Farm Friday: From Farm to School, a Guest Post

I have a guest post for you today from Julie Ellis.  Julie has written a post on the advantages of being a farm kid when it comes time to fly off to college.  Take it away, Julie!

From Farm to School 

Going to college is a big step for anyone. But if, like me, you grew up on a farm in a rural area, you may have worries about “fitting in” with lots of kids from urban and suburban neighborhoods – after all, their lifestyles have been way different from yours. What could you possibly have in common? These were my worries too, but I’m here to say that what I learned on the farm was the perfect prep for living and studying with others:

1. Everyone has to do his/her part for the “family” to be successful. Dormitory living is a bit cramped, to say the least. No one is going to pick up after you, and no one is going to like it if you don’t do your share to keep the bathrooms clean. This I learned from the age of 5, while some dorm residents are just now learning! 
2. You have to be independent and able to learn things on your own. Nothing promotes these skills more than being a part of a farm family and totally relying on yourselves for your entire livelihood. In college, the expectation is that you are completely self-reliant in your learning and your living, and I have been able to teach some peers a thing or two about that!
3. You have to be a problem-solver. Crises on farms, big and small, occur all the time. When a car breaks down, you can’t call a cab; when you have a late spring freeze, you don’t just lose your garden bedding plants – your entire crop is at risk! In college, crises occur too – big and small. You don’t always get the classes you want; you forgot a paper that is due; you’re out of money and still have a week left to go. If you’ve learned to “roll with the punches” of farm life, you get through these crises easily.
4. You know how to be by yourself. Lots of kids with urban backgrounds live hectic busy lives with people around all of the time. College life is a lot like that, and it’s fun, but there are also times when you need to be by yourself to reflect and to deal with you own issues. My life on the farm prepared me well for these times, and I am grateful.

Do I absolutely love college? Yes. Have I made friends from all sorts of backgrounds? Yes. Was I prepared academically and socially? Yes, and Yes!

Author’s bio:  Julie Ellis believes that, only through experiential knowledge does one become an engaging and creative writer. Her degree in Journalism and a host of real-world study and experience has made her a permanent and popular blogger for PremierEssay.net.

The Cinnamon Challenge

I saw a story on the news a few nights ago about some kids needing to be sent from school to the hospital because they partook in the "cinnamon challenge".

Haven't heard of it?

Then I guess your kids are smarter than mine.

The "challenge" is to try to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon without any liquids.  Usually it results in a bunch of coughing and sputtering and the feeling that you never want to look at another cinnamon roll again so long as you live.

Or so they tell me.

                                 Image source



So anyway, some grade school kids brought some cinnamon in to school and tried it at lunch and it apparently did not go well.

And the news report featured some "man on the street" interviews on the topic.

Folks were outraged....

"They should provide more supervision in the lunchroom!"

"It comes down to the parents.  They should know what their kids are doing and be able to prevent this kind of thing!"

Good thing they didn't interview me.  I would have said,

"Kids are stupid!"




End of story.








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Motivating Kids to be Active

I have a wonderful guest post for you today from the lovely and talented Caitlin Hudson.  Take it away, Caitlin!


Motivating Kids to be Active
A post from Caitlin Hudson

With all the electronic distractions, it seems my kids could be happy never leaving their rooms some days. Just give them an iPad, and they’re good to go. But it’s not good for them to live like that. It’s important that they stay fit and exercise regularly, especially as they get older. Once they become teenagers, their natural resistance will make it even harder to get them to try new routines. Starting while kids are young is the wisest move. But if older kids and teenagers need to get in shape, there are still some good ideas to get them moving.

Monkey see monkey do
An important thing to remember, especially with younger children, is that they learn by example. If you want your kids to lead an active life, you also need to practice what you preach. I try to show my kids that exercising is fun and enjoyable. I make it a fabric of my own life and that rubs off on my family too. On the weekends my husband and I try to make it a family affair. Quality time, family bonding and little sibling rivalry can go a long way. Some of my fondest memories growing up involve playing games outside with my siblings, and I hope to provide my children with the same.

Outdoor activities
When the weather’s reasonable, it’s great to get the kids outside. During the summer and fall, my kids never seem to want to go inside. They will run and play for hours. We love to patronize splash pads and water parks. In the spring and fall, we go hiking. I have found that motivation can go a really long way. A kid who ordinarily would think a walk or a hike is really boring might be more excited with a scavenger hunt of items to find on the trail. You can find great ideas for scavenger hunt ideas. Sports are also a great idea. Not only does it also teach them the importance of teamwork, but being around other kids their age is great for socializing and many times, this is where they make great friends. A little competition plus vigorous exercise can really encourage healthy development.






