Crazy Chickens

The Girls

"I'm running around like a crazy chicken." This is a phrase that escapes my mouth at least a half a dozen times a week. I don't know why I say this. I often feel like I am squawking at my kids to "do this" or "stop doing that" throughout the day. I peck at something over here then I peck around at a little bit of this & that. Nothing gets the full attention it deserves.

In my quest to make things more simple, I've added on to my brood. My dearest Hubby has given me a chicken coop that I have asked for the past couple of years. By God's grace, some one was giving away their chickens. I convinced Hubby that some of them wanted to live with us.

 I'd like to introduce you to The Girls.

Ginger the Easter Egger

Camilla the Amerucana

Bunty the Silver-laced Wyandotte

Babs the Rhode Island Red

 Now I spend parts of my day watching the chickens antics. The Boyo & I search the garden & yard for unsuspecting grasshoppers & feed them to the Girls. The Girly does not want to touch the chickens but enjoys feeding them grass & looking for eggs.

Why would I add to my "Things to Do" list? I really can't answer that. I really just love chickens.

I am trying to teach Boyo how to take care of the chickens. The only problem is he forgets that they can exit an open door at their will. I am constantly telling him to "Close the door!!"

As I watch them scratch & peck in their yard, I realize that no human has taught then how to eat & what to eat. They just know what to do. Nobody teaches a chicken how to be a chicken.

In stark contrast, children must be taught how to become adults someday. They must be shown & told how to do laundry, wash dishes, clean their rooms, scrub the floors or mow the grass. This is where I am now.

I am trying to teach the kids how to do things in life that will let them be independent adults. The thing that gets in my way is time. I'm running out of it. I didn't teach the kids enough when they were little, & now it's hard to get over old habits.

I am a type B personality. I don't like schedules. I find them restricting. If I'm not "on schedule", it ruins my day. I also get really sidetracked.

I've been trying to get in a routine lately. At least in the morning.

The other day I tried to have a routine. Sometime during the day I took the kids & the dog outside. It was a nice day. Some point while we were fascinated with the chickens, I realized I hadn't seen the dog, JoJo. I called for her, & she came slinking up the hill. This is how she walks when she knows she's been misbehaving. Then I see why she thought she was in trouble. JoJo rubbed her neck, chest & shoulders in what I assumed to be either cat or wild animal poo. This is not a new event.

JoJo hates the tub.

Since it was too cold to hose her down in the yard, I took her to the tub. This was NOT part of my plan. I had absolutely no intention of scrubbing my dog or tub that day. I could have found so many more things that I wanted to do that day. The truth was my tub did need a scrubbing before the dog needed in.

God knew that I needed to clean the bathtub. I knew it needed to be done, I just didn't want to do it. God knows whats best for us. Just like a parent who knows that it is best to teach the children how to be independent someday.

I will try to live with more intent on loving my children & husband. I will still find time to watch my chickens & not be a crazy chicken.

Swimming Lessons

This is my dad trying to help Boyo swim when we went on vacation.

My life has slowed down & has fallen into what looks like a routine. School started last week, & I am getting the kids & myself into a groove. My beautiful Girly wasn't happy at all with our decision to keep her home this year. The first time she saw the buses dropping off the kids, she got angry at me. I tried to explain that things were different this year, & that she's not a little girl anymore. She dang near broke my heart with her big tears & unkind words. I was second guessing myself, & we hadn't even started school.

The Boyo & his friend do the summer reading program at Barnes & Noble each year. They get to pick out a book for completing an 8 book list. We go to B&N on the first day of school & throw in something else educational, such as a trip to a grocery store to do a scavenger hunt & some "Grocery Cart" math.

This year I took Girly even though she didn't participate in the reading program. I told her she could pick a book for her & I to read for school. I give her the pre-warning, "We are going to get a book, no toys."

As we are pulling into the parking lot, I give her the reminder, "Book, NO TOYS." She repeats me, thus acknowledging my order. We walk in the store. She beelines right over the children's section & picks up a toy.

