Sizzlin’ Summer Saturday – First Car Show

Posted on August 26, 2012 by wagfarms

Boss Man made a new purchase this spring…just a little something to add to his pickup collection. (Yes, my husband collects pickups. Someday I’ll do a post on them, or at least most of them. I’m not sure he’ll ever let me find all of them.)

Yesterday we took it to our first car show. It was called Sizzlin’ Summer Nights in a town just 60 miles south of us. It was our version of a date night, and it was a ton of fun! Plus Boss Man was able to spend an evening talking to complete strangers (and a few people we knew) about his truck. He was in heaven!

Here’s the pics…starting with our favorite (and second-place winner for the People’s Choice award!):

Boss Man’s new baby, a ’76 Ford with custom paint job. Ask him about it sometime, he’ll tell you all about it…just make sure you have the time.

This is what the side looks like a little closer. It’s even more amazing in person. No decals, just paint.

I’d love to have one like this someday…or at least this color scheme. Such a beauty!

Snap On Tools were there…and so was there OCC custom-made chopper. Nice.

Another great ride…all the time and work, hard to imagine.

The chrome across the street was polished so nicely, I was able to snap a pic of our truck in the bumper!

Starting the day right

Posted on August 24, 2012 by wagfarms

With the changes made to the school lunch program, our school lunch menu now offers cereal, toast, juice and milk for breakfast. No meat/meat alternative protein source.

So I stumbled across a recipe that will make our mornings start off on a great note, and will hopefully help tide my kids over until lunch. It was simple, easy and best-of-all, a great breakfast option.

Check it out:

Baked Eggs

First, I started off with a muffin tin, cooking spray, and eggs.

Muffin tin, eggs and cooking spray.

Spray down your muffin tin, crack an egg in each spot.

I added a little salt and pepper, so that I controlled the amount they used!

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until done).

Voila! Done!

Let them cool (or eat right away!), slide out of the pan, place in freezer bags and pop them in the freezer.

I put 4 in a bag, 2 for Scooter, 1 for Big Bro and 1 for EJ.

I can now grab a bag, microwave it for 30-45 seconds, throw it on an English muffin, serve with a slice of toast or just simply let them eat as is. Simple, easy and a great source of protein in the morning…and we all know how important breakfast is, right?

Well, at least most of us.

The Land of Oz

Posted on August 23, 2012 by wagfarms

For those that don’t know me in real life, or didn’t catch the news through social media, I almost had a moment last week. Well, not really almost. It was a moment, but it didn’t last much longer than that.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Early last week, I caught a tweet sent out by the Dr. Oz show. It asked for people to share their use of dairy products. I simply replied that dairy is an integral part of our day, and that we use it for every meal and snacks, consuming dairy sometimes as much as 7 times per day…a total of 5-7 gallons per week.

I didn’t think it was that out of the norm…and didn’t expect a reply. But I was wrong.

It started with a simple reply, followed by a request for more information and contact numbers. I was still under the assumption that they were just looking for quotes, survey information, etc. It wasn’t until our second conversation was underway before the woman at the other end of the line floored me. “Well, I know this is sudden, but would you be willing to fly to New York to tape a show on Tuesday?” WHAT?!

I spit, sputtered and tried to gather my thoughts. The show was going to feature dairy usage, but I didn’t know much more than that. I quickly found out that we would have to be willing to forgo dairy for a 28 days. They would do a before/after comparison to see how we felt, where our health was, etc. Although I wasn’t convinced there would be any change, I was willing to try it out.

Why? Well, there are two reasons.

1) George already follows a diet that is much stricter than what they were proposing. I wouldn’t mind being forced into a situation where I can get a feel for what he goes through (although I do know I could do it at any time, the incentive here is greater). Plus the opportunity to share HIS story and see if I could gather more information/insight would be spectacular.

2) The Dr. Oz show will go forward with the production of this show, whether or not my family participates. So is it better to have someone on that perhaps would have no agriculture background? The opportunity to participate in that conversation with that level of audience was one that I felt was too great to pass up.

So, what happened? Well, I’m not 100% sure. I know what they wrote in their email. And I know how the conversations leading up to it went, so I’ve put two and two together and think I have a pretty good idea as to what happened…but I’ll never know for sure.

