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| No rollovers this year. What a shame! |
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| Dalin, Emily and Crew enjoying the show |
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| What a handsome kid! |
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| Bennett and his selfie addiction |
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| Chase and friends posing for the camera. |
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Demolition Derby
We look forward to the Demolition Derby every year. It is one of the highlights of the summer.
School Lunch
My boys have always been on the later school schedule. That means that they don't leave in the morning until 9:00. That has always given me plenty of time to fix lunches and for the boys to take their time getting up, finish homework, clean their rooms and argue. It also allows me to not be so rigid on bedtimes. Because of this, I have always enjoyed the later school schedule and have requested it each year.
Last year, Owen begged and begged me to change to the early schedule. He is one of my kids that has no problem getting up in the morning and did not like to see half of his class get to leave in the afternoon an hour before he did.
I debated for awhile and sat down and talked to my kids about the changes that would be made. They all agreed (more or less) that they wanted to change to the early bird schedule.
There were two things I knew I would need to do in order for it to work.
1) Get the boys to bed on time. Period. No one will do well if they are tired and cranky and have a hard time getting up in the morning. I tackled that problem early summer when we swapped rooms so everyone could be asleep at the appropriate time. It is up to me to enforce the bedtimes now that school has started.
2) Do all the prep work (lunches, homework, showers etc.) the evening before. All that they would need to do in the morning is wake up, dress, eat and go.
Simple right? Well, that is the plan, but it is always easier said than done. But ultimately I know it is up to me to make sure these 2 things happen.
The past month I have been evaluating how to make lunches easier. I also know that whatever I do, it needs to be simple. If it is not simple, I will not keep it up.
I've looked on Pinterest and other websites for healthy ideas on what to pack and how to pack. Along with the laughable ideas, (cold aspargaus and salmon for lunch? Sandwiches cut to look like bunnies?) there were several healthy food ideas that I am working on adding to the lunch menu. But the big change is to pre-package all my lunch food for the week. Sandwiches go in the freezer and fruit and veggies are cut up and stored in the fridge. I have allotted 2 drawers next to the fridge for all the dry food.
I have no idea why I have never thought to do this before. Maybe because I have had plenty of time to make lunches in the morning and it hasn't been an issue. Who knows. But this is what we are going to try out. Sunday night will be prep night. The boys can help me and we can chop, make and bag everything for the week.
Here's to a new school year!
Last year, Owen begged and begged me to change to the early schedule. He is one of my kids that has no problem getting up in the morning and did not like to see half of his class get to leave in the afternoon an hour before he did.
I debated for awhile and sat down and talked to my kids about the changes that would be made. They all agreed (more or less) that they wanted to change to the early bird schedule.
There were two things I knew I would need to do in order for it to work.
1) Get the boys to bed on time. Period. No one will do well if they are tired and cranky and have a hard time getting up in the morning. I tackled that problem early summer when we swapped rooms so everyone could be asleep at the appropriate time. It is up to me to enforce the bedtimes now that school has started.
2) Do all the prep work (lunches, homework, showers etc.) the evening before. All that they would need to do in the morning is wake up, dress, eat and go.
Simple right? Well, that is the plan, but it is always easier said than done. But ultimately I know it is up to me to make sure these 2 things happen.
The past month I have been evaluating how to make lunches easier. I also know that whatever I do, it needs to be simple. If it is not simple, I will not keep it up.
I've looked on Pinterest and other websites for healthy ideas on what to pack and how to pack. Along with the laughable ideas, (cold aspargaus and salmon for lunch? Sandwiches cut to look like bunnies?) there were several healthy food ideas that I am working on adding to the lunch menu. But the big change is to pre-package all my lunch food for the week. Sandwiches go in the freezer and fruit and veggies are cut up and stored in the fridge. I have allotted 2 drawers next to the fridge for all the dry food.
Here's to a new school year!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Hen Pecked
When you have chickens, you realize pretty quickly that a lot of the idioms that you hear about chickens are true and they came about because somebody watched their behavior. These are just a few that we have observed from our ladies.
