Turtle Bay

We were lucky enough to get to take a trip to Washington this summer. My Aunt and BFF was getting married. The drive is long, like 15 hours, So knowing I had all the little ones to entertain I planned a few stops.

Turtle bay is in Redding, CA. There are outdoor exhibits like the Paul Bunion Forest Camp and the walk through aviary with beautiful Lories.


They give you a cup of nectar and the birds land right on you. Ava was a magnet and had about 7 on her at one point.

There is also an indoor museum with interactive exhibits like underwater fish viewing, a tree situated on a glass floor so you can see the whole root system, and historic recreations of the Sacramento Valley.

While we visited they also has a visiting exhibit called Grossology. What can I say about Grossology? It was gross and the kids LOVED it! There were exhibits and games about boogers, gas, burping, there was a life sized operation game and the best part? A climbing area where you scaled the esophagus, traveled the digestive system and slid out the anus. I kid you not. I couldn't make this stuff up.

Owen is building a burp.
Shooting boogers
Jacob chasing Anna through the stomach and sliding out the anus!

As you got ready to leave there was one last stop. The identify the smell station! WOW! As you can see the kids were horrified. They were so traumatized they played with it for 15 minutes!

Summer Fun

Winter seems endless here. I think it is because everything goes dormant and turns brown. The lack of color is hard to deal with after 4 months. Trudging out to break up frozen water troughs and hauling buckets when the water lines freeze does nothing to help either. I look so forward to Spring. I plan gardens, buy seeds, tend to my frozen boxes and wait. I look for every sign Spring might be around the corner. I start seeds in my kitchen window in eager anticipation of warmer days and tilling the soil.

Sadly, this year spring was frigid. Snow does not count as spring in my opinion. My starters, started and wilted on my sink. Buds formed on trees and promptly froze. There was no garden for me. We also ended up a few hard births, a parasite problem from all the wetness and bottle babies due to the freezing weather and mom's who were not being vigilant enough. So spring went from a celebration of new life and a time of recovery from the long hard days of winter, to dealing with sick and dying animals and a lot of hard work.
Summer was just what we needed. Pastures coming alive means less hauling of hay. Dry heat kills the parasites and helps the babies grow strong. Hoses that work mean no buckets to haul...YES!

We kicked off the summer with the annual trip to Tahoe to the family reunion. It was a smaller showing this year but that gave us more time with those who made it. My number one priority is sucking up as much time as possible with my Grandparents. They have been a rock in my life. I do not have any idea where I would be without those two amazing people. My Papa wrote a book over the last few years. "World War II Recollections Of Clarence A. Burton," was ready and my copy was waiting in Tahoe. As always a trip with family makes a summer.

Plus spending time with people who have to love you no matter what is awesome!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

There are times in life when you look back and wonder where the days have gone. It seems like just yesterday I was holding a brand new baby in my arms. I cannot believe she is 1! I try to remind myself when the kids are sick, or won't sleep through the night, or are in a fussy phase, those things are just a season of life and bring opportunities for bonding and growth just like the fun times. Not so long ago I was wishing she would sleep through the night. Now I miss the cuddling as she speeds busily through the house.

Today as we celebrate her first birthday I am amazed by this little girl. Anna is sweet and the first one to worry and kiss a hurt or frustrated sibling. She is the family clown always trying to get a smile or laugh. She is busy as a bee but never to busy to get a quick hug. Of course she is also the smartest 1 year old I know. She has new words every day and can say a few sentences. She loves to dance! I adore her. She brings joy to my every moment. I am so blessed to be her mommy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!

Our 4H Adventure

This year was our first adventure into 4H. Jacob, Sarah and Wyatt were all itching to get a shot at raising their own animals. Sarah was not thrilled with the idea of "harvesting" her project animal so she chose to go into a dairy project. I got so incredibly lucky to find Linda Miller as a club leader. I don't even know how to describe Linda and Ken but if I could adopt grandparents for my kids they would be the ones. Linda welcomed us into her club, "Merry Milkers", and was happy to have all the little ones there as well. She went so far above and beyond for Sarah. She found her an old milking stand to restore. Allowed her to purchase a doeling she wasn't even planning on selling and gave Sarah a adult rescue goat so she would have a chance to breed. She taught the kids how to shave the dairy goats, do basic care and how to show. Sarah had a wonderful time. We both love goats but Sarah enjoyed having her own herd.