Here’s the facts: Boss Man wasn’t comfortable going to NY to tape. We are in the middle of our third cutting of alfalfa and we have many people depending on our hay crop to feed their herds. We have been pretty blessed with timely rains, so the fact that we have a crop at all is nothing to take lightly. He was willing to go through with the 28-day challenge, the blood work, all of it, just not be in the studio for the first taping.

They said they were fine with that, had my flights booked, had a flight to ND booked to tape on Saturday, even called our local clinic to inquire about having the bloodwork completed for Mark.

And at 10:30 Friday morning I was on a conference call with a producer or two of the show, when I started asking some pretty specific questions. Mainly, what is it that they were hoping I would say. I had explained to them from the beginning that we were a farm family, that we worked closely with our friends and customers that are dairy families. And I specifically stated that at no point would I blame dairy products for any health issues I may have, and I would not throw dairy under the bus.

I was assured that I would not be portrayed in a negative light. That it would all be fine and work out. And then I was told that they would be in touch…and I waited…and waited.

Late Friday afternoon, less than 6 hours from the time that the production crew was supposed to land at the nearest airfield a mere hour away, I received an email that stated that the show had decided to go a different route.

Plans aborted.

Am I disappointed? A little, but more for the missed opportunity to reach out to others that may have information that would help with George’s care and the opportunity to connect the farm to a face than anything. Am I relieved? A little, having my medical flaws exposed on television didn’t exactly sound like a great way to spend a morning.

But I will take my lemons and make some lemonade…and I have learned SO much. And I have my own 28-day challenge that I will embark on…starting next week.

Stay tuned. Oh, and I have some more lessons that I learned, but I’ll have to wait to share those. I’m still trying to figure out how to word it all. Did I say something wrong? Did I ask the wrong questions? And I don’t just mean with the show.

Last week was one for the record books…and I’m still tired just thinking about it.

WW – Preparing for winter

Posted on August 22, 2012 by wagfarms

It’s hard to believe, but as summer has flown by, it’s also time for us to prepare for winter on the farm. And that includes loading our haymow (the top floor of our barn) with straw (what’s left after we harvest our wheat).

Check it out:

The end of the load of straw that was stacked in our barn.

This attachment for our skidsteer can grab 20 small square bales at one time, making it possible to load and unload our bales without touching them by hand. it saves a LOT of time!

Heading to the barn.

So much easier than trying to lift or toss each one up!

We had a crew of 4 inside the barn stacking the bales…including my little sister, affectionately referred to as “Brat Child.” (And yes, she knows she has the nickname…it’s been with her since she was little…and it fits!) 😉

School Lunch and Obesity: Part 2

Posted on August 21, 2012 by wagfarms

Over the weekend I shared my thoughts on the school lunch issue. For those that may not know what I’m referring to, the USDA has put into place guidelines that school must follow in order to qualify for funding through the free and reduced-price meals program. Those guidelines include:

No meat/meat alternative for breakfast and lower protein requirements for the lunch meal
Grades K-5 are limited to a minimum of 550 and a maximum of 650 calories for lunch, grade 6-8 are limited to 600-700, and 9-12 are limited to 750-850
New guidelines and requirements for vegetables, based on color
Movement is being made towards an all-whole-grain menu (required by 2014, half whole-grain required starting July 1, 2012)
Sodium will be reduced by more than half before 2023
No trans fat allowed on anything labeled

So, where is my problem? My first response was an emotional one. I don’t believe some of the guidelines are fair and they definitely don’t take into consideration the different needs and requirements for different students. We don’t expect our children to all learn the same, so why do we expect them to eat the same?

First of all, let’s look at the meat/meat alternative issue. I have yet to meet anyone that has ever dealt with nutrition/weight loss issues that has not learned the importance of protein in your diet. According to dietary guidelines and a discussion with a dietician, my 105-pound, 5′ 1″ 8-year-old needs about 58 grams of protein per day. To clarify, “From the ages of 4 to 6, he needs 0.5 g per lb., decreasing to 0.45 g per pound between 7 and 14 years of age. Depending on his weight and daily calorie intake during these years, he may need to consume between 7 and 15 percent of his total calories as protein.” Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/519852-what-percentage-of-protein-do-children-need-each-day/#ixzz26vHPnKoF

He will receive roughly 14 grams through the school. (There are approximately 7 grams of protein per ounce of meat, and the school lunch will serve 1.5-2 oz.) That’s a lot to make up in the course of his meals at home.