Screen-time
Motivation can work just as well at home. It just takes the right approach. Kids and teens watch an appalling amount of television, despite expert recommendations that they have no more than two hours of screen time per day. So, I try to maximize that time. Balance balls are fun and work several muscle groups. I incorporate them into my own workouts, but my kids really enjoy bouncing on them while they watch TV.  Otherwise, competition at home is just as good as competition on the field. There are numerous pieces of equipment such as the Wii and Wii Fit that are designed to get families up and moving. The games are fun and improve balance and coordination while burning calories. For a lower-tech approach, I like to have a family calisthenics competition during commercial breaks. The person who does the most pushups, stomach crunches or squats gets to pick a healthy snack for all of us to share.

Let’s face it–we all could do with a little less sitting on the couch and a little more getting up and moving. The best thing I can do for my kids’ health is for me to set a good example. If I stay active and help them understand that exercising is important to me, it will be more important to them. And the work we do as a family to improve our fitness will last them into adulthood.



Author Bio:
Hi all, I'm Caitlin Hudson, a full-time SAHM, nature lover, writer, and health nut! I am in the process of starting my own blog, but in the meantime, Anne has been generous enough to let me contribute to her awesome blog. Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite tricks to get younger kids to exercise and be active! If you have any questions feel free to email me at Caitlin.hudson1@gmail.com!




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Teacher Gifts

For years I struggled to find the perfect end-of-the-year teacher gift. Something personal, practical, and, with six kids in school, one that wouldn't break the bank.
After trying everything from homemade cookies in a jar to store bought chatchki, I finally arrived at something that fit the bill: a simple bookmark.

On stock paper, I print three bookmarks per page, each with a few words praising teachers. I add pictures of my children, have them write a few words of thanks and sign their name, and then run over to the local print shop to get them laminated.
On the back I affix a gift card to a book store, so the recipient can purchase a book for summer reading.
My children have been giving these to their teachers for several years now and we love them because they have all the things I look for:
Practical: teachers, books, bookmarks. No brainer.
Personal: Pictures and a few words from my kids makes this a very personal gift, even though we make them assembly line style.
Inexpensive: The bookmarks themselves cost next to nothing to make, and the gift cards can be any value that fits your budget. I often make 15 of these or more, so for me, money matters!
Appreciation: The teachers have told me how much they love getting these. They like that it is something that they can use and won't end up in the back of a closet, and that their student took the time to write a few words of thanks.






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I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
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Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
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How to Stop Your Child from Hanging out With the "Wrong Crowd"

It's Chicken-Scratch Saturday here at the Funny Farm, and I have another wonderful guest-post for you today. This is from Agnes Jimenez, who wrote a piece for me (a few months back) entitled: How to Help Kids Live a More Simplified Life. Do you remember it? I do, it was wonderful.

Take it away, Agnes!




How to Stop Your Child from Hanging out With the Wrong Crowd

Parenting is difficult, especially when teens become involved with the wrong crowd. It is important to approach the situation with care. There are ways to convince a teenager that hanging out with the wrong crowd will cause more harm than good. Here are ways to intervene.

It is essential to discuss the situation with the teenager, but it is important not to condemn the friends. This can alienate the child and send the teen even closer to friends who can potentially influence him or her to make the wrong choices. It is vital to speak in direct words and outline specific actions. A parent should ask why the teen likes the friends. Getting insight into the thoughts behind the friendship will help a parent down the line.

A parent is meant to be a figure of structure and less of a friend to a child. A parent must set limits, but allow a teen to hang with friends of choice as long as no trouble is occurring. However if rules are broken, it is important to let the child know about the consequences of his/her actions. This way, the possibility of doing the wrong deed again and again will be lessened.

If a parent still does not feel comfortable with the teenager's friends, it may be wise to get to know them better. One of the best ways to know them is by inviting them over to the house. Letting them hang out with the kid at home can give the parent an opportunity to observe and analyze their behavior. Also, this will let them know that the child belongs to a decent family, which can prevent them from thinking or doing anything that can result to punishment or worst, the severance of their friendship.

Sometimes a parent must give a teen an alternative to hanging out and getting into trouble. It may be helpful to offer different activities to the teen. A parent may invite other friends from sports, clubs, or the church over for a movie or to play video games. It may also be nice to dedicate one night a week to a family activity like bowling or playing board games. This will instill better values into a teenager and show them that there are better ways to have fun.









Keeping communication open with a teenager means that the child will not be afraid to confide in a parent or call when trouble is near. For example, this will help a teen be more likely to call a parent for ride home when other teens have been drinking. Not judging the teen or the friends will keep everyone safe.

There are many ways to stop a teenager from hanging around with the wrong crowd. A parent must be watchful, but not forceful unless extreme danger looms. A teen must have limits, but be free to learn from mistakes. In the end, a parent can support a teen and show them how bad behavior can cause more harm than good.