"Feathering her nest" - Seen it
"Mad as a wet hen" - Seen it. They don't like being held and getting their backside scrubbed down. That's another story.
"All cooped up" - Yep
"Don't lay an egg" - Have you heard them when they lay?
"Pecking order" - Definitely a social order with them.
This past month, we have added another one to our list.
"Hen pecked"
About a month ago as I was out in the coop taking care of them I noticed that one of the ladies was missing her feathers around her neck. I thought that was strange and tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Mites? Maybe, but none of the other chickens were having problems. Molting? No, they don't molt like that. Sick? Maybe, but she was acting fine and other than seeing gaping wounds or broken legs, I'm not sure what to look for.
I couldn't quite figure it out. As I kept thinking about it, it dawned on me that every time I go out to gather eggs, this same chicken is always in the coop, often sitting on the shelf, looking out the window. That is strange. They love their run. I mentioned it to Scott and he wasn't sure what was wrong either. He did mention that he threw the balding chicken out into the run recently and it freaked out and ran into a corner. Red flag.
A few days later I was watching the rest of the ladies in the coop and I noticed another chicken that had bald patches. All of a sudden, for no reason all of the other chickens started attacking it and yes, pecking and pulling out its feathers. How mean! That lady for some reason takes the abuse and still comes out into the run, even though these attacks happen often. The one in the coop has just decided that it is not worth it any more.
So I did a little research and there aren't many options out there.
1)Remove the bullies for awhile and then slowly add them back to the brood to hopefully disrupt their pecking order. I can't tell which ones are the bullies and even if I did single them out where would I put them?
2)Find new homes for the bullied ones. I'm pretty confident they would just start to pick on the next lowest one on the totem pole.
3) Provide more stimulation for them. Really? I have to entertain my chickens? That's a joke right?
There is a good chance that my chickens are bored. Bored. I guess that makes sense, because we don't let them out into the yard anymore because they are so destructive to the landscaping. Their accommodations are quite luxurious for chickens though, but I guess it isn't enough for them. It must be that my chickens are just gifted and need something more than just your average layer out there. :)
So, lately I have been taking a lot of greenery from the garden into the run for them to peck at, as well as throwing scratch in there daily. Short of that I'm not sure what else one does to entertain a chicken. Here's hoping they start to leave these 2 ladies alone. If not, I'm not sure what my next step is.
"Feathering her nest" - Seen it
"Mad as a wet hen" - Seen it. They don't like being held and getting their backside scrubbed down. That's another story.
"All cooped up" - Yep
"Don't lay an egg" - Have you heard them when they lay?
"Pecking order" - Definitely a social order with them.
This past month, we have added another one to our list.
"Hen pecked"
 |
| No feathers around her neck |
I couldn't quite figure it out. As I kept thinking about it, it dawned on me that every time I go out to gather eggs, this same chicken is always in the coop, often sitting on the shelf, looking out the window. That is strange. They love their run. I mentioned it to Scott and he wasn't sure what was wrong either. He did mention that he threw the balding chicken out into the run recently and it freaked out and ran into a corner. Red flag.
A few days later I was watching the rest of the ladies in the coop and I noticed another chicken that had bald patches. All of a sudden, for no reason all of the other chickens started attacking it and yes, pecking and pulling out its feathers. How mean! That lady for some reason takes the abuse and still comes out into the run, even though these attacks happen often. The one in the coop has just decided that it is not worth it any more.
So I did a little research and there aren't many options out there.
1)Remove the bullies for awhile and then slowly add them back to the brood to hopefully disrupt their pecking order. I can't tell which ones are the bullies and even if I did single them out where would I put them?
2)Find new homes for the bullied ones. I'm pretty confident they would just start to pick on the next lowest one on the totem pole.
3) Provide more stimulation for them. Really? I have to entertain my chickens? That's a joke right?