And that’s not the only catch with protein. Animal protein and plant-based protein are two different things. For the essential amino acids, animal protein is a “complete” protein, meaning that it provides all that you need. Plant-based protein is “incomplete”, needing two to make one complete protein. It’s not a difference in how the body breaks it down, just how it’s used. If you aren’t using animal proteins, you just need more to get your essential amino acids. (Sound complicated? It is. Which is why I can’t even begin to understand why we would try to make this a one-size-fits-all type of diet. Our bodies don’t work that way.)

Let’s look at the calorie requirements. According to Mayo Clinic (and we work closely with a team of dietitians from Mayo through George’s disorder), children Scooter’s age require 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day, depending on growth and activity level. I would guess that would be plenty sufficient for EJ, since he’s 5 and on the smaller side of the scale. But it won’t touch Scooter’s needs. Not even close.

The requirements for increased vegetable choices, lower sodium intake, etc. Yay! I’m all for those types of changes. Let’s offer our children more, expand their palates, show them how great a well-balanced meal can be! Yes, yes and yes! I will be one of the biggest supporters of these types of changes…but the rest, well, the rest leaves me hungry for more information. And leaves my children just plain hungry.

There are a few comments that were left that I would like to respond to here. The first is the remark that I have the option to pack a lunch for my child, if I feel that the school lunch is inadequate in any way. And although that is true, I shouldn’t have to resort to those types of measures daily, just so that my child is fed enough to make it through the day.

But let’s say that I DID pack my son’s lunch each day. How does that make things better for the child that doesn’t have a parent at home to pack a lunch, or the funds to purchase an extra serving. Shouldn’t we be protecting those that cannot protect themselves? Isn’t that the purpose of living in this country that we call home? Should I just sit back and let things take its course because I’m fortunate enough to be able to provide whatever meal my children request at school? Is that the right attitude?

Second of all, a comment was made about children needing to pick up the proper eating habits at a young age, so those habits can continue on into adulthood. And I agree 100%. Expand our children’s minds, give them more options, require that fruits/vegetables and other foods are consumed before offering seconds. I’m all for any/all of those types of changes. Serve my child beets, different types of greens, oranges, etc. Please!

I grew up in a house where food was not always plentiful. There wasn’t an open-cupboard policy and we sometimes relied on other means to put food on the table, whether it be hunting and butchering our own, garden staples, foodstamps or commodities. My mother canned all sorts of things, including sausage and chicken. We would butcher as many as 500 chickens in the fall, partly to fill our pantry and partly to sell to others. (It’s part of the reason that I still, to this day, cannot handle raw chicken. Seriously.)

My children do not know what it’s like to not have the option of more food. And I think that it helps in the long run. They do not stuff themselves because they don’t know when the next good meal will be. They know that when they are hungry they can eat, and so they eat a reasonable amount and they eat sensibly. But I know they are the exception, not the rule.

Are there improvements I can make when it comes to meals and choices for my children? Certainly. And I’m working on them regularly. Yet having my children come home hungry enough that they are willing to grab whatever is nearest and stuff themselves with it? Well, that doesn’t seem like the right lesson to teach. I’m just grateful that I’m here to intervene.

But what about those that aren’t so fortunate?

If you check out my first blog post in this series, the bottom has links from people that have weighed in on this issue. It’s important, not just for our children, but for their futures as well. Any other comments/questions? I will continue to write about/address these issues as we work through these changes as a family. I’d love to hear your take.

Back to School – 3 Down, 1 to Go

Posted on August 21, 2012 by wagfarms

Our third child starts kindergarten today. Or at least that’s the plan. He has a way of deciding for himself whether or not he’ll follow through with my ideas, so I’ll wait to see if I get a phone call today letting me know that he’s had enough.

Scooter (yes, he’s only 8) in his football gear, surrounded by his biggest fans!