About the Guest Author
Agnes Jimenez is a professional blogger and writer. She writes for many online establishments and currently partners with HelpYourTeenNow.com in spreading awareness about troubled and depressed teenagers (and how to deal with them). Help Your Teen Now aims to increase awareness on the current psychological and societal stresses of today's teens and how these factors affect the future of our society.




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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.

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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Come join the fun!

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But I can't hit 'reply',
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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.

Guest-Post: How to Help Kids Live a More Simplified Life

It's Chicken-Scratch-Saturday here at the Funny Farm, and I have a guest post for you!

Agnes Jimenez has written a wonderful article on how to help your kids live a more simplified life, which, as we all know, is harder than it sounds in this day and age!

Take it away, Agnes...


How to Help Kids Live a More Simplified Life

These days, especially, kids' lives are often overextended with too many activities. While learning new skills, developing talents, and structure are all good for children and teens, it can go too far. Helping your kids learn to live a simplified life has many benefits.

Too many activities can lead kids to not know how to cope with free time, put too much pressure on them, and make vacations seem like work. Kids need to relax and have fun. One approach is to show them how to enjoy free time. From reading a book to playing in the back yard, unstructured free time is good for a child's body and mind.

Second, you can minimize your child's activities by asking him about activities he enjoys the most. Even the youngest child is drawn to certain activities, due to his personality and his interests. Whether he wants to learn to play an instrument, participate in a sport, or build some kind of collection, you can encourage his interests and preferences.

However, one or two activities should be enough for most children. Whether he stays with one particular activity for a long period of time, or decides he does not like it and wants to try something different, it can be helpful to set a rule for how many activities he can have at any given time.

Third, try to set a positive example. Regardless of how many friends they have, kids of all ages copy the habits they see in their own families. Some changes you can make may include reducing multitasking as much as possible, showing your kids you enjoy playfulness and fun without any structure, having a period of quiet time at home every day, and relearning the art of relaxation.

Fourth, helping your children become acquainted with nature can also bring simplicity into their lives. There is something about the natural environment that promotes good feelings and peace of mind. Whether you live near the woods or beach, or your nearest source of nature is a city park, it can be a wonderful break from your busy lives.

Kids who have too many activities miss out on important parts of life. They are also prone to boredom, and can develop the habit of needing constant activity. When you teach your kids to enjoy the simple things in life, their physical, mental, and emotional health will all benefit. Your kids will be happier, and so will you.

About the Guest Author
Agnes Jimenez is a professional blogger and writer. She writes for many online establishments and currently partners with TheFamilyCompass.com in spreading awareness about troubled and depressed teenagers (and how to deal with them). Click here to read more about The Family Compass’ advocacies.






Image source: cnn.com

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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,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Wordless Wednesday

There's this rumor going around that once your kids hit the teen years, they sleep in on Christmas.

That rumor hasn't hit our house yet.

The kids were still up at the break of dawn.

As in, about 6:15.

Probably would have been earlier if we had allowed it.

What can I say, we have an enthusiastic family.



They were cute.

There was stocking dissection.

Sweet sibling gifts like kitty-cats

and Bieber posters.

There were awesome sneakers

and overwhelmed puppy dogs.

And two tired parents that succumbed to long winter's naps before the clock struck noon.

Thankfully, no pictures of that....



Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!


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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.

Holiday Shop for the Kiddos (in lieu of Therapy Thursday)

My kids are all teens now, and other than needing a lift, they pretty much handle their Christmas shopping on their own.

But when they were little? I hated the prospect of taking them all out together, and somehow helping them shop for Christmas gifts for their siblings without anyone seeing what the others were getting for them. Because wrangling preschoolers and toddlers and helping them shop for others when all they can think is MeMeMe is not on my list of favorite things to do.

Taking them out indvidually? That was a luxury in time I did not have.

My solution?

A holiday shop in the comfort of our own home.

I would take one evening to go shopping on my own, while Daddy played babysitter.
I'd run out to Five Below, or the Dollar store, or Wal-Mart, and buy small gifts for each of the kids (plus Mom and Dad), plus several extras. So for example, when I had four little ones, each of them had to buy for their three siblings, plus stuff for Mom and Dad, so five gifts each. Five times four is 20, so I would buy maybe 25or 30 small gifts.

Then one afternoon I would let them play holiday shop. I would set all the items out on my bed (except the "Mom" gifts), and let them come in one at a time to shop. I'd give them a gift bag, and let them select gifts for each of their siblings, and Dad.

You could let them pay for their purchases with allowance money, or by letting them earn tickets with good behavior, depending on their ages and how you handle money with your kids.

The reason I always got extra gifts is so that by the time the last kid shops, they still have things to choose from. Any extra gifts after the last of the kids has finished shopping can go in their stockings, or can be donated to any of the programs that collect toys and other goodies around the holidays.

The process is repeated when Dad helps them shop for gifts for Mom.

