Quick Takes Friday

1-
Here's one from the "I might not be cut out for farm life" department. My FIL is so not impressed with my sense of direction. The girls and I were over visiting, and MIL and FIL were in the office working on some government bureaucracy, when BIL came in and said he needed to move some equipment, so someone needed to come get him at the cattle crossing at grandma's house. It has been several years since I've been in that direction, so when it was time to go get him, I interrupted the pow wow in the office for directions. FIL kept saying "Go 1 mile south of G's house, and then 1/2 mile West." I kept asking questions...he kept repeating the same thing...so I gave up, got in the car, and called hubby (who had a good laugh) then went past the turn, called hubby again to clarify where I was supposed to turn, turned around (which made BIL sure that I was the one in the car...) and finally went to the right place. Hubby said that doing things like that is how I can learn. I told him it was how I would learn to stay home so that I don't get roped into things!

2-
We had some cats...affectionately named "Bitey" and "Scratchy". I thought the theory was to leave them locked in the shop for several days to get them used to being there and getting their food there...then, after two days, I noticed that the shop door was open yesterday. Turns out hubby thought that they'd stick around. We haven't seen them since, but rather than saying that maybe he should have left them in the shop a while longer and actually work on taming them, he has declared that they were probably too big to transplant...and besides, one of the mama cats at the feedlot should be having kittens any time. I don't think Bob Barker would approve of the number of mama cats on the farm as a whole, cause BIL has one that's about to have kittens, and MIL said that one of her cats is pregnant again (I'm not sure if this cat and the feedlot cat are the same one...)

3-
I may need another freezer at some point. Several years ago, we traded chest freezers with my parents...ours was the size of a dishwasher (we had bought it when we were apartment dwellers) and was getting too small for our growing family, there's was too big, since they had bought it when I was a kid. Well, after one cow was injured by a loader a few months ago and became hamburger, that pretty well filled up my chest freezer. Just this week we got a cow back (that was processed into steaks and roasts, and of course, some hamburger) and I had to fit our share in our house. So, I have no more ice (it all had to go to make room) and all the meat just barely fit in. Hubby is looking forward to a steak (or any meal that doesn't start with me defrosting a package of hamburger, I think) and naturally, today is Friday...and it's still Lent.

4-
My parents and brother might be coming down to visit tomorrow. Unfortunately, it looks like it may snow, so I'm not sure if they will be down tomorrow, Sunday, or next weekend...which would mean they would be here for Easter. My parents never like to come out here for holidays because they think they are huge gatherings...never mind that they've never been here for a REALLY huge gathering...and it sounds like we'll be having a smallish Easter...only 15 people (18 if my family comes down). Given that a family dinner on an average weekend starts at 8 people, having 10 more isn't that big of a deal!

5-
We inadvertently took a spring break this week. MIL stopped by on her way up to visit SIL in Denver, and asked if we wanted to come along (in front of the girls, who jumped up and down shouting "please mommy, please, please, please!) So, we were gone Saturday and Sunday, home on Monday, gone again on Tuesday (for MILs doctors appointment) and home again from Wednesday on...and I just haven't gotten to school stuff yet. Not too worried, since we only have three of her school books from Seton to finish up, and we are doing a bunch of extra review sort of stuff right now.

6-
My MIL is one of those people who pretty much can talk people into giving her what she wants. I do not have this talent, and find it pretty amazing to watch. Two examples from this week...when we went up to Denver, I got on priceline and booked a hotel room. Then we decided to make it a sort of retreat for SIL, so all 5 of us were going to stay in the room. When we got to the hotel, MIL went to check us in (and while she was waiting in line, FIL called because he couldn't figure out the TV...the clerk thought it was cute that he was calling her 200 miles away to figure out the TV...I thought it was unsurprising, since he called hubby while I was talking to him for help with the TV when MIL hung up...) and somehow she sweet talked the clerk into upgrading us from a 1 bed studio room, to a two bedroom, two bathroom suite with fold out couch. So, I had my own room and bathroom (the girls wanted to stay with SIL, who got the biggest bed as compensation) and we paid $52 with tax...all she did in return for the room was fill out their free rewards program application. Then, we got a coupon good for kids clothes at Kohls on Saturday, and on Tuesday we went to try to use it, and noticed that the coupon didn't start until the next day. She talked the cashier into taking it anyway!

