IL Pork Expo

Don't miss the IL Pork Expo tomorrow.  It's by far, Illinois' largest conference for all things pork.  There are two separate "tracks" of information being presented.  One for Purebred and show animals, and one for larger scale producers.  There is also a large trade show where vendors from all over the country will be present.

For more information, look up www.ilpork.com

Sunburned piggies

Downhill and water skiers will both tell you the importance of sunscreen.  We all know how important protection against the July sun is, but we always forget about the winter sun.

Our pigs have very sensitive skin when it comes to the sun, too.  This is another reason that living in a sheltered, temperature controlled environment is so beneficial to our animals.  Pigs can get very red, painful looking sunburns, even in the winter.  So, we keep them comfortable by protecting them from the sun.

Catholic Schools Week

We chose to send our kids to Holy Cross School for so many reasons.  One reason is that our children are filling their "tanks" educationally and spiritually.  This week is Catholic Schools week, and a reminder why we are continuing to support our kids in this environment.

Today the kids got to pick prayer partners.  Bella was so excited to find out who her prayer partner would be.  She couldn't wait to make that connection to another kid in the school.  I am also excited to find out who her partner is.  Tomorrow is a non-uniform day, which she is also excited about.  Then Wed. patriotic day, wear red to support the clergy on Thursday, and Twin Day on Friday.  To say Bella is excited about twin day would be an understatement.  She and her friend, Ryleigh, are dressing up as twins.  They were very meticulous about their planning of this outfit.  Should be great.

We have been embraced in love by the Holy Cross family.  Thanks!  I am happy to discuss more if you have questions.

Education Commission

Part of my duties as President of Parent's Club include being a member of Education Commission which is similar to a public school's board.  So, Sat. I headed to school for a full day of meetings where we updated our 5 Year Strategic Plan.  I was honestly dreading it.  I mean really, who wants to sit in a meeting for 8 hours on Sat.?  But, I was pleased at how quickly the day truly went.  We have an amazing EdCom team this year, and I have so many little quips to giggle about from this great day.  I hope that we have focused on making some good changes and keeping things in place that don't need to be changed.

A big thank you to the rest of the EdCom members.  What a fun day!

Animal ID

Animal Identification systems are a great option for farmers to keep diseases in check and continue to provide the world's best and safest meat supply.  One of the ways we are looking to implement this is through RFID ear tags at the point of origin for animals.  So, animals would receive an id at their place of birth.  This would not affect 4-H or kids who show animals at all.  The animals would be able to be tracked though a quick scan upon arriving at the various shows and fairs.  There would be a huge benefit to those kids as far as disease control goes. 

Watch for this to surface again at IL Farm Bureau annual meeting.  We are entering a new wave of the future, Animal ID is going to be necessary to farmer's bottom lines.

100 days

I cannot believe my Bella has been in school for 100 days!  Seems impossible!  What a riot this morning when I dropped her off in her curlers, gray hair, house coat, and slippers.  Today they are dressing like 100 year olds.  Too funny.  They paraded around the gym to show off their 100 year old selves.  Did I mention Bella borrowed a junior walker from the PT dept at work?  Again, hysterical.  Check out my facebook page for pictures. 

Feeling productive

Generally, my main goal at home is to keep the main level of the house organized and tidy so that people who enter aren't frightened of the monstrosity that is our house most days.  Please tell me that I am not the only mom who has toys scattered, literrally, everywhere!  I have been hiding up in the girls room emptying out all their bins and separating them back into Barbies, Polly Pockets, My Little Pony, American Girl clothes, American Girl accessories, American Girl furniture, American Girl etc., Teacup Piggies, Littlest Pet Shop, etc.  Holy cow...I haven't even started back downstairs to get the main stuff done.  However, I feel incredibly productive by being able to put a "completed" stamp on a project. 