It’s crazy to think about. Big Bro is 10, George is now 3…I have been changing diapers for 10 years in a row (hoping that changes here shortly, but still end up changing him once or twice a day). And now I only have one child at home.

Ready to go!

So what will I do with my time? It should be pretty easy, right? Perhaps a nap or two, finish writing that book I’ve been talking about? Organize my house so that I can be on the Tour of Homes? Or just make it through each day.

EJ, ready for his first day of kindergarten.

You see, the last one left is the one that makes the rest all look like walks in the park. Yes, the force is strong in that one…strong indeed.

He’s the one that tried to put bubble solution in his Dad’s C-PAP machine yesterday afternoon. (I stopped him…through a fit of the giggles. The images were priceless!) He’s the one that dropped a bucket full of toads in my kitchen. He’s the one that put his jelly sandwich in the microwave for 20 minutes. (Don’t worry, I caught it only 3 minutes into it…but beyond salvage.)

I had to walk EJ to the bus…he wasn’t so sure about it once it stopped in the yard.

It’ll be 2 years before George is old enough for kindergarten. I’ll start praying for the teachers now.

Is there a calf in there?

Posted on August 20, 2012 by wagfarms

A few weeks ago, we had a crew of people out in our pastures. Although the set up and take down took a little time, the reason behind all the work was definitely important. You see, we were ultrasounding our cows, to find out which ones were going to have calves and when they would be having them.

Just like at the OB’s office!

That’s right, we used an ultrasound machine…much like the one that is used every day by obstetricians when they are looking for a baby’s heartbeat, measuring the size of the baby or checking for any other problems.

Why would using a machine like this be important for our cows? One reason is where we live. Since we start calving in February in North Dakota, it’s important to know which cows should be calving and approximately when. That way we can make sure that they are closer to the barn, so they can hopefully have their calves inside, where it’s warm and protected from the elements.

The head gate makes sure that the cow stands still and doesn’t hurt itself.

Another reason we use ultrasounding is so that we can more accurately determine those cows that are definitely having a calf, and those cows that are not having a calf (we call them “open”). It’s expensive to raise cattle, even more so right now. We only keep the cows that are bred and the ones that are “open” are sold. Many times our open cows go to other farms that have a different calving cycle then we do, allowing them the chance to become bred later.

The girls, waiting their turn!

The ultrasound technique is very similar to the same used in a doctor’s office…well, in general theory anyway. 😉

Once the probe is in the cow and an image is on the screen, a measurement can be taken, just like how the technicians measure the length of a baby’s bone to estimate it’s gestational age. On a calf, the measurement is taken of the space between the eye sockets on the head. The number of centimeters between correlates between the number of days the calf has been in the uterus, giving us an estimated “due” date.

The calf’s age can be measured on the screen!

Of course, these numbers are just estimates, but every bit of information that we can use to ensure our herd is taken care of and healthy is definitely a step up from before!

School lunch: NOT the key to obesity

Posted on August 18, 2012 by wagfarms

If anyone has been paying attention lately, there’s been some big changes announced regarding schools and the hot lunch program. It wasn’t anything done locally, so don’t take your school board to task on it, but it was done at the federal level…and I think that they definitely need to hear about it.

I don’t want to be stirring a pot here, but first of all, I think we all can fully agree that the school lunch program is in NO way responsible for the obesity issue in our children. In fact, I just heard another commercial yesterday that made the claim that school lunch is one of the only places where children receive a balanced meal (free, if they qualify).

So which is it? Is our school lunch a great, balanced meal, or is it making our children obese?

First of all, if we’re looking to blame schools for our weight issues, then we better not look at the lunch program and look instead at the rest of the day. Physical education, sports, dance, etc…all sorts of extracurricular activities and physically-demanding activities are being ignored and are losing numbers every year. Hours of homework take place of playing outside after school.

But again, aside from the homework demands, most of the influence on physical activity must come from the parents, not the school.

So let’s go back to the lunch issue. I’m all for expanding our children’s palates. I’m all for offering up greens, and reds, and pinks, and oranges, and browns. Pick a color, any color. Go for it! But there is so much that I don’t agree with.

