MICHIGAN MILK MOMMA

2014-03-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Basil Pesto Italian Meatloaf Sliders with coleslaw

1&1/2 lbs of lean ground beef
half cup of Cheez-its
two eggs
Basil Pesto(BIG ol' TB)
Italian Seasoning(to taste)
red onion
bagged shredded cabbage
coleslaw dressing

I mix this by hand right on my plate, but it could be done in a ziplock bag or even a bowl. I like to save washing dishes so I mix by folding over and over into itself with hands onto the plate I will use for my precooked patties

Once the egg, meat and crushed Cheez-its are mixed together, I use a HEAPING tablespoon of Basil Pesto and mix in Italian herbs. Use as much Italian seasoning as you would like.

It makes 8 nice slider size burgers

Next use butter....I must use butter when cooking my home grown LEAN beef because there is little to no grease from this meat and butter keeps the patties nice and moist and they don't dry out. Plus....you can't beat the taste of burgers cooked in butter!

When cooking your patties, place the patties into the hot buttered pan and then turn them over within a minute to seal in the taste and then cook on medium heat until DONE covered, making sure the butter doesn't cook away. Add a small pat or two to keep the bottom of the pan moist.

Remove from heat and plate to keep the grease in the pan and not on your plate.

Make your coleslaw when the burgers are cooking to have CRUNCHY coleslaw for topping your slider
I add pepper and about a 1/4 cup of cane sugar to my coleslaw

Very finely sliced red onions, the coleslaw has enough crunch you usually get with raw onions.....I use my pampered chef simply slicer on 1 for perfect slices
USE Hawaiian rolls, slice them up for little hamburg buns.

Combine all the ingredients for a sweet, CRUNCHY flavorful little burger that even the kids LOVE!
Don't forget your seasoned french fries and a baby dill pickle or two!

Pasture blessings

2013-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a terribly LONG time since I have blogged.....gawwwshh.
FORGIVE MY absence from the virtual world of blogging.
Life is busy.....this farm wife seems to have a blessed plate full.

This morning after my monsters...aka the kiddos left on the bus, I went out to the pasture to check on the ladies and two calves were born

Here is one.....#100 Silky the Limousin/Holstein cross had a BEAUTY of a bull out of our Fleckvieh bull. She is 15 year young!

GO SILKY!

HE is as soft as his curly brownish-gray coat looks.

I HEART him

Momma says, "We are hiding....."

WAIT for me momma!!!

Don't you JUST love the forest floor???

Handsome feller!

Thistles are SUCH a pain in the neck in the broad scheme of things....but look a little closer and they are a popular hang out of the insect crowd.

Not to mention pretty.....

Busy as a bee....

Green shiny guy.....or girl....I never stopped and asked.

Yellow butterflies were dancing everywhere and taking a break to get a sip.....

Pretty wheat....sure sign of fall

Sincerely,
Michigan Milk Momma

Sharing the Love of Agriculture

2012-07-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

As June Dairy Month drew to a close a few short days ago, I felt the need to share my little story of what our little northeastern Michigan family dairy farm is doing on a personal level to promote the dairy industry. Our local 4-H chapter of anything dairy has basically vanished. Why? Well because most of the smaller dairy farms have sold their dairy animals and there are only a handful of us left. So I feel the strong urge to reach out to the youth and share my love of these bovines and what they provide for us.

Exposing young people to a farm usually is the only prodding that they need to fall in love with the dairy industry. Yes, being a dairy farmer is crazy hard work, with long hours and many times headaches, backaches and even heartache. The positives outweigh the negatives, especially when it becomes a way of life for you, it becomes an obsession.

When dairy gets in your blood you are filled with pride when your blood, sweat and tears pay off in watching that perfect calf you have been breeding for stand for the first time. You become filled with joy when you watch your herd of cows come in from the pasture and laugh at the sight of calves being freshly bedded run and buck showing their appreciation with pure actions of joy.

It is only natural when you truly love something, which you long to share with others. Being a family operation it is a natural progression of wanting your children to following in your footsteps. On a side note, when passing on the farm, be sure you provide your children incentive to earn their way into the business instead of gifting them a part of it. If they LOVE something enough they will find a way to get their hands on it. When your children eat, sleep, breathe farming, then they usually become the amazing next generation of dairy.

2012-01-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Is it time for a Parent’s Date Night???

ARE YOUR KIDS STARTING TO DRIVE BOTH OF YOU CRAZY?

DO YOU FEEL STRESSED AND NEED A BREAK???

Maybe it is time for a Parent’s Date Night?

This makes me laugh and I want to say sucks to be her

….but

WAIT!!!

……………..that is me!

Except I have a few more heathens following me….

