Great ag books for kids...now with lesson plans!

It's no secret that I LOVE Rebecca ("Becky") Long Chaney's set of three children's books, written along with her twin daughters, Rianna & Sheridan! She's been a dear friend of mine since my days as a dairy princess and now, just in time for Christmas, her books now have lesson plans to accompany them!  These are my favorite books for leading story time for preschoolers and elementary-aged kiddos and there's still time to order them for Christmas gifts! I got four sets for family members!

Here's the scoop...

"Eight-Year-Old Authors Sheridan and Rianna Chaney are proud to bring you the third book in the "The Chaney Twins' Series." This book, "Star Becomes A Mother," is a sequel to book number one, "Little Star, Raising Our First Calf." In this endearing third book, the girls see Star become a mother herself, and watch as she nurtures her newborn calf that the twins have immediately named, "Starstruck." The story focuses on many facets of the beef industry and the good care farmers and ranchers give their animals no matter what the weather.

All three books are 32 pages and are full of captivating color photographs by professional photographer and the books' co-creator Kelly Hahn Johnson of Sharpsburg, Md. The easy-to-read text geared toward preschool and elementary-aged children has been selected by numerous Farm Bureau groups, Ag in the Classroom programs and county and state cattle women's organizations across the country as their “Accurate Ag Books.” Book #2, “Mini Milk Maids on the Mooove,” featuring the dairying industry, received the Ohio Farm Bureau's prestigious “Children's Literary Award.”

The books' editor Rebecca Long Chaney and twins' mother is thrilled “The Chaney Twins' Series” continues to make such an impact with ag education and is teaching children about animal agriculture.

Lesson plans have been developed for all three books. They are available in downloadable form on the Pennsylvania Beef Council web site at www.pabeef.org

Books are $12 each plus tax and postage, or for the three book-“Bundle” special, the set is $30 plus postage. For more information or to place an order, call Rebecca at 301-271-2732 or email her at chaneyswalkabout@aol.com, or place an order directly from her web site at Rebeccalongchaney.com. Box discount specials are available for agricultural groups. Email Rebecca for details."



One little birdie can make one big mess.

This little episode happened way back in the spring, but I stumbled on these pictures and thought I'd share them at this time of thanksgiving.

I am thankful that my children are learning so many important lessons about God's creation on our farm.

One of these lessons is that sometimes God's wonderful creatures can make things messy on the farm :)

Like the little birdie that worked so hard to make this nest....way up inside the conveyor underneath the trailer we bought.  So when Jeremy turned on the conveyor for the first time to put fertilizer into the air cart so that he could distribute it in the field, it caused an instant backup and overflow of said fertilizer, which in turn, caused said farmer to have to clean up said fertilizer with that handy-dandy shovel in the background.  Isn't he lucky that his wife gave him that shovel as a wedding present?  Seriously...but that's another story for another day :) 

As always, Jeremy made the best of a messy situation, and used it as a teaching moment.

He brought over the nest and let the girls, who were helping us to chauffer Jeremy to assorted farm equipment that day, take a looksie.

The wee red head, ever the brave and fearless kiddo, practically dove right in.

Meanwhile, C.W., our calculated, more cautious daughter, wasn't quite so sure about it.

She came around, and we still talk about the little birdie nest. 

What lessons are you thankful for that your children have learned about nature?

Wilson Family Halloween

It was the wee-ist Wilson's first Halloween! Our little guy (4 months old now!) went as Curious George.  I made this costume with a $6 brown sweatsuit, a printout of George's face from pbskids.com that I laminated and some plastic bananas from the girls' play kitchen.  I put C.W.'s old brown gloves on his feet, and we strapped the bananas to them.  The bananas kept him entertained him the whole evening!

...and I was "The Ma'am in the Yellow Hat".  If you're not up on your Curious George facts, the "Man in the Yellow Hat" is who takes care of George :)

The wee redhead was "a pwincess wid uh cwown an uh wand".  If you don't speak two  year old, that's "a princess with a crown and a wand".  Earlier in the week she kept saying she wanted to "cawwy a WASP", but indeed, she meant WAND :)

C.W. was "Wonder Woman".  Yes, after much deliberation, this frugal farm wife coughed up 20 bucks for a few bits of shiny material held together with velcro.  In the past I have always made the girls' costumes, or used hand-me-downs, but this year precious sleep won out over what would have inevitably been a costume making all-nighter.

The big hit of the night was Wonder Woman's super hero partner..."Super Papa".  Straight out of the field, he donned a cape, mask, and T-shirt with iron-on logo, along with his Wheatgrower's stocking cap, Carhartt pants and muddy work boots, and was a REAL super hero to our little girl that night :)

Halloween would be MUCH more convenient for us if it was in, oh, maybe March, instead of smack in the middle of corn harvest, but all in all, it was a GREAT night for the Wilson family!

THANKS to Grandma E. for being our "official photographer" :)

 For a fun walk down Wilson Family Halloween memory lane, check out this blog post from last year.  I had just returned home from 21 days in Germany...what a difference a year makes :)

 http://farmeronamission.blogspot.com/2010/11/hello-again-readers-happy-belated.html

Be a Blessing

I have found that in life, the more I think about my problems, the larger they seem to be.  That's not to say that I think I should ignore big issues in my life and not deal with them, but more often than not, I just have to "let go and let God".  However, I'm the kind of person that doesn't sit still very long, so when I "let go and let God", I need somewhere else the expend the energy I was using for worrying.