For example, the calorie limit and how it’s set. I think it’s pretty obvious, but perhaps we need to spell it out. Children’s needs are different. I know, shocking revelation, right? But let’s look at that.

Scooter, 8, and EJ, 5, definitely do NOT eat the same sized meals!

Take for example my soon-to-be kindergartener who is about 46 inches tall and weighs about 50 pounds, he needs a lot fewer calories and a smaller serving size than my 8-year-old who is 61 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds; yet they’ll be served the same meal, same portion.

Another bit of ridiculousness: no more leftovers. Meaning that if the school cooks too much spaghetti on day one, the spaghetti cannot be offered again on day two. Unless it can be salvaged into another meal, it’s wasted. I guess I shouldn’t expect a government that’s full of waste to use resource-saving methods, but cutting out leftovers? I’m not sure that’s where our energy should be focused.

The change that is going to make the biggest impact on our household will not be the increase in the cost of school lunch, the changes to the meal plans or the increased color palate of the food…no, the biggest change will be purely monetary.

Seconds will no longer be offered at no cost to those that need a little more to tide them over through the day. And it doesn’t matter if you qualify for a free lunch or not, every child is charged the same. Apparently if we’re going to feed our children excessive amounts of food at lunch in school, then it’s only fair if we only overfeed those that can afford to seek professional help to lose the weight, right? Sorry, that wasn’t very polite of me.

The one who will feel the pinch the most from the new plan will not be just the student, or the parent hearing the complaints. It will be the teacher that is dealing with lethargic, hungry children who are counting down the minutes until they can head home and gorge themselves on whatever they find in the cupboards. But don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be kale and collard greens and carrots.

Although a package of M&M’s has every color in it, too.

Trust me, I have a lot more to say about these changes…but will revisit this in the future. For more information on the changes, you can read the rules here. I will add other links as I come across them.

Pinke Post: 3 School Lunch Solutions w/ Linky

chrischinn: Does Your Child Fit the “One Size Fits All” Lunch Program?

Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch: School lunch is not make our kids fat!

whatthehellmichelle: Concerned Mother Sheila Ressler from North Dakota

Slow Money Farm: Are all children the same? Why are lunches?

Crystal Cattle: Raising a family without meat

GOODEnessgracious: Shame

Morning Joy Farm: School lunch soapbox

Our Little Place on the Prairie: School lunch changes – Are kids getting all they need?

This Farm Family’s Life: The Great School Lunch Debate…

The Ultimate Gift

Posted on August 17, 2012 by wagfarms

I’m sure you’ve read about our sweet corn before. We planted it earlier this spring, have watched it grow, taken care of it and waited for the day that we could enjoy the product of our hard work…and now we’ve given the excess of our crop to some pretty deserving people.

Giving our corn through the ND Huger Free Garden Project.

The Great Plains Food Bank arrived on Wednesday afternoon and picked up the remainder of our crop that was ripe and have been able to make it available to food banks across the state of North Dakota.

I have to thank my friends, neighbors and everyone who volunteered to help with this crazy project of mine. Especially those that came from a distance, like my friend JP who flew in from St. Louis, and my friends at the ND Dept. of Agriculture. Thank you all!

So many volunteers, thank you everyone!!!!!

I’m so happy that we are able to share this with those that are down on their luck, or are struggling to put a meal on the table. And I’m so happy that we were able to find a place for it, instead of seeing it destroyed by wildlife, time and eventually, our tractors.

Sacks of corn, ready to share across the state.

It’s been a crazy week, one I’ll have to tell you about later. I’m going to go enjoy a cob of corn, a cold glass of milk and some time with my kiddos. School starts next week, and I’m not ready…even if they are.

WW – Summer vacation, our first ever!

Posted on August 8, 2012 by wagfarms

Yes, you read correctly. Our family took its first vacation together…ever. And it was so much fun!

It started off with buying a camper from my Prairie Mama friend from over at Pinke Post. It’s a beautiful camper, complete with everything I could dream of…and perfect for us!

Our first trip with it? About 9 hours east of us, to a family reunion near LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Yes, we ventured that far on our maiden voyage. We’re ~~stupid~~ brave.

The best part of all? No problems. Nada. Zilch. Zip.

And it has me hooked. I can’t wait to go again!