Mark it on your calendar, make it a priority. You have so many important and pressing duties to attend to, but in my unimportant opinion, nothing is more important than keeping your marriage together and healthy so that the two of you can stick together working as a TEAM dealing with life and continuing to be a united front for or against your children.

Another benefit is it keeps you from running away to the circus....

Children benefit greatly from being around parents who show true affection towards each other in a normal everyday setting. I’m not preaching you start heavy petting or a make out session in front of the toddlers, but hand holding, couch cuddling, hugging, real kisses (longer that then 5 seconds) and saying I LOVE YOU everyday imprints your offspring with loving someone in a good way is normal and hope to dear GOD that they do the same when their time comes.

What makes a good date night???

Well………………that is up to the two of you.

Movie and dinner

couch + movie + cuddling,

hitting the bar, hitting the beach, having a picnic….

……………actually anything the TWO of you can do WITHOUT the kids for a few hours.

Get a babysitter…………..hire one,

take up people’s offers of watching the kids,

bribe someone,

BEG!!!!

Whatever it is one of the most important appointments you can make and keep!

………….What is my perfect date you ask????????

Dump kids off with anyone brave enough to babysit……….

………………spin the tires out the driveway………..some grub at a sit down joint………

……………hit the casino, for some money wasting time and people watching with the man…………….

……………drive as slow as legally possible home to pick up kids……..stay married…..lol

Actually I love drinking coffee with my husband and arguing about world events………

MARK IT ON YOUR CALENDER TODAY!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE PICTURES.....LOVING THE FARM WIFE LIFE

2012-01-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Coping with Stress

2012-01-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

~*~STRESS~*~

Men’s real feelings get lost in the scramble of stress and women are more likely to take an eraser to the problem. Stressed women know it, live it and spend time trying to do something about it. In the wake of new survey results released this week, numbers support the stereotype that women are more aware of feeling than men. The American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America survey finds that women historically have reported higher levels of stress than men and did so again in 2011. On a 1-to scale of little to no stress, women report stress at a level of 5.4 and men at a 4.8. The gender divide is more pronounced when it comes to dealing with the stress or even wanting to own up to it.

Stress happens when people perceive that the demands they face, work, school or relationships and then exceeds their ability to cope say experts with the psychological association. At times, some stress can be beneficial because it gives your body a boost of energy that can drive you to get through tough situations such as exams or work deadlines. On the other hand, an extreme amount of stress can be harmful to your health by taking an emotional toll on you, result in anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Stress can also contribute to the development of major illnesses such as heart disease, depression and obesity.

Women think it is more important to manage stress and believe that they are not doing a good job of it, but men report being less concerned about managing stress and are also more likely to say they are doing enough about it. Social support is very beneficial to cardiovascular health and longevity. It is possible that women just have more stress in their lives, in terms of certain societal issues such as gender discrimination, sexual abuse and traumas. Women as a result tend to use more stress reducers such as reading, exercising or spending time with friends and family.

Exercise reduces feelings of anxiety and tension and can minimize future stress. The exercise needs to be higher intensity or long duration to have a beneficial effect on later stressors.

Take a break-you can’t avoid the stressor, but you can momentarily get away from that project at work, the crying baby or that mountain of bills. Even just a 15 minute break helps to give you a new perspective.

Get social support-sharing your feelings with another person who will just listen is another reliever of stress. Don’t share those concerns with someone who adds to the stress. The person you talk to needs to be someone you trust and who understands you and can validate you.

Trying to keep thinking positive even during stressful times helps to relieve some effects of stress. Remember that there is simply things that we cannot change.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Who do you turn to?????

2012-01-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

It has been over two and half years since my son's first medical diagnosis of Autism, and not much has changed for the little dude. His speech has improved, thankfully and he will tolerate playing with other children and frequently will seek interaction with his sisters. Sad fact is that there is NO-ONE who reached out to help your child, when he is special needs. Especially those children with Autism. Still so many people treat us mothers as if we mess up in some way. The help is supposedly out there, but by golly she is hard to come by.
It is like this....
here is your diagnosis....have a nice day.
Newbies are left assuming that help is on it's way...
Here is a tip....don't hold your breath. Nobody advocates for your child and your family. YOU are the only one who can. Do not wrongly assume that "they" send out the Autism support team, to help you through the process. You are left stumbling and fumbling your way through this obstacle course of steps to get your child the help he or she needs. My imaginary "team" has yet to show up to help my son.
Instead I am calling and calling and hoping and praying and cussing through these tedious steps that seem to be getting me no where. Between his school, who disagreed with his medical diagnosis from over 2 years ago, but are finally in THAT long process of getting his educational Autism diagnosis, the community health in my area, which is like pushing a chain....and his pediatrician who treat our many questions as if we can wait indefinitely for help. How long do we have to wait until his needs are important to these people who obviously pretend that he is a priority? DO I have to come in raving like a lunatic, DEMANDING what we need? Call twenty times a day for a damned referral so my son can see a doctor who can prescribe him something to make his life better?
Poor kid screams many hours a day, flips back and forth from Laughing hysterically to punching his sister in her face, to sobbing uncontrollably, to acting as if nothing happened. His anxiety and meltdowns are terrible on him, his raw throat, headaches, digestive problems, and not to mention the stress it puts on the family.
Who do you turn to for actual HELP in Michigan, especially rural north-east area?
How loud do I have to scream for someone to help my son? Do I go in their office and have ME a meltdown to get my point across? Are we really truly left with no guidance from all these supposedly caring individuals who claim to have my son's best interest at heart.
No wonder we parents of special need children are so depressed and keep to ourselves.

