Being a wife to a man in any profession is a challenge, however, being an urban farm wife requires a special skill set. Your husband often works long hard hours away from home, your family follows a more natural way of living and you tend to get dirty.
We’ve had a bit of excitement lately. On Easter Sunday, one of our hogs gave birth to 11 little piglets!
I never thought I’d be so excited about pigs! My husband went to feed the hogs (we’ve got 2 and they were both pregnant) after church and discovered that one of them had given birth. After lunch with the family, the girls and I headed to the farm to meet the new little piglets.
This year has been exciting because my husband has stepped out and started his own business, Anthony’s Roots. He’ll be selling range free eggs, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and hogs.
I never in a million years thought I’d be married to a farmer. In fact, my coworkers and friends often say that I look nothing like a farmer’s wife, and am to prissy to be a farmer’s wife. Well I beg to differ! In fact, let me tell you how to be an urban farm wife.
Be Flexible
This is easy (sort of) for me because as a school counselor, I know that everyday is different. The only constant is change, and constantly expect the unexpected. The same is true for farming. Sundays are usually designated as family days, however this past Sunday, Easter Sunday to be exact, one of the hogs delivered piglets. My husband wasn’t expecting them for a few days, so he had to finish their nesting area.
To complicate things even more, it rained most of the day, and one of the other hogs got out. What was supposed to be a one hour trip to the farm turned into a 4 hour ordeal. Instead of getting bent out of shape about him not being home, I packed up the girls and joined him.
Don’t be Afraid to Get Dirty
Living in the south, you hear all kinds of expressions like frog giggin & mud boggin’ which to me, all equal getting dirty. I’ve never been much of an outdoorsy person, but farming has changed that considerably.
I’ve always been an animal lover, so I enjoy helping my husband care for the animals. Buddy our dog, loves to jump on me after he’s been walking around in the mud.
Just yesterday I had the pleasure of helping some of the new piglets find their way to their mother as she turned over so they could nurse. Their eyesight still isn’t that good, so they had trouble getting to her when they wanted some milk.Did I mention it was raining? In the past I would’ve never stepped foot in the rain for fear of ruining my hair. Thankfully, my gel kept my curls intact.
Be Supportive
Farming is hard work! Physically and mentally.
My husband multi-tasks daily, and his mind is usually on work. He works long hours and he prepares for planting and harvesting. The craziest hours in our home are probably between 5:00-8:00 pm. Lately, he’s been coming home between 6:30-7:00, after the peak of crazy. It’s easy to lash out at him when he comes in the door, but I have to remind myself that he’s making a sacrifice too.
He’d much rather be home with us, but is working hard during this busy season. Don’t forget to be your husband’s biggest cheerleader!
Invest in Fashion Friendly Farm Clothes
Believe me, I am being realistic when I say that. I know that it would be foolish to wear 3 inch heels and all my favorite jewelry, but who says working outside means you have to look thrown away?
I’ll have to admit, sometimes I don’t always match (don’t judge me!) My new favorite statement farm piece is a great graphic tee. 
Use the Farm as Teachable Moments for your Children
The girls love animals just as much as I do, so we’ve been teaching them to respect the animals and handle them with care.
My five year old has also been asking her daddy if she can help do different things. For example, yesterday she asked to help shovel. He told her to wait so he could help her, but she picked up the shovel anyway and ended up knocking her sister in the head. She is so eager to help, but she’s got to learn to slow down.
One of the courtesies of farm life is all the built in lessons I’ll get to teach my children.
Wow 11 piglets? My daughter would have a fun time at your farm. The closest she has ever gotten to farm animals were those at the petting zoo. I’m sure your kids are having a fun time with those little piggies.
Thanks Amanda! Yes, they want to be out there all the time, rain, shine, cold or hot.
Wow, I can’t even imagine that way of life. I bet it’s very rewarding, though. And 11 piglets – WOW 🙂
Robin, if you asked me a year ago, I couldn’t imagine it either! We don’t live on the farm yet, so I get the pleasure of enjoying the good parts 🙂
Oh How I would love to live and work on a farm one day. I would love to take care of a few horse, goats, chicken’s and maybe a Pig here or there. Those piglet’s sure are adorable!
Its a lot of hard work for sure, but the payoff is great. 😉
I’m so proud of you and your blogging! Great article and great words of advice. I know my little superstars love it too!
Thanks Angie!!
They are SO cute! I have always wanted a mini pig in the house, but we are settled with a pup for now! She is a handful! Farms can be so fun with animals giving birth to young!
Thank you Mariah! I never saw why people fell in love with pigs until I held one myself!
This is the sweetest post ever! Not only am I a sucker for animals (totally swooning over those piglet pics), but I love seeing your kids interact with them. What could be cuter? Plus, I think that living on a farm is so intriguing! I can’t wait to follow along 🙂
Thanks Kait! I can’t wait to share more with you.
I love this post so much! Those piglets are the cutest things ever, after the darling kiddos of course!
Thank you Debra! I’m in love with them too!
Look at those piggies. Too cute. I dont know if I could cut it on a farm, but I do think it teaches kids a lot. I grew up with a lot of friends who lived on farms and they were always really adventurous and hard working. And yes, I would look cute on the farm, too . Hahah.
Alexandria, I never thought I could cut it either! However we don’t live there yet, so I’m living the best of both worlds for now.
What a gorgeous family! The piglets are pretty adorable too….What fun you guys are having. I wish I could join you….
Thanks Monica! Wish you could too 😉
I’ve never experienced the farm life, but I’ve always been intrigued by it! Also, the pictures of the piglets are so adorable. – HilLesha
Thanks HiLesha! I never realized how complex it is until m husband started doing it.