"What did Mommy tell you?" She starts searching for a good answer. She apperantly couldn't find a good one, so she started to scream. "My Tasha!!!!" You see, it was a Backyardigan toy. For those of you who don't know them, visit Nick, Jr.

I commence the chase-down & lose. She's hiding it behind her back while sitting on a chair. We play the "Give-me-back-the toy" game. Why is it called that? Well, I take it, & she screams that phrase & grabs the toy. I say the phrase back to her while trying to pry the toy away from her steely vise-grip. This volley will happen about 4-5 times until I give in or carry her out screaming.

I chose to carry her out this time with screaming. Girly isn't a feather weight anymore. I get her outside while my friend & the boys continue to shop & pay. I start getting looks from curious spectators. It's hard not to look when a distraught little girl is screaming at the top of her lungs, "HELP ME!!!! Somebody help me. Let go of me. Get me out of here. Stop touching me." I would look if it wasn't me that was in the middle of the scene.

Right about that point I feel like I'm drowning. I can't catch my breath. My vision starts to get a little blurry. My heart starts to race. I get hot & sweaty. I feel completely out of control, & everybody is looking at me. Nobody is helping me. Every now & again someone will ask if everything is all right. I quickly respond, "She's just upset. She's autistic & mad. This happens when she doesn't get  her way. Thank you for asking." It's hard to sound calm & collective when you're drowning.

I've had people ask me if she was my daughter, was I kidnapping her, did I know that there is help for kids like her or did I need to make a phone call. (Sidenote: I can't really make a phone call at that time, I'm usually on the floor wrestling with Girly at that point. Nice offer, though.)

As I stood outside B&N that day, I thought about being in the middle of the ocean & drowning. There was no one to help me or to call out to. It felt like I was all alone bobbing in the waves flailing my arms & gasping for breath. I was tired.

That night I thought about what had happened how I could have done things different. I could have given her the toy & avoided the whole episode. But I would have gave into the pattern of getting a toy every time we go to a store, which we are trying to stop.

Then it hit me like a 20 foot wave......learning to swimming isn't easy. You swallow some water & it goes up your nose into your sinuses & burns. Your muscles get tired. I remembered watching my Boyo struggle so hard while trying to learn to swim this summer.

He's panicked, screaming for help & thrashing around the water. "Help me, Mom!!!" he screams. "You can do it. Look I'm not holding on anymore. You're doing it all by yourself." I'm reassuring his efforts. I grab on to him when I see that he's had enough & take him to the side. "Thanks, Mom, for saving my life. I was drowning." he says with his little chest heaving & gasping for air. "I love you, Boyo. I would never let you drown."

Why put him through so much struggle? He actually thought he was drowning? Did he think I was going to let him sink to the bottom & let his lungs fill with water? I was within arms-reach. I could have saved him at any second. I used to be a lifeguard. I know how to save drowning people.

After I though about that for a while, I felt God speak to my heart. It was if He was telling me, "Deb, you weren't drowning. I was there, within arms-reach to save you before you sank. I was there when you cried out to me to save you. You just needed to learn to swim. Like any good parent, I must let you struggle for awhile so you can learn to swim on your own. I love you & would never let you drown."

Even though I had a rough time with Girly that day, I am thankful that she's my daughter. I wouldn't trade her in for any "normal, typical" girl just to avoid those "swimming lessons" that God gives me. They are tough lessons, but they are worth it knowing He's ready to save me at any moment.

August is exhausting

The second batch of beans.

I find August to be completely exhausting! For some reason, God decided to have almost everything that needs to be canned to ripen in August. It is the hottest month of the year in our area, & I have to the canner going at full heat. One day it's corn to pick, shuck, blanch, cut, bag & freeze. The next day it's green beans to pick, snap, wash, pack in jars, can & put up. Next it's peaches, grapes & early apples.