There is a good chance that my chickens are bored. Bored. I guess that makes sense, because we don't let them out into the yard anymore because they are so destructive to the landscaping. Their accommodations are quite luxurious for chickens though, but I guess it isn't enough for them. It must be that my chickens are just gifted and need something more than just your average layer out there. :)
So, lately I have been taking a lot of greenery from the garden into the run for them to peck at, as well as throwing scratch in there daily. Short of that I'm not sure what else one does to entertain a chicken. Here's hoping they start to leave these 2 ladies alone. If not, I'm not sure what my next step is.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Bennett Loves the Selfie
It is not uncommon for me to find numerous pictures of Bennett on my phone. I think it is his favorite past time. The weirder the facial expressions, the better. Here are the latest ones.
Silly Ben Ben.
Silly Ben Ben.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Pittsburg Lake
Last Friday night, after the boys went to bed, Scott and I made a last minute hiking trip. We decided to wake up the boys the next morning and hike to Pittsburg Lake up American Fork Canyon. Last spring Scott had expressed interest in going on this hike so we decided now was as good of a time as ever. We had also talked to a few people recently about this hike and knew a few things. It is short, about 1.5 miles. It is steep. The trail head is a little hard to find. Once you get to the top it is worth it.
The next morning we pulled the boys out of bed, ate breakfast at Kneaders and with our water backpacks and some jelly bellies and apples we were off. We confirmed everything we had heard about the hike.
The trail head is a little hard to find
After traveling on a very bumpy, dusty road for 30 minutes, we thought we had found the trail head, but it wasn't marked. According to the map, it looked like we were in the right spot though. We got out of the truck and started hiking on an obvious, but unmarked trail. About 20 minutes into the hike we looked across the river and saw a trail going straight up the side of the mountain. We knew we were on the wrong trail. So down we went. We hopped back in the truck, crossed the river and found the trail head that was clearly marked.
The trail is steep.
Holy smokes! This trail was steep. It didn't let up the entire time. After the hike, Scott figured out that the elevation change in a mile and a half was 1,500 ft. About an 18% grade. It pretty much went straight up the side of the mountain with only a couple switch backs. And to top that off, the trail was covered in rocks that were just the size to twist ankles. I told the boys to take 25 steps and then rest for a minute. There was a lot of resting going on. We had some tears, but we all made it to the top.
Once you get to the top it is worth it.
That much is true. The lake was pretty, the view of the entire mountain range was gorgeous and the temperature was perfect. The boys splashed around in the lake and we all rested from that very long mile and a half.
The next morning we pulled the boys out of bed, ate breakfast at Kneaders and with our water backpacks and some jelly bellies and apples we were off. We confirmed everything we had heard about the hike.
The trail head is a little hard to find
After traveling on a very bumpy, dusty road for 30 minutes, we thought we had found the trail head, but it wasn't marked. According to the map, it looked like we were in the right spot though. We got out of the truck and started hiking on an obvious, but unmarked trail. About 20 minutes into the hike we looked across the river and saw a trail going straight up the side of the mountain. We knew we were on the wrong trail. So down we went. We hopped back in the truck, crossed the river and found the trail head that was clearly marked.
The trail is steep.
Holy smokes! This trail was steep. It didn't let up the entire time. After the hike, Scott figured out that the elevation change in a mile and a half was 1,500 ft. About an 18% grade. It pretty much went straight up the side of the mountain with only a couple switch backs. And to top that off, the trail was covered in rocks that were just the size to twist ankles. I told the boys to take 25 steps and then rest for a minute. There was a lot of resting going on. We had some tears, but we all made it to the top.
Once you get to the top it is worth it.
That much is true. The lake was pretty, the view of the entire mountain range was gorgeous and the temperature was perfect. The boys splashed around in the lake and we all rested from that very long mile and a half.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
And it's over
Owen is officially done with swim team for the summer. It was a great experience for him and I'm really glad I signed him up. I really thought for sure that he would start to complain early on about the number of practices he had to go to, but it wasn't until the last week that he started to ask me if he could skip a few.
Today was his last practice. When he was done and we were headed back home, he told me he had so much fun and was going to miss it. The last few weeks, he has asked me if he can tryout for year round swim team. Yikes. There is a reason why this swim club is considered competitive. Since Owen is playing soccer this fall, I told him we would look at having him tryout in the winter when my schedule slows down. So glad he had a good experience!