I am NOT one tough cookie....

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that life is short, and you never know when it is your time to go. I believe in the practice of taking nothing for granted and being grateful for what you have. My husband is considerably older than I am, thirty years older and many would say, "What do I expect marrying an older man?". He is most likely going to be leaving us before I do, so why would I be surprised if he does? I knew this when I went into this marriage, but I told someone once who asked me "What I expected from getting into a relationship with a much older man?",specifically this one. I simply said that I will take whatever time I am lucky enough to have with him. But as we are comfortable with life's daily ongoings and we have a child together who simply adores her father, I forget those words of being happy for whatever time I am lucky enough to have. Dang it, I want to be selfish and keep him forever for my daughter to know him not have a hard time trying to remember his voice or his hugs of the way he loved all of us. How would James understand where his Dad went and why he isn't there to teach him to fix things, how to love his momma or pass on his patience? I think many times how will I survive it when this happens. How will I keep the farm going, deal with never being able to replace what Don does and how in God's name will I live without my best friend? I sob as I write this, eyes puffed with tears nearly unable to make out the words I type, sick with the thought it may be sooner than later.
He has been diagnosed with COPD, in the last few years he has come down with pneumonia and recently the doctor took a follow up x-ray to make sure he was cleared up and then those showed something not right, so they ordered a cat-scan and now this morning they made an appointment to speak to him about the results of the cat-scan. So of course I am sick with worry, sick to my stomach, that they found something bad. I act as if it is no big deal to him, I tell him that we would rather know if something is wrong than not know. But I am lying. I am a big fat faker. I am not strong or tough at all right now. I don't want to show him how terrified I am. I want him to think that I am strong, that I can deal with anything, including him being sick, including losing him. I don't want him to worry about how much it would kill us inside. But the truth is how could I deal with it alone? How could live without him, seeing him in every inch of the farm, in my daughters eyes? My children deserve more time with him, his grand kids deserve more time with him, he deserves some more time with them. He also deserves to have some peace, maybe a little time to do what he wants besides work everyday. So here I am crying a river of doom and gloom, when all I can think is the worst. Trying to get all my crying out before he gets home and allow me to build up some fake,"It will be okay, Honey." show for him when he goes to find out what the cat-scan showed on Monday. Truly I really am an optimist,just not when it comes to something this important. I meant what I vowed, for better or worse, in sickness and health and until death does us apart. I just hope and pray and beg and want to demand that everything is okay.

County Fair Week

2011-07-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

The county fair is coming to a close tonite and I must say that I am happy to see it end. My daughter improved from last year, her pig placed higher than rock bottom and she learned how to show a pig correctly as the judge awarded her Grand Champion Junior Showmanship. A considerable difference from the years past were she repeatedly lost the pig in the arena running wildly with the other pigs and one time never heard the judge trying to attract her attention to speak to her because her eyes were glued to her pigs rooting nose. She smiled, tapped the pig in all the right places as gently as can be and never ran after her or used her knees which awarded her a nice banner and pretty ribbon.
We only had one thievery incident which transpired on the night of the Livestock Auction, where we were accused of stealing our very own pig cane, that has been missing since show day and which someone thought they would like it as it is a brand spanking new one. Only problem it was ours and we wanted it back. After being mobbed by angry, guilty thieves we told them to just keep it because they obviously needed it more as they insisted repeatedly that it was theirs. Strangely long after everyone had dispersed and the barns were quiet a exact replica of the cane for which we were still missing and for which they insisted rudely was theirs, mysteriously showed back up hanging above my daughters hog pen. Someone must of made a mistake and owes my daughter an apology. Doubt we will ever get it, but no we know what sort of people we are attending fair with.
Lesson learned? Make sure you mark everything with your name or someone may like it more than you and accuse you of stealing something that is actually yours when you retrieve it.

