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Dreaming of garden beds and green things 🌱 but pau Dreaming of garden beds and green things 🌱
but pausing to admire this quiet snowfall 🤍
Golden, cozy, and exactly what these cold days cal Golden, cozy, and exactly what these cold days call for 🤍
I just shared my French onion soup recipe on the blog — simple ingredients, slow simmered, and so comforting.
You can find it in my Recipes highlight too so it’s easy to come back to.
Link in bio 🍲
I was fully prepared for a peaceful chicken bedtim I was fully prepared for a peaceful chicken bedtime routine.
What I was not prepared for: a possum chilling in the coop. 😬
The snow has kept the girls inside more, and apparently we had an unexpected guest drop in last minute.

Everyone’s safe, no chickens were harmed, and the possum was escorted out.
Just another day at our house.
Today’s puff baby didn’t puff because I… forgot th Today’s puff baby didn’t puff because I… forgot the milk.
I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve done something like this in the kitchen, but let’s be honest-  it probably won’t be the last either 😄

It happens. 
Thankfully, flat non-puff pancakes are still delicious- especially with yogurt, berries, and a hot cup of coffee on the side.

A gentle reminder that even when things don’t rise the way we hoped, they can still turn out pretty wonderful.
We recycle Christmas trees a little differently ar We recycle Christmas trees a little differently around here 🌲😂

Snow jumps + pine needle snacks = very happy sheep.
A snowy farm morning, one quiet moment at a time ❄ A snowy farm morning, one quiet moment at a time ❄️

Warm puff pancakes and berries
Fresh eggs gathered through the snow
Sheep with frosted noses
Paths we shovel knowing they won’t stay
Cocoa, blankets, and cuddly dogs

These are the days I want to remember.
I think some of us were made for a slower life. N I think some of us were made for a slower life.

Not an easy one. Not a perfect one.

But one where coffee is poured slowly, children are heard throughout the house, hands are busy, and beauty is noticed in ordinary days.

I don’t think this longing is accidental.

I think it’s a remembering. 🤍

Does anyone else feel it too?
One of the first things you learn with animals is One of the first things you learn with animals is that they run on loops.

Feed. Water. Check. Repeat.

When those loops are solid, everything feels calmer; for them and for me.

I’m realizing how much of homesteading (and homemaking) is just paying attention to the rhythms that already exist and choosing to support them, not reinvent or force them.

#homesteadlife #homesteadrhythms #simpleliving
#slowhomestead #seasonalliving
I’ve never thought about homemaking in terms of lo I’ve never thought about homemaking in terms of loops before.
But thinking this way has quietly changed how I move through my days - how things get done, and how I respond when they don’t.

Loops are helping me finish things and stop spiraling when I fall behind...

This way of thinking is new to me- I’m wondering if it is for you too.

The Sleepy Hollow Homestead

Homesteading, Homemaking, Homemade: The pursuit of good simple living.

I Asked for Help: What Happened When I Said “I Can’t Do It All”

June 19, 2025

Let me just say it plain: This week I asked for help.

And if you’re anything like me—a stay-at-home mom juggling homeschool, homemaking, garden work, and trying to keep your family healthy— you know how loaded that sentence can feel.

We’re the ones who hold it down. The figure-it-outers. The ones who hold the vision and carry the weight and keep the wheels turning even when no one notices how much it takes.

But this week?

I dropped the ball. I dropped like… all of them. The house was a mess. The garden was demanding attention. I was behind on homeschool prep, behind on meals, behind on pretty much everything. And I was exhausted.

So I did something that used to feel scary and shameful: I asked for help.


The Week Everything Felt Like Too Much

You know that feeling when the clutter is louder than your thoughts? That’s where I was.

Between:

Weeding the gardens (how do weeds grow faster than I can pull them??)

Keeping up with reading lessons

Planning next year’s homeschool curriculum (we’re diving into Ambleside Online and I’m so excited!)

