Halloween Recap

Before yet another holiday is long past, here is a recap of Halloween! Something that happened only three days ago!

First up, the pumpkins. Hopefully sometime soon I can share the photos from our fall shenanigans at pumpkin patches and what not. We picked two pumpkins out of a pumpkin field and we received one more at a halloween festival. The boys set out to decorate them using a new set of carving tools S found at Target. They decided to score the picture into the pumpkin, instead of cutting all the way through, and score the backside so you could see it glow. It worked pretty well. LM was the producer and director of the operation, choosing the designs and dictating their flow. 

While the carving was going on, BB and I were very helpful. BB moved all around the house, occasionally requiring someone to retrieve him. Then, he decided to rummage through the pantry. In there, he found some cheese-it packets left over from football snacks. He decided to pulverize those for us. I took photos, of course, including a selfie. See how helpful we were? I know! So helpful!

The pumpkins came out great anyway!

Now we move on to the costumes. LM had his face painted at a harvest festival we attended, and we went to a halloween festival at the sports complex with his little friend Clayton. Friday morning, BB's Kindermusik class dressed up, so he participated. Then, there was a class party at school and the actual day of Halloween neighborhood shenanigans.

The cutest batman around.


Posing for Mom


With Clayton

Clayton has been the same thing for Halloween for three years. He really likes this costume! I think it's so cute, and clearly his mom made a good investment!

Here is a side-by-side of LM and BB in this lion outfit.

On to the class party!

The dressed up, and then the K-5 classes had a parade!

Our sweet neighbor friend!

LM's little buddy from preschool that is now in kindergarten with him too!

And Clayton was there too!

Then we went to the classroom for a party!

We read a story...

And we did a fun dance...

And we had a snack!

These cuties came to the party!

And the room moms dressed up as their kids...I know, you're glad I told you. 

Now, on to Halloween!

We were "Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!"

The neighborhood dressed up and looked great!

Cute little lion.

Then it was time for trick-or-treating...

...and visiting our friends and neighbors.

There you go. We did it up big. And, now we are on to November! Phew! 

See you soon.

Kindergarten is in Full Swing!

LM and one of his buddies from preschool at the back to school picnic.

Since I didn't get a timely "first day of school" post up, let me share those photos and some others regarding Kindergarten this year for our LM. So far, he LOVES it!

Sack races at back to school picnic!

He loves school, is making friends, and loves his teacher and the other teachers at the school. He attends a very small public school, and has only 14 students in his class.

On the first day.

They are learning to write better, read, explore the worlds of science, music, art, yoga, Spanish and more! The school has a chicken coop and a garden, and they are getting to work with those special areas as well.

Because the school is so small, they are clustered by grades, so he does many things with kids in K-2. They also have a "buddy" program where they are paired up with a 7th grader (the school is K-8) and LM has really enjoyed this as well.

Since the start of school, S had the opportunity to be a part of the mystery reader program. He went to class and read LM's current book favorite, Big Mean Mike, to the class. 

They have also participated in harvesting the garden, picking both corn and potatoes. LM's teacher is so great to send along photos of activities as they do them, which is a nice way for us to follow along. The kids dressed up like pirates one day to present their song about the school's guiding principals to the older students. And, they had a big celebration on National Punctuation Day, where they began to learn about punctuation. They have also learned about fire safety and much, much more! This week we will have special senior's day, and right around the corner are Halloween parties and a Veterans Day event. So, Kindergarten is off to a great start!

See you soon.

Mythbusters: Farm Edition

I have just finished up my last farm visit as part of Illinois Farm Families City Moms for 2015. And, I wanted to summarize some of the common myths out there in the media, and used by marketers to make a sale, that were busted for me during this year of visiting farm families all over northern Illinois.

MYTH: "Organic" means "pesticide free"
FACT: "Organic" is a term that is regulated by the USDA and FDA. To use the term organic on your product, you DO have to meet certain guidelines, as outlined here. And, to use pesticides on an organic crop, it has to be an organic pesticide. Organic substances are not all "good for you" - they are just organic, meaning "of, relating to, or derived from living matter." People often think of manure or compost, which are both organic. But arsenic is also organic. The level of pesticide, organic or conventional, is not controlled by these labels, and you cannot really know whether that conventional product has more or less pesticide than the organic. You just know that pesticide that was used fit the organic guidelines. So, just be a savvy consumer and realize what is marketing and what is useful for your family. And wash your fruits and vegetables!

MYTH: There are antibiotics in our meat and milk supply
FACT: While sometimes it is necessary to give an animal an antibiotic to treat an illness, so it does not spread to the rest of the herd, it does not mean those antibiotics are in our food. There are well documented "withdrawal" times for every medicine. Farmers and their veterinarians know these withdrawal times. No animal is milked or sent to harvest until all of that antibiotic has left their system. Additionally, the great majority of antibiotics used on animals are not the same ones being used by humans. What's more, you don't have to even trust the farmer on this! The USDA is on hand all day, every day, at every milk intake plant or harvest facility, testing animals and milk. If the milk or animals are ever found to have broken the rules, the entire load of milk or animals is rejected, the farmer doesn't get paid, and they are put on a watch list. When on that list, they are subject to further scrutiny and testing that costs them more money. Farmers want to follow the rules. Farmers want to make money on milk or animals they have spent money to raise. It's their livelihood. It's that simple.