7-
Hubby found a programmable thermostat for baseboard heat on Amazon...I just need to get around to purchasing it! I didn't realize how hard it would be to find a thermostat for baseboard heating, but I haven't been able to find one at any of the home improvement stores. The thermostat in our living room (which has baseboard heat on two walls) does not function right. If you turn it on, it stays on until you shut it off. This week, I took a short nap on the couch (while the girls were napping) and turned on the heat beforehand...after I woke up, I went to do something in the kitchen (and didn't remember to turn off the heat) and by the time I got back the room was 80 degrees! I think it will be nice when it works better!

More quick takes at Conversion Diary!

Small Successes

Okay, week 2 of small successes...

1-
I got out a basket to keep my Bible and spiritual books for prayer time in...rather than having them all stacked up on a small table and having landslides anytime I want to read something. I even remembered to find a pencil and put it in the basket. At some point I'd like to add a journal and a rosary...just have to find those items first.

2-
I baked something! First time I have baked anything from scratch since we moved here, I made the Pioneer Woman's prune cake twice (Once for the family, and then again this afternoon for my Bible Study group.)

3-
I ordered a baby shower gift for shower that I won't make it to...and more importantly, I realized that driving 2 hours to a baby shower on Holy Saturday while hubby's sister will be visiting is unrealistic, and as much as I would love to make it to the shower, I am not going to go. And I am not going to feel guilty about it (well, maybe a *little* guilty!)

More small successes here!

"...until the child turns 26 years of age."

A while back, I quoted Dr. Robert Epstein, author of The Case Against Adolescence, saying that "most Americans now believe a person isn't an adult until age 26." This still seems pretty ludicrous to me, but the federal government has now essentially enshrined this belief into law.

Under the healthcare reform bill President Obama signed into law today, insurance companies that provide coverage for dependant children are required to allow that coverage to continue up to the age of 26. I'm not necessarily saying this doesn't make sense when faced with the reality of the ever-extending childhood many young adults experience today... but I guess I'm not really comfortable with this becoming the "new normal."

I mean, by the age of 26, maybe it's time for the little baby bird to take the risk of stepping out of the nest. For crying out loud, a 26-year-old who joined the military at age 18 has already served 40% of the years necessary to retire with benefits!

I may not have really had my act completely together by 26, but I'm just sayin'...

Cat Quandry...

I almost blogged about this situation this morning, but I figured I should at least try to get some stuff done around the house after a whirlwind trip to visit my SIL in Denver this weekend, and before I go back to the metro area for a doctor's appointment with MIL tomorrow.

Then hubby came home and told me that I ought to buy a small, cheap bag of cat food while I am in town for Eva's piano lesson today.

I guess I should start with I am NOT a cat person. I had a cat growing up, and that was fine...I'm fairly allergic to cat hair these days, and I hate the feeling of cat litter under my feet. I am also a city slicker, transported to a farm. Farms have cats. Not because in some romantic sense Old McDonald had a cat on his farm...they serve a function...to kill mice.

No cats came with our house, and I thought "great! no problems with mice!" Thankfully I have not seen a live mouse yet (when I do, I am moving out...I've warned hubby that I can't take mice...) but hubby found a whole lot of dead ones in our shop yesterday. Turns out the reason there wasn't a mouse problem is that the relatives that lived here before us used poison. Not really recommended with a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a pug. Then, when they came to clear stuff out of the fruit room, hubby's uncle mentioned that his wife had been storing some decorative Indian corn in there, and there was no corn left on it...and there was ummm...evidence... that mice had been in the fruit room.

So, we need farm cats. Being from the city, I believe in spaying and neutering cats, which are seen as pets. The family (doesn't that sound like I am part of the mafia, rather than part of a big farm family?) tend to leave the cat population alone, and then take them out with a shot gun if there is overpopulation (or, in the case of my MIL, she tends to run them over fairly frequently...not on purpose...I would personally stay out of her way if she's coming at you with her vehicle!)

Well, my little BIL's house DID come with cats...lots of cats...and he has kittens the right size to catch...and he's about to have more kittens...so it appears that some time in the next 24 hours, I am going to be a cat owner (against my better judgement) and in a couple of weeks I will be taking my farm cats to the vet to be spayed or neutered...because I just can't turn into a real farm wife that quickly!