This is the busiest time of year for our house. Girly's birthday is this month. Hubby's sister's birthday is the day before. I am generally canning tomatoes on the morning of Girly's birthday & then trying to clean up all the mess before the party guests come. I try to make a really cool cake for my kiddos' birthdays. They really don't ask for an extravagant party with tons of children, so I figure I can spend 2 to 3 days building a cake. I lucked out this year. Girly only wants a cheesecake assortment from Sam's Club this year. She's a girl after my own heart.

In case you are wondering about my vacation, it went well & fast. There was only 1 major accident on the trip. My Boyo was throwing rocks up the hill, after I told him to stop or get hurt. He disregarded my opinion on the effects of gravity & got his finger smash. Other than that, it was a busy, fun time. I came back to sorting some clothes & items from my neighbor's friend's yard sale. I was completely drained that night.

The next day I started to get the dirty clothes that we amassed camping washed when a friend called & asked if I wanted to do beans. "Ummm....yeah. I'll be over in a little bit." I tried to get the children to help pick the beans with me. The girl had more fun picking fox tails, & I ended up re-picking the boy's row. 3 hours later, we got home to start snapping the beans & eating a late lunch. Sometime between 3pm. & the time Hubby came home from work, the kids were sent to their rooms for fighting & screaming.

At this point I find myself sitting at the kitchen table snapping approximately 40lbs. of beans with only 4 or 5lbs. done. This is the point where I lost control. I start completely sobbing & blubbering. I was tired. I was hopeless. I was in pain. I was defeated.

"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." - Psalm 18:6

"Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping." - Psalm 39-12a

These words were spoken by David when he was being pursued by his enemy, King Saul his father-in-law. I know my situation was completely different. No one wanted to kill me or hurt me. The green beans weren't attacking me because they didn't want to be broken in stuffed into jars. I just reached my limit. I was done. I stopped what I was doing & asked God to help me. I asked him to give me strength to get through this next couple of moments. That's all I needed, the next few minutes.

You see, God doesn't promise us an easy road. What He does promise is His strength, if you ask.
"..so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." - Colossians 1:10-12

 My Hubby came home from work after a while & took the children down to the local food joint for supper. They came back full & happy & ready to help their distressed Mama. They worked hard for 2 hours snapping beans. After they went to bed, Hubby continued to help me with the canner & keeping me awake until the last load was sealed.

I was fatigued. I didn't have a single ounce of energy left to use. God gave me a great husband & wonderful children to help in my time despair. I woke up the next morning still tired & sore. But the good news was that I was ready to slug down a cup of coffee & take the kids to the park.

A Vacation?

The food box ready to go in the Jeep.

The stuff I already put in the Jeep.

I'm getting ready to go on a vacation. The kids & I are going camping with my parents & nephew for a couple of days. Hubby is staying home due to his work schedule. This is the first time in 15 years that I am leaving for more than a day & he is staying home.

I've spent the last couple of days trying to get the house in some-what order. I had extra laundry to do because a friend blessed us with a 30 gal. trash bag full of clothes for the Boy. There are enough clothes for this year & next. On top of that, another friend graciously gave us at least 8 dozen ears of corn, enough cucumbers to make 9 pints of sweet pickle relish & some zucchinis. Thankfully the kids & Hubby pitched in to help.

Hubby got me the grinder attachment for Christmas;

 it was extremely handy!

"I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." - Psalm 13:6

I been packing clothes, towels, food, toys, toiletries, first-aid kit, my Bible & camera for capturing great memories. I made a list last week of all the things I would need to pack. I'm really not sure what happened to that list. I hope I remember all of the last minute things like toothbrushes, deodorant & all of the cold food.

I have been trying to be sensitive to Hubby in all of this chaos. He looks so sullen sometimes when I am running around in a mad fury looking for the sunblock. I ask what he plans on doing while we are away.
"I'll probably eat then go to bed." I made spaghetti last night for supper. I know he will eat this for the next couple of days, though I'm not sure if he'll just eat it cold or warm it up. I've left him instructions on the marker board as when to feed the dog (I doubt if she eats while I'm gone), to water my flowers on the porch, dump the dehumidifier in the basement & to have a good time.

