County Fair Time of Year

Yep.... you guessed it!  It is that time of year again when we haul the piggies to the Fair Grounds and hope they make the weight we want, follow directions in the show ring, and  do well enough to make the Sale and win a top spot in their Class.  Oh I know, the excitement is almost too much to handle, isn't it? :)   Just imagine how stressful it is for those poor piggies;  on a side note...if they don't make the Sale, they will promptly become ham and bacon in my freezer!

This year will be Briley's first time to show her pig.  The past 6 months have really been challenging for her, because she's had to put a lot of time and effort into the feeding and care of her pig.  All the while she's had to endure her older sister yelling at her for not doing 'it' right...whatever 'it' happens to be at the moment.  Oh let me just say, we've had our fair share of screamfests in the pig barn! 

After all of the trials and tribulations of raising pigs, Briley is mostly excited about wearing her new boots.  Oh yes, we had to go buy her a pair of new boots to wear in the show ring.  Afterall, what was all of this for, if not to get dressed up in the latest cowgirl gear and be blinged out in the show ring?

Here she is modeling her new boots... and yes, she is wearing her night gown... in the kitchen... in her boots! What can I say?  Nothing is sacred in our house! 

Here's a close of up shot of the boots - which by the way, took all afternoon to pick out! Apparently Briley has some real issues with the shape of the toes, the color of the tops of the boots (even though noone will see the tops)... and the list goes on. 

I'll check back in and let ya' know how the piggies and the girls do after the Pig Show!  I'm sure after Briley gets a taste of chasing after her pig in the Show Ring, we probably won't have to worry about her doing this another year.  I just don't see her persuing this much further, and quite honestly.... I am not going to be too disaapointed.  There are too many other options that she can participate in with the 4-H, besides PIGS!  Oink  Oink!

Spring Break! Let the fun begin!

Are you new here? 

You should have realized by now and after reading so many of my random posts that there was going to be very little spring breaking going on! :)

Oh sure... school is out for the week, but soccer, softball and pig feeding continues.  The only difference is that we don't have homework thrown into the mix this week.  For that, I am grateful!

Every day this week, I still have to figure out a way to get Bailey to and from soccer and softball practice during the middle of the day.  Because you realize she doesn't drive yet, and I work all week... so??? I'm relying on the patience and kindness of other kiddos that have their drivers' license.  JOY JOY!

Every day this week, we still have to dredge down to the pig barn and feed those nasty creatures - twice a day - with a concoction of feeds that is as precisely measured and monitored as if we were making a cake for the Queen.  Unbelievable!!!  Each day I remind myself  that raising pigs for the FFA or 4H groups is most definitely a labor of love for our children.   These little jewels are all about teaching responsibility and I get that, really I do.  HOWEVER, I didn't need to learn responsibility... I have three of my own little reminders of my everlasting responsibility!

My task at hand for this week is to clean out my car!  Oh, I'm sure you can imagine the little flakes of pig poop that have made their way into my car are starting to really stink as the temperatures in the car rise... yes.... you get the idea!  Not to mention the bits of pig feed that have spilled out of the buckets and now it smells like a grain barn in the back of my car. 

Remember... this is a labor of love!  Or else I would be considered stark raving mad to allow this craziness to continue!  (See how I have to keep reassuring myself of this fact?)

Anyway, it is Spring Break and that means all of this nasty cold weather and long gloomy days are surely about to end.  Bring on the sunshine!  I need to feel the heat of the sun and smell the flowers blooming.  (Pardon me, while I sneeze my head off.)    Spring time is great!  (sniff... sniff)

Softball season is starting and I am all about sitting in the stands watching Bailey pitch their team to a District Win.  I'm also all about sitting in the stands and listening to Briley whine at me about being hungry, which direction the wind is blowing, and how she is BORED!  Oh yes, the joys of spring time!  (I need to remember to stock up on sunflower seeds to keep Briley entertained!)

Believe it or not, this is my favorite time of year.

Happy TAKS Tuesday!

For those of us living in Texas with children in the public school system, today is the start of TAKS Testing for 3rd grade through 11th grade (assuming they pass prior to their Sr. year?).   Between today and late April, students will take a series of tests measuring their knowledge of Writing, Math, Science, History, and Language Arts.  Each grade level has it's own subject matter to be tested.  This is HUGE in Texas public schools.  This test is the measuring tool used to advance elementary students from one grade to the next, regardless of their grades for the year. 

This test is so very important that school systems are busy teaching the terminology and verbiage of the tests, as well as the subject content.  Students are drilled daily about what to expect and how to appropriately answer the questions.  Each day, my 4th grader completes no less than 5 worksheets directed at teaching her the TAKS test material.  Sometimes it seems like it's overkill! 

So with that said, the teachers have continually stressed the importance of getting a good night's sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a healthy snack for the test day. In keeping with the teacher's advice, Briley has been overly conscious about her sleep schedule and our choices for breakfast.  In other words, she has nagged me to death about what I was going to prepare for her for breakfast! :)  I'm sure her teacher will be pleased to know that we followed the guidelines and both Briley and Bailey had a huge breakfast of pigs in a blanket and fruit.  Hopefully their minds are alert and busily writing a wonderful story today.  (Today was the Writing portion for 4th and 10th grade.)

One TAKS testing day down!

Oh and since no blog post of mine would be complete without some kind of incident... let me assure you this morning was not without incident!  Not only did I awake a full 45 minutes earlier than usual, just so I could make sure both of the girls were bright eyed and bushy tailed... but we still needed to run by the barn and feed the pigs.  No big deal - we do this every day --- but apparently today EVERY parent that usually sends their child off on the school bus decided to drive them to school, because the morning rush of school traffic was horrible.  We crept and crawled along like snails... UGH!  So you know what that means... yep... we were still running late! 

After a quick little change was made in our drop-off routine, we were back on track and Bailey was going to feed their pigs without Briley - all is good -  until Bailey gets ready to get out of the car and remembers that she doesn't have a PENCIL for the test!  Really??  A pencil??? There are no less than 100 extra pencils at the house, easy to see and get to, as needed.  Really?? You forgot a pencil??  Don't you carry one with you anyway?  Don't you carry MORE than ONE with you?? Oh My Gosh!!  Typical Bailey!

Dear Lord, please be with Bailey!  I fear this is going to be a long day for her!  :)