MYTH: Non-GMO means healthier and safer for your family
FACT: First, it might be useful for you to know why GMO foods were begun in the first place. Along with corn and soybeans, another early successful GMO seeds was for papaya plants, and the seed allowed for an entire crop to be saved from a very invasive virus that, if left alone, would have eradicated them from the planet. You can learn more about that here. Additionally, GMO seeds have increased yield on plants, allowing leaders to feed more people with less land around the globe, where there are increasingly more mouths to feed. GMO seeds require less pesticide use than non-GMO crops. And, in over 40 years of testing, there has not been one test that has indicated there is any change to your food, eating GMO or non-GMO. This is a multi-layered topic, but you should know there is no empirical evidence to support the claim that non-GMO foods are healthier or safer for your family.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the things I have learned as a City Mom. I am now a more informed consumer for me and my family. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program. 

My Big Boy is 5!

 

Just minutes old

Five years ago today, I got my very pregnant body, which had been struggling with blood pressure issues and did not enjoy the Texas summer heat, up and went to eat at IHOP with S and Dad at 4am - and gave birth to this boy at 1:11pm. Oh, how he has changed our lives forever!

 

One year old

He is so smart, interesting, stubborn and active. He lives life in a BIG, physical way. He has so MANY questions about this world of ours, and usually those questions are very interesting, even if I've had my fill of them at that moment. He thinks anyone he meets of any age is a potential friend and wants to hear his life story, and tell him theirs. He loves to imagine and pretend play. 

 

Two years old

He loves having the "right" outfit for every occasion - be it the firehouse, the baseball field, or Easter service. He is such a loving big brother, and sweet boy. He keeps this old mama on her toes, and on good days I keep up with him. 

Three years old

 

Four years old

He will be off to kindergarten soon, which is amazing to me! He might a visual mini-me of his Dad, but has a sentimental inside that is all from his Mom. (poor boy!) He has enriched our lives beyond measure.

 

Five years old!

Last night, when I went in to tell him goodnight, he said, "Mom, what is tomorrow?" I said, "It's your 5th birthday, silly boy!" And he said, "Oh yeah, right!" with a goofy grin from ear to ear. Happy, Happy 5th Birthday to our LM!

All About Mom by LM

A friend posted this series of questions on Facebook the other day and said she wanted other people to ask their kids and post their answers. So, I did. I'm compliant like that. Here are the questions and the answers, given by LM, age 4. I post them with no comment. 

1. What is something mom always says to you? Don’t do it
2. What makes mom happy? Bringing flowers to you
3. What makes mom sad? Not giving flowers to you 
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickles my armpits
5. What was your mom like as a child? Short with blonde hair

6. How old is your mom? 41
7. How tall is your mom? 41 feet
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Go do fun stuff with me
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Read a book
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Playing a guitar
11. What is your mom really good at? Entertaining me
12. What is your mom not very good at? Nothing

13. What does your mom do for a job? Play with me and BB
14.What is your mom's favorite food? I don’t know
15.What makes you proud of your mom? When she makes a beautiful painting 
16. If your mom were a character, who would she be? Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz because her skin looks like wood
17. What do you and your mom do together? Go out to the museum 
18. How are you and your mom the same? Same color hair
19. How are you and your mom different? Different color eyes 

20. How do you know your mom loves you? She always shows a sign of it
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? That she gets to see him on the weekends
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Chuck E Cheese 
23. How old was your Mom when you were born? Pretty old!

Technology on the Farm

I enjoyed another day with my fellow City Moms recently, when we had the opportunity to tour the Meyer Saathoff Family farm. The focus of our visit was to learn about planting crops, specifically corn and soybean crops. I am sure there will be blogs that talk more about this process and the information gained therein. But, what I have been completely mesmerized by at this visit, and at our last tour to the pig farrowing farm earlier in the spring, is the amount of technology on the farm.

It is no wonder farmers are spending more time in the classroom, at industry events and networking with others than in previous generations, because to learn and use this technology has changed farming in many ways. It has helped mitigate some of the risk of farming for each family, and allowed for better use of soil, nutrients, fertilizer, seeds and pesticides, and ultimately allowed for larger yields with more targeted work.

For example, soil is tested in all sorts of ways to allow the farmer to have more knowledge and control. They can see what nutrients are lacking in the soil, and choose to fertilize to add only the nutrients needed for an upcoming crop. Or, they can choose to plant certain crops in certain locations that will allow for maximum yield. This testing helps the farmer spend resources only on the fertilizer and nutrients needed, and plan for the most effective crop rotation.

There is also extensive use of GPS, and tablet apps that track water retention in the fields on a real-time basis! And much, much more, but those are for another post. It's amazing how technologically savvy our family farmers have become.