The Homemade Holiday Shop works out really great b/c
*the kids don't get so overstimulated,
*they can more easily think of those they want to buy for,
*you don't have to hear "Clean-up in aisle 2" and wonder what your six year old knocked over.



Hope this helps make your holiday shopping a little easier!





Image courtesy: stockfresh.com


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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.

Check out my full schedule over 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.

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Family Tree Skirt

This is another Christmas idea I got years ago, and again I quote Family Fun as my maybe source.

It is our tree skirt for our Christmas tree.

I don't have the instructions for it, but it was pretty easy no-sew project. You just cut out a tree skirt shape out of any heavy fabric you like (I used a green velvety-type). It's basically a great big donut with a slit cut from edge to center. If you need to, just use your existing skirt as a pattern.

Then you turn the edges under and glue them with some tacky glue or hot glue. Glue on some rick-rack for trim, if you'd like.

Then pick some fabric paint that will contrast nicely with the material you used. Pour some onto a paper plate and coat each family members hands, one set at a time, and help them press their hands onto the fabric in pairs around the edges. You can go back later and touch up empty spots with a paintbrush if needed.

Have each person in the family write their name on a piece of tracing paper. Cut out each name so it's a workable, stand-alone square piece of paper. Then on the back of each name, squeeze some good old-fashioned Elmer's glue on the letters, tracing each letter just as the child wrote it. Press this onto the tree skirt just above or just beneath their handprints, pull up the paper, and sprinkle with glitter so you've covered all the glue-letters. Repeat with each person's name.

Finally, write out the year on the skirt with the glue, and sprinkle glitter over that, as well.

Pretty simple, and yet this is maybe the one thing I'd run back into the house for if my house was burning down.


Here is a picture of ours. Pay no attention to the dog and cat hair.
















(Names blacked out)

Ours has the year 2001, because that was the year I made it, but then when Bella joined our family in 2003, I added that year. James and Julie's handprints were added six years later, but I still have to go back and write in their names and the year.
 
I'll get to it.

No really, I will.


Let me know if any of you end up making this, and show me a picture!



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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.

Since today is Saturday, that means I'm linking up with:

Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop
Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party

Check out my full schedule over 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.

Farm Friday: The Cost of Sustainability

OK, as I promised in my last post, I am going to answer a few questions about the process of raising chickens for meat.

Cost to the Wallet
Let me get this out of the way:
It is not cheaper to raise chickens for meat than it is to buy them in the grocery store.

However...
That is assuming you are buying regular-grade (as opposed to organic) meat, or that you are buying whole chickens and cutting them up. If you just buy parts (boneless, skinless breasts, for example), then you would probably save money by raising your own. Or like I said, if you pay a premium price for buying organic, or buying local farm-raised chicken, you will definitely see a cost savings.

So....

Here's how the costs broke down for me:

12 cornish-rock peeps @ $1.97 (I'll call it $2) apiece..........$24
3 - 50lb bags of Start-n-Grow feed @ $15 a bag..................$45
Processing costs @$1.50 per bird x 9 birds..........................$13.50
6 cockarels (company sent for free as "fillers").......................0
1 extra bag of feed to take cockarels to maturity..................$15
Processing costs @$2 a bird x 6 birds (over 9 is cheaper)....$12
_______________________________________________________________________
                                                                                             $109.50

$109.50 divided by 15 birds = $7.30 per bird, which comes out roughly to about $1.80 per pound (based on a rough estimate of 4 lbs a bird).

Now, here's how costs could be less:

*Ordering more peeps (I plan on ordering 50 next summer), will reduce the cost per bird.
*Having them all processed at the same time will reduce the processing cost per bird.
*Raising them in the summer, with time on pasture, will reduce feed costs, as they will get a portion of their nutrition from grass, weeds, and bugs.
*Better "management" for reduced loss. I lost three birds: one died a couple days after shipment (which is pretty normal), one was (I think) taken by a rat or something. I don't know, it just disappeared. One drowned in a bucket during a hurricane. If I hadn't lost any, that figure would change to about $6.30 a bird.

Before I raised my own, I had bought farm-raised chicken a few times in an effort to steer clear of the factory-farm stuff.  I believe it was $3.00 a pound, for a whole chicken, so raising my own was definitely cheaper than that.

Oh, and I didn't include "facility" costs, such as heat lamps and pens,and the like, b/c I'll be using them for future batches of chickens, as well.


Cost of Time
Obviously, there was way more work involved with raising my own vs buying from a grocery store.  But really it wasn't all that bad.
Basically, it's a twice-a-day committment, of between 5 mins and 1/2 hour at a time.
Mornings (when they were little) I would let them out of their pen, and refill feed and water as needed, and then put them back in again in the evening.  Bedding needs to be refreshed now and then.  Waterers need to be scrubbed out from time to time.  That being said, I always spent more time out there than was needed, b/c they're so darn cute!  And entertaining.  And relaxing.

