GENESIS: THE PROMISE BEGINS!

 

The Strong Teenage Boy

I snapped this picture of Sidge the other day. He looked so quintessentially ... farm kid ... 

It's weird to me because I did not grow up as a farm kid. I did not grow up rural at all. But here I am, the mother of four farm kids. More specifically, the mother of two teenage boys who work the farm. Isaac has made it perfectly clear that he is not going to stay a rural person. But Sidge? He loves the life. (The girls? Not sure. Abigail, currently, is quite the girly girl ... acting all afraid of bugs and what-not. We are trying. But we'll have to see.)

Both boys are saying things to me that are causing me to switch roles with them. I've always been the grown-up. They've always been the little kid. But now? Now, specifically when we are out on the farm, they say things like: "Hop in Mom. I'll give you a ride," when they are driving the sidekick around the farm. They'll be helping me run a hose and say, "I got this Mom. You go over and check on that line." If we have a threat of a predator, Sidge goes to grab the gun first. When there is a crisis, they are stepping in front of me to handle it. They can do anything I can do and honestly, a bit more.

I am more and more convinced that every young man needs to work with their hands. Even if, like Isaac, it doesn't appear that they want their future life to involve manual labor, I think there is intrinsic to them that desires hard work. That desires to solve a problem. That desires to help a lady. 

I recently stumbled upon a video featuring TEMPLE GRANDIN.  I am a HUGE Temple Grandin fan, and if you haven't heard of her, YOU NEED TO! Please check out the movie by the same name starring Claire Danes for a complete take on her life living with severe autism. (This is a family-friendly movie. Let your kids watch it too!) Temple spends a majority of this video talking bout types of learners. Talking about how, we, as a society, have decided how everyone needs to learn. And we've decided that they need to learn the way a written scholar learns. An intellectual scholar. 

What about the learner who learns best with his hands? Why are removing shop classes and everything manual from our schools? Students need these types of things. Not all of them. But some of them. Temple discusses meeting adults who have never held a screwdriver. They've never used a tape measurer. 

Here is the truth: we don't all live rural. We can't all live rural. But if you live anywhere close to rural, get your young person using their hands. Not just our boys. Our girls too. And if you don't live rural, figure out a way, in your city landscape, to get them doing things that aren't just about books. 

I am actually blown away watching what fourteen-year-old boys are capable of. They can do as much as a grown man. They don't quite have the "perspective" of a man yet, and therefore they need to be more cautious. They can make quicker mistakes since they don't have the experience that someone with twenty years on them has. But they are so incredibly capable of doing so much. And many of them, like Sidge, would be lost if all he had was a classroom and four walls and no nature. 

We, as parents, can visibly see an improvement in our second son's attitude, emotion, feelings, when he gets an opportunity to be outside. 

I just don’t know what she’s thinking sometimes

Flashbacks in January

January is always a chance for old memories …. It’s ballet time and I can’t help but look back at all the fantastic memories of ballets in year’s past!

Theatre?

 

Something new is happening here in our home. Isaac is taking a stab at theatre, and I have to admit, he is pretty talented. He has a LOT to learn of course. But when he performed the required monologue for us here at home, we couldn't help but be a tad bit ... shocked. The kid actually can act! He has no fear of being on stage. He feels right at home there. So now he is doing piano, voice, guitar, theatre, and he is probably going to start some ballet in the next few months to help with his on-stage abilities. I can't believe this kid!

We Bought a Farm: Eggs at the Bauernhof

I really, really, want to try to be WRITING more for my Blog. It's so interesting to me that I actually had more time when the kids are younger. Secondarily, everyone is saying "Don't write about that Mom." So I feel very limited in my Blog Fodder. 

A very big topic of conversation around the country (and the world) is the rising egg prices. Suddenly, our $5 a dozen eggs aren't too expensive now are they? My friend Aliceson Bales wrote a Blogpost discussing WHY these stinkin' eggs have gone up so much. 

I have STRONG opinions about the food and eggs and dairy we eat. It's hard for me to understand that other people don't. But, I have to remember, that eight years ago, I was living in suburbia and certainly wasn't having trouble buying chicken from the grocery store. Something has flipped in me. I don't want to be a food snob. But I just can't help thinking about what I am getting when I eat "cheap chicken" or "cheap eggs."

We are now at $7 a dozen for our eggs. Rising food for the chickens are the biggest issue for us. We are also considering incubating more of our eggs as so many people are asking for chickens right now. I am simply in LOVE with our eggs. I was eating some boiled eggs at our homeschool co-op the other day and one of the mothers said, "Looking at you showing off luxury food." Who would have ever thought eggs would be a luxury?

This girl

This is actually her mermaid fishtail blanket that she put on her like a dress. She is constantly doing stuff with clothes … it’s amazing to watch. 