Way to go Grand Champion Junior Showmanship!

My daughter selling her pig at the auction

My daughter the Diva enjoying some ice cream

Young lady and her market steer

Youth riding gymkhana events

Youth flat track racing

Winner of Cow Pie Bingo

Dragging a almost 2 year old diva in training, who has picked up the art of imitating her autistic almost 5 year old brother is a cause to want to refrain from hanging up at the fair for longer than necessary. My patience is no longer in service this week. But do not worry as the piggies are graciously taken care of by the hubby's daughter and son in law or granddaughter or grandson. Thanks a million guys!

Less than amateur birdwatcher

2011-07-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

There is this little bird outside our windows every morning singing the most beautiful song. I am at a loss as to what kind he or she is and would like to know. Rarely I will see it on the finch feeders eating thistle seed, but it is the name of it for which I long to know. I have searched the online directories for comparable pictures but have not found a match. It's song is long and drawn out and has many different notes it hits. Such a unique melody I have never heard before now. I usually only see one, never two or more together. I guess it is just something that will nag at me if I don't find out. If you happen to know, feel free to comment.

My Yahoo Group for Dairy Farm Wives

2011-07-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

My Husband with all three children coming back from chopping a few loads of hay.

Are you the wife of a farmer? I am the wife of a dairy farmer and I felt the need to create a place for wives of all the types of agricultural production to connect with other women who understand the trials and tribulations and the immmense rewards that this way of life can either bring to your family as a hardship or a blessing or a strange combination of both. Feel free to join and perhaps as time helps me to grow and blossom this group, it can expand into other social medias such as Facebook. Please follow the link below and join to make it your own.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dairyfarmwives/

Never-Ending Repairs

2011-07-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

It is unbelievably amazing at how much needs to be constantly tweaked, replaced, rebuilt or cleverly repaired on a farm. Tires go flat, bearings gears and seals need replaced, knives need sharpening, changing oils, greasing the moving parts, all in the name of maintenance and repair. It can keep a man or two busy, just trying to keep everything running and moving.
We had finally ordered new knives and baffles for the forage chopper, they were LONG overdue and when they finally came UPS, there was a little more than usual free time to get it put back together.
Working on getting the hay cut was on hold because of a little mishap trying to get some horse/dry cow hay cut. Being small in an area of bigger farms who will pay so much more than we can afford for rental land causes us to basically take what is left for land and they are usually small parcels. So we planned on working to get the baling hay out of the way while the forage chopper was out of commission waiting for replacement knives.
So Don, set out with James and went to cut the hay and a round or so later the disc mower conditioner started to make a horrible racket, and meanwhile Don turned to look back to see what was happening, never stopped and ran over a small plow hidden in the tall hay. Beet juice sprayed all over signaling a blown large rear tractor tire.

BIG GIGANTIC CRAP O LA.

$1,860 dollars later the tire is fixed and now it will be the same amount for discbine parts, no labor costs included as the guys do the work themselves.
Don ended up buying back the old haybine he bought new in 1974. Ugly as sin, but the hay is getting cut.

On a good note.....the chopper is running amazing.

The Man Cold

2011-03-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...the man is catching the latest sniffle that has been making its way around the household and no doubt it will put him down for the count.
He'll continue to go to work and what-not, but when he is home, Lord have mercy, cause he'll be awfully sick and I'll be pretty darn annoyed.
When I am sick, I don't get any special treatment, or even have the chance for a nap.
But when a man gets sick, on the couch they plant themselves when they are home and "OH, my throat is sore!", "This headache or body ache or even both is so bad!" and don't forget the more than usual falling asleep on the couch, snoring through the kids running rampant and screaming, etc.
I am always making sure that he is taking whatever medicines, to try to help to ward off the crud, not only for his health, cause I truly care about him and don't want him to suffer and be sick.
Enough is enough when you are a adult and have a measly cold.
Get over it.
Mothers have to.
We don't get any sick days and never a fraction of the pity the male species receive when they are ill.
Oh, only to be a man, when you are sick.....
This commercial in the link below pretty much sums it up when dealing with a man and his special cold....

