Proud Mama Moments

My girl is taking her plumbing job and instructions very seriously.

If you are a regular blog reader, you know my daughter impresses me. I would even go so far as to say my daughter is my hero. My girl has overcome many obstacles, none of which were her choices. The Bean is strong, brave, intelligent, capable, fearless, outgoing, and kind. I admire her gregarious personality. Her fearlessness impresses me. Her kind spirit and open heart make me proud. I love being her mom. However, I am not alone in my admiration of my daughter.

I believe it is fair to say that The Bibbed Wonder admires and adores our girl just as much as I do. At least once a day, I say, "We have such a good kid." Eric's response is always an emotion-filled confirmation of, "Oh, my!" We each understand the gift of being her parents and know we are blessed. It does not escape us how very blessed we are to be a family. Although I don't always agree with Eric's advice and antics that he shares with our girl, he adores her nonetheless and takes every opportunity to spend time with her and pass on valuable lessons. These lessons include but are not limited to "farmer blows," racing to see who can eat chalupas the fastest without getting sick, and a litany of inappropriate phrases. However, with each questionable lesson, there are at least three valuable lessons. It's the price one pays for marrying a man with an eternal 14-year-old boy's sense of humor.

Like all children, the Bean ebbs and flows in her connection with The Bibbed Wonder and myself. Most of the time, The Bean and I are as tight as tight can be. However, she goes through phases where she connects more with her dad and seeks his company. This is one of those times. I currently suffer from flu-like symptoms: fever, body aches, headache, stuffy nose, and head congestion. When I am sick, my family avoids me. I don't want to be avoided. I want to be babied. My darling husband checks on me several times daily but pulls his shirt over his face each time so he doesn't "breathe my germ-ridden air." He also walks around lamenting about how I infect everything and seek to spread my diseases to him. Sigh. As I sat alone in the living room while The Bean and The Bibbed Wonder ate dinner in the dining room, I listened to their friendly banter, making me smile. My favorite sound of all time is my husband and daughter laughing. Eric has an infectious, deep belly laugh that invariably ignites a smile. My bean's giggle is filled with mirth and mischief. However, I digress.

On Friday, The Bean was home from school. Our handy-dandy friend, Dave, graciously made time to replace an outdoor faucet before we begin our landscaping overhaul in a few weeks. To access the faucet, one has to climb into a narrow, dark crawl space under our dining room. It was decided that The Bean had just the right amount of agility, fearlessness, and petite body type to climb into said space, cut the leaking copper pipe, replace the old pipe, and tighten the valve. I would have refused if asked to climb into that dark, cavernous, spider-web-filled crawl space. However, my bean viewed it as a challenge. With the help of her dad and Dave, she climbed into the crawl space, found the pipe, cut the pipe, and replaced the pipe. This girl impresses me to no end.

Dave stated that the job took an hour longer than usual, but it was worth it if he didn't have to climb into that narrow space. My girl got a lesson in basic plumbing from a well-seasoned expert. She was also offered a job with Dave as his tight-space apprentice, with payment being an endless supply of Taco Bell chalupas. However, she declined the job offer, stating that she would help with the soap instead. Cash is king with my girl, and although she loves a Taco Bell chalupa, she is getting serious about buying a car. Unfortunately, cars cannot be paid for with Taco Bell.

I sat on the basement steps and watched my girl work diligently to follow Dave's directions, use new tools, and complete a job with direction. She amazes me. Dave gave her great directions, was the epitome of patience, and made it fun. I believe he was as impressed with our girl as we were. Ultimately, when the water was turned on, and there were no leaks, my girl beamed her beautiful million-watt smile and crawled out covered in cobwebs, filthy and proud of herself. I love that she is willing to take on challenges, do what needs to be done to help out, and is capable. She can now add plumbing to her accomplishments and skill set list.

Our approach to parenting is pretty simple. If given the opportunity, encouragement, and guidance, a child will rise to any occasion and challenge. I love the wide range of opportunities our lifestyle presents. I am confident that no matter what path my girl chooses, she will be successful. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her. Life with her is filled with "proud mama" moments.

Stay safe, be smart, enjoy the proud mama moments, and keep washing your hands on this blustery spring day.

Tuesday Spotlight: Tea Tree and Eucalyptus

Today, our spotlight is on our tea tree and eucalyptus soap bar. Now is the perfect time to stock up on this crisp, clean, nourishing bar. With warm weather setting in here in Pennsylvania, the pollen count is already high. The Bean is suffering from seasonal allergies earlier than usual. The Bibbed Wonder and I have been fighting colds for the past few weeks, and stuffy noses are the norm. When this occurs, I pull out a bar of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus soap to help clear our passages and bring a bit of relief from head congestion.

I especially like this soap in a hot, steamy shower because it helps to open up our sinuses, at least for a bit. Tea tree oil is also believed to be antibacterial, so it helps fight germs. I don't know about you, but I hate having a cold. Anything that offers some relief from congestion, even for a few minutes in the shower, is good in my book. With allergy season already upon us, now is a good time to stock up on a favorite, try something new, or buy an affordable gift for an allergy sufferer.

No promo code is needed; the savings will be applied at checkout. On this stormy April day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands-especially if you have a cold.

April's Man Blog

It is rainy starting into April here at the farm. But it does take some rain to make the fields grow. It seems like we just started into snow plowing season, and already it will be grass mowing season. This past month, I thought about why certain things still exist and others do not exist. I have mentioned before that I am too cheap to spring for a paid version of Spotify and am subjected to endless commercials. After multiple commercials from Cocoa Cola, I cannot help but think, why are they advertising? At what point do they need to realize everyone has heard about and drank their product? Precisely, what does it take to fail as an advertiser for Coke? There is no way they would ever have a drop in sales due to a lack of brand recognition. If some healthy alternative hits the market and starts to make a dent in sales of Coke, they are quickly bought up and added to Coke's lineup.

We have been watching Love on The Spectrum. Eventually, one couple had their dream vacation, a safari to Africa. The first thing I noticed was the vehicle they were riding in. It was a Toyota pickup retrofitted into an open tour bus. It struck me odd that Toyota spends millions yearly on research and development to improve their vehicles. Just dropping off some trucks in Africa would yield better results. Whether it is a safari tour vehicle or a machine gun fixed onto the bed, some mighty fine ideas are floating around to upgrade the ever-popular truck.

After upper management made a trip to refill her prescriptions, returning with one not refilled. I struggled to see how pharmacists haven't been replaced with vending machines. The technology exists that a doctor could prescribe and print out a bar code. All that would be required would be to have the code scanned and enter your PIN and payment, and the machine would drop out your refill the same way a can of soda would. We would need the pharmacist to stock the machine to ensure everything is loaded correctly so refills don't get mixed up.

We have become overly dependent on cell phones. There is no longer a reason to memorize how many feet are in a mile, how many cups are in a pint, or any other essential facts. If there is anything that requires thought or memorization, it can be googled, or an app exists to figure it out for you. I know there are educational games for younger kids. The teenage group is being affected by the overuse of phones. Tic Toc is lowering IQs more than leaded gasoline ever did. Someone must invent an app with these kids' homework if it doesn't exist already. After they complete the subject, the phone is unlocked for fifteen minutes of brain-numbing stupidity. Want more time to watch videos? Then, be prepared to explain the significance of hyperinflation to the Weimer Republic. Monkeys can be trained to use sign language with rewards. We are missing a golden opportunity to have the brightest and sharpest generation. Instead, we will have generation, "?". Because every single "influencer" has to end their statements sounding like they are asking a question.

Until next month, wish us luck with the ongoing baby season and preparing for upcoming markets.