Quick Takes Friday

1-
As I mentioned in small successes yesterday, I went to confession this week. We had our local penance service on Wednesday, so we dragged the kids with us to the 7pm start. Since we had the kids (whom I would have left at MILs house if I had known she wasn't going to come) my plan was to sit near the front on the cry room side, and be among the first in line. Well, I ended up #2 in line, but hubby (who claims he couldn't get past the girls...note to self, put both parents on the edge next time) ended up #5, and then graciously gave up his turn for an older lady in the parish. I had taken an examination of conscience paper, pulled out a pen, and circled the questions that reminded me of something I needed to confess. I also picked up a really cool little booklet that had an examination of conscience based on the ten commandments broken up into a list of mortal sins and a list of venial sins. Well, after I did my penance, I took the girls outside to run around while waiting for hubby and I left my circled examination of conscience in a pew...OOPS! So, someone is going to come across it and know what somebody was confessing...

2-
My parents and my brother are going to come out and see us (and our new house) next Saturday. We haven't seen them since Christmas, but they don't want to spend the night out here (even though we finally live in a house big enough to accommodate them!) So, their plan is to leave Denver early Saturday morning, be out here before noon, and then leave when we go to church (we'll need to leave by 4:30 or 5 to make it to Mass in one of three neighboring towns with anticipatory Masses). My in-laws really do not understand this sort of behavior. FIL offered to feed the cows for hubby in the morning if my parents were staying so that we could have more time with them as a family. Very nice gesture, but they seem all set to leave and be home before dark...

3-
I don't think I've mentioned on the blog (although hubby keeps having to hear it from me!) how much I hate that the post office in town closes at 4pm (in our old town it was open until 4:30) and that it takes a good 20 minutes to get from our house to the post office? I finally am back to paperback swap (which I put on vacation hold in October or early November, and took off vacation hold on Valentine's Day) and I keep thinking I can just mail the books next time I make it into town...which works fine every other week when I take the girls to the library for story time in the morning. It just does not seem possible to combine the post office with Eva's 5pm piano lesson. I should just learn my lesson and print postage at home more often.

4-
I didn't manage a quick takes post last week...I had hosted my Bible Study group the night before, so I was EXHAUSTED from getting the house in order. In the "I admit I must have lost my mind" category...the night before bible study, after the mini blinds we had to special order for two windows in the living room and the curtain panels arrived, I convinced hubby to drive an hour up to WalMart to get curtain rods. Then, I had him install the mini blinds and the curtain rods before my guests arrived. Not to mention cleaning the house, and stacking all the unpacked items and items that currently don't have a home into one room and cooking a main course. I didn't make it down to our shower until after the ladies in my bible study group left our old town (thankfully it takes about 40-50 minutes to drive up here!) I had a great time, though, and it is nice to have a house in a reasonable amount of order (although I admit I haven't really made any progress on the room with all the boxes since then!)

5-
My homeschooling confession of the week. I always have grand plans...the goal each week is to do school 4 days, so I plan 4 days of classwork for Eva, which includes the subjects reading, religion, math, handwriting and Spanish every day (only 5 to 10 minutes on each one, usually). Then each day I plan an additional subject, such as homemaking, science, social studies/history/geography, music, art, or PE. This week we have done three days of school (so far...still hoping to get to it this morning) and ZERO of the additional subjects. I've had straws soaking in what was once hot tap water for our science project since Monday, I never had them color, cut out and make the St. Patrick paper dolls for Art, Eva was supposed to learn how to make french toast for homemaking, and I just don't see it happening today...maybe I'll get ambitious today and we'll do our lesson on the continents for geography...we'll have to see. Plus, for Charlotte's preschool, I have mostly been doing two or three things with her (never what I suggest...she makes requests these days) and then sitting her down in front of a Veggie Tales so that I can finish school with Eva.

6-
I started a new cereal rule that I will be breaking this morning. My new rule is that we can't open a new box of cereal in the same category as one that is already open. So, we had some generic fruity pebbles style cereal, and I got a box of Trix swirls cereal on sale...Eva wanted the Trix instead of the fruity pebbles, and I told her only one fruity cereal open at a time. Then today, they both originally wanted Chocolate Cheerios, but we still have an unfinished box of Cocoa Puffs, so I told them only one chocolate cereal open at a time. However, I want some Chocolate Cheerios (and I do not like Cocoa Puffs) so I am about to crack open a box, if I can distract the girls long enough.

7-
Anyone ever put down carpet squares/carpet tiles/peel and stick carpet? The bedroom downstairs (that will eventually be a guest room) had two layers of water damaged carpet, and we are now working on scraping up the carpet backing...next step, carpeting. The carpet squares that I could find (online) ranged in price from $4.99 to $20+ per square (which were larger than a square foot) but it still looks like it might cost us around $600 for the floor of that bedroom if we go that route...still not sure if it would be significantly cheaper than having carpet laid professionally. Any thoughts? Other flooring ideas for a basement bedroom that could have water issues if we aren't careful?

