Father's Day 2015

Dad requested biscuits and gravy after church and then he and Dr. Mo fixed one of the chicks splayed legs. Mo has been watching you tube videos on how to fix all the problems of these newly hatched chicks. We have three now, uno, dos, and tres. Uno is the strongest and most healthy. 

Then there is dos, who has a pretty large hernia from his umbilical cord which we are treating with preparation h. Tres  is the one we put ban aid splints on this morning. He just can't seem to straighten out his toes. YouTube to the rescue. Hope it works. 

After we rested a bit, dad wanted to take the boat out for a run so we did.

Storms are predicted tonight so we came home and made sure to button down the hatches. Then I heated up dome leftovers and found this.

She has been learning her times tables. She is so excited for second grade. I hope they are ready for her:)

Operation save the chicks

I am not sure if you have been following the chicken saga at our farm. Here, I'll catch you up. Dad and number one watched YouTube videos about incubating chickens. It really is true, you can learn just about a thing from you tube. 

Then they created a homemade incubator out of a cooler.17 days later we watched Uno hatch. 

He was ugly. 

 He had two brothers or sisters hatch. They had medical issues. We tried to fix them.

We experienced a storm and we lost power for six hours which meant no heat lamp. We lost everyone but Uno. 

Then, a big surprise. A friend had eight chicks that neede a home! 

Uno was one happy chick again. We spent time trying to get them used to outside. 

They slept, a lot! Usually on top of each other.

So yesterday it was so hot, like it has been for days and they are growing feathers so they have started trying to jumpfly (totally my word) out of their tote. Operation chicken freedom to the rescue. We already had the tiny coop so we made a few quick repairs and viola, a new home for Uno and his Ocho friends!

Then we came inside for some respite from the heat and turned on the t.v. Huge storms and wind was predicted for the night. Yikes. We went about the day and in the back of my mind I wondered would they know to go into the house out of the rain? At about midnight I couldn't sleep I was worrying thought the storm so operation chicken storm was instituted. Dad and number one were not as enthused as I was. The took the tiny tote out and rescued the chicks. The poor cold babies spent the rest of the night under the lamp in the garage. The found them hiding under the ramp trying to stay dry, but they hadn't braved the elements to climb up to the shelter. So I am not sure if we would have lost them or not, but I will say they were anxious to return to the big house this morning. And the first thing they did?

Climb the ramp, those smart chicks!!! 

Very, happy, smart chicks. We started a new incubation so I am sure there will be more chicken stories to come:)

Yep, definately a farm girl

Last night I returned from a nostalgic trip to Chicago with my mom and sister. The city was fascinating, big, shiny, beautiful, and busy. We had choices of every kind of food imaginable. Anything you could ever want was within walking distance. I was in awe of the architecture, the art and the culture of the city. It was very crowded. The streets were full of people in business wear. Mom and my sister and I stuck out like nerdy tourists in our brightly colored clothing. At first I was self conscious coming off the train and trying to blend in with suits, skirts and sharp shoes. But the closer we got to the water the more color we saw. The people were beautiful. I have never seen so much beauty in one place before. The faces, never really looking at me, were light, dark, pink, yellow. The hair was long, curly, straight, slicked back, curly, swept up. I was so intensely distracted from the people watching, I nearly walked into the street. At each corner there were 20-30 people waiting to cross, thankfully, or I could have wandered right out into the sea of vehicles. I thought I would see more on their phones, but there was a lot of conversations going on. I caught phrases of each as they passed by me. A few homeless were screaming loudly or singing, but mostly the conversations were simple and lovely. People discuss the holiday weekend plans of traveling or camping, lots of business talk, sometimes to their ear piece as they were walking alone along the crowded sidewalk. As the lunch hour ended the street thinned out and we grabbed a train to a different part of the city where the streets were perfectly manicured and the shops all had summer patios with tables and chairs and the smell of coffee and pastries and French and Italian cuisine tempted our noses. I could have walked those streets for days and never gotten bored. The green vines growing up the buildings, the styles of all the homes with their teeny tiny front flower gardens were so pretty to gaze at. On the train, you could see into the apartments and office spaces of the upper levels of the buildings and I found myself curiously jealous of the modern furniture and beautiful interiors of those gorgeous, tiny, spaces.

Yesterday as we drove home through the the winding, tree laden roads of Wisconsin and Minnesota I found myself longing for the flat, wide, open spaces of my home state. The closer we got the more at peace I felt. Shortly after arriving home I took a little walkabout around the acres of garden, grass and yard that we are so blessed with. 

And so I will remember the city with fond thoughts and beautiful photos. But, my heart is here. The farm is where my home is and you know what they say...there is no place like it.

Mama said...

There would be days like this.

Here is mine.

Woke up. Worked out:) 

Got a call from hubby during workout, he forgot to wake the kids before he left.

Called the kids to wake them up.

Kept the rooster at bay to get kids on the bus.

Put dry beans in a pot to soak.

Tried to get ready, threw my bullet proof coffee in the bullet, it overflowed.

