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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Adoption and Loss


This is something I wrote as a guest post a while back for my friend Lori Printy at Six of My Own.

I don't think I ever posted it here yet, so here we go....



Mention the word adoption, and you're sure to invoke a response of some kind.

For many, the word is associated with the warm fuzzies. After all, by definition, an adopted child has moved from having no family, to being a part of a family. What could be fuzzier than that?

For others, the word is linked with images of a broken system. One which perhaps places too much emphasis on the superficial well-being of the child, and not enough on the blood-ties that bind a birth mother and child. Or on an adoption industry that encourages mothers to give up their child for his "best interests".

Another broken system view would say that the rights of the child are secondary to the goal of reunification, and often the child has trauma after trauma after trauma placed upon his shoulders in the system's efforts to keep biological parent and child together.

No matter the angle viewed, an adopted child has experienced loss. Whether the child's birth parents died, or the child was given up willingly to "have a better life", or the child was removed from the home of abusive and/or neglectful parents, the child has lost the parents that brought her into the world. That's not good, it's not bad, it's not indifferent.
It is LOSS.

That's not to say that the child cannot go on to be successful, to be functional, to be happy in spite of the loss.




Consider as an analogy the person who has lost a limb. Whether by trauma or by carefully planned surgery, that loss is a loss. With guided prosthetic training and hard work, the person can regain function, and move freely again in a world where he once felt limited. We can applaud that person, rightly so, for making such strides and becoming so functional. But would we ever think to say how "lucky" he was to have such a wonderful prosthetic? Certainly not. He lost something that was an undeniable part of him. No matter how functional and happy and successful he becomes, he is never thankful that he lost a part of himself.

He could be thankful, perhaps, that his life was spared. I had a young man as a patient once, who lost his arm traumatically: he was driving along with his arm hanging out of the window when a truck sideswiped him. He could have died in that accident, but "only" lost an arm.

Or he could be thankful, maybe, to no longer have pain. Another patient of mine was a middle-aged high school chemistry teacher, and mother of three. The tumors and the repeated surgeries were a source of unspeakable pain and stress and dashed hopes. The decision to lose the arm was a difficult one, but one she felt she had to make. After the amputation, her pain was finally at an end, and with training her function was regained, but it didn't mean she didn't grieve.

In the same vein, an adopted child can be thankful to have found a family who loves him. He can be grateful to have an easier life than he once had. But those things can never replace what has been lost. They can help him to be functional again, to feel secure and safe and supported. But something that was a part of him is gone. Rejoicing in the new does not mean there is not grieving for the old, for one does not take the place of the other. They coexist. The loss should never be discounted or diminished simply because, on the surface, the person appears to be functional, and maybe even happy.

Clearly, this analogy is an oversimplified one. Regardless of the pain associated with the trauma or the pathology of the loss, losing a limb cannot compare to the emotional complexities of losing the parent/s that brought a child into the world. It does not speak to the confusing emotions and truths the child must face when there was intent to harm, criminal neglect, voluntary abandonment, or even just the inability to win the battle against overpowering demons that prevented the Mom or Dad from being able to be the parent he or she needed to be.

So. When you think of the word "adoption", try to remember that it is a two-sided coin, and that it takes both sides to make up the whole. Remember this dichotomy the next time you speak with an adopted child. Be glad for him that he has found a family that cherishes him and supports him. But be aware that before this "new family" came into the child's life, he first had to face the most devastating loss a person could face.

And respect that.








Image source: losangelesshrinershospital.org



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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wordless Wednesday







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Rudeness disclaimer:

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I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
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And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

TALU Tuesday

Jennifer, Debbie, and I are opening up our hosts list and looking for one or two more bloggers who want to join us as hosts for TALU. If you are interested, just raise your hand.
And then, um, e-mail Debbie for details. (debbie@wrinkledmommy.com)



Welcome to the TALU Tuesday!

That's right, the Tuesday Archive Link-Up.