Cost to the Heart
Some asked if I had a hard time taking them to slaughter. 
Given my history with animals, a valid question.
However, I have to say, I really didn't have a problem with it.

All it took was me watching a couple of those videos of factory farm practices to realize that if I cared at all about animals, I either needed to become a vegetarian, or pay for the pricier stuff raised locally, or humanely raise my own animals for meat.  I chose the latter.  Well, at least for chicken (and eggs).  I will likely venture out to pork and beef in the near future, but baby steps, right?
So when I dropped them off, I didn't feel bad about sending them to their death, I felt good about giving them a good life.  If I'm not going to change the fact that a chicken is being killed for me to eat, I can at least change how that chicken lived and died.  Make sense?

Fortunately, almost the whole family felt the same way, and ate the very first meal I made with the chicken: chicken spaghetti (thanks, Ree Drummond!).  We had only one that didn't feel comfortable eating it, and that was OK by me.  There were no forced feedings under this roof.

Heavenly....

So bottom line, I was able to get chickens for about what I would pay in the grocery store, but I have the satisfaction of knowing I am feeding my family with food that has been raised humanely, and was not filled with antibiotics and steroids and nasty chicken "food", which more often than not includes: same species meat; feathers, hair, skin, hooves, and blood; manure and other animal waste; plastics; drugs and chemicals*.

I spent a lot of my time in the care of my chickens, but in my book it was enjoyable time.  Grounding.

My family and I (with the exception of one child) were able to get behind the concept of raising something for slaughter.  We have been able to move on with our lives and no one will be hitting the shrink couch because of it.  For other things, perhaps, but not for eating food we raised.


Anyway, I'm not sure if I covered all the questions, but I think I got most of them.
Have any more?  Send 'em my way and I'll do my best.









Image courtesy: thepioneerwoman.com
*from the Union of Concerned Scientists

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

Since today is Friday, I'll be linking up with:
Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday
Fresh Eggs Daily's FarmGirl Friday
Little Becky Homecky's Fantabulous Friday
@Home Take 2's Weekend Blog Walk
Oh So Amelia's Friday Chaos

Check out my full blog 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.





.

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Advent Stockings

A number of years ago I came across an idea somewhere (Family Fun, maybe?) of a fun way to count down the days till Christmas.

We had done the advent chains, where you start with 24 paper chains and you rip one off each day so the kids (the little ones, especially) can see how many days are left till the big day. Some people write a bible verse on each chain, or an idea of an activity to do, some just leave them blank.

We also do advent calendars, as this is something I remember from my childhood. Somehow, my kids seem to get just as much thrill out of something as simple as looking for the daily number and opening the flap as I did when I was little.

But my favorite Christmas countdown, and it seems to be my kids' favorite as well, is our advent stockings.

















I'm still planning on throwing a length of Christmas greenery along the hooks to dress it up a bit, but you get the idea.


Pretty simple to do, and the kids get soooo excited to find out what's in each stocking.

I just went out and bought 12 pairs of red and white socks from Wal-Mart, but you could do this for free just by using socks from your unmatched socks basket.

What? Doesn't everybody have a basket full of scores of unmatched socks???

Find some wallspace where you can hang this. I happen to have a long mirror with hooks on it that I use, but you can get some of those 3M hooks that come off the wall when you're done. Those things are all kinds of awesome.

Run a string through the holes of 24 clothespins, and mark the clothespins from 24 down to 1, with 24 to the left and 1 all the way at the end on the right.


















Then have some fun figuring out what to fill the stockings with. If you haven't figured it out yet, this works just like an old-fashioned advent calendar: on Dec 1st, your kids get to see what's in the stocking hung by the "24" clothespin. Dec 2nd they open the "23" stocking and so on down the line till they've opened the "1" stocking on Christmas Eve.

The beauty of this is that you can go really cheap or really elaborate, whatever floats your boat (and your budget).

A few ideas along the range of free to pricey:

*print out some Christmas activity pages, such as word-searches, crosswords, coloring pages,
*cut out strips of red and green construction paper and put those in the stocking for the kids to make a Christmas chain,
*cut out a little Christmas tree from green paper and write "Today we find (or decorate) our Christmas tree!",
*put a Christmas cookie cutter in the stocking to let them know today's the day they'll get to help make Christmas cookies,
*put a little baggie of birdseed in the stocking with a note that instructs them how to make peanut-butter-and-birdseed-pinecone-feeders for the birds,
*candy canes,
*Christmas pencils,
*gum,
*Christmassy hair accessories,
*jingle bells and some ribbon for the kids to make necklaces with,
*surprise them with breakfast out on the way to school one day (perhaps you could write it out on a star cut-out),
*cute Christmas socks.

You're only limited by your imagination.

Each day, another sock comes down, so they'll have the visual before them of how many days remain till Christmas.