Cleaned up the mess. Hurried to get ready. No time to blow dry. Left with very wet hair.

Got to school to realize first hour was planning and I didn't need to rush:(

Visited for a moment with a co-worker while waiting for the bell only to realize that the bells had been turned off for the day. Arrived late to second period:(

Managed second and third and fourth period.

Checked my phone before lunch to find a message from a teacher saying my daughter was sick. 

Told office I needed to go get sick child.

Called doctor to get appointment for sick child.

Picked up sick child.

Came home for an hour. Got mail. Paid bills. Ate lunch. Thought about supper.

Took child to the doctor. Sat in the waiting room. Sat in the clinic room.

Visited with nurse, doctor, and phlebotomist. Diagnosed her with walking pneumonia.
Got prescription for arithromiacin.

Went to pharmacy to get meds. 

Checked voicemails. Called mom and left voicemail. Called husband back. 

Called kids to check on them. Here is the update they gave me.

Rabbit got out, cat had kittens. Rooster is chasing them so they can't get rabbit back in. 

Advised them to spray the rooster with the hose and he will back off.

Got home. Gave sick child meds. Stated boiling black beans. Asked everyone to do chores and checked for homework. Checked beans. Not done. Mom called me back.

Checked emails. Answered emails. Wasted time on facebook waiting for beans.

Checked beans, not done. Started assembling casserole while waiting for beans.

Check beans, not done. Went to cabinet to get a can of beans. Finished casserole. Put it in oven.

Gave my self a jamicure:)

Served supper.

Got a call from hubby he had to go on a late flight. Calling to advise me he'd be home late.

Thought this day was nuts and I should blog about it.

Blogged.

Wonder what else today will bring? 

Moments in time

It's been over two weeks now since the dizzyness has taken over my every moment. Those first five days were the worst. The icky naseau illness won and I was bedridden for the most part. If it hadn't been for our trip to Texas, I might still be in bed. The trip was hard and at times I felt ill and stayed in bed, but it also forced me to participate when I could. I was able to capture tiny moments with my family. Precious moments that my mommy brain may too soon forget but my children will savor for a long, long, time.

That first day back at work, I was nervous. It was a lot of work to stay steady, to keep from weaving, to bend over to tie shoes without fainting, to push small humans on the swings, to stay calm and in control. But I did it. I came home spent. Mentally, physically and I think I was in bed before seven p.m. Yet, I felt like I defeated something. I was not going to be beaten by my wacky ear, brain, whatever issues. Life is too short. It's too full of special moments I don't want to miss. I am having way too much fun in these moments to waste them away feeling sick and sorry for myself.

So, I got the eyes checked. There was a significant change. I ordered new specs. Maybe it will make a difference. We will see. This week we get the ears checked and check in with neurology. Hoping for answers. Yet, I am coping. I know that I don't like living like this, but I will survive. 

Miles and miles

Today was the first day back to reality. We just returned home from a ten day vacation. We traveled 2400 miles. My children met family they have never met before. It was amazing and precious and exhausting. 

I have childhood memories of making the same trip with my father. Those memories are very special to me especially now that he is gone. 

The kids now know my aunts and cousins and their great aunts and second cousins. God is good.

Many days were spent by the massive body of water that makes you feel as if you are so tiny, so insignificant... 

My cousins children playing with mine in the big ocean. Feels as though it's a whole world away. 

I'm so dizzy my head is spinning like a whirlpool it never ends...

Name that tune...

It was a week. We all have weeks.

Thursday night I was particularly unsettled, almost revved up, like I had too much java juice.

Friday, I awoke feeling a little dizzy, but unfortunately that has been more normal lately.

So, I went to light weight lift with my friend. The dizziness did not go away. In fact by the time I arrived back home it had gotten worse. So I decided to lie down for a bit.

The next time I tried to get up the whole room was spinning and I needed a puke bucket. And that, my dear readers, is how the rest of the weekend went. Sprinkle in an acute care visit, an er trip, lots of tears and frustration, and you have my weekend.

It seems your inner ears have some much o import ante parts in them. Parts that are so tiny a cat-scan with contrast won't even pick them up. But you still have to pay for it :). Anyway, the er doc thought that my teeny tiny ear parts must be inflamed. Which confuses my brain and equilibrium to the point where neither knows if I am standing or sitting, moving or still.

I was relieved that it wasn't anything serious. I was not happy that there is nothing you can do to "cure" it. It will just go away when it wants to. I filled up one of those pretty blue plastic sacks on the way into the er and another one on the way home from the er.

They prescribed some anti-nausea pills and some pain numbing pills that sort of fog my senses up a bit, but the overall dizziness is still there.

I guess this is a fairly common disorder in women. The er doc says he sees at least one patient a day. Yikes. This is pretty uncomfortable for me and I wouldn't want anyone else to go through it, especially since its a guessing game how and why it starts and when and if it ends.

I was a bit discouraged this morning. As good as it sounds to stay in bed for three days. It actually is terribly boring especially since you know nothing is getting checked of the only getting longer by the minute 'to do' list.