Vicks Man Cold commercial-LOVE IT

INVESTING IN MOMMY

2011-03-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since was sitting on the back of a horse and actually rode. I am not talking about the occasional trail ride, I mean an actual RIDE.
Collecting and extending strides, flying lead changes and sliding stops.....
Before I was blessed with little ones, I rode nearly everyday, literally for hours. I miss the instinctive guiding with the weight of my gaze, the shift of my weight, the touch of my leg. When you ride a horse that truly knows you and what you want, without all that tugging and kicking and nonsense, there really is nothing comparable.
After both of my last two children, I endured periods of post-partum depression along with the normal weight gain. Terribly embarrassing to admit, especially for me because I am so stubborn, independent and proud, but so very real and uncontrollable to develop. I would weep at nothing, hurt all-over, be utterly exhausted, so much so that I couldn't sleep, fly off at the nothing as well.
When I was young and ignorant, I believed that mental problems were a sign of weakness. Boy, was I wrong. Dealing with and overcoming depression was one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life.
The wonderful thing is, you can do things to improve your own health. One important thing is to find or return to something that gives you joy, that make you feel whole and amazingly good about yourself.
For me it is riding....So I am investing in myself, my mental and physical well being. I have decided to send my two mares to put 30 days training on them, so that when they come home, I plan on making time for me.
Riding is such great full body exercise, you use nearly all your muscles to retain balance and physically move with the horse.
Lord, knows that I need to improve my physically shape. Yikes.
I am not worried about a number, as in a amount of pounds. Just to make sure that I feel good, regain my muscle tone, tighten up a bit of this fluff and help to speed up my metabolism so that my energy supply is increased enough to help me keep up with these little monsters who call me "Mommy".

Designer dog names for crossbreeds

2011-02-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

Now there are fancy names for mutts. Oops.... our beagle got in with my Austrailan shepard, so did we start a fancy new sought after breed of designer dog?
The Aussie-Be?
The Shepeagle?
They are cute little pups. Rabbit hunting dogs that want to herd anything that moves. Beautiful coloring and that wonderful beagle voice.
The perfect mix of Beagle and Austrailian shepard......I don't know how some of these things happen, but when a "mutt mistake" happens, just give them a unique, usually silly name made of a combination of the two breeds and "walah" a designer hybrid dog.
Any takers on my ingenious creation????
Maybe you would rather have a Yorkipoo, Labradoodle or a Chiweenie.
Just throw four or five different breeds in a pen and 60 days later you too could have a cross-breed that is the newest fad in must-have dog breed.

CRAVING ADULT INTERACTION

2010-11-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

As a stay at home momma of three children, a son with autism, a near teenager who cannot hear the sound of her mother's voice, and a little 15 month old girl baby who is still being fed from my breast and also a full time student(online classes), most of the day I do not engage in much adult conversation. Yeah, my man might blab about the current events or gripe about something like he is tired or just plain bitch or listen to me finally break down and go on a tangent. My day is honestly crazy. Like running up hill. Dancing two steps forward and three steps back or doing things in slow-motion or similar to trying to run in water. The man doesn't usually get it. When they come home from work and we are talking a mile a minute at them it is because we have had only contact with little people who speak another language and think it is amazing that they defecated themselves. The man may mistake the forward-type conversation as nagging. Maybe it is a little, but it mostly is a money-grab for adult interaction. Unfortunately the man usually wants to eat, read, shower and watch television in-between snoring sessions on the couch, and then go to bed, and leave me to continue to do the parenting job basically solo-pilot. Why do men think that they can come into a house with other people and their offspring and get to relax and do everything they want when they want to do it. He may be my best friend, but he is still a man, oblivious to the affect they have on the people in their lives. My son usually gets overstimulated when the house transitions from Momma, son and baby daughter into Momma, Dad, big momma sissy, son and baby sis. Buttons get pushed, testing of authority begins and usually mayhem erupts and I begin to get pissed and try to calm the boy, save the baby sis and keep the waters as calm as possible. So tonight once the baby was asleep, and I had begun to accomplish some homework, the son wanted to watch some of his Handy Manny shows, so the man put the DVR recording on for the boy. Then the man after sleeping for an hour and half, gets up and goes to bed. SO fricking nice to have had NO adult conversation and he says he's watched all the Handy Manny he can stand. Men are such selfish creatures. All day I take care of the kids and try to accomplish my tons of homework, all while trying to keep a house, pay the bills, sell on e-bay and the job is 24/7.
I think the worst was when after I had our daughter and the labor was days long, no sleeping because of the boys poor sleeping habits, me being uncomfortable with a little person stuck inside of me nine months cooked and having to pee so much because of the Urinary Tract Infection I developed and just plain being in labor for over 20 hours of 5 minutes a part at home before I finally couldn't handle it and went in and had the WORST birthing experience in the hospital.(That's another story) Anyway, the man left and went home. WHAT? I was pissed. In fact I am still mad about it and one day I will tell him about it. So I was all alone, even the nurses forgot to check on me for nearly 9 hours and I NEVER slept in the hospital for two days. Exhaustion can make a person literally wish bad things and lose their usually levelheaded and patient minds. No wonder I developed post-partum depression and of course the man said that was all in my head.
WHEW!! I am done for tonight.....