If you can't trust the kids to not peek (and really, if you can, I don't like you very much), then just fill one at a time before you go on to bed each night.

The kids have been asking me for weeks when we can start the advent stockings.

Maybe I'll need to make advent stockings leading up to the advent stockings.




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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.



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.

Here's the schedule I keep:
Monday:
Homestead Revival's Barn Hop
Natural Living Mamma's Natural Living Mondays
The Chicken Chick's Clever Chicks
A Cat-Like Curiosity's Monday Mantras
Ponder Wonder's Soul Food Monday
@ Home Take 2's Mom's Monday Mingle
DIY Dreamer's Pinterest Repin Party
DIY Home Sweet Home's More the Merrier Monday
Tuesday:
Heavenly Homemaker's Gratituesday
Crafty Garden Mama's Tuesday Greens
The Wrinkled Mommy's Tuesday Archive Link-Up
Wednesday:
My Life and Kids Finding the Funny
Tilly's Nest's Down Home
Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk's Mom's Library Link-Up
Crafty Spices Wordless Wednesday
Thursday:
A Rural Journal's Rural Thursday Blog Hop
Two In Diapers' Mommy Brain Mixer
Friday:
Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday
Fresh Eggs Daily's FarmGirl Friday
Little Becky Homecky's Fantabulous Friday
@Home Take 2's Weekend Blog Walk
Oh So Amelia's Friday Chaos
Saturday:
Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop
Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party
Sunday:
Dawn's Disaster's Super Sunday Link


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.

Mirth Monday Becomes (for today): Kazakhstan Look-Back

Four years ago, Fred and I were in Kazakhstan, adopting James and Julie.

We were there for about a month, and it was...well let's just say it wasn't exactly a vacation.

On November 11th, 2008, I posted about our trip from Ust Kamenogorsk to Ridder, to return James to his school...




The last day of the two week bonding period arrived today! We left earlier than usual to go to the notary again, then off to visit with Borya and Julia for a short time. After a bit, Borya went to gather the backpack of clothes and stuff he had at this school for the last couple weeks, we said goodbye to Julia (well, "da zavdra", which is "see you tomorrow"), and left to take Borya back to Ridder, his school in the mountains about 80 miles northeast of Ust Kamenogorsk.

It was a crowded car, as we had the driver and our coordinator up front, and Fred, Borya, Bella and I in the back. And we're not talking SUV or even mini-van, but compact car. Bella sat in my lap the whole way. Along the way, Borya grew tired and rested his head against Fred's shoulder and went to sleep. How do you say "awwww" in Russian? Partway through the drive it began to snow. It was exciting at first, to finally see some honest-to-God snow up here, but soon the roads started getting snow-covered and slick. There was a patch where we passed several cars either pulled over or slid over to the side of the road. Our driver finally decided to pull over himself and change over to winter tires. Something he accomplished, in the snow and with no gloves, in about 10 minutes. The tires helped, but it was still pretty treachorous going. As we climbed higher into the mountains, the roads became steeper and the turns twistier. We slowed to a crawl, we all held our collective breath, and we finally arrived in Ridder. Our last turn before entering the town proper, our car went into a spin and nearly crashed into a pole. I grabbed onto Bella and shut my eyes, Fred threw his arm across Borya and watched everything. We stopped inches from the pole, no damage, no injuries. Breathe.


So we get to the orphanange and we're ushered down several long hallways and into the director's office. After a long bumpy car ride with a 65# child bouncing on my lap, I'm in desperate need to use the "twalyet", but we are neither greeted, nor offered a drink, nor offered the use of their facilities. Instead, we all sit silent as our coordinator and the director and a secretary-type begin arguing in Russian. Nothing is said to us, and I'm about to get sick all over the conference table, thinking something has gone dreadfully wrong with the adoption. After a while, our coordinator leaves, and we sit with this man trying to make polite conversation though none of us speaks the other's language. Fred finally asks if we may use the bathroom, and the director takes us there personally. But I must warn you here and now: never, EVER use the bathroom at the orphanage in Ridder, Kazakhstan (remote chance, I know, but still you must be warned). When we got back to the director's office, neither he nor our coordinator were there, and I'm trying to hold it together, thinking the adoption has just been scrapped. Fred's trying to comfort me, but I just know it has gone all wrong. Alma returns and we gathered our courage to ask her what that was all about. Turns out it wasn't even related to our adoption, but some registration numbers that needed to be filed on someone else (doesn't even directly affect that adoption). The term emotional rollercoaster does not come close to doing justice to what we are going through here. I think I might coin a new phrase -- how does emotional tsunami roll off the tongue?


