Lowlands farm, in southwest Birmingham, is home to Beth Withers and her husband, Tom. Here, she talks about bringing up her growing family at Lowlands, a beef and sheep farm, and the balance between motherhood and farming.
It is December, and those familiar sights and sounds of winter have arrived. The crunch of frost underfoot, yard mud frozen solid and the steam rising from the silage as the cows dig their noses in. Heading inside to warm up I can hear the roar of the fire with the fan whirring away on the top, the waft of baking as the Christmas recipes begin and looking out the window the British countryside is a scene of mother natures beauty.
Although I will complain about the cold, and when I head outside I will be wearing every piece of warm clothing I own, it is my favourite season of the year. There is just something about the frosty grass with a low sunshine in the sky that brings me a sense of calm and peace.
The cows are all in and the farm is generally at its quietest. The daily chores still exist and checks on the sheep out in the fields can take a lot of time but from a farm perspective we feel the pressure lift slightly.
There is always a frozen pipe, or a frozen water tank somewhere, so out comes the tubby bucket, traipsing water back and forth, which inevitably will splosh over the edge and end up in your welly. Well, if wet socks are all we have to worry about, it is not too bad, is it?
Now let us talk about the children at this time of the year that is another story.
Three children under four means we spend more time gearing up for the outside than we actually do outside. Hats, coats, gloves, overalls, snoods, snacks, wellies and more snacks.
I really try to encourage the children to get out and get involved but this is my biggest struggle. When it snows there is an excitement and a distraction. When it is just cold and icy, it becomes a health and safety nightmare which often ends up in someone on their bum and lots of crying. Truthfully, I took this pressure off myself a long time ago. We try to split it so one child goes out at a time rather than the whole gang. If we do all go together, expectations are low and if ten minutes is all we manage then thats fine, at least we got out.
The best bit about being outside in the cold is heading back in
With wellies drying out by the fire, it is the season of baking and warming up under cosy blankets. It becomes acceptable to have a movie day, eat snacks and just play games as a family. What could be better?
Now with December comes Christmas and I personally LOVE Christmas.
The day itself is wonderful now we have young children, but it is the month of December as a whole. The merriment, the lights, the singing, putting in effort to see friends and family and let us not forget the food.
Whilst the farm is quiet for us, the butchers shop is at its busiest, so as a family we start Christmas very early. We visit Santa and do any Christmas outings at the start of the month.
The tree and outdoor lights are up for December 1 and that means we have a full 25 days of Christmas countdown. Honestly, we do it because the shop gets busy, but I would not change it. It is a lot of effort selecting the tree, decorating the house, putting the lights up, and I think I could actually be in for a world record on loft ladder climbing.
For me getting everything up early makes it worthwhile, I feel I get my moneys worth.
One thing I love about this time of year is that every family approaches the season in different ways due to their own childhood memories and traditions. For my family we have a fabric advent calendar which my mom made when I was little, and the three boys now use this for their daily chocolate treat.
We do not currently participate in any elf on the shelf activities - unfortunately the elves are not trained on tractors, so an Elf has never been cited near our home.
The children each have stockings and a sack that they put out for Santa. I never thought it was odd until my husband got involved, but on Christmas day we always sit in a circle and take it in turns to open our presents. It is how we did things when I was little, and I like that it teaches my children to have patience and appreciation for the gifts they are getting. This year more than ever I have been conscious of the quantity of tat and plastic I have been buying so we have really cut back. I have made the most of second-hand sights such as eBay and vinted to minimise the cost which I have actually found really satisfying.
All that said, the biggest tradition in our house is THE STRING GAME. The magical game that no one has ever heard of yet we must play every Christmas without fail. This was made by my great grandma and has continued as long as I can remember. If you want to learn more about the string game, you will have to head to my Instagram as its far too complicated to explain, but just know, it is a fabulously simple yet memorable tradition.
So, the food - saving the best until last I think, we could never forget the food. It is the season of the slow cooker for me. When it is cold outside walking into a slow cooker meal is just such a good feeling. Having that warm hearty dish be it a simple stew or something more exotic like a beef rendang, just so warming. If you are not familiar or confident with the slow cooker, my motto is, give it a go. Chuck it in and see, with a slow cooker you really cannot go wrong.
We have a tradition to make a gingerbread house and the kids eat more sweets than actually ever make it on to decorate. We have several family recipes for Christmas cake, mince pies and honey roast ham that it just would not be Christmas if we did not make. I have always loved baking, but I have found it a hard hobby to keep up as my spare time has become more and more focussed around the children.
Baking together at this time of year is a real joy and its lovely to see them developing a passion for food by being involved.
So, whatever your traditions, whatever the food you eat and however you spend your time this December, from my family to yours, Merry Christmas.
