind message, wishing you the best
Welcome to steemit.
Welcome your amazing. I can't wait until i'm off grid. Enjoy Steemit it a great community :) 💯🐒
Hey! thank you for the welcome, it feels good to be here! I had no idea until a few months ago that such a great alternative community such as Steemit existed, feels very supportive to alternative ideas and living :-)
I was like that before I join I was just about loosing faith in the world. 💯🐒
Howdy neighbour, good to finally see you on here x resteemed x
Howdy neighbour supermama!
Welcome to steemit. Love your introductory post. Following you and resteemed.
Thank you! following you :-)
Welcome to steemit! If you are ever looking for a group, actually a community, of homesteaders/gardeners/self-sufficient like-minded people, I am the moderator of a group here... also the "un"official ambassador to the group.
let me know and I can post an invite link here for you!
Thank you! yes please :-) whats the group?
It's called homesteadersonine
Join Link: https://discord.gg/VKCrWsS
Thank you! did join :-), but to be honest with a small baby im struggling to get one post a week up on steemit, may not have much time for more on screen, but will try, and she will get older!!
Wow, you are amazing. I think you could really be succesful here explaining your life in the van! best of luck!
Thank you, blogs to come! van life and also im soon moving into a truck with more space so photos on that process too :-)
Welcome to Steemit! I hope that you will enjoy this platform! I upvoted and reesteemed for support:)
Thank you Jerome for your support
You are most welcome! followed you.
Amazing Mama!!
What a wonderful life. Great introduction blog, I look forward to seeing the continuation, thanks for sharing.😀👍🏻
Thank you Heidi, when the kids sleep (and i don't fall asleep same time!) I will enjoy blogging and sharing with this great community
Hi there and welcome.
:)
Goodness.
You certainly go, go, go girl!
What a whirlwind inspiration you are.
Looking forward to getting to virtually know you over the coming months and wondering where you are in Spain? ~ We have a run down Finca near Tarragona.
Please feel free to pop by mine if you manage to have a spare mo!
Upvoted/Followed.
With best wishes.
xox
Hey! Thank you for your welcome to Steemit :-), We are near Granada, but im planning a road trip by truck this year coming so may swing by Tarragona, and another hotrse trek fundraiser in 3 years when my baby can ride a pony! so we may yet meet! wishing you the best
Waow !
You seem to have a big heart and gentle soul !
It's great that you are opening your own school (I'm a soon to be primary school teacher but who will try to educate my students to eco-friendly attitudes and creative thinking! ).
I'm amazed by what you did to raise money, and the care you support for mamas, they are lucky to have you, and your friends.
I would love to hear what you think about one of last posts, it's about green burials, a subject that not a lot of people talk about :
https://steemit.com/life/@stl.nolaim/let-s-talk-afraid-of-the-afterlife-what-if-death-could-be-lively
Let me know if you found it interesting and follow me if you want to give me a thumbs up ;)
Have a great adventure of Steemit !
Can"t wait to hear more about the school !
Hey, thank you for your welcome and message, yes i will check out the link now, I will blog about the school soon :-) Great you teach your kids eco and creative things, lucky kids they have you, so important these subjects are in mainstream schools, i will follow you :-) best wishes
Thanks for following me and taking the time to read my posts !
You are a cool mama !
Welcome to Steemit steemama!
I hope you find everything you're looking for from this platform and that you have a blast knowing new friends and like-minded individuals.
If you ever need help, you know where to find me.
Cheers!
Amazing intro @steemama! Such a beautiful adventure you are in :)
Looking forward to hear more!
Love & Light
Resteeming this post as part of the Steemit Newbie Resteem Initiative. We try to help new users by resteeming their posts to gain more exposure and provide help and support where needed. If you have any questions then please feel free to ask. Also remember to keep your private keys backed up off line and only log in on your posting key. These can be found in permissions in your wallet. I really enjoyed this first post and welcome to the platform, if ever you need help then do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you mudcat :-), I will get on it with the keys, so many helpful kind people here!
Hey! What part of Spain are you in? Looks beautiful there, presume the south coast? We are in the Pyrenees.
Cool house and love the free forest school, hope set one up here someday too.
Saludos
Welcome to steemit, that was a really great intro. Will definitely follow with interest. Love your house, reminds me of a hobbit house (and that’s not meant to be a insult, I love it! )
Growing your own food as you are doing is soooo important and i'm not there yet! good on ya! and yes its was cosy like a hobbit house but I donated the houses to the forest/free school project 3 years ago so now i live in my van which is cosy too but not got that special hobbit house feeling!, thank you for your support
good!.
i enjoy your post ^^! Thanks.
happy today for you!
hey neighbor :)
Interesting lifestyle, and very good initiative to help women in their first months of mom!