Time to pull your treasured old posts out of those cobwebby archives, dust them off, and give them new life where they will be seen and enjoyed by untold millions OK, thousands of viewers.

See, this link-up is hosted by several people, who, all together have thousands upon thousands of followers. So when you link your post up with this party? Your post will show up on all their blogs, to all of their followers.

All you've got to do is:


1) link up your post using the linky tool below,

2) visit the hosts and leave a comment to say hi, if you'd like,

3) and try to visit three or more of the blogs linked up and leave a comment. They'll all be doing the same, so it's like a giant hippie love fest. Bring your own flowers.







Oh and when you comment? Put in the secret code "TALU" (Tuesday Archive Link-Up) and then give a little wink so we'll all know what you're talking about.

Have fun!

Now here are your TALU hosts, wonderful gals every one....



Jennifer, author of I Am Not Superwoman

Anne, author of Life On The Funny Farm

Debbie, author of Wrinkled Mommy











PS: If you've never participated in a link-up/blog hop before, and you have any trouble, try clicking here for some tips.



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I love all your comments,
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But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
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And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.








Monday, February 25, 2013

Mirth Monday






















Image source: My Style via Pinterest


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In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller. You can find my full schedule in my sidebar, come join the fun!


****************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Sunday, February 24, 2013

Inspiration Sunday









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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Teen Talk

I had the pleasure of hanging out with two teens at the mall recently.

Rosie and one of her bosom buddies... bffs... bffls... friends.

And I learned two new entries for the teen talk dictionary:

Selfies

Definition: A picture one take's of one's self using one's cell phone camera.
Used in a sentence: Ohmygod she was taking, like, a million selfies yesterday, it was so annoying.



FGP

Definition: Fat Girl Problems
Used in conversation: (looking at selfies that apparently turned out less than stellar) Ohmygod! FGPs!
















You may now consider yourself up to date, yo.


You're welcome.






Image source: www.quickmeme.com

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****************

Check my sidebar to see where I'm hoppin' today and everyday!

*****************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.


Friday, February 22, 2013

Farm Friday: Animal Magnetism

I've said it a million times. I don't have a green thumb.

I do, however, seem to have a hairy thumb. Or at least I used to.

The quality of the care of my critters appears to be indirectly proportional to the number of children I have.

Stupid critters haven't gotten the memo, though.

They keep finding me.

For example, on my birthday, we were driving to dinner, when I spied what appeared to be a hawk in distress. Before Fred could say "late to dinner", he was making a u-turn. But as it turned out, what I thought was a hawk hanging upside down by his talons caught in netting above a Little League field, was just the hawk trying to eat a bird that had died in said netting.

Disaster averted.

Walking back to the car after dinner, I spied a little kitty wandering the parking lot. With no houses anywhere nearby, and a busy highway not far away, I figured he was doomed. Soon enough, most of the kids and myself were trying to chase him down in the parking lot, getting down on all fours, peering under cars, shining flashlights hither and yon, but to no avail. We finally had to console ourselves with the knowledge that there were dozens of workers at this strip of restaurants, and surely someone would find him and get him to safety.

Then a couple of weeks ago, the stray cat that had been slinking around our barn for some time finally decided we were trustworthy enough to befriend. She is now living on our front porch in a box filled with blankets, and a never-ending supply of chow and water and belly rubs. We're trying to find a home for sweet little Miss Kitty, and oh by the way, she seems to be pregnant.












You can add her to the list of cats that seem to find us, including Mamfy and Mali who live with us permenantly; like the stray we call Smoky Joe that lives in our barn; and the new long-haired grey, as yet unnamed, that showed up last week.

Of course, cat food on the porch has led to a new critter in town.  Another grey, only this one has beady eyes and a revolting rat-like tail.  A possum.

Delightful.

