Whenever we get new chicks, we have to go through a two week “coop introduction” period when they are about eight weeks old and ready to leave the brooder for the Big House. We keep them in a wired dog kennel so they can meet the bigger chickens safely without getting pecked to death. But because we have a mobile coop, we have to take the kennel out every morning to move the coop and then put it back in. This is much more challenging than it may seem. Not just physically, but mentally, as the chicks often escape. So far though, this method has worked very well for us, and after a couple weeks, the flock appears to be relatively integrated. I just try not to go on any vacations during this time so the farm sitter does not hate me. It’s all worth it for the healthy eggs! And speaking of healthy, make this weekend a time you ditch your run-of-the-mill fish oil and invest in a cod liver oil mixed with high vitamin D butter oil that’s actually worth the money. I used to get cavities all the time before taking it, and it helps me with so much more - from gut to immune health. Green Pasture also has lots of other great products. Use promo code “ALISON” at check out for 10% off! https://www.greenpasture.org/
Remember when herding animals required manual labor? Actually we were shooting video but the animals thought it was the end of the world and ran straight for the barn. It was the fastest feeding time on record, maybe we use the drone more often?!
Don’t forget to keep your shepherd energy supply high with good nutrition. We take the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from @greenpastureproducts everyday because it is packed with vitamins A, D & K along with anti-inflammatory omega 3s. It’s fermented instead of high heat processed like most fish oils. Grab some with promo code “ALISON” and you get 10% off. https://greenpasture.org/
I wasn’t a committed homeschool mom from the second my first child was born. I did quite a bit of research because I wanted to learn more about how kids learn - and truly what kind of environments are not just best for learning ABCs but for overall health and development. I wasn’t even sure I would be a good teacher. After reading many books written by education “experts”, we landed on homeschool.
I really had to unravel quite a bit of what I thought was “school” before I could even begin. I went to the same private school K-12 and equated learning with perfect exam scores. As a student, I forgot a lot of what I crammed into my head because I wasn’t learning for the joy of it - I was learning to survive.
I have come to see how much a child learns through simply living - and being bored! They are innately attuned to art, nature, science, nutrition, play, language - if only we give them a chance. I have truly loved homeschooling my kids, especially all the time we get to spend...
I lived for many years with the idea that I would be a career woman first and someday get to kids.
Biologically, this makes little sense as it gets harder to have kids as a woman ages. But even more mind boggling, I didn’t really even think much of it, like the way one considers what he or she is having for dinner. Actually I probably put more thought into dinner. Being a mom was a complete afterthought. One day a friend and I were eating lunch in downtown Seattle and she smacked some truth into my noggin. I decided, ok what the heck. What do I have to lose? We had our first when I was 38 - I found out I was pregnant the week I resigned from my TV news job. Our second came when I was 41.
If I could talk to younger me, I’d tell her that no career is worth delaying or sacrificing motherhood. It has been the most incredibly humbling, soul-stretching, heart-throbbing, belly laughing adventure I’ve ever had.
And don’t forget to grab the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from...
