A Mooo-arvelous day at the Dairy Farm

Yesterday the kids and I joined Nicole's CC group at a dairy farm about 2 hours away.  After leaving early in the morning, stopping by Chic-fil-A, picking up a new friend and CC mom and daughter, and battling dense fog, we made it to Dakin Farm in Myakka City.   

This dairy farm is very interesting.  They have over 3,000 cows they milk three time a day.  They deliver an average of 17 calves each day.  They cut their grass twice a day so the cows have fresh green grass to eat.  It is not organic milk, but it is local and sold at Whole Foods around the state as well as other grocery stores closer to their farm. 

The tour started with a hay ride to see the farm and their compost pile.

 This is the cutest little Hannah-girl I've ever seen!

 Nicole with her friends Abigail and Ashlynd

These are ladies who have not had a baby yet...and may be lucky enough to get pregnant soon.

Then we saw a few other animals around the farm, including this beautiful turkey.

We watched a pig race...can you see how fast they were running?  The dirt is flying.  Nicole was pretty excited about that part.

After the pig race, the kids all got to help bottle feed a cow.  I've never done this before, at least not that I remember.  They really pull hard on those bottles!

After the calf feeding, the kids got to plant a bean in some good ole' rich 2 year old cow manure compost...yummy!

Nicole, Ashlynd and Aleya

They also played a game about the food groups.  When it was Hannah's turn, she stood in front of the vegetables. She picked out a green pepper for her veggie of choice.  I was so proud of her because she remembered to say "Vegetable...Green Pepper" in her adorable little stuttering 2 year old voice.  She did great!

Nicole stood in front of the dairy group and picked out a bottle of drinkable yogurt. 

Then we took a break for lunch and play time in the dark hay stack maze.  When I got home, Jeremy told me there were probably rats all over in that hay.  I'm a bit freaked out by that.  I was watching for snakes...but not rats.  Ewe!!!  Nicole and Hannah both did a portion of the maze with me...but we all three almost turned around when some boys jumped out of us and scared us (it was really dark, we couldn't see them).

After lunch, we made fresh butter.  I have never done that before, it was pretty neat.

Shaking the cream up to make the butter.

Shake, Shake, Shake...

Ladies and Gentlemen...we have butter!

Hannah taking a taste of a cracker with fresh butter. 

Finally, we took our factory tour.I don't know all of the technical names so I'll use my city-girl language to describe what is going on.

This is the cow's home.  They hang out here in the shade most of the day.  When it gets hot, the fans get turned on for them.  Somehow, the cows know to have their rear end facing this way so their, you know...poop and pee, go down this little gutter.  We saw several cows pee (and they pee for a long time, it's like a waterfall!)

This is Hannah's expression the first time she saw a cow pee.

Now, they heard a group of cows through this little area and into the showers.  Once the room is full, they turn sprinklers on and wash the cows down. We don't want any manure getting mixed in with our milk, do we now?  This was gross because we were getting sprayed with the water too.

We walked up some stairs (which was hard with the stroller...but thankfully there were a few dads with us as well).  While on the deck, we got to watch the process of the cows being milked.  This was amazing...the cows would walk all the way down to the farthest open stall, stick their head through the contraption (that reminded me of a roller coaster safety bar) and get ready to be milked.  Then, the guys down below (I would not like that job!) would  clean and disinfect each udder and then hook them up to an electric pump of sorts.  This all happens really fast, but we could see them cleaning between each group of cows and it seemed pretty sanitary, in a dirty manure kind of way.

 When they lifted the gates, the cows just walked out and around the corner and back into their home.  I'm not sure if you can train a cow or not...but these ladies sure knew the routine.

The milk would be pumped inside where it was pasteurized and bottled.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was bad for the milk to be flashed or something.  It was super clean though in there, not yucky manure around.

After the tour we hung out for a while.  The kids rode a cow tractor train ride and played on a tire swing.

Everyone was filthy dirty at the end of the day...but it was very interesting and fun!  I would suggest going to their farm and doing a tour.  However if you have a stroller...I would suggest using a jogging stroller because there are no sidewalks, so it's hard to get around.  I would suggest even more using  a Moby Wrap and carrying your baby!

Where did my baby girl go?

Their First Date

Saturday, February 19, 2010
The girls went on their very first date. 

They were so excited.  All day long they just wanted to know if it was time for their date yet.
They both took a bath, blew their hair dry and styled with a curling iron.