Then last week, my husband's birthday, actually, there was a bird loose in the house. It somehow flew down the chimney and found its way out in our basement. I caught him with a towel and set him free, but not after he gave chase to myself and four crazed kitties hungry for a little afternoon snack.










This is all just in the last few weeks, mind you.

Yes, animals seem to be drawn to me as if by magnetic force. 

I don't know why.

I do know that the balance point has been tipped.  I am no longer in control.  I am overworked in my duties as zookeeper.  The dog-hair dust bunnies have begun to breed prolifically, I buy more cat food than cereal, and I shall soon be responsible for finding homes for kitties for God's sake.

If something's going to be attracted to me magnetically, why can't it be chocolate or my couch and heating blanket or wine or George Clooney?

Why kittens and fledgling starlings?



Help Wanted:
Assistant Zookeeper
No pay, but you get to pet soft things and clean up lots of poop.

Any takers?




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***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

I-Need-Therapy-Thursday: Back To Work

Ugh.

I've started back to work.

See, back in my life BK (Before Kids) I used to be an Occupational Therapist.

But then after my 2nd baby was born, I went whole hog with this parenting gig.

And I've kept at it for 15 years.

And with college on the too-near-for-comfort horizon, Mama needs to put some money in the bank.

We always meant to start college accounts for the kids, but then we would always need a new hot water heater, or four new tires, or a horse would colic or the refrigerator would die or just, you know, life, life, and more life.

But now I've got a senior, a junior, and a freshman, and that's just the oldest three.

Now, lucky for me, I was able to get my license back with relatively little pain, and I found a job doing home health care.

Home health care is my favorite.

And I can wear scrubs if I want.

Hello, if I want?

Are you kidding me? I was wearing scrubs as pajamas, so do I want to wear my pajamas to work?

Well heck to the yes, mister man!
to be read with a nasal midwestern accent

So now I'm working per diem, in my pajamas, about 15 - 20 hours a week.

And it's all quite convenient.

I get up at about 5:20, make breakfast for the five older kids and see them onto the bus. Then I get Daniel up and get him to school by 9 and head off to work. See a few clients, do a lotta paperwork (which is all digital now, and the bane of my existence), and get back to Daniel's school by 3 to pick him up. Then I get home and it's the usual ratrace of taking kids for driving lessons, helping with homework, soccer practice, carpools, overseeing chores, making dinner, taking care of critters, etc,

etc,

et friggin cetera.

Anyway, I'll get used to it.

And the paychecks, even though I'm not working a whole lot of hours, are SWEET.

After so many years of doing pretty dang hard work and not getting paid one red cent for it, it is really nice to see a paycheck, with hundreds of dollars typed into the little box with MY name on it.










That feels good.

Almost makes up for my complete and utter exhaustion.

Almost....







Image source in.yahoo.finance.com

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Miss Kitty

Anyone want a stray kitty?















Picture by Rosie


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Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Tuesday, February 19, 2013

TALU Tuesday

You know what I think? I think TALU is the best dadgum blog hop around.

It's not the biggest.

It's not the most talked about.

It doesn't have fancy buttons and badges and whatnot.

What it DOES have is a loyal group of followers who are the friendliest folks you'll find. I can guarantee you that if you link up a post in this hop, that you'll get comments from fellow hoppers. You'll feel like your post was read and appreciated by bloggers.
You'll feel like you are a part of a community.


Yep, I'm talking about the
TALU Tuesday.

That's right, the Tuesday Archive Link-Up.

Time to pull your treasured old posts out of those cobwebby archives, dust them off, and give them new life where they will be seen and enjoyed by untold millions OK, thousands of viewers.

See, this link-up is hosted by several people, who, all together have thousands upon thousands of followers. So when you link your post up with this party? Your post will show up on all their blogs, to all of their followers.

All you've got to do is:


1) link up your post using the linky tool below,

2) visit the hosts and leave a comment to say hi, if you'd like,

3) and try to visit three or more of the blogs linked up and leave a comment. They'll all be doing the same, so it's like a giant hippie love fest. Bring your own flowers.