So the meeting with the director over, I ask permission for Borya to show us around and introduce us to his friends. Basically, this is the reason I wanted to come to Ridder at all. But no. So we get one picture of Borya with a couple boys who happened to be around, and it was time to leave. By this time there are several inches of snow on the ground, and just as many mountains to climb through. What should have been a 2- hour drive turned into a 3+ hour drive. We did get to see some lovely scenery, including beautiful montains with the sun setting behind them, stands of birch and forests of evergreens in the snow, quaint villages nestled in the valleys, tendrils of smoke curling from the chimneys of the little cottages, with a backdrop of snow-covered Christmas trees on the hillside ..... and sheer drops down the mountain at the side of slick, snowy roads!


As I'm sure you must surmise from reading this blog entry, we survived the trip. Never was I so happy to see the smokestacks spewing forth the pollution that covers Ust as I was when we neared this city. We arrived back at our hotel about 10 hours after we had left. We hadn't had anything to eat or drink (other than the pack of crackers I found in the bottom of my purse on the drive home) since breakfast that morning. But we signed a few more "doc-oo-ments" that our coordinator put on the table in front of us in the hotel lobby, had dinner in the hotel's restaurant, went upstairs and pretty much collapsed.


I will certainly miss Borya over the next week as we await our court date. The road to Ridder, I will not miss.

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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.



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.

Here's the schedule I keep:
Monday: Homestead Revival's Barn Hop, Natural Living Mamma's Natural Living Mondays, The Chicken Chick's Clever Chicks, A Cat-Like Curiosity's Monday Mantras, Ponder Wonder's Soul Food Monday and @ Home Take 2's Mom's Monday Mingle
Tuesday: Heavenly Homemaker's Gratituesday, Crafty Garden Mama's Tuesday Greens, and The Wrinkled Mommy's Tuesday Archive Link-Up
Wednesday: My Life and Kids Finding the Funny, Tilly's Nest's Down Home, and Crafty Spices Wordless Wednesday
Thursday: A Rural Journal's Rural Thursday Blog Hop, and Two In Diapers' Mommy Brain Mixer
Friday: Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday, Fresh Eggs Daily's FarmGirl Friday, Little Becky Homecky's Fantabulous Friday, @Home Take 2's Weekend Blog Walk, and Oh So Amelia's Friday Chaos
Saturday: Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop, and Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party.

Since today is Monday, that means I'm linking up my post "Time to Say Goodbye"
with Homestead Revival's Barn Hop, Natural Living Mamma's Natural Living Mondays, and The Chicken Chick's Clever Chick;
yesterday's post "Inspiration Sunday" with A Cat-Like Curiosity's Monday Mantras, and  Ponder Wonder's Soul Food Monday; and "Screen-Free, Mess-Free Activities For Kids" with @ Home Take 2's Mom's Monday Mingle.

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.

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Guest Post on Screen-Free Activities For Kids

Today I have a guest post for you from Nancy Parker. She has written up a wonderful post on Screen-Free Holiday Crafts for Kids. Take it away, Nancy!


Mess and Screen Free Holiday Crafts for Kids

Having craft time with kids usually means a mess, and during the busy holiday season that is not something you want to spend time cleaning up after. However, it wouldn’t be the holidays without some fun themed crafts to go along with it! For mess and screen free fun with your kids, why not try:




1) Felt Tree – I know kids are always trying to play with the Christmas tree and ornaments, so why not give them their own tree to decorate? Cut out a green tree from felt and add some colorful felt ornaments and presents. Hang the tree up on the wall and let kids decorate, redecorate and have fun with that tree to their heart’s content. Nothing messy or dangerous here, just fun!

 

 

2) Finger Paint in a Bag – Finger painting is usually a messy proposition, but not this method! All you have to do is put a couple globs of paint in a large gallon Ziploc bag, get the air out, and tape down the edges. Taped to a table, kids can have fun mixing colors and painting without the paint drying out or getting all over!

3)Leaf Wind Catcher – Celebrate the fall with autumn colored leaves! You can use real laves, but that can be messy. Instead, purchase some artificial leaves, a bit of twine, and some beads for color. Have kids string the beads and leaves on the twine and hang for all to see!

4) Overnight Snowflake – This one is fun for kids to watch, though they do not get to participate as much. All you need is some borax, pipe cleaner and thread to make beautiful crystal snowflakes. Just mix borax and water and pour into a mason jar. Drop in your snowflake shaped pipe cleaner (or any shape you want, snowman would be good) and tie a strong around it for easy retrieval. Let it sit overnight and in the morning you will have a sparkly snowflake!

 

5) St. Nick’s Station – Give the kids something to focus on besides gifts! Take an empty cardboard box and cut doors and windows in it. The kids can pretend they are helping Santa make the gifts and ‘ship’ in all the parts for the toys with their trucks, cars and trains. They can even set up a reindeer landing strip!

