Wordless Wednesday - It's picture day

On Monday, Big Sissy and Bubby started their third week of the 2011-12 school year and so far all is going extremely well and I am slowly but surely getting our lives back on track.

Today was the all important school picture day.  Now Bubby didn't quite understand the importance, but Big Sissy was quite excited for today.  I let her pick out a new outfit for picture day and she has been dying to wear it.

Now I usually take a couple pictures at home outside before they leave for school on picture day, but of course today would be one of those rare days since this spring that we have had rain so without complaints I took this morning picture indoors and I just thought I'd share.

Linked to the following Wordless Wednesday parties:

Pinke Post

live and love...outloud

Dagmar*s momsense

Project Alicia

What happens when life gets in the way...

Truthfully, what does happen when life gets in the way ... well I'm afraid the answer is life and I've had a big dose of it the past couple of weeks.  Nothing bad has happened, I just feel like I have hardly been able to catch my breath since we returned from our amazing family vacation to Walt Disney World. 

When we returned I had such great plans for all of my blog posts to document our family fun.  Well we've been home almost 2 weeks and this is only the second time I've blogged so I'm not doing so well in that area, but don't worry, I will get it done at some point.

I really don't know what my problem has been.  I think it is just a combination of vacation hangover, the beginning of the school year fastly approaching, trying to cram in as much as we can before the summer is over, the start of soccer for Big Sissy and football for Bubby, and work being way busier than normal.  So combine all those together and what you get is a pretty full life that doesn't leave much time for the extras and occasionally sleep. 

As much as I hate that Big Sissy and Bubby will be starting school next week and am so NOT looking forward to their nightly homework sessions, I am excited about the structure that the return to school will bring to our lives.... I think and hope.

So please continue to believe in me as I try to get back on track.

Farmer Fridays - Bubby Says

 

Bubby loves his pigs.  Truly since Day 1, he has been a pig man and our conversations almost always have something to do with a pig or involve a pig. 

 

He was so proud to wear his pig tie when Big Sissy graduated from Pre-K.

He could barely contain himself at the State Fair this summer sitting next to the beautiful 2010 Indiana State Fair Queen that grew up on a pig farm.

And he couldn't wait to show Little Sissy his pigs and the real pigs when she was born.

Needless to say we were more than a little bit nervous when Bubby started Pre-K this year.  Although we love to educate others about our farm, we could only imagine what he would tell them.

When I picked him up from Pre-K today, his teachers asked me what a gilt was.  I had to laugh to myself as I could only wonder what he had told them about a gilt.  (A gilt is a female pig that has never had a litter of pigs.  Once she has a litter of pigs, she is called a sow.)  

Earlier in the week, they were making a list of what they were thankful for and Bubby said he was thankful for his Black gilt, Blackie, that would soon be having pigs.  They both laughed and said they knew it had to be some kind of pig, but they didn't know what.

I guess at age 5 Bubby is already doing a great job of educating others, even his teachers, about our amazing family farm. I'm sure his teachers knew they would get an education from their Pre-K students, but I wonder if this is what they had in mind.

Survival is the name of the game at this pig pen

Well its been a long time since I last blogged ... almost 3 weeks ago.  The last time I blogged, Big Sissy, Bubby, and I had just spent the entire day at the Indiana State Fair thanks to the Indiana Soybean Alliance. It was an extremely hot day, but we sure had a blast.  

 

 

 

Little did I know as we were spending the day meeting the amazing 2010 Indiana State Fair Queen Denae Pyle, eating Hawaiian Shaved Ice, wearing pig noses as it was the Year of Pigs, and checking out the God Bless American sculpture depicting the American Gothic painting at the State Fair that survival would soon be the name of the game at this pig pen. 

When we went to the State Fair, I knew we had exactly one week before Big Sissy started second grade.   What I didn't know is that I would soon find head lice in her hair.  This changed every plan we had for the week before school started.  Although it appears life is now returning to normal ,whatever normal is at this pig pen, life has been anything but normal the last few weeks.  

All of our toys and clothing, which when you have 3 young children is essentially every possession you have, have been bagged up in trash bags. I have done more loads of laundry in the last few weeks than I have ever done in that period of time and every load of laundry has been done with hot water and dried on the hottest temperature on my dryer.  So far, I have only shrunk our brand new shower curtain as I didn't know it was dry clean only.  I limited everyone, including myself, to 5 outfits and one pair of pajamas that we washed everyday along with every one's sheets to help keep this under control.

The Farmer thought I was absolutely crazy, but I knew this was the only way to do it.  Thankfully, my mother was able to spend a few days with us as I would have completely lost my sanity through all of this if she had not been able to help me.  Let's face it .... no matter how old you get, there are some things only a mom can help make better. 

I keep telling myself that the positive of all of this is that our house has now been cleaned completely from top to bottom several times and we even had our curtains and drapes dry cleaned; however, I would not wish head lice on anyone.  We also have not allowed anyone to touch the toys that have been bagged up for the last few weeks as I am in no rush to add clutter back into this pig pen.  I have told the kids that we will only go through the bags one at a time and if we can't find a place for the toy, we will donate it to Goodwill.  

The other positive is that we were able to keep it contained to just Big Sissy as no one else in our house ever got it, knock on wood and Praise the Lord. 

I hate to jinx myself, but this is most definitely the worst thing I have been through as a parent.  (I know it could have been much worse and still could be; however, it is definitely very mentally and physically draining for a short period of time.)  From experience, I would guess that just reading this post is making your head itch ... Welcome to my world.  

Needless to say, it has been a few crazy weeks at this pig pen and to make matters worse I had to go on a 4 day business trip 2 days after Big Sissy started school.  Thankfully, we have survived and I did get to eat some real Maine lobster on my business trip and even brought some home for my family.  

 

So I hope the start of this school year is not a sign of things to come as the last few weeks have been enough for me for awhile ... quite awhile. 

My 2nd Grader, Big Sissy