At our first goat meeting with Linda we discovered she also used to have a hog club. At our peaked interest, she mentioned her neighbor's teen was interested as well. After a quick call our two families formed "Sizzlin' Swine." Sarah instantly forgot her objections to the harvest and asked for a piglet for her birthday. Again we were blessed Linda helped us find piglets that were in our price range even though it was late in season. Our club members were awesome. A family of helpers and doers. They blessed us extra equipment. They came to weigh our pigs several times and twice, once in deep snow, trailered our pigs to required events. We had such an amazing 4h year. We looked forward to the meetings all season and I looked forward to my emerging young people to be exposed to all these well spoken, well mannered, loving teens. Linda, Ken and all the 4h families in our club's quickly became not just a club but friends.
Our Nevada State Fair was canceled due to the economy so Sarah never got a chance to show her goats and compete with her club. She got to show her goats alone at NJLS but with no competition it was awkward. We were grateful she had chosen to participate in the swine club. The kids did wonderfully for first year participants. I was so proud of them. All three of the kids showed good composure and skill. They worked hard all year and even harder the week of show. NJLS is tough competition and the kids handled it with grace. They got up early, kept good attitudes and did the work with a smile.


They all ended up with ribbons and Sarah even got to participate int he Round Robin, which is a showing show off, so to speak.

We can't wait for next year!

Command Central

2011 has been a tough year. Not just for our family but many who are close to us. Financial strain, losing cars, homes and businesses. Death, miscarriage, illnesses and horrible truths beyond comprehension. It seems like not one person I know has not been touched by tragedy this year.

Our family has had it's share of trials. Things I never thought we would have to face. It is hard during those times to see the positive. It is hard to see the meaning in what we are all going through. I have found myself trying to find God in all of this sadness. Lucky for me God spoke right to my heart on several occasions. Sometimes I think he must feel like Bill Engvall, "here's your sign."

We had so many strangers reach out to us even before we knew we needed it. Friends rallied around me in my times of weakness. We found a new church home that has been amazing for my kids. As many wonderful things have happened as bad, the bad just seem to call more attention.

In all of the stresses of the year I have found myself struggling to manage my time. Seven kids, a homeschool, a home and a farm overwhelmed me into periods where I could not dig myself out. Where I seamlessly managed things in the past I was drowning now.

It was time to get some control. I had watched friends and fellow bloggers try programs, binders, chore charts, etc, but they all seemed like just as much work as they were help and anytime I had tried to implement one in the past I quit because it wasn't a good fit. Or the program was so time consuming I never got around to actually doing the tasks I had organized.

I decided to start with our daily time management. I had actually ordered the Maxwell's books a long time ago with the intention of getting more organized but putting it into action seemed daunting. "Managers Of Their Homes" is a wonderful book. The basic idea is to schedule out the entire day of each person in your family. They provide all the worksheets and the final poster for this. In the end the time it took to make the schedule and the chart was well worth it. I used Velcro to hold the time tabs onto each slot so I could change and rearrange without the tabs falling off all the time. The tabs are color coded which worked well for us because we already have assigned colors for homeschool. The program is a wonderful fit for me because I change things often and with very little effort I can adjust my schedule if I need to. It also makes it very clear when I have to say no to the things that inevitably come up. If you want to learn more about The Maxwell's ministry click here.

Knowing what needed doing was one thing but getting it done was another. I was tired of riding the kids to get anything completed. With so many pre-readers and a son who has difficulty with self control I knew we needed something special. Having just started doing workboxes I knew the tag system worked well for my kids so I decided on a tag system chore chart. Ours are color coded of course and are scheduled morning and evening and weekend. I know there are many versions like these floating around out there but I had to make my own. Living on a farm we have chores like feed turkeys and haul wood that just don't come in the common array.

I have literally hundreds of tags. I found this storage box at Michael's. It divides them up perfect and makes it so easy.

So here is command central in action.

I also post a series of charts from Doorposts. The "Blessings" chart is helpful in recognizing and encouraging Godly behavior in our children. The "If-Then" chart provides consistent Bible based discipline and consequences that are lined out in advance. The "Brother Offended" chart helps the kids remember the steps to resolve conflict. The "Go-To-The-Ant" chart is my personal favorite because it is a character quality chart and let's face it who couldn't use a little help remembering how important character is. We also have a calendar of outside activities and monthly menu.