De-cluttering your life

2010-11-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ever look into the closet and see way too many clothes? Clothes that are ill fitting, no doubt because they shrunk. Funny, huh? Books on the bookshelf that you may have read and want to maybe re-read someday, or boxes of stuff in the garage, that should be sold in a yard sale or better yet, donated to the local church or non-profit. We have too much stuff, cluttering up all nooks and crannies of our lives, being saved for a rainy day, I guess. It feels SO GOOD to get rid of it, make more room for your family to spread out or even park the vehicle in the garage!
I have been on a secret mission to de-clutter my life. It I can't wear it anymore, or it isn't my style, I am going to sell it cheap on E-bay or donate it to the rag bag. If I haven't read it yet, the church rummage sale will receive it in a donation and free up my packed full book shelf. I can always use the library if I find time to read for pleasure.The nicknack's are a whole nother story and those dust collectors need to find some other place to collect dust, It is overwhelming to think of all the unnecessary material objects we feel the need to hoard. Contrary to my mother's belief that you need 134 cool whip containers on hand at any given time, even though at Thanksgiving time for left over containers to go home with everyone, there is really no reason to keep all those cool whip containers on hand. Then our children accumulate massive amounts of toys, that they spend more time tossing around the house then actually playing with them, so they really don't need but a tenth of what they have in their toy boxes. Maybe if they had less they would actually take care of what they had, you know appreciate it.
Take a look around and see the collections of clutter you may have accumulated and take a refreshing load off and get rid of some of the clutter in your life.

The third wheel

2010-11-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

As a remnant from my bar/restaurant days, I picked up the habit of shooting pool and actually became quite good at it, when I put my mind to it and focus, I can shoot a mean game. So on Wednesday nights I leave my crazy house and get to go out in public for something other than the grocery store or other mundane necessary errands and actually have a drink, talk to some friends over some loud music and mainly get away from dirty diapers and runny noses if even for a few hours a week. When you are a stay at home mom you do not get to go to and from your job, it stays with you 24/7. From breakfast, until lunch and on through the night, the job never ends and can be quite exhausting. At times I wish I could go to a actual job and get a break from being non-stop "Momma!" Then I realize I would be missing out on important stuff like all that I missed with my oldest daughter. I was always working when she was younger and she became so independent and distant from me and now that she will be 13 and a teenager I am not cool and you don't become close to your mom when you are a teenager because moms are always ruining everything!! lol
So the whole point of this post was to relay how much someone in my position as a stay at home mom, going to college, with three children, one with autism, when they go out to hang out with the girls, they just don't fit in. When someone asks "How are things with you?" and you go off on a tirade about how your son bit the baby on the face or screamed for hours or you can't go outside because the wind is blowing, they really didn't want to hear all that. They would rather you just so "Things are great!" makes it quite hard to feel as if you have anyone to vent to, because they don't understand. Feeling like you are troubling people with your problems doesn't do well for your piece of mind and makes you just sit and keep to yourself.....
Also to add to my boring-ness, I drink very little because of the fact that it is illegal to drink and drive and also I am still breastfeeding....GASP! still breastfeeding my baby and she is 15 months and don't think she would appreciate liquor laced milk. So I don't have any stupid drunken stories or stay out late, which makes me feel like the third wheel..........

SO relieved that it is November 3rd

2010-11-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Finally an end to the ridiculously absurd finger-pointing, name-calling advertisements on my television and in my mailbox. I learned NOTHING about what they actually would bring to the office and help improve our current economic crisis from all the campaigning the candidates did except for that I do not like political parties and all their excuses for their non-performance in favor of the people whom the current government should actually be worried about since it it their actual job to serve US, not campaign for most of the year. I voted for all the unknowns that nobody sees plastered all over the television. Those rich people on the ballot have absolutely no idea what it is like for the majority of us who are struggling because they live in another world. How do they know what is like to be out of work for over 99 weeks with no chance of ever getting another job that would replace the job you lost, or how it feels to lose your home you worked so hard for to a bank that you bailed out as a taxpayer and still get foreclosed upon anyway. They don't have to worry if they will have to choose between buying their prescription drugs or getting groceries this month. Our country needs a change and I don't think that career politicians or rich folk know how to unselfishly serve the people who elected them and bring the change that our government needs to turn things around for the majority of us in America.

