Thursday, November 19, 2015

The chicks are here!!!!

Day 23 (of 21? lol) brought the babies!!!! We had SEVEN chicks born. 1 during the day, 1 in the evening, & the other 5 arrived at night. 
Rob had gone to a meeting at 9PM, I fell asleep putting the little fellas to bed & he woke me up yelling SEVEN!! We have SEVEN!! I was sound asleep so I was really confused, lol!!! 

Here is their first photo: 

And today (day 25), we moved them into their brooder box!! I had to make it because Rob isn't home & they had to be moved. Hopefully I did an ok enough job & they all make it! :) 
It was eventful. The heat lamp was too close so it was really hot! 

Then I attached it to the lamp nearby & melted the box. 😳
But, I finally found the right location! And, we started the move. 


The boys absolutely love this whole process! And I love watching their excitement. ❤️


No names yet! O keeps suggesting names like chocolate & hot fudge sundae so we're waiting...... lol 

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Chick Watch 2015

I had started to give up hope yesterday. I rationalized, maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world if we have a dozen duds? We'd like to sell the house we currently live in & our neighborhood isn't exactly full of people hoping to find an existing/working chicken coop! 

But this morning, we found a surprise! 2 eggs had pipped! And when I checked back, there was a third! I'm not sureif  there are others yet, it's kind of hard to see inside the window & we only have a view from one side. But, here are the beginnings of our babies. ❤️🐓❤️ 

This guy (can't see his number so I don't have anything to call him yet -- this is the egg O saw moving the other day!) is LIVELY!! He was chirping & I started talking to him. That made him go WILD with chirps & start breaking through the shell more. So freaking cool! 


Here's #8 -- this is the egg I swear I saw move the other day but had convinced myself it was all in my head. lol 

And we also have this little fella (can't see his number either). 



And yes, I'm referring to them all as he. I'm a Mom of boys, it's habit! 😂 
Plus, almost all of the hatchlings in our group are turning out to be roosters (there are some hens though!). So, chances are I only birth boys in all ways. lol 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Chicken incubating newbie.

A short rundown of our chicken hatching experience so far -- it's not over yet! I think the actual hatching will be a post in itself. :) 

Day 1 -- LETS DO THIS! So excited!! 



Day 3 -- holy shit, this egg rotating is neverending & time consuming. LOL

Day 8 -- ok, ok, this egg rotating isn't so bad. It's a habit now! 

Day 9 -- should we candle them to see what is actually happening in there?? Rob: 'no, we'll probably burn them or crack their shells, let's just wait!' (so true! lol)

Day 12 -- started to build the chicken coop!! The boys were extremely helpful! 
I think they're pretty excited the chickens won't need the coop for a while though -- they're loving playing in it themselves. lol 




Day 13 -- another shot of our incubating babies. 


Day 16 -- time to read up on what to do next! ❤️


We stop rotating at day 18 & then we wait. ❤️❤️❤️

Thursday, July 2, 2015

The rainbow lights.

I've hesitated sharing these thoughts because I don't want to offend or be accused of not understanding or called an asshole or any other such nonsense. But, I've never been very good at keeping quiet.......

Sooooo, I've seen this meme floating around that insists the White House is now a light show & hoping that means it'll be red, white & blue for the fourth (I'll post it in the comments, I'm not including it with my rant). 
Guys, I'm not sure if you're aware. But, the rainbow lights weren't the first time they changed the lights on the White House........

Pink for breast cancer -- https://m.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/10/24/people-s-house-pink-honoring-breast-cancer-awareness-month-white-house

The fountains dyed green for St Patricks day (like they do in Chicago): https://m.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/03/17/how-president-obama-celebrates-st-patricks-day

Independence Day, they celebrated with military families & watched fireworks: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fourth-of-july

And, *GASP* they celebrate a Christmas tree lighting ceremony every year:  https://m.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/04/decking-national-christmas-tree-codes-jolly

** These are just the celebrations I dug up from a quick google search. And, all links are direct from the White House. No Wikipedia. ;) 
And, just IMAGINE the excitement & uproar when the Supreme Court ruled against laws prohibiting interracial marriage! I can't find any documentation on the White House response to that though, not for lack of trying. 