They pick out their own dresses (well, with a bit of guidance, I said no to the dress up clothes).
Their date arrived, dirty and a bit stinky.  With permission, he took a shower.
The girls stood outside the door, in eager expectation.
They sat patiently in the kitchen, waiting for their date.

They politely said they wanted the jeep top up because "they don't want to get their hair all messy".

Finally, their date was clean, shaven and ready to go. 
He was not given a fearful speech or threatened with a shotgun.

He graciously escorted them out the door and opened the door to the car. 
Their date treated them with utmost respect and gentleness.
Their date....was their daddy!

This was their first ever, official, daddy-daughter date night, hosted by our amazing Chic-fil-a.  Reservations were made several days in advance.  A waiter was on hand, at their beckon call night long.  With a tablecloth and plates, a long stemmed red rose and balloons, there was little to be lacking in this wonderful evening.  Nicole and Hannah had the best date of their lives.  I'm sure it was a moment that won't soon be forgotten.  And a moment I hope will happen again...and again...and again. 

It was their first date.

a Visit with the cousins

Last week, my cousin Matt his wife charity and their four year old son Nathan came down on vacation (for the sake of no confusing, I will call our Nathan "Nate" in this post).  We were excited to spend a little time together and allow the little cousins to get to know each other and play together.

Of course, we must have our priorities in the right order, so the very first thing the guys did was go fishing.  Jeremy and Matt drove straight from the airport to Tin City to jump on a boat that was going 8 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico to fish.  I believe they had a great time and brought back a great catch to share with everyone.

Charity and I took the kids and headed in a different direction, up to the Imaginarium. 

The kids to go pet sting rays....

Look at nasty snakes, spiders and cockroaches (why would they eve have a cockroach on display! Gross!!!).  We tried to watch a 3-D movie, but it terrified my little princesses, so we had to make a quick escape. 

The kids got to be archaeologists and dig around for bones and artifacts in the sand.

Nathan and Nicole got to experience hurricane force winds.

Nicole and Hannah acted as meteorologists and gave us a forecast of weather (but it's a video, I can't show you that right now)

Sunday, we went to church, had a big dinner at my parents and watched the Super Bowl....the little cousins just got to play and get to know each other more. 

Than, they went to Orlando for several days, while the rest of us had to live our normal lives.

When they got back on Thursday, we didn't get a chance to see them, but made plans to do something fun on Friday.  The problem came Friday morning when I woke up feeling the nausea that Nicole and Jeremy had earlier in the week.  Charity asked if she and Nathan could just come over and hang out anyway instead of going somewhere.  I said yes, but when she saw how I was feeling, she quickly told me to go lay down...and she got to work.  A few hours later, my nausea turned into vomiting.  I became worried about how I was going to take care of children when I was having a hard time taking care of myself.  Charity asked me if she could stay and watch the kids play and make us dinner so I could go in the bedroom and rest (and throw up).  She assured me that all she wanted to do was let Nathan play with his cousins.  It was a rainy day...the park was out anyway.  But, it was her last day of vacation.  Her very last day of her Florida vacation and she humbly and sacrificially gave it to me and my family.  To serve us, step in and help in a time of need.  I was so touched by her kindness and love.  I truly do not know how I would have taken care of my children that day (especially Nate, who will not sit and watch TV all day like the girls would).

The kids had a great time together.  Nicole and Nathan, I believe, formed a lasting friendship....I think they will both remember this day together.  They played non-stop all day long.  Nate just sat, in awe of all the excitement and energy in the house and watched.  And Hannah tagged along and was in on most of the play time. 

We enjoyed spending time with my cousins.  And Charity...if you are reading this...Thank you again for your sacrificial service that Friday.  You were literally, an answer to prayer.

A winter picnic

While the rest of the country was getting another crazy winter storm, we were cozy and warm here in South Florida.  A couple weeks ago, we came home from the gym and it was beautiful outside, so we had an impromptu picnic out back.  It's been a while since we have done this, so the girls were very excited.

Here they are, all sitting on our blanket.

Nate loves to eat.

Especially blueberries

Nicole decided her beanie hat was a perfect way to keep her hair from blowing around in her face.

And then, she disappeared.

After she disappeared, she decided to lay down with her doggie.  

After our picnic, the girls started playing doctor in their little house.  I have a great video from this, but it is way to big to upload : (

 And Nathan decided to go for a little bike ride.  He's so cute!

 Look at my carrots!  I grew them in a container. 

 And, this is green onions.  I use them all the time.  I need to plant them in a bigger pot and not so close next year.  But, I was glad to see they grew so well.

