привіт, новий друзі!!

There has been a lot of new friends around here lately & I thought it was probably a good time to give an updated version of who I am & what I’m doing here 🙃.

Hi! Nice to meet you! I’m Madison. AKA Mama Morozov.

First & foremost, I’m a homeschooling mom of 6 {although my oldest, Kaden, lives with his grandparents who became his “guardians” when he was a toddler while I was struggling with addiction. We sadly lost his father to suicide in 2017}. I have 2 boys (my “bookends”) & 4 girls in between: Kaden Yuri, Ella Aleksandriya, Mia Nataylia, Sasha Katiya, Athena Mariyah, & Moses Kolya.

I’m first generation Ukrainian-American {my тато’s family is from Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine,} & my husband is from Stavropol, Russia. {Fun fact: Stavropol was actually Ukrainian territory until the 1930s.} My oldest son, Kaden Yuri, was named after my тато (Yurko), and my youngest son, Moses Kolya, was named after my чоловік (Nikolay). Kaden also carries on my тато last name, which is important to me because as his only child, a daughter, his name would have ended with me & I am honored to have kept it alive through my firstborn. In both Ukraine & Russia, the child is given their father’s name {patronymics} – as the middle name for both male (vych / yovych or ovich /evich ) & female (ivna / yivna or  ovna / evna) names. We chose to give them their own version, because they are their own person.

I’m on a journey to find out everything I can about my heritage & bring traditions back to life. I am a member of the National Women’s League of America and the Cincinnati Ukrainian Community. I taught myself how to read, write, & speak Українська мова + our children attend Українська школа. I share Ukrainian recipes, folklore, and culture.

I am currently building my mini suburban homestead, but have dreams of one day owning a large-scale, off-the-grid farm with excess land for my children to build their homes future homes with their future families. I’m a strong supporter of generational living & familism.

I have 11 years free from drug addiction. I began my blog with the intention of teaching others how to live again after addiction. Many people are in it for so long, or grew up in it before adopting that lifestyle themselves, that they truly do not know how to get up on their own feet. However, I struggled to find myself and my voice as a role model & I have come to realize that addiction is not in any way my passion or purpose; but, I am still committed to teaching others how to live with both resourcefulness & sustainability.

I went to college for interior design, but never finished obtaining my degree. I apply my love for interior design & professional organization in my own home today. I love DIY projects, and like any other neuro-divergent person, I always have at least 5 new projects going on at once – I am a hobby hoarder, if you will. My home style is a fine mix of Academia & Cottage Core, with lots of rainbow-order color-coding in between.

I try to live minimally, and I do not support consumerism or trends. Everything in my home has been gifted to me, found on the road, or reused second-hand from a person or thrift. I am a lover of all things vintage. I prefer handmade items & independent artists over store-bought, mass-produced crap.

I love gardening, cooking + baking, crafting, reading + writing, good music, & going on adventures. I can’t sit still for any length of time & I have to always be doing something. I find rest to be absolutely dreadful & laziness unacceptable, which must be why my favorite Bible verse is: “She looks well to the ways of her home & does not eat from the bread of idleness.”

Speaking of bread, recipes are probably what I share most, since I spend a huge majority of my life cooking for my family. I eat a mostly plant-based, but occasionally pescatarian diet. I am emetaphobic & have always been afraid of consuming land animals in fear of getting ill (in my mind, death does not belong inside living things. Death rots & causes sickness.) I’m a person who eats to live, rather than lives to eat, but cooking & hosting for others is my love language.

Outside in nature is where I feel the most free & at peace. I keep my children outdoors as often as possible – my motto is “the sun is out & so are you.” We love collecting nature for our Nature Wall & learning about new plants & insects. I love celebrating Mother Earth & all she provides us with. I speak with the universe & I have a close connection with my spirit guides. I live an eclectic lifestyle & pull from where I feel most connected. Every day I strive to be a better person than I was the day before.

Do we have anything in common?

Thanks for stopping by!! I’m so glad you are here!! ❤

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov