Rest for the Overwhelmed Mom: Creating Peace in a Full Life | Carolyn of Homesteading Family (Episode 329)

Rest doesn’t mean doing nothing, but simply pausing the constant pushing forward. In this conversation with Carolyn of Homesteading Family, we talk about what happened when her family intentionally committed to a “year of rest” on their busy homestead. With older kids, a growing business, animals to tend, and even a wedding thrown into the mix, this wasn’t a year of sitting still. It was a year of redefining peace, rethinking commitments, and learning that true rest often starts in your mindset long before it shows up on your calendar. If you’ve been feeling burned out in homesteading, homemaking, business, or motherhood, this episode will meet you right where you are and give you practical encouragement to find peace in your current season.

In this episode, we cover:

• The long-term vision behind planning six years of building followed by a seventh year with no major homestead projects
• What “rest” actually looked like with 11 kids, animals, gardens, and a full family business still running
• The surprising ways time opened up when they stopped adding infrastructure, remodels, and new systems
• How an unexpected engagement, homestead wedding, and cabin build reshaped their carefully planned year
• Living by rhythm instead of a clock-driven schedule and why everyday chores don’t have to feel burdensome
• The myth that life automatically gets easier as kids grow — and how each new season brings its own challenges and freedoms
• The difference between removing work and actually experiencing peace
• A practical shift that brought immediate calm and clarity to her days and why overwhelm often follows us even into vacation seasons
• The hidden cost of overcommitment and how to recognize when it’s stealing your joy in the everyday moments
• Telling yourself the truth about your personality and energy instead of striving to meet someone else’s standard
• Designing home rhythms that serve your season instead of copying what works for someone else

About Carolyn

Carolyn Thomas, along with her husband Josh, is the co-founder of Homesteading Family. Together, they live on 40 acres in Idaho with their eleven children, where they grow, preserve, and prepare much of their family’s food right in their own backyard. As young parents with a rapidly growing family and a tight budget, they quickly realized that feeding their children healthy, whole foods would require learning how to grow and prepare it themselves.
Without mentors nearby and while juggling the demands of daily life, they spent years studying, experimenting, and learning through trial and error. Over time, they built a productive, old-fashioned life within a modern world—raising much of their own food and medicine, working together as a family, and becoming deeply connected to their land.
Wanting to spare other families the same struggles and isolation they once experienced, Carolyn and Josh created Homesteading Family to share the skills, knowledge, and encouragement they had gained. Through their teaching and resources, they help families move away from a consumer-based lifestyle and toward a healthier, more intentional home—one rooted in nourishment, stewardship, and meaningful daily work.

Resources Mentioned:

Get access to the Peaceful Homestead Rhythm Challenge and the full Homestead Kitchen Membership here

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

Connect

Carolyn of Homesteading Family | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

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