My kids have awesome eyes

I love those sweet brown eyes. 

And because I don't want to leave out his sister, and because this picture cracks me up....check out Miss Em scarfing down her donut and daring anyone brave enough to come take it from her. If looks could kill people....

Don't mess with a girl and her sprinkle donut.

A Letter from Me, to Me

I have quite a few friends who are getting ready to enter the "new mom" phase of life. They are pregnant with their first little miracle and I am beyond excited for each and every one of them. It is the most exciting, terrifying, fun-filled seasons of life. I vividly remember my pregnancy with Emma and all of my questions, concerns, dreams, anxieties, love, and emotions (hormones!) that came along with it. I was thinking yesterday what I would say to myself if I could go back and give myself advice. I came up with this letter (from me to....me!) It was fun to think about what I wish I would have known and thought maybe it'd be enjoyable for all my soon-to-be new Momma friends too!

Dear Sarah,
A few things you should know...
-Right now all you can think about is "WILL I EVER STOP THROWING UP!?!?!" So many "helpful" strangers think it's nice to empathize with you by sharing the fact that they threw up the entire pregnancy. Ignore them. That's depressing and you WILL feel better....around week 16. That first trimester nonesense is balony. The nausea doesn't stop for several weeks into your second trimester but it WILL stop! :)
-The first month of your baby's life is all about survival. You will be hormonal, exhausted, and find yourself up in the middle of the night thinking crazy thoughts and staring at your baby and wondering "Is ________ normal?" Is it normal that her breathing looks shallow? Is it normal that she barely ever blinks? Is it normal that ______? Turn on some worship music, pray for peace and know that what you're feeling is so very normal. You will eventually settle into a new routine and your hormones will calm down and you'll feel better.
-The best advice I was ever given was this: Don't compare yourself to other Moms, ESPECIALLY moms who have multiple kids. They seem to have it all together and know exactly how to handle everything. First of all, they really don't have it all together. Secondly, they've had experience and have figured out what works for them and their family. You'll get there and it may turn out totally different for your family. They were probably just as insecure and awkward as you are with their first child.
-Figure out what works for you and your kid and stick with it. There are a LOT of opinions out there. Cry it out or not. Breastfeed or bottle. Spanking or not. Vaccination or delayed schedule. The list goes on and on. Pray about it, talk about it with your hubby and go with your gut. Respect others' choices and pray that they'll respect yours. If they don't....oh well.

-Half of the things you NEED, you won't use. I just sold the Boppy Pillow everyone swore was the best thing ever. Used it once or twice.
-That darn line (linea nigra?) doesn't go away right away. This totally bummed me out. I didn't want that thing maybe more than I didn't want stretch marks and I thought once the baby came out, it'd go away. It takes a good long while for that thing to fade and it'll never really go totally away.
-When you're up in the night for the 9th time, changing your shirt AGAIN because she projectile vomited all over you, and pulling your hair out because you can't figure out why she's crying.....never ever ever forget what a privilege being a mommy is. Thousands of women would die for the chance to be in your shoes.....poopy explosions and all. It's an amazing honor that not everyone gets to experience.
-Oh and don't even bother trying to squeeze into your pre-pregnancy clothes for a few months. It's depressing, it's uncomfortable and your hot pants don't look so hot when you're sporting a muffin top. Go buy some cheap things to get you through a few months and be proud of every pudge and roll.....you just created a human. :)
Love,
Me

Fellow Mommys...what am I missing? What would you tell yourself if you had the chance?

Pinterest Success!

I was a little late joining the Pinterest craze. I finally got around to checking it out a few weeks ago and it is genius!

One of my favorite things are the helpful hints and tricks that people pin. Ways to organize or things to use to clean your home....I can ALWAYS benefit from streamlining our lives a little more. I pinned this first picture without knowing if or when I would ever use it and low and behold...just a few days later it came in handy! My sister-in-law and Emma wanted to fill up our baby pool one more time this summer. It wasn't an incredibly hot day and it was after dinner so the hose water would be too cold but it would take forever to fill up little buckets in the mudroom sink and carry them out one by one. We found a huge bucket that would be great, but it was way too big to fit in the sink. Pinterest to the rescue!

Who would have ever thought?!?!? Just put a dust pan under the faucet and it shoots the water right into the bucket on the ground. Genius! :) I wasn't sure it was actually going to work, but it was perfect!

I saw a pin about how to clean a washing machine and it motivated me to deal with ours. Between the four of us (one of whom has some extra stinky,  residue-producing clothing), our washing machine was looking pretty rough. (We won't even mention the times when wet laundry sat overnight. That never happens in this household. Never.) Here's the before shots:

and.........after a vinegar bath and some elbow grease.....

Here's the link to the tutorial I used. I didn't have any bleach on hand so I just did the vinegar/water soak and scrubbed it down afterwards. It looked brand new! I'd totally do this once or twice a year.

I've also tried a few recipes that were DELICIOUS. How about you guys? Any Pinterest success stories? Things we need to know or try?

Freezing Corn 101

This was right outside our front door at 7:30am today. We don't mess around with freezing corn in this house. :) It's one of the few vegetables that I actually enjoy eating and we use it throughout the year in roasts, as side dishes and I love to pull one out when we make meals for people in our church. There's no work involved and it's delicious. There's nothing better than REAL sweet corn, fresh from the cob, when it's February and the stuff in the store just isn't the same.

I'm not a Lancaster County true blood. I wasn't raised Mennonite. I didn't grow up canning everything in sight. I didn't share a last name with anyone in my elementary school (except my brothers, duh). We were from Canada (*gasp*) and we just didn't do the whole freezing and canning thing. Not sure if that has anything to do with being from Canada or just the way my parents did things. Anyway, when we got married, I started dabbling in this stuff and it's pretty fun and easy and cheap and we reap the benefits all year long!

So for those of you who grew up doing this stuff and you could talk circles around my little corn freezing tutorial....please feel free to skip this post and come back another day. But for the rest of you, who've never stocked your freezer or shelves for the year...I wrote this one for you. Just in case you're avoiding it because you think it's something difficult or costly or time consuming or only for those crazy crunchy Mennonite homemakers...I wanted you to see how simple it really is! And maybe next year we can have a Corn Day together! :)

Ok so to start, just get your corn. We do  a LOT of corn so what we did today was 16 bakers dozen. It turns out to be around 50 quart bags worth of corn. I typically use corn as a side or in a dish once a week so I wanted to have at least this much. You can do as much or as little as you want. Doing this much corn takes a better part of a day. But find some friends and shuck together and it makes quick work.

Shuck the corn and de-hair it. I have no clue what the technical term is for that. I use a baby bottle bristle brush to get the little hairs off. It works perfectly.

Boil the corn for about 10 minutes and immediately shock them in cold water. I just fill up my kitchen sink with cold water and dump them in there after they are done boiling.

Then when your kids are whining and wanting your attention, find things to occupy them. 

See? Happy as can be! :) Just kidding. I took breaks throughout the day to love on my littles. Emma had so much fun playing on Daddy's truck "helping" us shuck the corn. 

Next, cut the kernels off of the cob. My extra fancy technique looks like this:

I put a big bowl on the bottom and then turn a smaller bowl upside down inside. That way, when I cut the kernels off, they drop right down into the big bowl. Last year for Christmas I got a new corn kernel getter-offer thing. (I'm so technical) and it is genius. I am loving it! So, if you're really getting into it...I'd recommend one. Otherwise, a knife works just as well.

Fill your quart sized freezer bags about half full. Don't overstuff them or it'll be hard to get them to lay flat. Stack them flat so they will take up minimal space in your freezer.

and......ta da! You're done! Put them away in the freezer and you've got yummy things for your tummy year round!

And if you're really interested, just let me know. We know some local farmers who would be able to get you some awesome sweet corn for much cheaper than you would pay in the grocery store. I would be more than happy to get some for you!

Letters

Dear Stink Bugs,
I hate you. I hate your gross bodies. I hate your disgusting smell and I hate that my bedroom seems to be your favorite place. You are not welcome in my house and I don't ever want to see you again.
Regards,
Sarah

Dear Fall,
Due to the nasty little creatures mentioned in my previous letter, I was forced to take the window unit out of our bedroom window. Killing 15+ bugs every morning just to have them replaced by lunchtime just doesn't fit into my daily schedule. Would you be so kind as to come RIGHT NOW and stay cool enough so we don't sufficate in our bedroom at night? Please? Oh and once you've reached the perfect Fall temperature, feel free to just hang out here for a good couple months. Don't let Winter push you around. I'm in no hurry for him to get here. Don't say anything to him, but I like you much better.
K, thanks.
Sarah

Dear Pinterest,
You are taking over my world. Thanks to you, I have about a million fatty recipes that I want to try, lots of tricks up my sleeve to try around the house for cleaning, a desire to throw caution to the wind and make crafts all day, and redo my enter decorating scheme and go crazy decorating. I'm not sure if I should thank you or tell you to back off a little. Let's take this relationship a little slower shall we?
Your truly,
Sarah

Dear Me in several months,
When you are entering the awkward "my hair is at an in-between length that never looks good no matter how hard I try" just remember that you want to grow it really long just once. Sure your face may be small and long hair may overwhelm it. Sure it may be hard to style right now. Sure you have a fantastic friend who will gladly chop it off for you for no charge at all. But don't give up! :) Think of all the fun hair styles you can try. Get a tiny trim, put on some makeup and a fun outfit and rock that awkward hair. Someday you'll be glad you tried it at least once.
Sarah

Dear faithful blog readers,
I love you. Just thought you should know...
Have a happy, stink bug-free day!
Sarah

First Prayers

I know, I know...

all this posting is getting crazy! :) I go and tell you that I'm not sure I am going to keep blogging and then I post like 3 posts in a week. I'm unpredictable to say the least....

We are a praying family and it's something that is important to me to model for our kids. We have always prayed at mealtime, at bedtime, and throughout the day for protection, for wisdom, for poop (hey, when you have a kid who struggled for close to a YEAR with constipation, poopy prayers are very valid and necessary!), for healing, for peace, for....all sorts of things!

When Emma started being able to communicate, we began to teach her how to pray. At bedtime, we would pray for our family and she was always repeat "Jeezy, Wadi." (And for those of you who don't speak Emma-talk, that would be...."Jesus, Wadi" and for those of you STILL confused.....Wadi is what the grandkids call Jarred's mom. It's a made up name and just stuck and we love it.) So for a long time, when it comes to bedtime and we say our prayers with Emma, we ask her what she wants to pray to Jesus about and she replies..."Jeezy, Wadi." But last night we had breakthrough!

She had somehow scraped her knee while playing with sidewalk chalk right before bathtime. As she was going to the bathroom right before bed, she pointed it out to me and said, "Mommy, pray Jesus heal Emma's boo boo." I just about melted. It is SO sweet to hear your little one sincerely ask for prayer. I laid my hands on her boo boo and prayed for healing and off we went to bed. Like always, I asked her what she wanted to pray to Jesus about, expecting to hear the typical Jeezy Wadi routine, but instead she replied, "Jesus, heal Emma's boo boo."

Her first real prayer.

I'm praying and believing it'll be the first of a lifetime filled with sweet fellowship with the Lord. Thank you Jesus for working in my daughter's life already!!

What have we been up to?

Two posts in one week?

What can I say....I'm working on letting my little guy self-soothe and so I'm filling time while he works it out up in his crib.

Thanks for the comments on my last post. I didn't even think about the option of making my blog read-able by invitation only so I may look into that. Thanks Amanda for the suggestion! :) Would you guys keep reading if I did that??

ok so let's see. It's been over a month since I REALLY posted. What have we been up to??

-We finally said "so long" to our old, awful we won't mention their name phone service and joined the 21st century and switched to AT&T and got iPhones! :) Cool fun smartphones aside, I'm just loving having phone service in our house. I can actually talk to you if you call me when I'm home! :) haha

-I got a steam mop. ahhh heaven. Ellie lent me hers while I was big and pregnant and I fell in love. I used to be old school and get down on my hands and knees to scrub, but with a one year old and a big old belly, it just wasn't happening. Really when I think about the fact that my husband stomps into the kitchen breakfast, lunch, and dinner scavenging for food with his work boots on, I should really be mopping 3 times a day. But it just doesn't happen. It doesn't even happen once a day or every other day. But I know with Colson coming up on crawling age in a few months, I'm going to have to step up my kitchen floor cleaning game. So....steam mop to the rescue! Seriously, I just do a quick sweep to catch the usual kitchen floor culprits (hay, manure, castrating bands, screws....what? you don't have those things on your floors like we do?) ha, I kid. But really, I just do a quick sweep and then plug my steamer in and mop away. Perfect and easy. My kind of cleaning.

(.....and he's still crying....hmm what else can I write about...)

-We started solids food yesterday with the little stinkerbug. I whipped up a delicious, er bland mix of momma's milk and baby cereal for him. He was so cute. Smiling his little head off as he waited in the bumbo seat like "oooh mom, what are we doing now?!?" I gave him his first bite and cue the sour face, look of pure offense and spitting that stuff right back out. haha I offered him a few bites and then we were done. Can I be cliche and say....I just can't believe my little baby boy is at this point already? Is it possible that time flies even faster when it's your second baby?

-We are in full on discipline and training mode with Emmy Lou. I have a serious love hate relationship with two and a half. Half the time she is so hilarious I can barely stand it. The things she says crack us up all day long, she's old enough to actually "do" a lot of things and she's getting more and more independent.


WAIT a minute! Hold the phone. He's quiet. :) Ahh, we did it.

