Things got really busy on the farm, its goat kidding season and although we don't have as many does kidding this year it got really busy. Welcome to a lot of new members and apologies for the delay in approving applications. Please introduce yourselves and let us all know about your homesteading and farming journeys.

We had an unexpectedly early arrive on Tuesday afternoon, and all my time has been taken trying to fix everyone. Sage, who is a maiden doe, was due to kid sometime between 7-9 September. Unfortunately she was under the weather and hiding it from me. She kidded on Tuesday with no assistance (honestly don't believe it when people say you have to be there, you don't 99% of the time), twin kids and then she got sick really quick. The vet and I believe it was a combination of pregnancy toxemia and milk fever. Sage is still not out of the woods and is on daily injections to try to help. Her milk is non-existent due to being ill so I am now bottle feeding, something which I try to avoid at all costs. Breast is best. Hopefully if she recovers, it is quick and she gets her milk back. Please welcome, Cookies and Cream, a slightly coloured buckling and a white doeling.

There will not be any new info posts today as my 15 yr old daughter has her rugby league semi-final. Fingers crossed they win and we go through to the grand final. Hopefully you all get time with your families over the weekend. Homesteading and farming while raising a family and/or working can really kill you time. It's important to have some down time. It rejuvenates you for the coming week.

Welcome to the Ditch the Store community! I’m so glad you’re here. This is the place to connect with others on the same path — whether you’re just starting out or already knee-deep in compost. Take a moment to introduce yourself below. Tell us where you're from and what stage you're at in your homesteading journey. I’m CJ, and along with my partner (aka the Handy Helper), we run Mojo Homestead — 120 acres in regional NSW, Australia. We raise chickens for eggs and meat, goats for milk, meat and fibre, bees for honey, and cows for dairy and beef. We grow as much of our own fruit, veggies, and nuts as we can, and make our own bread, cheese, cleaning products, and even a few crafty things. We’ve been working on ditching the store for about 8 years now, and we’re getting pretty good at it — though we still buy toilet paper! Can’t wait to hear your story.