I really am determined to do that project, once my baby is not drinking all night and i get some good sleep i will have the power!
Hi @steemama and welcome to Steemit. I feel we have a few things in common :) I live in Ireland (but not Irish) but hoping to become worldschoolers with my kids soon. I am also passionate about anything concerning birth. I will be following you on your journey. I'd say Mark and his family are great neighbours to have!
Hey, nice to meet ya! I hope the Irish weather is not being too unkind, i really do miss Ireland though, maybe one day I go back, will check out your blogs, yep mark and his family are great, lovely neighbourhood, and changing all the time, transient as it is ;-)
Where in Ireland are you from? I live in Mayo at the moment, near Castlebar, but we'll be hitting the road in March/April to visit as many events as we can promoting Steemit. I am not planning on staying here in Ireland for much longer, so I want to see what we can before we go, since it will probably be some time before we come back again, and wouldn't want to miss the opportunity. There are soooo many places we haven't been to yet, so enough to do! No, the weather has been truly horrible since about two weeks. It hasn't stopped raining! Today we actually had some sun...it lasted about 10 minutes! I love the little house you built. It's my plan too to start minimizing slowly. Get rid of what we don't need, sell, donate etc. so we don't have to worry about dragging along too much stuff. 4 kids, two big dogs and 3 cats is enough ;)
Wow 4 kids! amazing, with two I can hardly imagine :-)and 5 animals, great, much respect! you'd need a bus to move them all (totally possible!). Sorry to hear about the crap weather, my mum is in wexford and has recently had hurricanes :-O. Im from Glendalough in Co. wicklow, but my Godmother lived in mayo so we spent some summers there, love it there. Hope there more sun, and if your ever passing by south Spain do drop in!
Well, I think it would be different if they were all not far apart. My eldest is 16, then the middle two are 8 and 9 and my youngest is 3. So even though each age brings its own challenges, the eldest doesn't need much 'caring' for anymore and my youngest daughter (the 9 year old) has been independent since she can walk, so she is a great help around here. My sons (the 2 youngest) never complain about anything and are very easy going, this might have something to do with the fact that they have three bossy women in the house lol, they just don't bother going against the stream! I truly wouldn't know what to do if they were any different LOL. I love Wexford, it's so pretty. I don't know Wicklow very well, only passed a few times, never really stopped or saw anything, but that can still change! When we do our 'tour' here in Ireland, we can test how this works out with all of us travelling. I have a caravan at the moment, but I'm not planning to move around in that for too long as I don't really like towing things too much. So a bus would be an option. Just have to get the license. But maybe if I can find something that's not too huge and something like an awning or something to add to the vehicle, the problem for space with the animals could be solved that way. I take it as it comes, when the time comes, all will fall into place. And if we pass by, I will definitely keep that in mind! 🤗
Super! would love to meet you all!. So you will do a Steemit tour in Ireland? my friend Aishlinn @trucklife-family here on Steemit, lived in Ireland for many years in her bus with her family, she could suggest good contacts for new Steemians/support for your trip around the cork area (and all over ireland), she moved in alternative circles there, i left there young ;-), best wishes for you and your family :-)
Yes, a Steemit tour Ireland is definitely on the books. I know @trucklife-family, and just now realize she's your neighbour there too LOL. You're all in good company :) I am really looking forward to getting on the road, it would be a nice change. We've pretty much been locked up inside the house due to the weather the last few weeks. Every time it's dry and we're outside, we either get a hail storm or terrible rain lol. It's a long winter that way. So even 'just' travelling within Ireland would be such a difference. I'll definitely ask Aishlinn for advice when the time comes. I believe our first festival we're visiting is in March, and I still have lots to do before that, so this time will fly.
Best wishes to you and the kiddies :)
Hello from Thailand, I've always wanted to go to go to Spain one day, can't wait to see more of your post!
Welcome to steemit. I love your intropost and feel certain you will have fun and make a lot of friends on here. Best of luck to you. 🐓🐓
Welcome! I think that you will enjoy yourself on Steemit.
Welcome home. I find it incredible that you're homesteading.
Welcome @steemama to Steemit! Great introduction and thanks for sharing...it's a beautiful post that you have about your adventures and life with your children. Additionally the dream of opening Post Partum Support Centre is very noble of you. I added, upvoted, and followed you on Steemit, will be awesome if you check out my contents and follow me as well. If you like my post please upvote and resteem, and I hope we can stay connected and support each other~ :)!!!
This is so awesome! You have so much to offer, and I'm sure you'll do well here. Off to read your second post now.