Good vs Bad

There are a lot of things that you just have to take the bad with the good and move forward!!
1. We lost a school bus driver last week , bummer and no school today.
2. We have 25 lambs on 16 ewes, great, but we lost a ewe and 3 lambs this weekend.
3. We are trying to eat healthy change behavior and have healthier kiddos, but you know they eat sugar and other crap at school and other places.
4. I have the day off of school, but I am going to take a kid to chiro, work on taxes and eat lunch at the school!
5. Every day is a new day and we will try harder or start every morning with a little more effort!!

Overall, the Bish's are pretty lucky! We have a wonderful family(extended and all). We are healthy enough to farm (or try). We both have descent jobs. We have two biological boys! The weather has been great this winter and we have a home to call ours!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Homeade Granola

Thank you Mrs. Beeler (check out blog the sensory smart mommy)! We have a new love for granola at our house and we eat it for breakfast, however the newest recipe I used peanut butter with it tonight! We will see what the bish boys think of it now! I officially have the books for the Feingold diet and we will be starting as soon as I understand part of it or think I do!!!

Homemade Granola Cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir and heat together the following:

1 cup pure organic maple syrup

1 1/2 cup butter

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar free apple juice concentrate

1 tbsp. maple or vanilla flavoring

1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients:

12 cups old fashioned (rolled) oats

3 cups unsweetened coconut

1 cup ground flaxseed

3 cups chopped/ground pecans or almonds

Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Bake on cookie sheets or a large pan for 20-30 minutes

stirring every 5 minutes to avoid burning edges.

Store in airtight container. Makes 24 cups.

You can substitute whatever you want to make up for the

19 cups dry matter. Try wheat germ, oat bran, sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds

or anything you think sounds good. Can also substitute peanut butter

for 1/2 of the butter for a delicious variation! After it is baked you can even throw in raisins or dates if that's your style!

I made the second recipe and substituted half the butter for natural peanut butter, took out the coconuts (neither Mike nor I care for them) and instead just used another 2 1/2 cups of oats. I also put my nuts in my hand chopper (from Wal-Mart) and chopped them finely so they blended in well. I love the way the recipe came out and am thinking in my mind how to make it into granola bars for snacks for the children (and me!). When shopping for this recipe I was very grateful for the bulk grocery stores we have in our area. They make shopping less expensive and more efficient and I was able to get the oats, flax, and almonds for much less than at Wal-Mart.

Update

Well I will update you on how the goals are going
1. Fruits and veggies are good + meat= good eaters and I am fortunate to have good eaters
2. Bedtime- for the most part we are doing well, they are both asleep in their beds now!!!!
3. I am only driving my co-worker/driving partner in crime crazy!! what else is new/???
4. Brandon still isn't smoking!! - only a few cigars- we will keep working on it
5. Budget is ok for now, a little hard to start mid month!!


February goals-
BE ON TIME TO WORK - Daily
Get up earlier
cut out all dyes and the 3 important ingredients. (my materials came... reading time!)
I hopefully will have lots of information by tomorrow at this time!!

Tayden and Tucker are doing okay!! They are tired, a little congested, and giggly tonight!! We will continue to work on being healthy people!!!

Happy Monday

It is on the way...

The Feingold program information is on the way!!!! Hopefully it is as great as I am expecting!!! I can't wait for it to get here so I can begin my learning and reading!!
1st book up is "Why Can't My Child Behave"!
We have 4 new lambs in the barn and it is COLD we are at a total of 16 lambs on 9 ewes. The newest ones are triplets and they are cute and black!!!
We are plugging along with our healthy eating. Budget is in full force as of bill paying time tonight and thank goodness tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

Goals

So... As you know we are transforming into better eating, more exercise, and less poisonous food, dyes and other JUNK!! You are what you eat. So our goals for the month of January.
1. Eat fresh fruit, veggies, and lots of meat.
2. Limit the amount of processed food. Good bye cereal, boxed rice, and candy. (we sent the candy bag with dad in his work truck)
3. Bedtime 8:00- the children need to be in bed by 8 or 8:30 to give them adequate rest!
4. Remember our supplements
5. Continue to visit the chiropractor
6. Try not to drive everyone - CRAZY
7. The Bish's are setting budget - and this crazy mom isn't budging, nor will our family!!!!!!
8. Keep Brandon from smoking (he hasn't smoked since January 5th!!!! WHOOOO HOOOOO
9. Get taxes ready!
10. Count to 10 before I react to my personal children -- I am pretty patient at school!(i think)

Goals for February
1. Continue the eating habits
2. Eat more fish
3. I will keep thinking.- sure there are more!