Sometimes I feel so torn between all my roles, I don't always feel like I see everything to the end.  So, pardon me if you enter my house and step on dirt, legos, wet spots from snowboots, etc.  You should see the girls' bedroom, though.  Wow!  :-)

Prayers

Our prayers go out to Mark Kirk and his family.  We pray that he will see a speedy recovery and quickly return to help make our state a great place to live.

Always have to be right

So, I have this issue with having to be right all the time.  Sometimes I really am right, and I am pleased to note that one of those times was at supper last night.  So, yes, I am going to gloat, and offer the link to a website that shows that I am correct.  :-)

The debate came up about what a delmonico steak actually is.  I said that it is just a differently cut ribeye, I have seen them bone-in and bone-out.  The argument from my fellow diners was that it was a seasoning or marinade on the steak which is NOT true!  This website describes all the different cuts that are considered delmonico, none of which involve any extra seasoning.  It is strictly determined by the cut of the meat. 

So, there.  Call me what you will, and I am gloating.  But, mmmmm....my delmonico was delish!

Coupons

I have found that I really enjoy scoring a great deal.  The flip side is that I get really disappointed if I miss one.  Like the 4/$10 Pepsi at Walgreens last week...missed it.  :-(  So, I headed to town to get my Chicago Tribunes today.  Managed to find four of them this week.  I am off to find out what excitement is headed my way.  But, if you haven't heard yet, there are FREE toys at Target if you get on some of the couponing websites and print off the Hasbro and Playschool coupons. 

Enjoy!!!

Guilty as charged

Clothes!!!  We have too many clothes.  I honestly do a minimum of 20 loads of laundry each week, I swear.  But, today, John was actually enjoying a little break on the recliner downstairs while I was upstairs putting away the clothes in the kids room.  Ultimately trying to take back our master bedroom from the onslaught of laundry baskets and unmatched socks.  So, here's where I am guilty.  The kids were playing in the same room as Daddy, so when they started calling for me, I froze, didn't make a sound, move, blink, etc.  I pretended I was invisible.  I thought maybe they would think I had disappeared.  Since none of them had actually seen me go upstairs, the chase ensued.  Nolan said I was in the basement, so I heard all six feet head north to the basement stairs.  Then they thought I was in the laundry room, bathroom (we all know there is no privacy in there anyway), office, and FINALLY they figured out I was upstairs.  So, as any mom enjoying a little quiet time would do, I hid in my closet with the lights turned off.  Yep, I hid from my kids, not once, but twice in one morning.  I have a large walk-in closet, so it's not like I was wedged into a closet, but I am 100%, guilty as charged.  I am a hider.  I thwarted their efforts to find me this time.  :-)

Thanks for the laughs, PETA

PETA has graciously delivered some humor to my life this week.  You know the crosses and memorials on the side of the road that you see when a person is killed in a car accident?  Well, PETA wants those where animals have been killed on the highway.  Specifically, they want a memorial set up honoring the 20 cows that were killed in two separate roll-over truck accidents in 2011.  Through IDOT, families are actually able to purchase signs for $200 "in memory" of their loved ones.  Cows do not have families.  This is PETA's argument. 

Forgive me for mocking this, it was unfortunate.  Honestly, though?  Where do you think those cows were headed, PETA?  Here is a link to the SunTimes article about it.  What do you think?  Do we as Illinois-ans owe those 20 cows a memorial?  I say "no".  Bummer, but no.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/PETA-seeks-memorials-to-cows-killed-on-Ill-roads-136535258.html

Meeting

I had an amazing day yesterday at the IL Farm Bureau GRIT team meeting for Livestock and Dairy.  I was pleased at the discussions that we had and how we planned to move forward with them.  One of the primary issues we decided needed to be addressed is the issue of promoting our industry!  If we don't do it, someone will.  Naturally this led us into a discussion about the IL Farm Families project and the Farm Moms blog.