House/Farm Improvements

Wardrobe improvements

I keep working on subtle improvements to my wardrobe. My best buddy Erin helped me at Maurice’s the other day via FaceTime! She encouraged me to get this jacket. :) I’m slowly trying to be just slightly trendy!

Needy Dog

13 Days

I’ve been working hard to clean up my eating this 2023 year. I continue to pray that I can keep this up. I’ve lost 10 pounds … it’s time to be 45 and healthy!

Abigail (the dog)

I love seeing pictures of our puppies!! I love watching them live their best lives. This is “Abigail.” She’s been on quite an adventure in her life, and she will always occupy a special section of my heart.

My counter

The items on my counter will NEVER be … normal. 

I love this man!

My history/Bible/logic group

These are my 8-10th grade kids … I don’t have pics of all of them, but while I was out of the room today (our first day back in school for the 2022-2023 school year), they snagged my phone and took some pics. 

There are 7 kids: Sara, Micah, Malachi, Isaac, Sidge, Ana, Kari and Walker (remote.)

They are fantastic kiddos!

Hannah's Answers

1. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first? A house

2. How long does it take to get to the beach? Some hours.

3. What do I always say to you? "It's time for sheep paddocks."

4. What job would you like to do when you grow up? I want to be a doctor.

5. Who is the strongest person? God.

6. Where do babies come from? [Very uncomfortable] Parents.

7. At what age do you become a grownup? 18

8. What’s the worst rule I have for you? That we always have to clean up.

9. What wild animal do you like? A hyena

10. What is your least favorite food ever? Onions.

11. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Potatoes

12. How much does it cost to buy a house? For me like a thousand, million, hundred dollars.

13. Who do you hang out with all the time? Genevieve

14. What song makes you want to dance? Brother (by Kodaline)

15. What are you scared of? Werewolves and Zombies

16. What is your favorite game to play? Five-Second Rule

17. What is your favorite color? Yellow

18. How old am I? 44 (I'm 45)

19. Who is the president? Joe Biden

20. What kind of car do you want when you grow up? One of those cool cars with a convertible roof. No, wait. A Lamborghini.

21. Where do you want to live when you grow up? Arizona

22. What’s the safest place in the world? My bed.

23. What’s your favorite activity? Baking

24. Who loves you the most? God

Abigail's Answers

1. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first? I would buy, wait, hold on, I had it. I would buy a puppy.

2. How long does it take to get to the beach? From where? Forever.

3. What do I always say to you? "Okay guys, let's do a five minute clean-up." Ten minutes later. "Okay, we can be done." Then after thinking, "Could you change that ten to a twenty, Mom?

4. What job would you like to do when you grow up? Oh, that's hard. Maybe a vet for puppies.

5. Who is the strongest person? God.

6. Where do babies come from? (Giggles) Sperm and eggs.

7. At what age do you become a grownup? 18 I guess because I don't have a say until then.

8. What’s the worst rule I have for you? We have to have our room clean before we can do anything.

9. What wild animal do you like? Jaguar.

10. What is your least favorite food ever? Beets. I hate beets. But I also hate a lot of other things.

11. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Macaroni and Cheese. I'd probably end up dying, but you know ...

12. How much does it cost to buy a house? Between $15,000 and $75,000

13. Who do you hang out with all the time? My friends. That's weird.

14. What song makes you want to dance? Glorious Day.

15. What are you scared of? My parents when they get mad at me.

16. What is your favorite game to play? Gladiator with the boys. (One person is on the swings trying to hit you, but you have to run across without getting hit.)

17. What is your favorite color? Blue

18. How old am I? 46 I think.

19. Who is the president? Joe Biden. Just kidding. Joe Brandon.

20. What kind of car do you want when you grow up? Convertible.

21. Where do you want to live when you grow up? Somewhere near Greeneville, TN.

22. What’s the safest place in the world? Anywhere away from bad guys.

23. What’s your favorite activity? What does that mean? Favorite thing to do? I guess ballet.

24. Who loves you the most? God

A few Funnies

Me: "Hannah, I need some fuel. I need to give me a hug?"

Hannah: "I think you should just go to the gas station. I'm not in the mood."

*****

Me: "Hannah, how did you get so cute?"

JB: "She got it from her sister."

Hannah: "Nope, I got it from my Daddy."

*****

Me: “Who gave you permission to watch a show?”

Girl child: “Well, you were napping.”

Other girl child: “So we got permission from our brothers.”

Me (to older brothers): “And how are you able to make that decision?”

One older brother: “Well, we have become semi-mature humans and felt capable of making the decision.”

*****

Me: “Everyone pack a lunch for today.”

Four children: “There’s no food.”

Me: “Find food or pay $10 of your own money to buy food at grocery store.”

Four children: (miraculously find food)

Time for GENESIS

So proud!

Sidge hunted squirrel and dove today and then cooked this whole meal with zero help from any adult — other than a phone conversation with his working Dad