The 1 thing that I am glad of is the ability to unplug. My dad's new camper does have a TV with a dvd player, but that's in case of emergencies, rain. I want my children to be able to experience camping like did when I was younger, so many years ago. Just carefree fun outside.

I want to slow down the pace of my life. I don't liked be rushed around & hurried from place to place. My Hubby says I have 3 gears - stop, reverse & slow. I'll bustle around IF I have to. I'm looking forward to a couple of days that will slow my world down.

"Nature goes forward in her never-ending course, and cares nothing for the race of man that is ever passing before her....When man turns to reflection and resigns himself to the inevitable...then the eternal, unchangeable order of Nature has a comforting and peaceful influence. - Wilhelm Von Humbolt

I hope to come back from vacation refreshed & ready to hit the road...ummm....walking.

Summer Doldrums

I taped this to the front of our TV.

"M-ahhhh-mmmmm" whines the Boy, "I'm bored! Can I do something?"

"Like what?" I ask my sweet boy who is quickly turning into a young man.

 "I don't know, but there's gotta be something I can do."

"Well, you can pull weeds in the garden, clean your room, read some books for the summer reading program, color, paint, jump on the trampoline or take a nap." These are all productive ideas in my mind.

"No, thank you. I mean something fun. You know, like exploding rockets or watch TV." he says with a smile.

"Ummmm, we're not watching TV today. Didn't you read the sign on the TV?" I ask him, with a smile.

"Yeah, but I thought that we should take the sign down for a bit & watch something." he says with desperation starting to eek out in his voice. "We didn't get to watch TV until Dad came home yesterday."

"I know, it's alright to not watch the TV. We don't have to watch it just because it's there. There are plenty of other things to do. I can list stuff all day long that you can do." I can sense his dissatisfaction building up with each word that I speak because they have nothing to do with turning the TV on.

"I just don't understand!" the Boy yells in frustration. "Why can't we just watch the TV?"

"There are more & better things in life than watching that thing. There is a whole world to explore. You're not going to find everything you need for life in that box." I think that this is a great answer, than again, I'm not as desperate as the Boy.

"I learn lots of things from the TV, like nature & stuff." He's trying to make a valid point.

"Did you know that there is nature right outside that door? You can go discover something new." I try to persuade him.

"I already know what's outside. I need to learn about OTHER nature stuff. You know, like the Discovery Channel shows." he states.

"I think that you are addicted to the TV. Now go play with your race cars & tracks or go to bed for the rest of the day." I throw out my typical ultimatum.

This is an ongoing battle in our house. The TV. It beckons the children to turn it on & turn their brains off. My kids love that thing. They would watch it from the moment they opened their peepers to the second they close if you let them. I could live without it. Sure it's nice to be able to see what's on the other side of the world that we don't get to see. I enjoy watching nature shows, documentaries & history shows. I like to use it to play the Wii. That is where my love affair with the TV stops.

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;" - Habakkuk 2:18

Is the TV an idol? It was crafted my man. Does it teach lies? Most of the time. Do we trust the things that are shown on it? Hmmmmm...

Now I'm not saying that the TV is pure evil. I enjoy the time I spend plopped down in front of it. The problem becomes when I spend too much time in front of it. My problem becomes when I watch TV & not wash the dishes after supper. My other problem is when I watch shows that cause me to be jealous of other peoples homes & lives. My biggest problem is when I put the fantasy box before my family's wants & needs. Ouch. 

God put the biggest nature channel right outside our windows & doors. Sometimes the simplest things bring the most joy; like when a boy finds out what happens when you take a magnifying glass outside when it's a bright sunny day! Or when a butterfly flits around the flowers. There is plenty of entertainment to be found out yonder.