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!  :-)