We have a new addition to the farm. We found Ol’ Blue this week. She needs a little TLC. Scott keeps saying this tractor is mine this time. We shall see. If I don’t have to stand and jump on the brake every time I need to stop it, I might consider using her. We were also given a deck that will fit with our tiny home perfectly. We took it apart on sight and brought it home. Scott has already pressure washed it. So, all is left is to put it back together and stain it.
The kiddos had some fun times on the trampoline with Scott this week. They kept saying “Jump Daddy jump”. I think they were thoroughly impressed with just how high Daddy can jump. Mommy doesn’t jump very much when Daddy is present for fear of flying over and out of the trampoline. He takes it easy on the kids. Otherwise, they would be flying!
Ava taught herself how to do somersaults and was super proud. Now, she practices them whenever and wherever she can.
This Week’s Books
We really like the dinosaur books. I like how they demonstrate not so good behaviors and then give examples of a better behavior in the same situation. “All Better” was a big hit. It is a book all about boo boos and how to treat them. It also came with bandaids to put on the character’s boo boos. I ended up hiding this book from the kiddos because they were both very intrigued with putting the bandaids on the characters and hence led to a few fusses.
Shepard absolutely loved “Digger, Dozer, Dumper”. We may have to find this one and add it to his little library. It talks about all his favorite things and what they do. Pretty confident he is going to be able to recognize and name all kinds of farm/construction equipment before he knows all his ABCs.
“Milk Goes to School” was a hit with Ava. It was right up Scott’s alley too with the humor. Overall it’s an interesting book that gives a perspective on bullying using food characters.
Gluten Free & Dairy Free Menu
- Grilled chicken with avocado lime ranch, monster veggie chips, and mixed veggies.
- Grilled cheese and turkey sandwich, monster veggie chips, and blueberries.
- Taco turkey pasta, apples and strawberries with peanut butter.
Your eyes are not deceiving you in picture 2. That is indeed two whole sandwiches for our 4 year old. She eats all of that and usually gets a yogurt after chowing that down. We already think our grocery bill is high, so we may have to start putting away some savings to cover groceries during their teenage years. Number 3 is Scott’s kiddo lunch for the week. They both gobbled that up. They were a little confused with the side of peanut butter. Ava thought it was to go with the pasta and Shepard just spooned it up as always. Once Scott showed them the deliciousness of dipping the fruit in the peanut butter, I think they got the hang of it. Ava still wanted to know if it would be good with pasta.
- Grilled chicken sausage pasta with peppers, green onion, and creamy ranch with spinach and bacon.
- Grilled buffalo chicken and veggie rice bowl topped with avocado.
- Grilled pork chops with low fodmap adobe seasoning, sautéed apples, broccoli, and waffle fries.
I am doing a lot of grilling right now. Well, I guess I have been for awhile, but I am definitely trying to do it as much as possible before it gets too cold outside. It is probably my favorite way to cook. There are less dishes involved. Instead of a one skillet dinner, I try to put almost all of mine on the grill.
Farm Animals
Sammy and Dean are excited about the changing seasons and all the leaves they can munch on that are falling from the trees. Their fur is also starting to thicken. These guys love to climb. In fact, Sammy followed me up the stairs into the house the other day. He was just nonchalant like he belonged there. He took a quick tour and then was escorted out.
These cuties are not spending much time in the brooder anymore, only at bedtime. We have noticed that our two Pekin ducks are quite a bit bigger than the other duck breeds we have. Everything from their beaks, feathers, and feet are larger. The rest of the breeds are all generally the same size. All of them are starting to get more feathers each day.
Benny Benny Benny…..this guy is walking on thin ice. He is about to be dinner. He is starting to harass the hens in the evening, which was expected. We just didn’t think that would start until the hens were full grown and laying eggs. That however is not the biggest issue. This dude likes to cock-a-doodle doo throughout the day at the most inopportune times. He perches himself right outside the office and lets it out when Scott is on conference calls. He perches himself outside of Shep’s room when he is napping. I just about knocked him out the other day for rooing while Shep was napping. Hopefully, the last two issues will be resolved when we finish the chicken run.
Workouts
This week has not been my greatest for the number of workouts I was able to do. I have been cycling all summer and decided to start running again. The last time I ran for exercise was Spring. I was feeling good so I went for 2.5 miles and man my hips were feeling it the next two days. My goal is to get my 5k down to 25 minutes. Scott hasn’t ran in months, but he can hop on a treadmill any time and run a 5k in less than 21 minutes. He doesn’t require training like most of us.
On another note, I have not cut or highlighted my hair since my birthday in January. I took a selfie to see an upclose of what 8 months of neglect from that looks like. My observations are:
- I am apparently not very adventurous when it comes to straying too far from my natural color.
- I now understand why no one ever says anything when I do get my hair done. It’s like what changed?
- My hair definitely got some sun this summer.
That has been our week! I hope everyone is has a blessed and safe week!