Oh and when you comment? Put in the secret code "TALU" (Tuesday Archive Link-Up) and then give a little wink so we'll all know what you're talking about.

Have fun!

Now here are your TALU hosts, wonderful gals every one....




hosts:

Jennifer, author of I Am Not Superwoman

Anne, author of Life On The Funny Farm

Debbie, author of Wrinkled Mommy












PS: If you've never participated in a link-up/blog hop before, and you have any trouble, try clicking here for some tips.



************

Read it.
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***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!



***************

Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Monday, February 18, 2013

Mirth Monday: BPO5 with Martha Plimpton

So here's my sister Mary Birdsong's newest webisode installment of Bitter Party of Five.
Now with Martha Plimpton.
Awe. Some.











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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!

***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller. You can find my full schedule in my sidebar, come join the fun!


****************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Sunday, February 17, 2013

Inspiration Sunday



















































Image source: Katrina Mayer via Pinterest





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Follow it.
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Thanks.
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***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!


****************

Check my sidebar to see where I'm hoppin' today and everyday!

*****************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.









Saturday, February 16, 2013

I Overslept.


Ack. I woke up this morning, clicked on my computer, and realized with a gasp of astonishment that I never posted anything for today!

That's because last night I effectively Passed. Out. on the couch.

The family woke me up and sent me to bed.

Guess I needed the sleep.

I started back to work a couple weeks ago and I'm still...ummm....adjusting.

Anyway, I was going to write about how I put James on the train yesterday to go visit his best friend in Massachussets.

But guess what?

One of MY best friends beat me to it and wrote all about it. So I'm just gonna let her tell you all about their adventures, their past connection, their dreams.

So head over to Kate's Wish and read all about it!






Thursday, February 14, 2013

Friday Chaos Blog Hop

A few pictures of my ponies.

My silly ones.

My muddy, dirty goof-balls.

My handsome boys.



















































BericeBaby


<div align="center"><a href="http://www.ohsoamelia.com" title="ohsoamelia"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwiiytc2owWuBvCsro9Na4mvSGOXV81ObpvNPbTPVFl-rcm87zx7HKhFWw6f9D0gWHdsAaHtX5bqHQHpRrml-L8q0g7dsxTA-u8P2rmUXHVzjH1SIc_N1pLS1B7VIrQyWBGeRkAdf_s0/s1600/FRIDAY+CHAOS.png" alt="Ohsoamelia" style="border:none;" /></a></div>







Valentine's Day. It's All About the Romance.

I originally posted this on my old blog about two or three years ago, but I like to drag it out every year at Valentine's Day. It's my tradition.

I live a life of thrills....






5:15 Awakened by shrill beeping. Stupid alarm clock. I was having a wonderful dream about my new crush Justin Bieber. I saw the movie last night with my girls and I know I could be his Grandma (OK, maybe a slightly younger friend of his Grandma's), so hang me, but he is so stinkin' cute. Any female, no matter the age, would be rendered helpless when he flips his hair like that in 3D slo-mo. Anyway, who am I supposed to crush on that's in my age group. Barry Manilow?

Showered and dressed and headed downstairs. Hung up birthday banner. Started coffee and set out the morning meds. Made breakfast for the masses. Arranged on the breakfast table seven adorable Valentine's bags filled with cards, trinkets and sweets.

Love must be in the air 'cuz there was a minimum of Morning Bickers today.
Moment of Rejoicing #1

7:00 Got five kids on bus. Woke sixth child up. Fred came downstairs and I told him Good-Morning-Happy-Valentine's-Day-Happy-Birthday. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, said he, and he plodded on off to work.
Did I imagine it or did his hair do a little flip as he walked out the door?

