Five Minute Friday: Full

I've been thinking about this little neglected blog and how there are things I'd like to do with it and things to share, but life has been full "to the max" and left little time for lingering here.

This past week (month!) life was full with 4-H and the county fair. Since we returned to the midwest and live near my parents' beef farm, the children have been able to experience a bit of my childhood, especially showing cattle. We have traveled to several shows with my dad since we moved back, and just culminated the summer show circuit (for us - taking a pass on the state fair this year) with the county fair. It happened to be one of the hottest ever. Lucky us! But the new beef barn was bearable with all the fans running. It was a bit sad that they didn't get to be in the same barns I stalled in as a child, but I think with the heat, it was a good thing.

I was proud of all three of them. Little G just returned from two weeks of back-to-back camps, and managed to control his attitude and still function (though his brain is pretty much gone at this point).

Glueing up his heifer's leg hair before the show

B fractured her arm 5 days before the cow show part started (fortunately she was done with her other projects), and still managed to lead her calves around, show, them, and pretty much everything except carry the pitchfork with manure (it's heavy!).

Styling her heifer's tail before the show, with help from L

It was a draining 4 days or so, but feels good to have accomplished it and done well!

I hope to post more on the fair later!

Art for the guys

Geoff and Little G both went out of town the same weekend. These little cards were made to send notes with them on, tucked away in their bags various places. A page from an old book was glued down, then painted, sprayed, written on, etc. (Basically, I used the opportunity to play.)Capturing this moment of Little G packing up for his first time away from home alone. We learned at the dentist yesterday that he is about to lose his last baby tooth! Awwww.Saying goodbye to Geoff before he headed out on an out-of-country business trip a few weeks ago.

More growing up!

This kid has lost three teeth in the past few weeks! When he had a dental exam a little over a month ago, we were told there were several on the verge of coming out, and now they have! That lone one in between the two gaps is gone now, too.

Little techie

Little G has developed quite an interest in various electronic and tech equipment over the past 8 months or so. He practically memorizes the Best Buy ads each week, and is more up to date in many areas of technology than we are. He used money he had saved up for years to purchase this little number earlier this fall, and did a great job of taking care of it, till the fateful day when I swiped his pants out of the bathroom the minute he stepped in the shower and...you can probably guess the rest of the story.

With Christmas, various new pieces of technology came along, in various forms, and for the majority of the holidays, we didn't limit the use of them as much as usual. Yesterday morning was the first day back to reality (to some extent, anyway) and that combined with a conversation with a friend on Friday, and an article in the newspaper, led me to do some serious thinking about the whole area and Little G's use of technology. When he came downstairs for the day, I snuggled up with him for a few minutes and talked about some of the positives and negatives and since it wasn't in a moment of discipline or frustration, think that it went over quite well. That was confirmed later that day when he came in and told me he had deleted a lot of games off of his latest device to help decrease the temptation to waste time playing. (Of course he left the most tempting, but still, he was thinking about it and it was a start.)

One of the things we had discussed that morning, was how time spent doing many of those things that children spend a huge quantity of their time doing today - video games, etc. - produce nothing and generally have a negative effect in decreasing the child's ability to entertain themselves, or to think for themselves. Instead of telling him this though, I tried to lead him in figuring that out for himself, which seemed to be somewhat effective.

To be honest, I swing back and forth from wishing we could eliminate all these devices from our lives, to more of the middle ground of using them and teaching the children to use them wisely and carefully. Realizing that they are pretty much here to stay, and that is the world our children are going to live in though, I hope to do the best we can at instilling discernment and wisdom in their use, while we can.

On that note, I should be off the computer and reading the borrowed book that needs to be finished and returned!

Grateful Day 7: G

Grateful for goofy G!

This kid can make life interesting, but he can also be a really good helper when he wants to be. Saturday he raked up this pile of pine needles and stuffed them all into 9 big garbage bags.

Skimboarding son

Our son used a gift card he got for his birthday to purchase this off the end-of-the-summer clearance shelf: In Sacred Parenting, I've been reading about how this generation of kids have been kept "safe" from so much that they have some other issues that are almost as bad. I have been guilty of this myself and can see some of the less than productive effects. So, I cringe every time he sets it up and goes out to play on it, but try not to give too many warnings and so forth, And so far, no broken bones or trauma.

He did mention having a sore "rump" after one afternoon spent this way, but has enjoyed it when he's used it.She looks like a little surfer girl with that long, scraggly hair!

A little St. Patrick's Day festivities

A brief clip of little G's fiddle class playing at the local Celtic Association event today.

Not to leave one out...

So that all children are equally represented, sharing this goofy one that was taken during school one day this week...

Think the cold was getting to him. Or the Kleenex's were more fun than the school work.