More quick takes at Conversion Diary!

Small Successes

Well, this is the first edition of small successes that I have participated in, though I love reading them...does participating count as a small success?

1-
I went to confession last night. Sadly, it has been since Advent, even though I keep telling myself that I should get to confession more regularly. I even talked with hubby about planning ahead and taking one Saturday a month where we leave extra early for Mass and go to confession, then take the girls to the park until Mass starts.

2-
I organized some of our homeschooling stuff. I cleaned out Charlotte's tot school container so that all the file folder and tot book pieces were in the right place, and even added in a folder of preschool worksheets that were leftover from Eva's preschool days. I also FINALLY got around to making folders for the months of the year and liturgical seasons. So, the Advent coloring page that I have had lying around for more than two Advents without actually finding (during Advent...it seems to pop up most often during Lent) is in the Advent folder, and the instructions for making star-shaped faux sparklers is filed under July, and the Turkey craft that I had printed for both girls to do at Thanksgiving that we didn't get to because of the move is filed under November. I even got hubby to find an old file folder box to put it in (that still had craft supplies from a bridal shower I hosted about 7 or 8 years ago...oops!)

3-
I bathed the girls...I know, not a major accomplishment to normal people...but I don't really like giving them baths (probably because of Charlotte's ear-drum piercing scream when I wash her hair) and although we were pretty consistently good about baths twice a week when we lived in our old town (before farming...when hubby was home every evening and usually gave them their baths...and we had a decent shower we could throw them in if necessary) but in our new house, it has been a major struggle to get them bathed twice a week, and I am sure we have had a week or two where they only got 1 bath. I don't like bath time so much that I often suggest that grandma give them their baths when they are at her house.

Those are my small successes for this week...there are plenty more over at Faith and Family Live!

Quick Takes Friday - naptime edition

1-
It's been a little bit of a long week...Saturday afternoon, hubby and I left for Denver to see the Symphony. We had a great time, had a nice dinner beforehand, had pretty good seats where we could see the pianist during the Horn trio, and then I got a nice hotel room off of priceline. In the morning, we went to Holy Ghost parish for their 7:00am Mass, then had breakfast and headed home. MIL and SIL headed up to the nearest medium sized town for some shopping, so we met them for lunch, MIL and hubby took the girls home, and SIL and I went shopping...there went another almost $500 to Home Depot...the joys of moving!

2-
Sunday night we had the Altar and Rosary ladies annual fundraiser "Family Fun Night" with a supper prepared by the Knights of Columbus, bingo, kids games and several raffles. The girls had a great time with the kids games...Charlotte loved to go to the "grocery store" (that poor kid thinks that any store is a grocery store!) which was a table full of little Oriental Trading Company toys and candy that they could trade in their tickets for merchandise. My girls earned so many tickets, and got a ton of little stuff. Charlotte's favorite is a pink and silver princess tiara, which we have hardly gotten off her head at all. Eva liked all the games, except for Plinko, where you had to climb a ladder on the back (she smudged her face painting coming down, and refused to play the game again.) Charlotte, on the other had, was the Plinko queen...I'm expecting to see her on the Price is Right someday. Of course, the girls kept being given tickets to play games by all their aunts and uncles, etc.

3-
The adults played some Bingo, and the girls got family members to win them the toys they liked on the Bingo prize table. I ended up getting them a Disney princess Easter egg decorating kit when I got a Bingo prize. Then, FIL won a beautiful quilt that was handmade for the raffle...it fit our King sized bed really well, so we ended up with it...we all had a great time.


4-
Monday we started school again, which Eva and Charlotte were very excited about. We are mostly doing review at this point...until we are a little more settled.

5-
Tuesday we did more school, then headed over to SIL's new house and helped her paint in her basement (okay, the girl's played "Aunt T's" Wii instead...) then had pizza as the whole clan and worked on removing a wall paper border (I was also working on removing one at home on Tuesday and Wednesday.)

6-
The aunt and uncle that used to live in our house came out to start cleaning their stuff out of our fruit room...they got it about half done...of course, after the fruit room, they have a storage area in our garage, a room full of stuff they want to sell at a garage sale, and a bunch of stuff in our shop...we'll see how many months it takes before they get it all cleaned out!