Please check out the website at www.watchusgrow.org  I think some of the Farm Mom's stories can illustrate how their minds were changed regarding how farmers really treat their animals, and the differences between a "family" farm and an industrial farm.

Why I am a farmer

I am a farmer because I take responsibility for putting food on YOUR families' table as well as my own.  Yep, if I don't do my job, you don't eat.  Well, that's the gist of it at least.  American farmers are farming significantly less land today than 50 years ago, but producing so much more off that same land.  We have the smallest cow herd since the mid 1900s, but we produce more beef that ever before.  We have taken the responsibility to feed the world seriously, and we have stuck to it.

By the year 2050, the world's population will reach 9 billion people.  Many of the countries that are growing in size are also increasing their demand for protein.  We export 30% of the beef produced in the US, and 25% of the pork produced in the US.  Soy and corn percentages are also high on the export side.  We are truly feeding the world.

American's can take pride in the fact that US farmers produce the most abundant and SAFEST food supply in the world.  It certainly makes me feel better about what I am feeding my kids.

10.5 months and counting

Cannot wait to get back to Disney!  We are so excited to be able to go before Christmas this time.  I want a pair of Mickey ears with a Santa Hat.  I hope I can find that.  We also will get a chance to see some close friends that live far away!  Super excited for that, too. 

Speaking of Disney, I should point out that I love vacations.  Period.  So much fun.  I was just remembering our fun two-week honeymoon vacation to Scotland, England and France.  I was checking out some amazing pictures that my cousin took on Facebook.  Couldn't believe the gorgeous sights.  Just amazing.  Want to get the kids over there for a visit someday, too.  Once we are all out of the diaper, stroller, car seat phase, hopefully that will be easier. 

What are your travel tips for plane rides with kids?  We haven't decided if we are driving or flying to Disney.  Probably driving again, but we'll see.

I'm gonna do it this year

I have to do it this year.  I am going to get organized.  There, I said it.  It has to happen now.  I am grateful to Pinterest for their help in broadening my ability to find pictures of other people's organizing ideas.  I'm gonna do it this year.  My house will look like it stepped out of a Container Store.

Enjoying the ride

So, most of you who know me well would agree that I have trouble saying "no".  I volunteer for most things when asked (sometimes even when I am not asked), and attempt to attend all the events that pertain to the kids.  So, it comes as no surprise that I volunteered to participate in the IL Farm Bureau Grassroots Issues Team (GRIT) this year.  The question I get the most is, "Why do you make yourself so involved?".  My question back to these other people is, "Why aren't you more involved?". 

Being involved with any organization is vital to continuing your lifestyle, your profession, or your livelihood.  In fact, for farmers, it's not an option anymore.  Every single farmer should be out there doing something.  Even if it is posting something positive about agriculture on facebook, we should all be doing something.  The GRIT team that I am participating on is the Livestock and Dairy Team.  We are responsible for conceptualizing resolutions for the IL Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in July.  The time committment is small, actually, only a few meetings throughout the year.  One is a conference call.  The effect is that I can be part of the change that helps move agriculture foward. 

There is so much negative publicity that ag faces, we don't have the option to sit at home and be silent any longer.  Please consider being part of that change.  Maybe all you can do is talk to a friend, family member, or coworker about how important IL agriculture is, or maybe you can volunteer to serve on a committee for the Farm Bureau, IL Soybean Assn, IL Corn Growers, etc.  Assess all the things that you have at stake, and make a decision.  Agriculture is going to move forward.  American Agricuture is at the forefront of feeding the world's growing population.  We will feed 9 billion people by 2050.  Be part of the change that helps promote this exciting industry!

We heart the Mouse

100% love and adoration for the Mouse and all things Disney at our house.  A recent facebook debate between some of my sorority sisters made me want to be able to voice my seemingly one-sided opinion on my blog.  :-)

So, here are the questions:  is teaching our daughters about princesses and fairytales the wrong thing?  Are we harming their sense of independence and teaching them that beauty is important? 