Ok, where were we? Oh yes, so on the one hand, being two and a half is such a party. On the other hand, it is TOUGH WORK no joke folks. Parenting this age is intense. She is whining non stop. She's testing every boundary. She's discovered how un-fun it is to share. She's discovered how to manipulate and make excuses and the ever popular....if mom says no, I'll try dad. (ha, her only problem was she asked Jarred who was sitting right next to me on the couch so he had just heard my answer. She's yet to learn how to be sneaky about this trick....have mercy on us Lord). I'm constantly in prayer for wisdom and guidance and grace grace grace. The good news is that most likely by the time we get her through this stage, Colson will be just getting to the age to start it. :) I was starting to struggle with a little bit of condemnation...feeling like I was failing in some way as a mom because my daughter was doing all those things I mentioned earlier. I spent a lot of time in prayer about it and the Lord was so sweet to quickly speak to my heart. He reminded me that Emma's disobedience has much more to do with her sinful nature than my parenting ability. I could be parent of the year and still we'd have to work through these things....because she's human and sinful and in need of a savior. That sounds like common sense now that I type it out but I think it's pretty normal to question yourself when your child is making bad choices.

Anyway since the kiddos are now BOTH asleep, I'm off to settle in with Beth Moore and enjoy my Esther bible study in the peace and quiet. Have a fantastic day!

Food for Thought (and a few funny stories)

It's been quite a while since I've posted. August has come and gone. We've been through an earthquake, a hurricane, a tropical storm, Colson turning 4 months old, and everything in between.

Honestly, I've been chewing on something for a few weeks now and I don't feel like I'm done processing it yet and I guess that's why I haven't written anything. To put it simply, I've been thinking about the safety and wisdom of writing and sharing pictures about my family and my children in a place where anyone can read it. I don't mean to come across as an alarmist and I'm still working on finding the balance but the fact of the matter is that there are creeps out there and although I do try to be careful about sharing important details about our lives (last names, when we're out of town, exactly where we live, etc) it is a reality that I want to be sensitive to. I also want to be respectful and honoring of my family's privacy. I don't share about my husband or my marriage very often (and I'm very protective of what I write when I do) but I've recently been thinking about wanting to respect my children's privacy as well.

I don't know. On the other hand, I love to write! Typing is faster for me than handwriting so this is a quicker way to get out my thoughts and stories and details. And there are things I want to remember. I've written things in here that don't really get written down in baby books. And it's fun (and easy) to look back and get a much more descriptive picture of what each kid was like at this age or that stage. And seriously, kids do the FUNNIEST things! So often something happens and I am just dying to share it with someone, anyone just so we can laugh together.

Let's just take a bunny trail so I can tell you about two such instances.
-Exhibit A: The kids and I are at a neighbor's house so I can help her upload pictures onto her computer and snapfish.com so she can have them printed. Emma is playing with a toy doctor's kit and comes to ask me what a certain object is. I tell her it's a thermometer to take your temperature with and then turn my attention back to the computer and whatever I was doing. I glance back over minutes later to find my dainty (way too smart for her own good) little girl using the thermometer the very technical, most accurate way. As in, how she sees me take her baby brother's temperature.  Be.still.my.heart. I almost died. I was mortified and shocked and impressed and embarrassed and cracking up all at the same time.

-Exhibit B: We are getting life insurance. (I know...we have 2 kids. Probably should have done this about 2 years ago. oh well.) Who knew, but when you get life insurance, a nurse comes to your house to basically give you a check up. Take your blood, weigh you, do a urine sample, get your height and blood pressure....all that jazz. Our appt was at 9am this morning. The kids get up at 6am. Three hours to get my act together. We ate breakfast, I vacuumed, I did the dishes, I got Emma set up with watercolor paints, I threw in a load of laundry, I got the kids dressed, I tidied the downstairs. I was trying SO hard to get everything ready and have our house look semi-presentable. And yet, when she showed up (10 minutes early) there I was, answering the door in my pajamas, without a shower, in my glasses, with a baby on my hip.  So very classy.  Add to the mix Emma running around in a panic because she was SURE that the nurse was here to give her a shot and we were a hot mess.


It's those kind of things. Funny little snippets of the crazy, mundane things in our life with two little kids and a farm that I love sharing. But I continue to have this nagging feeling of wondering what the wisest things to do is. Without a second thought I would do anything for the safety and best interest of my children and family and of course I would never sacrifice safety for the sake of sharing a laugh....but I also don't want to overreact and be an alarmist.

All that being said, I guess I just wanted to fill ya'll in on where I'm at and say HI and we're still here and all is well! Pray for clarity and discernment for me if you think of it. I don't know how often I'll write or if I'll continue writing or what the future holds for the Farming Momma's blog, but we'll see. Maybe I'll change it up and focus more on some other aspects of our lives (I've tried some AWESOME recipes lately that I'm dying to share..things like that.) Who knows! :)

Be blessed sweet friends!