7-
Yesterday was another major painting day at our house. I spent all morning cleaning stuff out of the kitchen area, then taping off doorways and baseboards. In the afternoon, MIL came over and helped me with my main wall paper, a warm tan color (called Soft Chamois...paint colors have really stupid names...) It took all afternoon, then hubby got home from work, helped me put on a second coat, and then the two of us went up to Home Depot (again...it takes a little over an hour to drive up there) to get more lights for the kitchen. Hubby has taken down and replaced one florescent light box so far, and there are three more in our kitchen area that he'll be replacing this weekend. So, today I have been removing paint and doing school with the girls. I need to get more stuff put back, but then again, we have the ceiling to paint (hopefully Sunday) and then after that is done, I have an accent wall in the eat in kitchen area, and it will also be carried over above the cabinetry in the kitchen. I am hoping to have all that done before next Thursday, when I am hosting my Bible study at our house.

More quick takes over at Conversion Diary!

Pray unceasingly!

I realize it's been a long, long time since my last post, and there are lots of things I could say to help catch you up on what's been going on in my life... but let's just say that things have been pretty busy around here!

One thing I have consciously been trying to make time for, though, is to get through a rosary every day - usually before noon. The way this usually works is for me to twirl my little finger rosary in my pocket while I am stopped and mixing a load of feed for our cattle. This builds in a certain amount of time to make sure the feed is mixed well, and gives me something to do while I wait.

The idea to do this developed soon after I started working on the farm and was reading a short description of the life of St. Isidore to the kids. As with so many holy people, St. Isidore was described as "praying unceasingly, " even while laboring in the fields. I decided that I should adopt him as a model and try to get as much prayer in as I can safely during my work day.

A couple of things have seemed noteworthy about this practice so far. First, I have heard often that "God's time is not like our time," as evidenced by St. Peter's description in 2 Peter 3:8. This seems especially true in regards to the mysteries of the rosary, and which day goes with each set. Americans often say, "T.G.I.F.," as though Fridays are particularly joyful... but Fridays are when we are to reflect on the sorrowful mysteries. And Mondays, so often dreaded by workers and students who have weekends off, are the day for the joyful mysteries!

Secondly, it seems as though God has a bit of a quirky sense of humor when it comes to my prayer routine. Often, I have the radio going in the loader or feedtruck, then step out to mix the feed and start praying. The other day, I was "rockin' out" to Free Bird as I pulled up to the protein tanks, but when I got out my little "cheat sheet" of the mysteries of the rosary, the focus of the one I was on was "for the virtue of obedience." I don't really know if that means anything, particularly, but I thought it was a funny juxtaposition.

Anyway, I hope to be able to write more often as we get more settled in to our new lifestyle. Until then, take care and God bless.

It's not hard...but it takes effort

Today I finally started back up with school after an extended time off for our move. I felt like I was finally getting to the point in our old town where most people knew that we were homeschooling. With the move, we have a whole new small community asking us when our older daughter, Eva, will be starting school. She is five and extremely bright and ready to learn, but she would not be able to start Kindergarten in the school district until next year. We are currently in her 4th quarter of Kindergarten with Seton Home Study.

My sister-in-law works at the bank in town and was recently asked by her co-workers when Eva will be starting school. She told them that I was homeschooling the girls, and their reaction was (after they picked up their jaws from the floor, I guess) "how can she manage to homeschool?" SIL stated that I stayed home...which does make homeschooling much easier than trying to combine it with a career.

I think that I've finally come up with a way that might explain homeschooling to people when they express surprise and incredulity:

It's not hard...but it takes effort!

Actually, that is a pretty good philosophy for most of the things I do in my life. But in terms of homeschooling, it's really not hard...I managed to graduate from high school and college, and I even taught undergrads during my short stint in graduate school. I don't have a teaching certificate, but I am sure that I would be able to get one if I so desired. Both my parents are public school teachers...I'm very familiar with the educational system. Teaching is not hard either. Yes, it is work. Yes, it requires effort...but it's not hard.

I can teach my girls the alphabet, phonics, basic math, science, history, about our faith, how to read, how to write, how to speak, how to type...none of it is hard, because I already know how to do all those things. Homeschooling may become more challenging as the girls get older, but I am sure that I will be able to learn something in order to teach, or find someone who already knows the subject to help. All of that will take effort. Just like planning what to go over with Eva and what projects to work on with Charlotte (mainly to keep her happy and busy during school time) takes effort...I have to take the time, sit down and figure it all out.

I just wish everyone who gives me that surprised look and asks me how I can manage to homeschool understood that it's not hard....it just takes effort.