8:30 Drove 6th child to school and then headed up the road to do my Monday Morning Grocery Shopping. I am nothing if not a woman of consistency and routine, romance be damned. Managed to fill my cart for under $200 for the first time in like a month.
Moment of Rejoicing #2

12:00 Groceries put away. Baked BD cake for Fred. Began taking down the remaining Christmas decorations.
I know. Dec 25th - Feb 14th. I can do the math. Hush now. I will be judged by a higher authority than man.

3:00 All kids home from school, and I ran out the door with 2 or 3 of them to do last minute (seriously, last minute) birthday shopping for their Dad.
As we were wrapping the gifts, he walked in the door. We all wished him Happy-Birthday-Happy-Valentine's-Day and hugs and kisses were dispensed all around. He had a treat for me. Gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries.
Moment of Rejoicing #4

5:00 I demanded of Fred that he stop vascillating and decide what he wanted to do for dinner. He finally proclaimed that he wished not to go out, but rather to have a quiet night in, and order take-out samiches. So my labor-worn fingers dialed the buttons on the phone and ordered dinner. Then I hopped in the car with a kid or two (and I think a small dog) and off we jetted to pick up dinner. No romantic candle-lit dinner, but then again, no cooking either.
Moment of Rejoicing #5

6:30 Dinner consumed, Fred opened presents, with much ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the little gifts the kids and I picked out for him. Wrappings discarded, folks scattered about the house, watching TV, destroying aliens, reading, texting. House quiet and cozy.
OK, maybe it's no pop-star lifestyle. But to me it was
Moment of Rejoicing #6

And I'll take it .....



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Thanks!



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Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Dog

❄snow pup❄
















Photo by Rosie



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Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Tuesday, February 12, 2013

TALU Tuesday

Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of...



TALU Tuesday!

That's right, the Tuesday Archive Link-Up.

Time to pull your treasured old posts out of those cobwebby archives, dust them off, and give them new life where they will be seen and enjoyed by untold millions OK, thousands of viewers.

See, this link-up is hosted by several people, who, all together have thousands upon thousands of followers. So when you link your post up with this party? Your post will show up on all their blogs, to all of their followers.

All you've got to do is:


1) link up your post using the linky tool below,

2) visit the hosts and leave a comment to say hi, if you'd like,

3) and try to visit three or more of the blogs linked up and leave a comment. They'll all be doing the same, so it's like a giant hippie love fest. Bring your own flowers.







Oh and when you comment? Put in the secret code "TALU" (Tuesday Archive Link-Up) and then give a little wink so we'll all know what you're talking about.

Have fun!

Now here are your TALU hosts, wonderful gals every one....


Jennifer, author of I Am Not Superwoman

Anne, author of Life On The Funny Farm

Debbie, author of Wrinkled Mommy










PS: Our very own Debbie from Wrinkled Mommy is a contender in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Funniest Moms Contest! Let's all show her our love and support by visiting the site (here) and giving her a vote. Once you get to the site, just scroll down till you find her and then click the thumbs-up button. That's it!

PPS: If you've never participated in a link-up/blog hop before, and you have any trouble, try clicking here for some tips.



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Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Monday, February 11, 2013

Mirth Monday
















































Not sure of source, got it from Facebbok.


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In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller. You can find my full schedule in my sidebar, come join the fun!


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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.





Sunday, February 10, 2013

Inspiration Sunday

































(Image source: heylee heep, via Pinterest)




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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

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Check my sidebar to see where I'm hoppin' today and everyday!

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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.



Saturday, February 9, 2013

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Cooking Ahead

Just a quick little tip here for getting some pre-made dinners ready for the grabbing.

I've heard it suggested that you take a day on the weekend to cook up a week's worth of dinners to stick in the freezer.

But I don't know, giving up a whole day of the weekend to save cooking each night? That math doesn't add up for me.

So here are a couple things I do that make weeknight cooking easier, but don't require sacrificing any time.