I will answer them both this way, then explain.  NO!  These ideas are ridiculous and unfounded.  First of all, our children are CHILDREN.  They should be allowed to dream and have imaginations.  It is okay to believe that life is a fairy tale at the age of 5, even at the age of 8, or even (gasp) 10.  What is wrong with keeping our children innocent?  Secondly, I think that the princesses all have a very strong sense of independence and each has their own positive traits.  Belle is innovative, Mulan is fiercely brave, Ariel is independent, Cinderella is an incredibly hard worker, Rapunzel is creative and crafty.  What is wrong with teaching our daughters about any of these things?  The fact that they are all beautiful (inside and out) is irrelavant, however, there are those who think that we are teaching our children that thin and pretty is the only way to get where  you want to be.  Which leads me to my third point. 

Yes, I think that as parents, we are solely responsible for teaching our children good self-confidence.  We need our daughters to love themselves the way they are.  But, I am not dumb enough to teach my children that the world will not judge them for the way that they look.  They need to know that appearance does mean a lot.  People judge you based on your clothes, your hairstyle and color, and even your weight.  That does NOT mean that I am teaching my children that they have to be perfect, but I am teaching them to look their best for the situation at hand.  Do you think that my patients would look at me funny if I walked into their rooms in sweatshirts and jeans, no makeup, and my hair was unkempt?  Yes.  I also cannot go into a job interview with casual clothes, tons of piercings, and rainbow colored hair and expect that interviewer not to judge me. 

Anyhow, my point is, being a good parent is more important to your child than letting them watch and pretend to be a Disney Princess.  One of the reasons we love Disney so much is that when you are at Disney, life is magical.  You can be swept away into a fairy tale.  You can be transformed into a princess or a pirate.  You can be a kid again.  What is more special than seeing the sparkle in your child's eyes when s/he meets their first character?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  We will continue to heart the Mouse for the rest of our lives and hope that we can pass on the innocence and magic to our kids.

100th Day of School

What a riot Bella and I had making her 100th Day of School poster!  We took 100 candy conversation hearts and made them into a heart, around which we wrote "I (heart) Holy Cross School.  It turned out cute.  Bella helped me lay it out and she definitely conceptualized it.  I was the workhorse.  Do you know how long it takes to glue on 100 candy hearts with tacky craft glue?  My hands and wrists are killing me today from trying to squeeze the bottle so hard.

My oh so crafty 5 year old also is a total sweetheart.  She made Daddy a card because he works so hard to make money for us.  On the inside of the card, she showed a picture of the barn with John in it.  She drew the feeders, John standing with the rattle in his hand, and a pig standing by him with an ear tag in it's ear.  All the things she saw him doing the other day.  SOOOOOO darn cute!  Love it.  I love that they appreciate the fact that he works so hard.  I hope it teaches them a good work ethic.

SNOW!!!!

There is finally snow in the forecast!  I cannot wait.  All I have heard from the kids is "can I wear my snowpants today????".  Instead of saying yes, I'm telling them they have to wear their light jackets.  Well, yipee!  Snow is coming.  I think I am probably the only person in the world excited about it, but I am over the moon.  :-)

That leads me to a question that I received about why we keep our animals in"confinement" housing vs. "free range".  Ten inches of snow is the best reason I can give.  By keeping our animals in covered shelter, we are able to control all the elements.  As I sit here, the room temperatures are as follows (Rm 1-Rm 4) 71.4, 72.4, 69.2, 70.2.  We keep the temperatures hovering between 68 and 72 degrees year round.  Our animals are much more comfortable this way, and they stay much healthier.  It's the same reason that we no longer live in poorly insulated log homes or tipis.  We enjoy being at a comfortable temperature year round, and our animals enjoy the same "creature" comforts.  :-)

Selection

Today Illini is selecting the gilts that they would like to keep for breeding stock out of room one.  Stephanie is in marking the ones she thinks meet their standards for good breeding stock right now.  If you show animals, you probably know most of the things she is looking for.  After she is done, our work begins.  We will be ear tagging in three different colors to indicate which of the three farms the animals are going to.  Then we will be giving vaccines to the gilts, also.  They will receive a total of four vaccines before they leave. 