53 days until Christmas

2010-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

OH MY! When you see that countdown everywhere you look, you know you should start organizing lists and finding some Christmas cards (do people even send those out anymore?) get some shopping done. But procrastinators like me, for example, think that if they get prepared for the unnerving and overwhelming holidays ahead of time, then what will we worry about at the last minute? Actually I have started shopping for the kids and Don and I have talked about putting up some Christmas lights. No, not just the little Charlie Brown Christmas tree I usually plop on a little tiny table and stack the gifts underneath, in my Scrooge like fashion. This year he wants to put lights on the outside of the house and festive nonsense like that....the kids will love it and Consumers Energy will love the increase in my light bill. I'm sorry. I try not to be so Bah Hum Bug, but to me the holidays are TOO commercialized and the only thing that making such a huge deal about Christmas is spending so much money on gifts and decorations and etc etc etc, when the whole point was to celebrate Jesus' birthday and spend time with the family, not buy them off with some expensive and outrageously priced gifts or stuff them with so much food until they feel ill. I know my oldest child thinks I am SO boring, by not cramming dozens and dozens of the latest crap under the tree that they advertise on television for us to get poorer by purchasing or what the other kids say is cool. TRYING and the key word would be trying to please your children and make them happy with material stuff is doing way more harm than good to our kids. The kids just keep wanting more JUNK they don't need and they don't appreciate it. They end up losing it, breaking it, giving it away, SELLING it......all the while we are paying for it on the credit card statement for the next year or so.
Many families cannot afford anything for Christmas, because they lost their home, many lost their jobs and most of us Americans are doing our best to live paycheck to paycheck, so when there is this holiday season that comes along and we as parents are expected to provide for our kids extra stuff because it has come to be expected, many parents feel inadequate because they simply CANNOT afford it.
Families with spoiled kids and the means to continue to do so this holiday season, would be doing the world a service to teach their children that life and enjoying it is NOT about what you have, but who you have in your life and they should have their children GIVE to other families instead of receive this year. Clean out their closets and toy boxes and buy for families who wouldn't have a Christmas otherwise. Giving truly feels better than receiving....

Happy Fricken Labor Day

2010-09-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

After a day of non-stop screaming, alternating between short periods of zoning out from my son, I finally had a near meltdown myself. And no I did not feel any better after I had my episode of a loss of control. Nothing was pleasing James and nothing would and it is impossible to get away from it. He unintentionally causes such a bad vibe throughout our house affecting everyone. The baby cries, Daddy would rather stay at work all day, big sis locks her bedroom door, even the dog is afraid and momma is taking most of the blunt of the ridiculously long marathon of a meltdown. Then there is no one to talk to about it. As if you could have a conversation on the phone or in person, because of the SCREAMING. There really is only so much a person can take. Coupled by a year or more of sleep deprivation, financial stress and my trying to actually absorb this information I am required to know in my college work, dealing with this autism stuff is so draining. I am physically drained, my arms and legs are weak, my headaches are numerous, I am tense and irritable, and missing enjoying my family. Never mind the mental fatigue as the crazy depressed feelings make you feel as a failure as a parent. People say that I am so patient. WHAT A CROCK. I do it cause I have to. I have to take care of my children, no matter what. Nobody else is going to do it for me that is for damned sure. It is also amazing how little actual support you are offered and the even less that you receive from supposedly sympathetic family. Never mind friends, our socially inept family has SCARED any of those away. No one offers to babysit for parents of autistic children to give them the much needed breaks they NEVER get. I love my son but I HATE HATE HHAATTEE!!!! autism. I feel guilty when I let it get to me. But the screaming is the ear piercing kind that makes your ears ring and makes you sick to your stomach. It makes it so impossible to be a good mother to the rest of your children when you are exhausted almost to the point that you would like to sleep for at least a week. I can't even get into the shower for 5 minutes to myself, without causing a scene. I like it when you are asked what you want for your birthday or Christmas and you answer a nights sleep, a day to myself or a FRICKING BREAK!! They think you are SSOOO funny. Seriously, I ain't joking.

In the Thistles

2010-08-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

During the spring, summer and most of the fall(depending upon the weather) our dry cows and open and bred heifers and springing heifers are out on our hilly pasture to freshen naturally. We have less problems with them and they seem to be happy about it. When the time comes to bring momma in to return to work(milking)it becomes sometimes quite a adventure to find where the little lady or gentleman in hiding. Seems deer-like, just like when a doe hides her fawn while she grazes, a calf is told in the secret cow talk to "stay until I come back to get you" by her momma and the little calf frequently does just that. Many a times another dry cow will "adopt" the calf and watch over it like their own baby even though she have yet to freshen herself. This summer we had a cow #215 out to pasture when another cow had twins. #215 stole both of the twins from their mother and would not let us near them. Then when another cow had a calf she stole that heifer calf, too. So this dry cow had THREE babies on her as a just dry cow and raised them! She finally had her own heifer calf and we decided to take it from her as soon as it was able to stand to make sure it received colostrum. #215 did not have any colostrum as she had been feeding those three stolen calves for a month by then.
SO frequently after we put the newly freshened cows back on the milking line, we have to go hunting for the hidden calves. It usually become a rodeo of sorts, tumbling around on the hills in admist the thistles, trying to get ahold of a scared little calf. The calves usually come out by themselves when their bellies say "I'm Hungry!!!"
We still haven't caught two of those three stolen babies miss #215 had over the summer. They are WILD little brats and are of course weaned by now but are in al sorts of trouble. We'll put catching them on the chore list.....