 Nate went back for more food too

So, that is our Florida picnic.  While the rest of the country chipped their cars out from under blocks of ice, we sat outside in the warm 70 degree sunshine. 

Goats

I have to admit, that there are days I struggle with contentment.  Being content where we are and doing what we are doing.  Sometimes I get lost in my own fantasy world of "what if's" and "what it would be like's".  I must confess, that Sunday was one of those days.

My friend Jessica called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that her family had just bought three goats.  She knew I would be excited about it, because we really want to have a couple of acres and some little animals running around. We know nothing about living like that, but when we talk about it and think about, we get lost in the dream world of what we think it would be like.  Well, Sunday didn't help, because we were near Jessica's home, so we swung in, totally unexpected, and almost unannounced (except when I called her to tell her we were in her driveway).

We wanted to see these goats.  They were only a few weeks old.  Almost immediately, our girls wanted in their pen to get a closer look.  Nathan was screaming and flailing his arms (Nate talk for....let me at 'em...I want to touch it).  It was so fun!  These goats have been bottle fed (and de-horned...is that a word?) and so they were very comfortable around us.  Jess also has three children very close in age to ours. 

After a few minutes of casual observation and a few chases, the girls wanted to get closer.  Hannah was first.  She liked the black goat.  She worked up the courage for several minutes before she actually tried to pick him up.  It was very cute to watch her almost do it...and then jump away giggling. 

 

Once Nicole saw her little sister trying to hold the goats, she wanted in on the action too.

I wish I could describe all of the giggling we heard those 20 minutes  at Jessica's house.  The girls giggled every time the goats jumped on or off the chair or table out there. They laughed when the goats would run away when being chased, and when they would hide under the chair. They laughed when the goats would eat the leaves off of the bushes.  They enjoyed their time.

Nathan was also fascinated with these animals. He was very gentle when he touched them, and was always trying to get out of our arms to get a closer look.

Sunday, I wanted a goat, or two, or three.  I've actually never wanted goats...but, now maybe I do, one day...when we have more than a suburban backyard.  Until then, I must be content with what I have...because what I have is wonderful. We have a nice home that has AC and heat, a yard for the kids to play in, and most importantly...a family that loves each other more than any other family I know....now we just need a few goats (or maybe a dog.....hmmm)

Thankful

"Dear God, I am thankful for my family.  My sweet sweet family.  I love them so much"
~Nicole, age 4, during her bedtime prayers

Valentine's Day Surprise

I realized last night that I don't know what I want!  haha....the weeks coming up to a holiday, I have all these thoughts about the holiday being lame and I don't want to even do one thing during it...and then, the day hits....and I want to celebrate and have fun with my kids.  That's what happened yesterday. 

I did not do a big push coming up on Valentine's Day for a couple of reasons, but passing around a stomach virus last week didn't help.  By the time I realized when V-day was, I didn't have time to do much.  Somehow though, Nicole heard about it, and started asking me when V-day was.  We already had a play date planned at a friend's house.  She had some very fun activities that the girls could do with her children.  They did some educational activities, iced and decorated heart shape cookies and played for a long time.  To them ,it was a Valentine's Day party...and it was really fun. 

However, Sunday, I was on one of my favorite blogs, and I saw a post about a "quick and easy" Valentine's Day surprise this blogger did for her children that morning.  I thought this would be a great idea to do with my family.  I liked that it was "quick and easy", it was special...but not gourmet, and it was something I could enjoy preparing with the girls. I talked to Nicole about it, and we decided we would make it a big surprise for Jeremy.  (by the way, I would not post this under the "quick and easy" category. I find making breakfast to be a big mess that takes longer to prepare and clean up than a normal meal")

Yesterday during naps, I cut out a bunch of small and large hearts, and wrote on them, like conversation hearts.  These were our decorations, scattered around the table.  We also had a heart table cloth, and pink balloons hanging from the light and the walls.  When daddy got home, there was a large heart on the door, and small hearts on the floor that lead him to the table.  (Nicole thought that part was really cool). 

For dinner, we had pancakes with a pink heart in the middle, bacon, egg sandwiches...also cut out in a heart shape, strawberries, and pink strawberry milk with a strawberry on top.  Everything was pink...everywhere.

We also made a heart shaped cake.  Nicole insisted upon buying blue sprinkles, because "blue is for boys, and this cake is for daddy, so we don't want pink, we want blue".  And, you can see the extent of Hannah's reach...yes, she put on the multi-colored stars.