It might seem overwhelming looking at it all but really a small amount of time and planning has taken all the guesswork out of daily life. There is a real sense of peace in knowing that no matter the unexpected we can count on our days and months having a routine and schedule. Just knowing what is for dinner and that the ingredients are in the cabinet is huge! Knowing if one of the kids lies to me I pull the tab and the consequence is lined out is a big thing. Knowing that I can get it all done because it is there in writing for me to see is liberating. I can let go and let God. That stability makes life's ups and downs more manageable.

Meal Planning and Food Storage

I plan my meals a month in advance. I even put it down on a calendar and post it on the wall. You may be wondering why anyone would do that but the answer is really simple. I hate to cook. I have been told I am a good cook, but I don't like to do it. My menu's used to be simple and full of repeats. Dinner time would come and I would dread the inevitable "MOM, what's for dinner?" Realizing we were out of something or I forgot to defrost the meat. We ended up eating a lot of packaged food or even fast food.

Then a couple of things happened. First, I found out I was diabetic. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy and although I was no longer insulin dependant my tests were borderline and I needed a controlled diet. Second, the economy hit our house. Suddenly we were not sure if we would have a business or another dollar for anything including food. It was painfully obvious we were not being good stewards of the blessings God had given us. The food I had in my home would last my large family maybe a week or two. The thought of the money I had spent on convenience and that convenience could be costing me my health was humbling.

I started a search on meal planning and eventually on food storage. I was so blessed to stumble on two blogs that changed my way of thinking and cooking forever. "Food Storage Made Easy" is a wonderful site hosted by two friends. They have a e-book about food storage and how to cook with it. You can check them out here. "Everyday Food Storage" is a blog about cooking with food storage. She has step by step videos and great recipes. Check her out here.

I ordered the e-book and really like it.

The binder is a step by step guide to getting your pantry in order. They help you analyze your menu's and assemble a shopping list. From that list you develop a 3 month supply and build from there. They also talk about rotating food and making sure nothing goes bad. The ladies from both of these sites are LDS so they have food storage items available to them that I don't but I was easily able to substitute from my market. They also have a bunch of recipes that utilize the food you store.

This has totally revolutionized the way we cook, eat and live. Everything I cook now is from scratch. Sounds hard but it isn't. That means we eat much healthier, no preservatives or additives. We eat cheaper because the bulk basics are much less expensive than the prepackaged items. I am also getting much healthier. I have lost a lot of weight without much effort and I have no issues with my blood sugar today. The other change is that I am enjoying cooking much more. In the last few months we have added about 20 new recipes and are loving the experiments, even the "gross" ones. Cooking and eating has become a family affair and my kids brag my bean cookies are better than any store brand.

Today I have a full 3 month supply of food and I am working to a 6 month supply. This means if the recession were to become a depression or we had an earthquake or flood I am set to feed my family, our regular diet, for more than 3 months without a trip to the store. The farm is an advantage here because we would also have fresh dairy and meat if we needed it.

I am looking forward to continuing this adventure by learning to tame my poison thumb and grow a garden, learning to can, and grinding my own grain. I think these tools are being forgotten in our society and I am finding joy in myself and in my children while we learn them together.

Fall

Fall, like spring, is a busy time on a farm. Lots of cleaning and shoring up for winter. Building new shelters for animals and feed. Weaning our summer babies and integrating them into the herd. Selecting the new breeding lines and implementing a program. Lots to do and shorter days to get it done.

Fall also brings our much awaited field trip to California's Apple Hill. Apple Hill is a farming community encompassing Camino and Placerville, Ca. There are approximately 50 growers in apple hill that specializes in agrotourism. From you pick orchards to vineyards to petting zoo's there really is something for everyone.



I think it is hysterical that although we live on a farm and have a built in petting zoo, my kids look so forward to this trip. We drive the roads between farms commenting on structures, layouts and what we could dos. Even the 3 year old gets into it.

This year I scheduled the kids a candy making class at one of our favorite farms and the kids were thrilled. The not so thrilling part was that Apple Hill had no apples, there was a late frost. My kids took to calling it appleless hill as the day went on. We refused to be let down and chose to pick our pumpkins out instead. We also pet some animals, talked shop wit a few farmers and toured our old favorite farms. It was a great day despite the appleless situation.



We did notice that a lot of the farms were for sale, even some of the oldest and best. It was a sad thing to see. A mix of age, economy, taxes, regulations and weather have been too much for these small farmers to bare. I am hopefull like minded families will come in and continue the tradition.