My parents recently moved to a new home and, like with any move, there are a few projects on their “To Do” list.
A couple updates to the kitchen, improvements to the roof, changing the the deck to a patio for ease in maintenance… But even in the midst of all of these projects, my mom made a couple more requests: she asked for a composting center and a few raised garden beds.
I was so excited for her when she told me this was on their “list.” She hadn’t had much of a garden beyond a few tomato plants and herbs since I was a baby. My sister and brother followed in the years after that so her garden took a backseat.
I was also so excited to log onto Facebook the other day to see that my dad had spent an afternoon building her a great compost center and a few really nice raised beds. Woodworking was a pre-kid hobby of my dad’s so he wrote about the fun he had building this in the caption of the post.
But, I think most of his enjoyment came out of doing this for my mom.
As I smiled thinking of my mom’s reaction to her beautiful new set up, I got to thinking. Here at Scratch Mommy, through Jessica, the contributors, and the fabulous readers, we have created an amazing community of women who take steps everyday to live #LifeFromScratch.
Be it through living more simply, eating real food, supporting local farmers, or reducing the chemicals in our homes we are challenging and educating ourselves. Together, this great group of gals is working to make the world a little better for our children.
Scratch Mommy is a pretty motivating place as well as a group of women who has each others’ backs by being a sounding board for new ideas or solutions.
I love it all because I am a Girl’s Girl. I am a firm believer in friendship and the support between women, as well as women reaching for their goals and stretching themselves beyond what is the norm.
But, I have a sneaking suspicion behind many of the Scratch Mommies is a man, be it a dad, husband, uncle, boyfriend, grandfather, whomever, helping us on this path.
Below are stories of just a few of these great men who inspire, support, and believe in Scratch Mommies.
#LifeFromScratch Inspiration
Jessica, the original Scratch Mommy, recalls very fond memories of gardening with her father which helped to inspire her #LifeFromScratch lifestyle.
“He taught me about seeds and plants. He showed me how deep to plant and how far apart. I loved seeing our food go from seed to plant to my mother’s amazing cooking…to my belly!”
These are skills that Jessica is now passing on to her young son, “Mr. O.,” thanks to her own original dibble stick, a gift from her father, and memories from her father’s garden.
“He always planted two rows of sunflowers…just for me. I remember walking under them and thinking they were the most HUGE flowers in the world! It was like a jungle for me. So, now I plant them for O.”
#LifeFromScratch Support
Previously on Scratch Mommy, Jennifer wrote about her helpful husband.
She was having a weekend when nothing went well and was topped off with a major migraine headache. Her husband stepped up to the plate: finishing up household chores, getting food on the table, and preparing the family’s homemade Larabars.
Dads get an undeserved bad rep for taking the easy route. He could have gone out and purchased Larabars… or something else. But, he supported his wife in maintaining her #LifeFromScratch aspirations.
#LifeFromScratch Belief
Above, I mentioned that I am a Girl’s Girl. My husband, Adam? He is a Man’s Man.
He loves sports, trucks, dirt, and red meat. Before me and our garden, he would have never considered a meatless dinner.
But now, because of the energy I put into our garden and eating real food, he will happily enjoy a very veggie meal. He knows that it’s important to me and enjoys seeing the passion behind my actions.
And, he believes in it too. He believes in knowing where our food comes from. He believes that we are making a difference by reducing our footprint by eating the food grown in our backyard. He believes that not eating meat every meal will help impact the meat industry and create better living conditions for animals. He believes in living #lifefromscratch.
So, in honor of Father’s Day, let’s hear it for the Scratch Daddies.