The best way to use this energy is to "be a blessing". 

It might be calling up a long-lost friend and reconnecting and letting them know you care, it might be visiting someone in the hospital or nursing home, maybe baking a batch of cookies or a hotdish (otherwise known as a casserole in parts of the U.S. other than North Dakota) for someone who is recovering from surgery or just had a new baby.  Maybe you buy lunch for the guy behind you in the drive thru, or just flash a smile and say "Have a nice day" to a passerby.  It doesn't have to cost money.  It doesn't have to take much time either, but if you seek out ways to be a blessing to others and make their day a little brighter, you will find yours gets a little brighter too.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV).

Thankful Thursday: Winterizing the Wee Wilsons

Since the temps dipped into the 20's here this week, I figured it was time to winterize the Wee Wilson's.  Here is where I give THANKS on this Thankful Thursday.  With some strategically purchased clearance items from last year, and a few visits from the "hand-me-down fairies" (you know who you are ladies and you are AWESOME), I was able to outfit all three of my kiddos for winter without purchasing a SINGLE item.  Somehow, I opened two tubs from the garage and found EVERYTHING I needed...hats, scarves, mittens, coats, snowpants, boots...yes, EVERYTHING.

Wow. 

I sat back after I had sorted and placed all the items on the handy-dandy rack Jeremy built for the Wee Wilson's and was amazed by this, and very THANKFUL that I would not have to drag three kids through the maze of already-picked-over winter clothing items at our local stores.


I'm also THANKFUL I did this yesterday, because this morning the big kids were THANKFUL that they could run outside at 8 a.m., still in their pajamas, but covered in their warm winter gear, to make footprints in the frost.

There amongst all the chaos of my reorganization project, I was reminded of yet another reason to be THANKFUL.  In my life, I have been blessed with the most amazing family, especially, my late Grandpa Thomas Graziano, who made this beautiful hope chest for me. 

When I opened it to fill it with this season's wardrobe, I was reminded that upon the insistence of my beloved Aunt Lynne, who passed away this spring, he signed the inside of his creation. 

Cancer may have taken them from this earthly life, but it will never take them from my hearts and I am THANKFUL for many warm memories, even though it's getting cold outside.

This Makes the Wee Redhead Happy

There are a lot of things the wee redhead (age 2.5) likes...

Ballet...

Being "pwitty"...

Tawkin' on da phone to Gwamma...

Pancakes with sprinkles at Perkins...

Her "yittle brudda"...

Most of all, her Papa...

 He took her along to help haul grain the other day.  We use two tractor trailers (aka "semi's") to haul our crops (corn, wheat, soybeans) from the field to one of two locations.  First, it may go to the grain bins, where the grain will be stored for a few months before being hauled to the grain elevator.  Second, it may go directly to the grain elevator, where it be stored or will go by train across the U.S. and possibly on a barge overseas.

Here is one of our trucks:

Here the wee redhead and her Papa are heading for the trucks...

(THANK YOU to our friend, Tony, who has been helping with harvest, for snapping these pics of how Jeremy got her safely from one truck to the other).

Here she is perched in her car seat with her coloring book, being her Papa's assistant grain hauler.

We didn't realize how much this day meant to her until this project came home from daycare:

It says "This makes me happy..."

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah :)

Thankful Thursday: I sure hope that's my husband!

 
During harvest, every night, and sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, this dark figure appears in my bedroom long after I finally call it a day. He stumbles in all grubby, smelling of grease, fuel, dirt soil and whatever else he's had a run-in with that day. (Hopefully, not a skunk).  I would request that he shower, but I know he is so tired that he is capable of falling asleep standing up at this point. 

I do his laundry, so even in the dark, I know that he probably looks like he rolled around on the floor of the farm shop or was dragged behind a truck and that his pants may very well stand up on their own from being caked with mud. I also know I could likely plant a few acres with the soybeans, corn kernels, or grains of wheat that have accumulated in his pockets. Cleaning the lint filter in our clothes dryer is always interesting.

I have gotten used to this nightly routine, out of necessity.  You see, an infant will wake me long before dawn.  Soon thereafter the wee Wilson gals will stumble out of their bunk beds and expect "bekfest".  I have to try to force my brain to turn off and get some shut eye, or I will be Zombie Mama the next day, and believe me, she is NOT pretty.

As I'm lying in bed and this nearly unidentifiable creature enters my room, practically falls into bed, and puts a rough, calloused hand on my shoulder, the only thing that goes through my mind is, "I sure hope that's my husband!" :-)

After I put my hand on his, confirming that it is indeed my dear Jeremy, I say a little prayer that goes something like this: "Lord, I thank you for giving me a husband who works so hard to provide for my little family. I am so grateful you got him home safe and sound. In Jesus' name. Amen."

When harvest is complete, Jeremy and I will get a babysitter, go out to dinner, give ourselves a few hours to celebrate that another year of feeding families around the world is behind us, relish the fact that we have a lot to look forward to, and we will fall in love all over again :)