Donate to open The Maritime School of Traditional Skills

Hi,

My name is Meghan, and it is my dream to homestead and open up a nature school designed to give children ages 2-18 traditional skills. Originally this dream was a familial effort, my husband had bought the land, and it was only a matter of time before we started living there.

That is until I realized, through a spiritual awakening, that my husband was a covert narcissist. I came up with a plan and eventually left him in April of 2024 with no penny to my name, no higher education, a toddler, and another baby on the way. With a loan from my parents and social assistance from the province we've been managing.

However challenging this last year has been, I refuse to give up. I trust in God that if this is the right path for me then he will make it happen. A business loan is not currently an option for me. I want to write a disclaimer because it seems I've offended some people on Facebook for merely posting this GoFund me: In no way do I EXPECT others to fund this project! If you don't care about this stuff, feel free to move on, however, I think if you are as dedicated to creating healthy communities and are a believer in true freedom - a little kindness can go a long way. You are investing in our children's future!

My plan as of now is to save enough money to purchase a tiny home and a small plot of land to run my business. With small class sizes of 5 kids per session, I plan on offering half day, afterschool, and summer camp programs.

I currently Nanny for another 2 year old so I can still be there for my own 2.5 year old son and 4 month old baby. We live frugally, but it's all worth the effort to move us closer to my dream. I currently rent in Halifax, we have back yard chickens, and I can in the fall using local produce, I make all my own apothecary and household products, and knit/sew in my free time. The great thing about traditional skills is you don't necessarily need a homestead to use them!

At the same time, I'm doing a Bachelor of Psychology through Athabasca's online university and recently accomplished an NLP Life Coaching Certification. I also hope to get a GAPS Diet Coaching Certification as well as a Gottman Institute Relationship Coaching Certification.

I've started a blog to complement my nature school vision, this space is dedicated to mothers and wives.

To read my full story - visit the about me page

https://makingahome-from-scratch-living.com/about/

My blog is still in its construction phase, therefore, stay tuned for new developments.

There are three main reasons why I want to do this.

The first reason is due to a world filled with chronic illness. At 18 I was diagnosed with severe IBS resulting in stomach cramps and constipation. I also had severe mental health issues, for example chronic anxiety and depression. It wasn't until I stumbled across Dr. Natasha Mcbride's book Gut and Physiology Syndrome (she also has another book titled Gut and phycology syndrome that I read as well) that I was able to truly heal. I learned about the toxicity of our food industry and their attack on the gut microbiome. I tried her protocol for about a year, and while it was a lot of effort, not only was I finally able to poop, my depression, anxiety, and brain fog went away as well. After this experience I realized how important organic locally grown food is, no spray, pesticides, or fertilizers. And how important grass-fed meat and raw milk is. Unfortunately, being healthy is expensive and hard to come by! So I decided I would need to grow and raise my own food and be part of a community that helps each other.

The second reason is due to an epidemic of moms in the workplace. Many people today cannot survive off of one income and while I wholeheartedly believe children 0-3 years old thrive in the care of their mothers at home with them, I also cannot make that decision for families. Sometimes Mom has to or chooses to work.

If you were triggered in reading my last paragraph, let me assure you that I do not believe in traditional roles as to chain women to the stove. The beauty of the women's rights movement was to provide women with a choice. That choice, however, should be made with careful consideration, as it is scientifically proven that children ages 0-3 need the nurturing of their moms. Their future mental health depends on it. Women can work in the workplace, but I do not advise doing so during your children's first 3 years of life. Erica Komisar writes a fantastic book called Being There that guides Moms through making conscious decisions about whether or not to work when you have kids as well as advocating for government support for stay at home moms.

That being said if Mom is in the workplace that means someone has to take her place and accept a very important societal responsibility. That is nurturing the next generation of youth so that they can blossom into mentally healthy and resilient adults.

Do you think your child is annoying? How much do you think a minimum wage daycare worker who also has to take care of 10-20 other 0–5-year-olds at the same time as your child really cares? Ok let me reframe that question, how much do you think this daycare worker is physically and mentally able to care for your child among 10-20 others in a loving and nurturing way? It is common phenomena for institutionalized daycare workers to be burnt out! Is this the environment you want to leave your children in?

I believe there needs to be more alternatives to institutionalized daycares. I appreciate and admire mothers who open up their own homes as home daycare centers, but what makes my vision different is the fact that your child is getting a family-oriented space rooted in self-sufficiency skills, nature, and homesteading.

Which leads me to my last reason which is to give children the skills to be self-sufficient. With the rise of modern technology, we've replaced competency for comfort. Home economics is no longer a required course in high schools, boy was I in for a treat trying to figure out how to a manage a home as a first-time mom learning to cook, sew, grow my own food, and so much more. We've lost all these valuable skills as a society and it's time to start teaching them again.

I was an extremely lonely child. My mother and father chose to work full time. I was put in daycares as an infant. After preschool I was put in before school and after school programs, school sports, and the like. I came home to no family, and no homemade meal on the table. The hustle and bustle of our lives left no time for connection. So, in opening this school I hope to provide children whose parents have to or choose to work with the nurturing and love I never received as a kid.

So, if you've made it this far, I want to thank you for any contribution you are willing to make. Even if it's just a dollar. Every dollar counts!