We had such a fun and yummy dinner and evening.  The anticipation of daddy coming home made the afternoon lots of fun.  When we knew he was on his way, Nicole went around and closed all of the blinds and turned on the lights down.  She likes to "set the mood".  We turned on some piano music (which she said makes her "want to dance and dance all night long and not even eat her dinner".)

At the end of the evening, Jeremy said it best, "This was way better than going out to eat tonight".  It really was. 

I have decided to forgo the "I don't want to celebrate anything attitude", and just go for it and have lots of fun with my family.  St. Patricks Day....here I come! (what is that holiday all about anyway?)

Calendar Time

I found a really wonderful website that has a ton of resources for stay at home moms, as well as homeschooling moms.  Confessions of a Homeschooler has created her own preschool curriculum (which is free), a ton of printable ideas to help you organize your home, your schooling, your chores,  your time. 

I have been working on creating a functional board for Calendar Time over the past few weeks.  This is something I have tried to implement, but failed several times before.  This time, I don't think I will fail because of the great ideas and resources I have found in this website.

I printed a lot of ideas for Calendar time, laminated them, and glued  or velcroed them to a large, sturdy white board.  Because we are trying to sell our house, I did not want to mount this on a wall, so I can hide it for showings.  But, then I discovered that since I'm not mounting it on the wall...I have the back side of the board to use too.

There is velcro on the back of nearly every piece....that was the worst part of the project, but if you have fingernails, then it will be easier for you.  I love the velcro idea because once I created this thing...it can be used over and over!

So, here is what we have....
~A daily calendar, with month titles that can be changed.
~To the right is an envelope that has the days of the week.  We put this up every day so the girls can see the name (Friday) and hopefully begin to recognize it.  Inside this envelope, we also have a collection of straws.  Each day receives a straw.  Once we have 10 straws, then they get bundled to teach Nicole how to count by 10s, and add.  For example, today is the 11th...so we already know that we have 10 straws in our bundle, we don't need to count them, we will add one more straw (unbundled) and know that we have 11 straws total. 
~Below the calendar is our Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow section. 
~Above the straws we will chart the weather outside.  Honestly, I thought this might be silly because most every day is sunny in Florida, however, this week...we have had a variety of weather.  On Friday, we will transfer our daily weather into a graph (which you will see in a moment)
~Next, we have our personal information.  The girls need to learn our full address, our phone number, and then emergency numbers, like 911 and our cell phone numbers.
~Finally, we have our Bible memory verse.  Right now, we are memorizing Ephesians 6, because that is what Nicole's CC group is doing.  I'm excited to add this into our daily routine.  Almost all of the memory verses I know, I learned when I was Nicole's age (dad, remember when I recited my verses on the way to Pre-k4, at each stop light?)  Because I laminated the page, I can use a dry-erase marker, and then erase it each week.  I'm not sure how long this will last, I may need to use a sheet protector eventually.

Now, on the back of the board, we have several sheet protectors so that I can put information in and out as it is needed.
~Well, first is a season's chart, which doesn't change much.  But, my girls need to learn that it's not always summer here, even though it feels like it.
~To the right of the season's chart is a personal character curriculum that I printed from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  It's a four day study on different character traits that young people deal with (who am I kidding, old people deal with it too!). 
~To the far right is our weather graph.  You can see that last week, we only had sunny days.  This week though we will color in blocks with other weather.      This is a great math introduction to the kids.  We will fill this chart out for the month.
~The bottom left sheet has our maps from Nicole's CC class. Right now she is learning where countries, seas, rivers, mountains and cities are in Europe, so that map is showing.  I also have a world map behind it.  The other great thing about using sheet protectors is that you can write on them with a dry erase marker, and then just wipe off :-)
~Finally, we have our weekly CC info.  So, now when we do calendar time, it can transition right into review of our CC memorization!

Confessions of a Homeschooler also lays out how she does calendar time and gave me a few ideas on helping the kids learn basic information. Here is our basic routine.
1. We pray
2. Say the pledge of allegiance (I have a small flag we got at a parade or something, the girls take turns holding it)
3. We sing the months of the year song, to the tune of "The Macarena".  We also do the macerana hand motions.
4. We sing the days of the week song to the tune of "The Addams Family"
5. We go through the board and hit each item.  The girls take turn adding the dates and other information.

I am really happy with my calendar.  It's compact and very useful. The girls seem to enjoy it, and Nathan will too as he gets older.  There are some really neat Calendars out there that this is sort of copied from, but they can be upwards of $50.  I believe I spent $8 or so on the supplies, and spent about 2 hours putting it together (most of that time was tearing itty bitty pieces of Velcro)