things i have learned this year

I hope to look back on this stage of my life and call it "Learning". Not that I ever plan on stopping learning, but I like to think that this is the part of the S-curve where exponential growth begins. I am a (relatively) new mother, learning to farm in my backyard, and striving for financial freedom and the wisdom that requires. That's a heavy course load. I was blessed with a wonderful childhood, a privileged upbringing, and the freedom to be idealistic that children of well-off parents are afforded. I have no student debt, I got to immerse myself in every activity that interested me growing up, and I always believed I could do anything I wanted to. That is part character, but also part stability, of which I had nothing to do with. My parent's hard work granted me ease of early life.
I didn't always learn the lessons well. Some I did. I became a person of character, strength and ambition. But I didn't learn to steward my money responsibly, and I developed a habit of avoiding confrontation at all costs, the more I cared for a person.
So now I am learning.
Learning that...

:: Avoidance always increases the problem, whatever it is.

:: Some things are worth making from scratch (laundry detergent), but others are not (butter).

:: It takes a moment of laziness or inconsistency to allow your child to form a bad habit, and much longer to undo it.

:: Epsom salts are a wonderful fertilizer for tomatoes and peppers, and cayenne pepper keeps pests away.

:: Food won't grow in too much shade.

:: On any given day there are a million things a parent can feel guilty about, and most of them don't matter.

:: Meal planning is a huge money and time saver.

:: An emergency cash stash in the car can prevent a major headache.

:: Any vegetable that will climb grows better off the ground, saves space, and looks awesome.

:: A good relationship with neighbours can be a life saver.

:: Pay yourself first. Automatic savings transfers are a great tool.

:: Sometimes the worst thing you can do is hide your problems from your family.

:: All a child really needs is love and attention, not stuff.

:: Root veggies are better started in the ground.

:: Paying for everything with cash makes you more aware of how you spend your money.

:: Bees love cucumber flowers.