Your farm life looks exciting and the girls also look happy!
How old were the piglets when you took photos of them?
They were just born earlier that morning.
That’s so awesome! We try to homestead our little quarter of an acre lot in the city. We have had chickens in the past and love them. What I really want are little pygmy goats – but those pigs are seriously adorable! Good luck! And as far as fashionable – I bought some really pretty muck boots, they may get messy, but when I hose them off they are still pretty 🙂
That’s awesome Heather! Pygmy goats are the cutest! I’m hoping we’ll have some goats too. Where did you find your boots?
There are so many wonderful benefits to living this lifestyle. I love that you included being fashionable. Why not 🙂
Thanks Jill!
O my gosh, would you look at them. They are just the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Noisy too im sure.
Not quite noisy yet, they are only a few days old. They only get noisy when they get tired of us holding them 🙂
I grew up around farms (my aunt had a dairy farm) and it is messy work! But, it all washes off and when you get see so many adorable baby pigs at once you quickly forget about the mud. 😉 Your girls are getting a great education about life that isn’t taught in schools!! Love this post!
I don’t know if I could ever live on a farm. Kudos to you. I know it’s hard work, and it could be so rewarding. It’s just not for me.
Thanks April. We don’t quite live on the farm yet. I am a full time school counselor, so my husband does most of the work. I get to enjoy exploring the land and playing with the animals.
O-M-G those piglets are so cute!! I grew up on a very small farm, so as a child, I loved spring when all the baby animals started being born. We had chickens, pheasants (my dad raised them and released them into the wild to bring up the pheasant population for hunting, ducks, and a pig once.
What a small world! Thanks for sharing!
I am absolutely blown away by your experience! Imagine to see the 11 piglets! How cool is that! When I was growing up we would visit my grandfather at his farm and I loved every moment of it. I warned him not to eat the pig, cow, and the chickens that I made friends with (I don’t think he kept his word though!).
He probably didn’t 🙂 Thank you!
I’m going to need these tips when I take the boys to the local farm. It’s not easy when you have more than one little guy to look after.
I love that you mentioned how you can still be fashionable at a farm. I’ve always imagined all I have to throw on we’re cowboy boots (something I dread!)
Fatima, I can imagine! My girls like to be wild & adventurous & theres a lot they can get into. I love fashion, so I think if you can be fashionable working out, why not on the farm?
I grew up around many farmers… it is hard work, and those were some of the most supportive people Ive ever met. Id come to visit you and those adorable pigs…. but Im not sure my 13 year old would let me leave without one for a pet!
We would let you have one 😉 I guess our society aids in misconceptions about farmers. I know I had some until I met a few & you’re right they’re very hard working & supportive.
those piglets are adorable. i’m so jealous. i have literally no outdoor space in baltimroe and i’d kill for a deck for plants, maybe one day i could get to this amazing level.
Move down south 😉
This brings back memories of when I was like 7 or 8 and visited my aunt and uncle’s farm and while we were there one of their pigs happened to give birth…quite an experience for this little city girl!
I’m so glad it brought back good memories for you Julie!
oh my goodness those little piglets are simply the cutest. I bet y’all have a blast out there on the farm every day – your kids probably love it
Thanks Laura! The farm is on family land & we haven’t moved out there yet, but we sure enjoy it every weekend!
Look at those cutie little piglets. I’m sure you guys have so much on the family farm!!!
Thank you! We sure do!
Oh my goodness, those little piglets are just adorable! How awesome it must be to live on a farm!
Thank you Jennifer! We don’t quite live there yet, but it is on family land.
Thank you for sharing all these farm life pointers … truly appreciate seeing a different side in wife-style living. Those piglets truly are super cute!
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Your girls are beautiful and so cute to get to hold little piglets. How fun it is to learn hands on.
Thank you Nicole
What an incredible life! I always said, my big dream is to buy a farmette and being an urban farmer <3 And piglets! Pardon me while I die of cuteness overload!
Thank you Erin!
Love the little piggys and everything about this post. My family has a cattle ranch in west Texas so I can totally relate.
Wow! I bet that’s always a fun experience when you visit. Thank you for stopping by Jennifer!
Those little piglets are super cute though 🙂
One of my friends is married to a farmer here in SA – it is REALLY tough on them at the moment with the drought – farming is not just about planting some stuff or having some animals. People dont realise that!
That is so true! I must admit, before becoming a farmer’s wife, I had no idea how much hard work went into running a farm! You have to be business savvy, handy, people friendly (sales) and know a little bit about everything! I have so much more respect for how my food gets to my table. I wish the best for your friend’s husband. Droughts are no joke!
I loved reading this and seeing pictures of your family! I actually raised wild boar for a few years, your pigs look awesome!
Small world jasmine! We’ll have talk about that soon! Thank you for stopping by.
These pictures are so adorable!!!!!!
Thank you Shannen!
Love this! It looks like a lovely lifestyle to me 🙂 And those piglets are adorable!
Thank you Desirae!
I never realized how cute baby pigs were and I definitely never realized how different they looked from each other. I thought they were puppies at first!
They act kind of like puppies except they don’t like being picked up.
I seriously admire you so much! We have had chickens and that was more work than I expected! I’ve also tried to have a garden and have never quite succeeded at that, either. I would love to have a hobby farm, but just from those two experiences, I know just a little bit how much work it is to have a farm! Thanks for all you do both on the farm yourself, and supporting your husband!
Thanks Suzanne! I was pretty naive at the beginning too about how much work was involved, so we’re in the same boat! I appreciate your well wishes
Amazing! I want some piglets. So precious! I’d love to be an urban farm wife. Maybe someday!
Keep in mind that piglets grow into big, hungry pigs 🙂 But they are cute while they are little.