What is amazing is that our first group is scheduled to leave by the middle of February.  We cannot believe how quickly time has gone!  We will soon be into our fifth group of pigs shortly after that.  It's amazing!

The hogs that are not selected will go to places like Tyson Foods or Farmland.  So, when you are shopping, shop brands that you know where the food comes from.  Farmers like us, family farmers, who are committed to producing the best and safest food supply in the world!!!!

Now I'm caught up

Sick.  Everybody is sick.  I may get shot for saying it, but WE NEED A GOOD SOLID TWO WEEKS OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES!!!!  Ok, we need to kill these yucky germs.  The kids are sick, employees at the hospital are sick, teachers are sick, etc. 

So, here is the deal, maybe it's because I am a bit of a germaphobe, but...WASH YOUR HANDS...here is the info from the CDC on how to wash your hands.  Why do we need to learn how to wash our hands?  Because most people don't do it correctly.  And, PURELL is great if you use it appropriately.  It's not going to save you from everything. 

Enjoy!

http://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/How_To_HandWash_Poster.pdf

No...TODAY I owe you two.

Whew...somehow in a short 48 hours, my resolution has evaporated into a memory.  I am trying.  I even set an alarm on my phone for this.  :-)

I am in total amazement when I look at the things our little ones know.  I cannot believe how far the kids come in Kindergarten!  Bella read me a book with several lines per page and at least 20 pages.  I cannot believe that!!!  I know that saying, "It's not like it was when I was in Kindergarten" seems a little overused, but it is so true.  For starters, I only went to parttime kindergarten!  Half days, in the afternoon in fact.  So, now our kids are going full time, 5 days a week, and learning so much.  We are adding and subtracting; even gym class seems like it is farther ahead of where we were.

In preschool, Mae is writing (well, she's improving her technique), she can count concrete objects to 60+, she knows all of the basic skills:  colors, shapes, numbers, etc.  The basic skills don't even seem that exciting anymore, because Nolan knows all of his colors, shapes, numbers, etc.  Thanks to the Tupperware shape sorter, he knows hexagon and pentagon. 

I hope this isn't coming across as a brag session, because it isn't.  I am just amazed at what we push our kids to do.  Let me expand on that statement.  Because of all the new standards, Bella's class will soon be taking a timed standardized test that is supposed to assess their knowledge of language arts, I assume.  All it is really assessing (in my mind) is the fact that your kid is good at timed trials or not.  So, here's the drill.  Your kids have to name letters, as many as they can in 60 sec.  Then, they have to name the sounds of the letters, as fast as they can, in 60 sec.  Then they have to read as many 3-letter nonsense words as they can in 60 sec. (e.g., nim, fec, pib, etc.).  What breaks my heart is that there is at least one child who got all of the words correct, but only would have had 8 words in 60 sec.  Does that indicate that he is a poor reader?  No, I think it just indicates that he needs more time to get his reading done.  This test is going to say that he is not at his grade level.  Grrr...anyway.  I am stepping off the soapbox now, but I am frustrated.  Why do I have to be working on this stuff with my kid when we could be snuggling up with a book instead? 

Today I owe you two...