Mom, took the kids yesterday to let me sleep and Nora called me after church this am. "I prayed for you to get better, momma! We all did !" Brought a few moist drops to my eyes but I am strengthened by her hope and my faith that it is all planned out already, I am just following the path. Albeit a very curvy, winding one at the moment.

Summer in March for a day... Weekend update

Friday night fire with good friends

 

project day for 4-h

Pinterest project made for me:)

Lots of trampoline jumping

Today was absolutely beautiful! My phone had us ten degrees or more warmer than my family in Corpus Christi, Tx.

The kids and I were outside all day.

Ryan and I went for  a ride on the four-wheeler tonight and I noticed the back his neck was red. He was sunburnt IN MARCH!

Wow.

End of the weekend ride with the hubby

Have a blessed week!

#tbt her first 5k

We had so much fun reading with the Montrose Elementary kids!! @kevinhurdtv @KDLTNewsToday @KDLTNews pic.twitter.com/oVDLwa9A1a
— Sarah Blakely (@sarahmblakely) March 6, 2015

retweet

It's like we're in school again!! Thanks Montrose for letting @sarahmblakely and I sport these awesome shirts! pic.twitter.com/L2A6YYca3B
— Kevin Hurd (@kevinhurdtv) March 6, 2015

Bloodletting

Three of my four kids came home yesterday with bright canary yellow papers screaming "I need to find somebody...." They were arguing about who was going to "win".

I knew what all the fuss was about. I had been approached by an elementary student earlier in the hall. She asked me to be her sponsor. She caught me off guard and I reluctantly said, "sure" before I realized what it was I was actually signing up for. She said, sign here and date. So I did. Then she said, "what time?". My brain was brought back to real world issues when I said, "What time for what?". It seems I was actually signing up to donate blood. Which I immediately squashed because I thought that my chemo fried blood would be unwanted, but after reading the pamphlet it seems after one year in remission it is okay to donate again. :)

Now,please don't judge me. I have no issue with the donation of blood. I used to donate plasma all the time. My issue is with the way the child approached me. Maybe I was too distracted to get all the information. Maybe I should have slowed her presentation down to the speed it takes my old mommy brain to hear things. But I have real issues with little kids running around collecting signatures and phone numbers for something as serious as a blood donation.

After refereeing the fight between  my kindergartner, first grader, and fifth grader, I came to realize it was some sort of class competition to get people to sign up. The class who get the most people to actually donate gets a pizza party. Any student who signs up someone who donates blood wins a t-shirt. I understand how life saving a blood donation can be. Isn't the fact that you are saving a life reward enough? Now we need to bribe our young with food and free prizes?

What has the world come to that we have to bribe kids ages 5-12 to get people to cough up their phone numbers for a blood drive?

Maybe this situation is not the way it was intended to happen, but I am really turned off about the process. It's unfortunate, too, because I might have actually donated if I didn't have to choose a child to support :)

A heroic lesson

In this modern world, face to face, real people time is getting rare. We go about our days, doing what is required of us. Texting, facebooking, catching the latest on twitter. We are continually scrolling past feeds with stories of remarkable significance. We speed read about amazing rescues, adorable animal heroes and remarkable people.

This past Friday I was able to freeze time and get some amazing everyday people to come into our school and tell their stories. The thing about people is they all use real words to describe emotional experiences. Each experience is unique and then when its shared with a sense of purpose and accomplishment it develops into a story. Every time we share our stories with others, one person may find a word or a phrase that turns on that brain bulb and attempts to make sense of this crazy world.

It all started with a book. I was looking for an author to bring to school to celebrate our Read Across America event. I googled upon a book called Dolores Huerta; A Hero to Migrant Workers, by Sarah Warren. The way the text was written attracted me to the authors website. I read about her ten year journey to write a children's book about an inspiring woman who did great and wonderful things for her community. It beckoned me to want to find our local heroes and tell their stories.

Over the course of a year I was able to ask around and invite seven everyday people who did or do amazing things that can empower the rest of us to find our own "super"powers. This simple book about an amazing woman inspired me to plan this event for our students. It was a powerful learning experience for everyone involved regardless of their ages. Allowing each listener to discover their own potential to be a hero.

Sarah Warren's book and her lessons for the students gave me the opportunity to reach out to my community and create an exceptional experience for the youth. I hope that this experience will impact the children for years to come.

I am so very thankful to have met Sarah and I hope that she is able to share this story and her language and writing lessons with as many children as she can. Want more information on the amazing author? Go to sarahwbooks.com

#tbt

This blog is my throwback Thursday. My seventh grader found iton a Google search. I knew it was bound to happen. I am not sure how I feel about it. It made me feel vulnerable. She was telling me about all the stories she read. They were vaguely familiar to me. I felt guilty for not keeping up with the writing. I love words. I am a word nerd. I love reading words, I love writing words into stories.  I guess it's time to revive the blog. Let's hope some interesting stories are about to be written :)

Here is a the very first photo ever posted on mommyville.

Enjoy!