Monday, July 7, 2014
Summer Post #2
In no particular order
CABIN
Here is the beginnings of our road into our cabin lot. We were hoping to have our basement dug by now, but due to some testing that needed to be done for a septic system we have been delayed. I now know a good deal more about septic systems than I care to. Hoping for a hole in the ground soon.
Last time we were up at our lot we noticed a ton of black caterpillars on the plants. Owen thought it was a great idea to collect a bunch in his hands...until they started biting him. Not a good idea.
LANDSCAPING
One of my favorite shrubs has been blooming in my yard! They grow so fast and look gorgeous!
And speaking of shrubs I have some willows, that even though they were labeled "dwarf" when they were planted have been anything but small. Despite my attempts to keep them trimmed, they were fighting hard against me to grow. I didn't want to fight them anymore. Taylor wanted to earn some money for a new phone. Bennett decided to help him out for a few extra bucks. We all got what we wanted. The willows are now gone.
We haven't put down mulch in our yard in quite a few years. I decided this was the year. I called up a nursery and asked them how much mulch they could deliver in one load. 25 cubic yards later we had our mulch. It's a lot of mulch. Our yard looks so much nicer!
CHASEY
Learned how to climb our rope to the top and loves a good snowcone
VISITORS
Jaron and Michelle's family came for a visit this past week. We had fun going up the canyon, hitting Deer Creek, a girl's breakfast, watching fireworks and just hanging out. It is sad to see them go.
While they were here, we also celebrated Chase's 6th birthday. We had a lot of lightsabers, yelling, games, yelling, cupcakes, yelling, presents and yelling. It was a good birthday.
A revelation: Since we only do kid parties every other year, I am down to planning and carrying out only 2 more. That's it. I will be done with little kid parties.
OWEN
Last but not least, Owen had his first swim meet. Despite swimming with his goggles around his chin he managed to get 2nd in the 50 freestyle. He also learned during his breaststroke race that if you opt to use a different stroke, say a scissor kick, you get disqualified. All in all he said he had a great time and is looking forward to the next one. Swim fast Owen!
Me? I continue to open the front door repeatedly throughout the day, fit in a few books here and there and generally just try to keep the chaos under control. Happy summer!
CABIN
Here is the beginnings of our road into our cabin lot. We were hoping to have our basement dug by now, but due to some testing that needed to be done for a septic system we have been delayed. I now know a good deal more about septic systems than I care to. Hoping for a hole in the ground soon.
Last time we were up at our lot we noticed a ton of black caterpillars on the plants. Owen thought it was a great idea to collect a bunch in his hands...until they started biting him. Not a good idea.
One of my favorite shrubs has been blooming in my yard! They grow so fast and look gorgeous!
And speaking of shrubs I have some willows, that even though they were labeled "dwarf" when they were planted have been anything but small. Despite my attempts to keep them trimmed, they were fighting hard against me to grow. I didn't want to fight them anymore. Taylor wanted to earn some money for a new phone. Bennett decided to help him out for a few extra bucks. We all got what we wanted. The willows are now gone.
CHASEY
Learned how to climb our rope to the top and loves a good snowcone
VISITORS
Jaron and Michelle's family came for a visit this past week. We had fun going up the canyon, hitting Deer Creek, a girl's breakfast, watching fireworks and just hanging out. It is sad to see them go.
While they were here, we also celebrated Chase's 6th birthday. We had a lot of lightsabers, yelling, games, yelling, cupcakes, yelling, presents and yelling. It was a good birthday.
A revelation: Since we only do kid parties every other year, I am down to planning and carrying out only 2 more. That's it. I will be done with little kid parties.
Last but not least, Owen had his first swim meet. Despite swimming with his goggles around his chin he managed to get 2nd in the 50 freestyle. He also learned during his breaststroke race that if you opt to use a different stroke, say a scissor kick, you get disqualified. All in all he said he had a great time and is looking forward to the next one. Swim fast Owen!
Me? I continue to open the front door repeatedly throughout the day, fit in a few books here and there and generally just try to keep the chaos under control. Happy summer!
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