What are your short term goals!!!???

Goals

Fruit

We are going to a Christmas this evening and taking finger foods and tacos for supper! Since we are trying to eat all fresh or mostly, I am taking a Fruit Rainbow!! It should be fun for the kids and was very easy to make! I hope it stays put in the 15 minute travel!!!
It could be a new adventure for us... I mean the only healthy!!!
If you are interested the website is feingold.org, it is amazing what might happen!

Touchy Subject

Do you believe in healthy eating and healthy diet, or do you believe in medicine???

Tucker has been visiting the Chiropractor. We are changing diet, eliminating sugar, milk and trying to eat things from the garden or from an animal! I have also heard several others opinions about herbal supplements and proper diet instead of allergy medicine, breathing treatments and all of the above. I hate to be the crazy mom, but I would also HATE to have a child labeled, and put on a daily medicine far worse than allergies!!
I will research in my spare time, then hopefully create a naturally healthier diet for the main focus, Tucker, but also wondering if it wouldn't help my 7 year old, who has been a little, "naughy" lately.

Anxious to hear your opinion, healthy habits or medicine, what is your vote????

Rathbun Christmas 2012

Tucker and cousin Hayden have become great buddies!! They had a blast.

Tayden and Briley are buddies also, even though sometime our bug can't keep up!

Oh my, wonder what they are up too!?

They enjoyed Connect 4

The older group is relaxing - take it easy dad!

The Huggins Family Christmas is at Honeycreek Resort. Each year for the past 3 we have went on Saturday swam, eat supper, then play cards and enjoy. Sunday morning we swim, or eat breakfast and return home! It is a fun getaway with no, laundry, cleaning, or worrying about anything for a few hours!

Still... Christmas

Gifts at Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Dickies - Super Mario Brother ! Whoop Whoop we love that game!

Tucker got the dump truck to go with the Landfill!

Christmas at Grandpa Gary and Grandma Suzy's - Wow there are 10 kids and it was fun and wild!

Grandma Chuck had a minor setback with breaking her kneecap, but Christmas was exactly the same, she sat in her chair overwhelmed with presents!

Christmas 2011 continued

Christmas with the Blackwells

Tayden is waiting for gifts

The gift of giving!! We suprised Grandma!!!!

Grandpa Creath enjoyed our Christmas with Grandma Nikki!

All the presents from Grandma Nikki!

Christmas 2011

The Bish's Christmas Morning 2011

We left corn and hay for the reindeer this year in the yard.

They left their "droppings" and the boys had to check to see if they ate the hay and corn, 1st thing.

Santa found Tayden and he left him a Air Hog- remote control car.

Santa found Tucker and left him the Toy Story 3 Landfill

2012

It does seem perplexing (synonym for amazing!!) that it is 2012, and in 2012 we will turn, 5, 8, 30 and 28!!! In 2012 we will lamb 75 head of ewes, 4 down 70 to go!! In 2012 we will enjoy life to the fullest and love people and use things, not love things and use people!!! (new quote I like)

Reflections of 2011...
Tayden shot a nice deer
Tucker started school (pre K)
Brandon golfed to the fullest
Brandon and Lori went to Branson without the boys
We floated in Eminence
We purchased a camper, painted it and camped at the fair.
Tayden took Rambo to D.C Fair
Utts rocked the family contest at the Fair

We did enjoy our time with family, without family (haha), golfing, hunting, eating, and had a overall good and lucky year!!!!

We have faith 2012 will be just as exciting, fun, overwhelming, fast and enjoyable!!!!

Happy New Year!!