One week exactly before I messed up my resolution...but I did qualify it by saying 365 blog posts this year, not just every day.  :-)

Anyway.  Tomorrow was a dreaded day for me.  Some of you may say I was just being dramatic, but taking down the Christmas stuff is always a difficult thing to do.  I always get a little melancholy because it is difficult to completely ignore the fact that the "magic" is gone.  Please tell me I am not the only one who feels the magic at Christmastime.  Anyhow, I did make it better by watching one of my favorite movies, An Affair to Remember.  Such an amazing movie...Cary Grant, and Deborah Kerr.  I was shocked when I looked at the info under "Cast & Crew" and discovered that everyone who worked on the movie was dead.  I didn't realize that some of them had died, but anyhow.  I enjoyed watching the movie while disassembling the tree.  It brought a little of that warm feeling back.

Now that the tree is down, I do feel a bit of a sense of relief that the chore has past and I have regained a little room in my house.  But, I cannot wait for the next 10.5 months until I get to redecorate for the holidays!

Frustrated

I am frustrated by the recent news about this kid getting shot in Texas.  As a parent, I feel for his parents, but give me a break.  The world we live in is not the same as it used to be.  Columbine stole that from us.  Unfortunately, this kid is to young to remember watching the kids being dragged out of that Colorado HS.  So he brought a gun to school, that was a pellet gun if I heard correctly.  But, did you see the gun?  It looked like an automatic weapon to me.    I may be the minority here, but I think that the police were doing what they felt was right to prevent another tragedy.

Maybe I will get some comments today.  It is day six of the new year and I have kept my resolution.

hand washing...ugh

I enjoy folding laundry, vacuuming, and dusting.  The rest of the household stuff, I could totally hire out.  Our wonderful, had to have it, dishwasher is not cleaning very well.  I am in the process of running every possible cleaning solution through it in an effort to get it working efficiently again.  The crappy part about that is that after every cleaning solution, you have to run a load with just water...so, here at our house, that means the dishes have been piling up.  Apparently I am the only adult in the house with hands, so I am handwashing the dishes.  At intervals, of course, but it sucks.  Worst part is that we have a single sink with no dividers.  So  you have to wash and rinse simultaneously.  I am not worried about wasting the water, but it makes the sink fill up fast.  So...I have now handwashed and dried over ten sinkfuls (or is that sinksful?) of dishes, with no end in sight.  I want an honest answer from someone.  How did women survive with families of over 5 people?  There are still families that have 5+ children, not even counting the adults...we make so many dishes and we aren't even here 3 days a week...ugh.  Anyhow, wish my hands well.  My manicure is gone and my hands are at the mercy of the Dawn hand softening dishsoap...gonna give them a run for their marketing money. 

Grants

I have been a grant seeking monster lately. I have a few projects in the works that need funding, and grants could help push them over the edge. What I have found in doing all these searches, is that I feel like a total moron with no grasp on the English language. It isn't just legal jargon, it's political and government jargon which is seemingly worse. I honestly feel like I need to pay someone to help me read these things. Yikes!

Anyhow, the rest of my day was a blast. I am so pleased to be able to work in this new facility here at the hospital in Mendota. We have some amazing new radiology equipment. It makes my job so much easier to use digital equipment in a digital age. Not one short month ago we were still recording our videos on VCR tapes. Now we are all digital and have DVDs with a label printer and everything! Yippee!

anyhow, off to get the kids from school, then home to think of a cool 100 days of school poster for Bella.

farm mommy

Today is one of those days when I feel pulled so many directions.  I haven't met a fellow mommy yet who has managed to maintain a one thing at a time life.  Today is truly my "farm mommy" day. 

First of all, it's our first day back to school after the Christmas holiday.  This is the first day I have had to set my alarm for 6 days.  Even though most days I was up before my alarm would have gone off anyway, it seems worse to be woken up by an alarm.  Per usual, it was mom getting up to wake everyone up, too.  This means lots of heads covered up by pillows, lights turned back off, and blankets pulled back up.  Yet, we made it.  Somehow we managed to be out the door early this a.m.  Maybe it's because I was excited and got lunches packed last night before I went to bed.  Maybe.