6) Sensory Bag – This is a fun craft for the very little ones. Fill a gallon bag with hair gel and assorted small toys (no sharp edges please). Seal up the bag with duct tape and let the babies go to town! They love to feel the squishy against the hard and figure out what each shape in the bag is and how it will move. Mess free and will keep them busy!

These are just a few of the fun, mess and screen free crafts and activities you and your children can do this holiday season. Check online for more great ideas or just come up with your own. There is no limit to the fun you can have!



Author Bio
Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, parenting, child care, babysitting, nanny, etc.
You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.



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

Read it. Like it? Follow it. Please? Thanks.
(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


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


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.



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.

Here's the schedule I keep:
Monday: Homestead Revival's Barn Hop, Natural Living Mamma's Natural Living Mondays, The Chicken Chick's Clever Chicks, A Cat-Like Curiosity's Monday Mantras, Ponder Wonder's Soul Food Monday and @ Home Take 2's Mom's Monday Mingle
Tuesday: Heavenly Homemaker's Gratituesday, Crafty Garden Mama's Tuesday Greens, and The Wrinkled Mommy's Tuesday Archive Link-Up
Wednesday: My Life and Kids Finding the Funny, Tilly's Nest's Down Home, and Crafty Spices Wordless Wednesday
Thursday: A Rural Journal's Rural Thursday Blog Hop, and Two In Diapers' Mommy Brain Mixer
Friday: Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday, Fresh Eggs Daily's FarmGirl Friday, Little Becky Homecky's Fantabulous Friday, @Home Take 2's Weekend Blog Walk, and Oh So Amelia's Friday Chaos
Saturday: Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop, and Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party.


Since today is Saturday, that means I'm linking up tpday's post with Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party, and my post "Time to Say Goodbye"
with Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop, and Country Momma Cooks Saturday Link-Up.

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.

Chicken-Scratch-Saturday: Quippsy

OK, so here's something a little different for me -- a paid review.

There's a brand-new social networking game in town, and its name is Quippsy.

They contacted me a while back and invited me to check them out. I did.

Pretty cool!

In a nutshell, Quippsy is a site for you to post all the cute, clever, funny things your kids say throughout the day.

You know, all those things that you later say,
"I wish I had written that down"?

Yeah, those.

Now you can, and without the fear of losing the receipt you wrote Junior's quipp on!

Quippsy is super easy to use. You can log-in through Facebook, then go ahead and post your quipps! Viewers vote the quipps as cute, smart or funny, and then each week the votes are tallied and the best from each category is chosen.

Now, you might be thinking that you already post the cute things your kid says on Facebook, so why do the same thing on Quippsy? I'll tell you why. On Facebook, all the memorable things your kid said or did will be buried under all the times you went to the gym or raked the leaves or took a picture of the dinner you just made. If you ever decide to compile them, you're sunk. With Quippsy, it's all in one place, AND, you'll have the option of compiling all these memories into a memory book! Can you say gift item? Plus, if you still want to post those things on Facebook, you can, right from Quippsy. What could be easier?

Once you join, you will have the option of signing up for a basic membership (free), or a gold membership ($10/year), and of course you can read all about these membership levels on site.

In fact, the good people at Quippsy created a custom "landing page" for all Life on the Funny Farm readers! Just click on over to Quippsy at this link and get the low-down on how to get started.

They are actually offering my LOTFF readers a FREE gold membership when they visit through this link. How awesome is that?

So what are you waiting for?  Head over to Quippsy today!





Wow, I really DID just sound like a commercial there, didn't I?  Maybe I have a new career ahead of me!


Image courtesy: quippsy.com

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Read it. Like it? Follow it. Please? Thanks.
(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


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


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.



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.

Here's the schedule I keep:
Monday: Homestead Revival's Barn Hop, Natural Living Mamma's Natural Living Mondays, The Chicken Chick's Clever Chicks, A Cat-Like Curiosity's Monday Mantras, Ponder Wonder's Soul Food Monday and @ Home Take 2's Mom's Monday Mingle
Tuesday: Heavenly Homemaker's Gratituesday, Crafty Garden Mama's Tuesday Greens, and The Wrinkled Mommy's Tuesday Archive Link-Up
Wednesday: My Life and Kids Finding the Funny, Tilly's Nest's Down Home, and Crafty Spices Wordless Wednesday
Thursday: A Rural Journal's Rural Thursday Blog Hop, and Two In Diapers' Mommy Brain Mixer
Friday: Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday, Fresh Eggs Daily's FarmGirl Friday, Little Becky Homecky's Fantabulous Friday, @Home Take 2's Weekend Blog Walk, and Oh So Amelia's Friday Chaos
Saturday: Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop, and Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party.


Since today is Saturday, that means I'm linking up my post "Stress Relief" with Camera Critter's Life With Dogs Pet Blogger Hop, and Country Momma Cooks Saturday Link-Up; and "Good Will Halloweening" with Tutus and Tea Parties' Pinteresting Party.


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.