But, shame on them for celebrating a monumental day in history when human/civil rights were finally recognized for another group, right? 😒

Now, I want to be clear here, this isn't directed at anyone in particular. Please don't immediately jump on the defensive! My feelings on this topic are no secret -- I am NOT attacking those that disagree with me. In fact, quite the opposite. I don't care which 'side' you're on. What you believe really doesn't matter in order to respect another human being. I'm just trying to open some eyes here. 
And, everyone is ABSOLUTELY entitled to their opinion, I wouldn't belittle that right in the least. But seriously, enough twisting reality to fit your version of the truth (a quick fact check goes a long way). Keeping everyone angry & fighting has to stop. Maybe we can all try loving & supporting one another, even (especially?!!!!) when we disagree?? 
What do you think the government & media want to see? Us getting worked up, fighting, & 'taking sides' against each other OR recognizing we're all different, working to get along & supporting one another? Certainly not the latter, we're doing their dirty work just by distracting each other & continuing to bicker like children. 

This goes for SO MUCH MORE than just the lights on the White House, too. With all of these explosive discussions, we need to try & keep in mind -- am I right? I think so. Are you right? You think so. We don't HAVE to agree! Be NICE, be RESPECTFUL, be CARING, be THOUGHTFUL..... despite how strongly you feel, your way is NOT the only way for everyone. The sooner we all realize that, the better off we'll be. 

Anyway, I don't want to argue about this, I simply don't have the patience to be nice (I admit it!) & hope to encourage more positive interactions. Seeing that meme just made me want to scream my head off & more fighting won't solve anything. So, like your momma (or daddy or granny or who-the-hell-ever because you know damn well someone did) taught you, if we can't say anything nice, say nothing at all.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Climbing down from my soapbox, off to pack for camp, & if you read this far...... BRAVO! lol 

#loveoneanother #PLEASEstopbeingoffendedbyEVERYTHING #playnice  #sickofthefighting #everyonetotimeout #imdone #maybe #longestpostever #whoa #blogstyle 

(forgot, I have to include the picture on the blog!)


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Photo food journal 1 year 7 months 1 week 4 days

1 year, 7 months, 1 week, 4 days! of changing my life! 

Current fitness program: life. 


W4/D6 of 8 week challenge -- weigh in tomorroooooooowwwww! 


#reformedvegetarian #meateater #quitter #twinmom #homeschoolmom #momofthree #momofboys #pittsburgh #detroit #me #food #foodporn #nogmo #wanderingfit #family #notcleaneating #cleaneating #breastfeeding #momlife #fitfamily #travelingfool #love 



Sunday, June 21, 2015

Photo food journal 1 year 7 months 1 week 2 days

1 year, 7 months, 1 week, 2 days! of changing my life! 

Current fitness program: life. 


W4/D4 of 8 week challenge -- rooooooooough day! Chug-a-lug the water! 


#reformedvegetarian #meateater #quitter #twinmom #homeschoolmom #momofthree #momofboys #pittsburgh #detroit #me #food #foodporn #nogmo #wanderingfit #family #notcleaneating #cleaneating #breastfeeding #momlife #fitfamily #travelingfool #love 



Saturday, June 20, 2015

Photo food journal 1 year 7 months 1 week 1 day

1 year, 7 months, 1 week, 1 day! of changing my life! 

Current fitness program: life. 


W4/D3 of 8 week challenge -- Father's Day weekend! #cheers


#reformedvegetarian #meateater #quitter #twinmom #homeschoolmom #momofthree #momofboys #pittsburgh #detroit #me #food #foodporn #nogmo #wanderingfit #family #notcleaneating #cleaneating #breastfeeding #momlife #fitfamily #travelingfool #love