Life in 2010

Life is busy. Life is CRAZY! Yesterday was one of those really tough days.

When dh got up it was 27 degrees. When we headed out to do chores it was 24. On my circle I discovered my jersey heifer was calving. Joy joy. MN and I helped her but she was pretty cold. I stuck the HEIFER calf in front of her nose to lick and left her cleaning while we finished our circle.

I was SOOOOOO cold! Some silly person had just worn their tennis shoes. Hey, they are easy to slide in and slide out of. My feed were throbbing. I used a corn bag and warmed them, then went to check the cow and her baby. Calf was chilling down. I took mom a bucket of warm water. Nice thing about jersey calves they are tiny. I scooped her and brought her home. Then got MN and we went back and led mom home. I spent lots of time rubbing the calve. I thawed some colostrum and we force fed the calf some. Mama laid down beside it trying to help warm it. Finally it got warm enough to take a bottle. I gave it a bottle of colostrum and it stood.

Mean while MN checked ds's goats and sheep. She brought one newborn lamb in that died before she got it to the house. She went back to get two more. Joy joy! People wonder why we dislike cold weather so.

Yesterday was our town day. We were planning on leaving early and doing Sam's and WM then going to have pizza with friends. We FINALLY made it for pizza about 1:15. Shopping didn't happen! We did pizza then therapy. I was already feeling sorta yuck before pizza but felt it was just my crazy morning. I was wrong. Before therapy was over I called my dh to ask him to please come home in a timely manor to help with chores as I was turning green. Ever drove 40 miles in the dark going "I will not toss my cookies"? Not fun! I did manage to not toss the............. until I got home. I then tossed cookies and went to bed. Leaving all the chores for dh and the kids.

I had one more round of tossing cookies then just hurt for the rest of the night. I guess it is part of the bug that my back hurt from the top of my neck to my hips. I tossed and turned all night. I got up at 6 did my Bible and decided to try taking my heating pad back to bed for 1 WHOLE hour. It really helped. I wish I had thought to do that in the night.

Today I am sore and still achy, but no more upset tummy. I still am not interested in food though. I'm sure that will change. I wish I could figure out how to get a nap. I don't see that happening.

Our circle this morning in 20 degree weather netted one new lamb on the ground that mama loved and had up and nursing. We also had one of our milk goats with twins on the ground. Good thing they were in the shed on the hill since she was standing there looking at them like they were nasty. We poured feed out for the sheep and goats put the babies in the 5 gallon bucket and caught her. Loaded her in the ranger and came to the house. MN rubbed babies dry while I thawed colostrum. Once they ate some warm colostrum they were able to get up and nurse mama. Stupid Goat!

School is going well for the kids. TD is now using the Switched on Schoolhouse. He seems to like it. He would like "lots" of help. He gets some. B is still doing print outs for me as I try to figure out where he is. He is so all over the place. He likes math. He reads well. His writing skill is lacking but as the meds we took him off of get out of his system more he seems to be doing better in so many ways. Writing being one of them.

The boys are having less fights. B is starting to think about his tattling. He will start for me and then go, "Never mind". It seems he is connecting the dots. He tattles and I "protect" him by having him play by me for an extended time. At this moment he is pouting. He wanted to go get toys from the garage. I said no, play with what is in here. He didn't want to. Not a problem, he now has his writing page to do before he plays period. Such a sad child! Head down on the bar in front of me. I wonder who will break first? Me telling him get busy or him just giving up since he isn't getting much feed back.

Yesterday TD cooked his own eggs. Everyone else wanted oatmeal. So he had to cook his own. I have been teaching him. This time I was trying to thaw my feet. He ask who was going to help? Er, no one, you wanted eggs it is your problem. :) He did it! They were good so I was told. :)

LOL oh we are building up to a melt down. He "doesn't want to do school". "Not a problem! You can set there." LOL "I don't like you!" "I hate you." :) Oh joy joy thought maybe we would escape a melt down today. He is saying all this in a calm non yelling voice. He would like me to respond. I am busy typing and just can't be distracted. :) Yelling has toned down. I find him cooling his heals outside seems to take the yell out of fights. Tj came for help and he was trying to distract. I gave him three options. He could set quietly, do his school or be removed outside. He decided to set quietly. :) As soon as I was finished with Tj he started up again with not liking me. Kids floated through TD is finished with school. He is playing with lego's We talked about how each one has made the choice to not do school at times and that they didn't get to play. He again has the writing paper in front of him. Opps, spoke to soon, paper is again shoved away. He "can't do it". LOL he hasn't TRIED to do it. Not one line on the paper yet :)

And what does TJ bounce over here and tell me. "Mom we need to get more girls!" LOL oh I think I better not mention that to dh .......... for a while.

As to S and her issues. They haven't changed. She is still with friends. Her bio mom is suppose to pick her up tomorrow. We will see. She has made the choice to NOT see us again. She ask us to send the key to the storage building to her there. We did. So her bio's are driving to San Antonio to pick her up from N. Central AR then driving up to here to get her stuff out of the storage unit. We were planning on getting her, which would save her bio's many miles but this works too. Easier for us! It is sad the choices she is making. I do feel validated in the same issues we saw and worked hard on for 18 months yet accomplished nothing are the issues they see there. She just isn't willing/able to learn. We are talking things such as portion size or nutrition. We are talking about phone usage, or Internet use. She has no self-control so she has lost those privileges there. She was calling Jamaica! Why? Because someone gave her "their" phone number only it just happened to be a Jamaican phone number. Her bio's have promised her a car, (she doesn't know how to drive.), a computer, a phone...... and she will flat tell anyone willing to listen she is 18 and can do what she wants. Don't we wish that was the truth!

LOL writing is NOW being done! I won! I never argued or fussed. He is now "sorry" he was ugly. We will see if he rushes.

Tj is making egg drop soup for lunch. Not sure exactly what that is. She has water eggs mixed veggies, noodles and is adding spices.

Writing is done! Not to messy!

I'm off here to build the fire up again. That seems to be ongoing!

All be blessed!