1) Cook up a whole mess of ground beef at once. Like, cook 5lbs. Then drain it, cool it a bit, and put a pound each in five quart-sized freezer bags. Then when you have no time, you can pull out a pound of already cooked ground beef. Cook it up as sloppy Joe's, tacos, spaghetti, whatevs.

2)When you're making a casserole, double the ingredients and make two of them. Only don't put the second one in a pan. Put it in a gallon-sized freezer bag. You can fit so much more in the freezer this way. Then take a bag out a few weeks later, thaw it out, stick it in a pan, add cheese to the top if you need it, and you've got dinner.

3) Before you go to the grocery store, put the slow cooker on the counter.  When you get home, and you're putting away the groceries, wash up some chicken and throw it in the crock pot with some water.  When it's done cooking, shred the chicken (putting it in the mixer does this perfectly!).  Then, you guessed it, put it in freezer bags. Then later, when a recipe calles for cooked chicken ( a casserole, quesadillas, etc), just pull out a bag of pre-cooked, pre-shredded chickem and you're good to go. Also?  The broth left over in the crock pot?  Strain it, cool it, and stick it in the freezer.  Use it later for soup, or just for broth to use in cooking.

So.  Not really rocket science here.  Just a few tips on how to have a few dinners ready to go for you in the freezer, without spending any extra time in the kitchen.

Enjoy!    


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Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Farm Friday: Never the Write Time.

Long day yesterday.

Longer still when I looked at my list of posts to see what I had cued up for today, and realized with an accomplanying gasp of horror,
nothing!

So I traipsed on over to my old blog, went through my posts tagged "farm", and voila, there was one I had written up a couple years ago, all ready for me to steal breathe new life onto it.

It was written at a time when my hens were just wee chicks, all cute and full of promise, instead of the non-egg-laying freeloaders I have in my barn now.

Funny thing is, the post is all about how I was super busy and never made time for writing.

Same problem, different details...


**************




I let the day get away from me without writing.

I could blame it on my *%#@! computer, which taunts me with its connectivity one minute and then whips it out from under my feet the next.

Jezebel.

I could blame it on having to clean out the chicks' water dish 3 times today b/c they keep clogging it with wood chips that soak up all the water and then they stare at me with their little beady chickie eyes. Pleading silently for water, water ....

I could blame it on possibly finding the solution to that problem by placing 2 bricks under the water dish so it sits up higher out of the bedding.

Or on the fact that while I was in the barn to fetch the bricks I got distracted and before I knew it I had built a little hutch within their room as well as a small table for their food and water dishes for when I move the chicks out of the tub and into the Chick Shack.

Or if I want to sound more like a good mother and less like a grungy farmhand, I could blame it on making some homemade Play Doh with the kids, using a neat recipe I found that uses Kool Aid packs to flavor and scent the dough. We played with it (myself + all the kids but the oldest) for like an hour. Some of our sculptures included a foot, a beanie-sportin' snowman sticking his tongue out, severed fingers, hearts proclaiming undying fidelity to the one and only Justin Bieber, and a newly-hatched-still-in-the-shell chick.

Oh well. As pathetic as it sounds, it's 9:45 and this good-mother/grungy farmhand is heading to bed.


Better luck tomorrow.



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***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

I-Need-Therapy-Thursday: Poltergeist?

I think it's pretty funny that back in the day, everyone thought Poltergeist was a pretty spooky movie.

To me? I didn't see spooky.

I saw a movie created by a parent.

Steven Spielberg simply made a movie about having kids.

Case in point:


















They leave food lying out to rot.















They have creepy toys.



















They sit too close to the TV.
















They never push their chairs back in.


























Parents are always having to plead with their kids to get them to listen to the most basic things, like going to the bathroom. Or going to the light.










They never clean up their rooms.






So.

Scary movie about ghosts?

Or life with kids?

You decide.....










Images courtesy: blastr.com, geekleagueofamerica.com, article.wn.com, julieglover.com, theblackcatdiaries.blogspot.com, ecoustics.com


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(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.

Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

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