Adopting a brand new food philosophy to help our family get healthier

Trying to revamp the kitchen and meal rhythms

And still keeping three kids fed, clothed, and emotionally supported…

…I was stretched thin. Like, translucent. And the house? An absolute disaster. Piles on piles. Laundry on laundry. Dishes in the sink that made me want to cry.

It felt like I was doing a hundred things—badly—and nothing well. And honestly? I started resenting everything I actually love. That’s when I knew I couldn’t keep white-knuckling it.


So I Asked My Husband for Help

Not in a meltdown. Not in a dramatic moment. Just… calmly. Honestly. With a deep sigh and tired eyes.

“I need help. I’m not doing okay. I’m behind on everything, and I can’t catch up alone.”

And you know what he said?

“Okay. Where do we start?”

Not judgment. Not guilt. Not a lecture. Just love.

Together, we kicked some serious housework butt. We cleared counters, reset rooms, caught up on laundry. He took the kids into the garden to get some bonding in while tackling weeds. He swept while I sat down to plan our homeschool year. He gave me the gift of margin again.

I could breathe.


Why Asking for Help Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing

We carry so much as mothers—especially stay-at-home and homeschooling moms. There’s no clocking out. No shift change. No “handing it off.”

But the truth is:

Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re wise enough to know your limits.

It means you’re willing to stay in the game without burning out.
It means you trust your people enough to let them in.
It means you value your family enough to want to show up whole—not as a shell of yourself.


L I’m Finding My Bearings Again

Since asking for help, I’ve been able to:

Catch up on homeschool planning (and get super excited about Ambleside Online!)

Clear enough mental clutter to recommit to our new food journey

Actually enjoy our home again

Sit down and breathe without guilt

Feel like me again

The plates are still spinning—but now my husband is helping me carry the tray.


If You feel Like You’re Drowning

Friend, maybe your week has looked a lot like mine.
Maybe you’re managing so much that you’ve stopped managing yourself.
Maybe your house looks like a hurricane came through, and your thoughts are even messier.
Maybe you haven’t asked for help because you’re afraid that means you’re failing.

Let me tell you:
You are not failing. You are full.
And it’s okay to need a hand.


A Little Encouragement for You (and Me)

🧺 It’s okay if your house is a mess.
📚 It’s okay if your lesson plans are behind.
🌿 It’s okay if your garden has weeds.
🍳 It’s okay if your food philosophy is still a work in progress.
🫶 It’s okay to not be okay—but it’s also okay to ask for help.

And maybe you won’t get the help you need right away. But maybe you can ask your spouse. Your friend. Your mom. Your church. Your kids. God.

Ask for the support you need. You deserve to feel supported in the life you’re building.


Let’s Be Women Who Ask

Let’s normalize moms saying:

“Can you help me today?”

“I need a break.”

“I can’t do this alone.”

“I’m overwhelmed and I need support.”

Let’s be women who let our homes and families see our humanity, not just our hustle.
Because we’re building beautiful things here—homeschools, homes, families, and futures.
But we don’t have to build it alone.


You’re doing beautiful work—even if you had to ask for help this week. Especially because you did. 💛


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Welcome to The Sleepy Hollow Homestead : a home centered lifestyle blog

Welcome to The Sleepy Hollow Homestead : a home centered lifestyle blog

I'm Heather - a wife and stay at home mama of 3. I'm on a journey to thrive at home & cultivate a home-centered life. Join our young homesteading family of four as we start a Zone 6 garden in Indiana, turn our aging 80 acre farm into a sustainable homestead using permaculture and regenerative agricultural practices, and DIY our 1865 Colonial revival Farmhouse into the home of our dreams. Along the way we're going to DIY, garden, cook from scratch, learn to be frugal, homeschool, thrift, eat healthier, and learn to really enjoy this thing called life.
I'm thriving after a rectovaginal fistula and am passionate about physiological childbirth.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and get cozy: I'm so glad you're here! Thanks for visiting!

Recent Posts

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