Anyhow, I got the girls dropped at school, Nolan dropped at Grandma's, then headed in to volunteer in Bella's classroom for an hour.  I helped assess the kids on the dumb RTI pre-tests.  Then headed back to get Nolie and went straight to the barn. 

Here at the barn, we are testing for PRRS, a respiratory illness, by doing saliva rope tests.  So much fun to wring pig spit out of ropes, but it's better than bloodwork.  We are working with Dr. Noel today, who seems like a really great guy.  We take pride in making sure that every animal in our buildings is healthy, so it is nice to get to work with a veterinary group who feels the same way. 

The rest of my day is planned out like this.  Head home, get lunch for Nolie, try to get him to take a nap while I do dishes, laundry, and continue to try to find places for all the new toys the kids got for Christmas.  Go back to get the girls from school, head home, finish supper, bath time, bedtime, more laundry, catch up on dvr shows and try to stay awake.  First day back to work this year is tomorrow.

Despite the craziness, I love getting to spend the time doing what I do.  Until tomorrow....

Gluten Free Grocery Shopping

Getting groceries with three kids under the age of 5 is always a total blast.  Read: sarcasm.  Now that the girls are getting a little older, it is slightly easier, but I am still saying, "Put that back", "No we can't get that", etc.  Yes, I give them tasks to help.  "Bella, I need you to remember these three things, and Mae you need to remember these three things".  And, yep, it's me who puts it all in the cart anyway. 

Adding to the fun is the fact that Mae has Celiac Disease and has to eat gluten free.  She can't have any foods with wheat, rye, barley, or oats or any of their derivatives.  I am quite adept at reading labels after two plus years of doing so. 

Today, was an exception to all these things.  I was armed with my coupon binder, a list, and two kids.  John took Nolan and went to Rural King after they dropped us off at HyVee.  Now, just so you know, I am going to brand name drop today.  I am not being paid by anyone, but it makes me happy to find products for Mae that are safe, and on sale, so I am happy to share names of products! 

Here are some of the AWESOME things that we bought today that are gluten free:  Kikoman Teriyaki Sauce (this is #1 on my list because few, if any, chinese food items are gluten free), HyVee brand Soy Sauce, General Mills Chex cereals and Trix cereal, Udi's gluten free white bread (unbelievable!!!), Food Should Taste Good cheddar cracker crisps, Hodgson Mill pastas, HyVee brand mini colored marshmallows, flavored milk straws (which are just cool anyway), Betty Crocker fruit snacks (My Little Pony and Thomas the Tank Engine of course), Capri Sun, Jell-o, etc.  There are plenty of other things that we bought (like fresh produce) that are gluten free, but I could go on forever.  My point is, two years ago I spent over 4 hrs in the store almost in tears reading labels and trying to find ANYTHING that actually was labelled as Gluten Free.  A short 24 months later, we are finding many products that are labelled as gluten free and are found in the "regular" food section, not the natural food section (where they can hike up the price more). 

All this said, if you know someone who needs a little extra help at the grocery store, I am happy to help them walk through.  I wish I would have had that person with me the first trip.

New Year's Resolution

Year after year, we all make resolutions to improve something, try something new, or just to have more rest and relaxation.  I have once again joined that bandwagon, and set a resolution.  This year, I am going to try to post 365 blog posts.  Ideally, I would do that once a day.  Realistically, there will be days when I have to catch up on a few.  As the title to my blog states, I am a Farm Mommy.  I will be blogging about my life.  Sometimes that is going to be simply about being a mom, others about just being a farmer, and sometimes a mix of both.  Please help me stick to this goal.  I need you to keep me accountable.  I think that this could be a fun way for me to look back on the past year and see what we are really up to. 

So...up until this post, I had 16 previous posts.  I owe you 364 more this year to bring that total to 381. 

Happy New Year 2012 to all of you!  I'm headed back to spend precious time with my family before we go back to school and life sweeps us away again.  Gods blessings for a healthy and prosperous New Year!