Back to the college grindstone

2010-08-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder to myself, Am I crazy??? Trying to go back to college while taking care of these children. There are some days when I never stop cleaning, changing diapers, breaking up fights, feeding something or someone,laundry, dishes, etc.....This is admist a large amount of unnessasary and random screaming, the kind of ear-piercing noise that makes your ears ring and you wonder how does one little boy make such a noise and not go hoarse? I am also trying to continuing listing on ebay, which is beginning to help pay some bills, during all this hub-bub. It does not leave much if any time to help at the farm, read any books for recreation or spend quality time with another adult.
I love learning! Call me a nerd or bookworm or geek, whatever, I love filling up my brain with knowledge. I also get a gigantic personal buzz off of being on the Deans list or on the President's list. Kinda tells the world,"See, this crazy, overwhelmed mother can do it, so can you!"
13 credit hours, thankfully all online, a full class load as required so that I can receive student loans that helps to pay the bills. Otherwise I would just take a class or two at a time, reducing the amount of self inflicted stress....
Someday my family will benefit from all the late nights I see in my near future...

Stress

2010-08-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone is exposed to some sort of stress in their life. How they deal with it, how much they let it affect them and ways they try to alleviate it differs from person to person.
It seems I like to take on too many things upon my plate, therefore increasing my probability of stress. Three children, one under a year, my almost 4 year old son, supposedly on the spectrum of autism, a 12 year old daughter who can not process the sound of my voice through her ears. Pretty sure she is allergic to my voice.....
In January of 2008, my boss, trying to save a buck or two, put me on a layoff. I was managing the resturant/bar, my boss's job was eliminated from his company and therefore he was going to do my job and save the money he paid me. It was time for me to make a change. In my personal life as well as my career path. My job was DEAD-END, all that was missing was the tell-tale dead-end sign. My now ex-boyfriend was leaving, he just didn't know it at the time. So I pushed him out the door, began to receive unemployment benefits and took a emormous leap of faith and began the most important relationship of my life with my best friend.
I had never been able to stay at home with my first daughter and I had to bring my son with me when I worked my manager job. So this is a whole different world. I felt that I needed to return to college and finish what I had not when I was pregnant with my daughter 12 years ago. I had to do something with my "Time off", so I felt attending college online would fit into my schedule. Plus the student loans help through this tough time. By the summer of 2009 my youngest daughter is born and I am wondering what I was thinking about fitting this college stuff into my overwhelming schedule.
My son is not yet three and showing what we know now as Autism, but we were puzzled at all of his strange behaviors, obsessive tendancies, lack of toliet training, and almost unbearable meltdowns. I was sure that I was going to go crazy and have a meltdown myself.
Added to all these normal mom duties and daily household chores, I was helping my boyfriend at his dairy farm by relief milking, herd health records and bill paying. He had filed for bankrupcty due to his divorce and his debt had been reorganized so that he could pay his bills in the aftermath of the long court battle with his divorce and that added paperwork as he needed to report monthly to the court.
It may seem as if I am complaining a bit...maybe a little,but I am actually truly blessed even with all of my chaos in life. Could do without the greying hair and lack of sleep. I really do appreciate all that I have been given. I have three beautiful children, I am in love and sharing my life with my best friend. It is said that anything in life of any worth doesn't come easy. I believe in that....

A little pearly white tooth....

2010-06-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Breastfeeding your baby is amazingly easy, once you get past the first month. Concieving, being pregnant, birthing children are all enough of a power trip individually, but also providing all of the new little person's nutrition for their first year of life is hard to rival as a very vital responsibility. I am proud to say that I have been successfully nursing my infant daughter for 10 months now. No bottles, no pacifiers, just me au natural. I don't plan on weaning her until she is good and ready and I have no idea as to when that may be. But,now I am afraid of this tiny little tooth that is poking out from my little, sweet Laurel's gums. I think about it everytime she needs to feed. I know it is silly, but more teeth will follow this first one and I am putting a sensitive part into her little mouth, even though now it is a safe mouth. But for how long.....