Being raised on a farm

I love this picture! It’s not often I take the time to reflect on the life we have chosen to give to our children.  Part of that is because I grew up in this lifestyle.

Being raised on a farm doesn’t come without its sacrifices for our kids.  Your parents can’t take “sick” days from taking care of the livestock.  During the spring months there is not much time for anything other than preparing the seedlings to start, getting the garden beds ready to plant, fertilizing the soil, repairing pasture fencing, and fixing/maintaining the farm equipment and animal housing.  In the summer there is no summer vacation as every day the animals need to be fed and barn chores need to be done.  The animals do not “sleep in” so that means neither do we.  Weeds are a weekly family project in the garden beds, the lawns need frequent cutting, the pastures need to be trimmed down to keep the weeds down. Fall is spent harvesting, preserving, freezing, and selling the extras of things we have grown.

But the sacrifices allow for life lessons preparing these kids for their futures.  They learn responsibility, compassion, empathy, determination and the circle of life very early on.

They learn to respect the earth and animals with a very deep connection.  These things provide them with the reward of food grown from a seed, fresh eggs daily and freedom to enjoy the simple things like riding a horse through the beautiful woods.

It also prepares them for their later teenage years.  Both of these kids have been driving and working farm tractors, 4 wheelers, snowmobiles and a golf cart since they were 3 years old.  They understand the power a machine has and the dangers involved with a careless decision.

They can prepare their own meals, make bread, can vegetables and fruits, and make pies.  In other words, they will be able to feed themselves for the rest of their lives without assistance if need be.

All of this makes the vacations and trips they do get to enjoy even better.

And the time we spend on our boat, camping out in our cabin on the farm, enjoying family time around our nightly bonfires and making lasting memories is where I find my happiness.

And that sums up why I love the above image explaining why being raised a farm kid is the best gift ever!

 

 

For my Kids

One thing I have done since my children were born is compile a booklet of quotes that have touched me in my life.  I hope when they are struggling in life or over joyed, they will find inspiration in one of the quotes I have chosen for them and know each one was carefully picked to give them a perspective from their mother to use throughout their lives.

Here are a few of my favorites from the book to date.  This book will always be a work in progress as I come across other quotes that move my soul 🙂

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do

 

And today I am shuffling off to the doctor with the Boy.  He’s been down and out with a cough since Christmas on and off and then had the flu last weekend.  Yesterday he seemed a bit better and this morning….flu again, cough and sore throat back.

It’s pouring rain here in Buffalo, NY in January.  We need snow and cold temperatures to kill all these germs!!  It’s been a strange weather pattern and I’m ready for my good ole fashioned cold snowy winter!!!

Juice Popsicles

Natural Juice pops are very expensive in our area. $4.99 for a 6 pack. But they are sooooo good and we are an all year round popsicle eating family.

Every week I buy a different type of juice and make our own juice pops. This week is Orange Peach Mango juice.

Making your own is a great way to save a few $$’s

Mom and Tween Queen Afternoon

Today was an awesome day to spend with just mommy and daughter.

We headed to downtown Buffalo Canalside and ate lunch in the First Niagara Center Lexus Club before the Buffalo Sabres game.  We had a Buffalo Chicken Flatbread Pizza.  Of course she had to have Dippin Dots ice cream during the game.

We did a little shopping, watched the Sabres warm up, and enjoyed the game. Love being able to have a little one on one time!

Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cake

Today the boy of the house had a hockey game.  The tween queen decided to skip it as she was tired.  She was bored and decided to bake this wonderful cake.  This is her first filled cake she made as a surprise for us all.  I wondered why she kept calling to see when we would be home.

It was a real treat and “proud mommy moment” coming home and seeing the smile and pride on her face knowing she made this all from scratch and cleaned up the kitchen so not ONE dish was in the sink!  She could not wait for us to try it.

It is a nice light and moist cake.

You can find the links she used to create this beauty on my facebook page here:  Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cake

Car Wash Terror

Winter in Buffalo means buying car wash books to keep the salt off your cars. After a morning car wash today, by nightfall it’s all back.

I remember when my daughter was old enough to realize she was terrified of the car wash. We pulled in and she was excited waiting to go through the “Octopus” wash.

And then the “Octopus” hit the car and she let out a whimper and asked to hold my hand.

And then came the red spinner.  The whimper grew a bit louder and she let go to plug her ears.

I told her to look at the pretty lights outside the soap suds but soon the window was covered and she said “hurry mommy turn on the car lights so it’s not dark in here”.

A quick rinse and hot dryers and she could see the day light in her near future and she very sternly stated “I never wanna go in there again”.

I think at the age of 12 she is finally getting over her traumatic car wash fear 🙂

Lunch Tip

A small bowl of colorful berries is a great way to get those extra vitamins into the kids during their busy day.

The reusable containers help to keep “green” and fit perfectly into lunch boxes.

Some homemade soup, favorite snack, and nutritious dessert to compensate for the sugar drink make for a very kid friendly lunch packed full of vitamins and the energy they need!

The Special Room

Since 1972 I have celebrated Christmas with a tree in this room.  The room has changed slightly over the years with a hardwood floor we put in, a bay window, new ceiling, and narrowing of the entrance, but the structure is the same.  I could not imagine a Christmas without this room.

This was in the early 1980’s with my siblings.  My dad always handed out the gifts while my mother directed him who it belonged to.

Our trees have always been decorated with many handmade ornaments.  As kids we painted wooden ornaments or made pasta ornaments in school to hang on our trees.  My children have carried on that tradition and most of the decorations on our tree are made by them and some from our friends and family.

This picture was from 1990 after my sister married and I had moved out.  That is my niece enjoying the tradition of my dad playing guitar with my mom singing Christmas carols in front of the tree.  This is how we celebrated Christmas every year until adulthood.

This room has a special place in my memory and I love that my children will have the memory of their childhood in this room with their special trees.

And the aftermath of opening their gifts just as I did

And at night when all is calm and everyone is asleep, I get to enjoy our beautiful tree with the simple ornaments in the special room filled with memories.

Great idea!!

After the busy weekend we have had and some work that needs to be done outside today, this is what I am going to do!!  Happy Sunday 🙂