Category Archives: Homeschool

Relics at the Threshing Show

A friend of my recently posted this article about a couple that has chosen to live in the past–in the Victorian era to be exact. I must admit that there was a point in my life where I could see me doing this. In fact my first job was as a “historical interpreter” at Historic Fort Snelling. I have come to realize that there is no ideal time, though some will try to idealize a “simpler by gone time.” I am aware of the fact that my marriage could not, would not have existed 100 years ago. My husband’s family would have stayed in Cambodia, I in Minnesota and our children would not have existed.

However I do still love history. I love working with my hands, creating things, or restoring things and simplifying life. Apparently there is a family close to us that also has this passion. Every year for the first weekend after Labor Day we would see the signs for Andersons Rock Creek Relics Threshing Show. We have always allowed our own duties on the farm to keep us from going, but since our goal this year is balance, we knew we had to take time to do some of these fun events.

So on Sunday, right after chores we headed over to the Andersons. It was truly an amazing experience. The family has for the past 4 generations been building and restoring antique farm equipment, plus the buildings to house them is. There is a replica cabin, black smith shop and more.

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Here they give a demo of threshing. I had to take 2 pictures to try and get the whole production but basically there was a big belt going from one tractor to the thresher. Then there was a person standing on the pile of bundled wheat and pitching it on to the thresher. On a personal note I was sharing with my grandparents about the threshing show and grandpa said, “your grandma’s job was cooking for the threshers when they came.” Wow what a piece of family history, now I have an idea what that actually looked like.

The children learn about phones that needed operators to function.

An old style generator.

Corn shucker.

The barns were full of equipment that had been rebuilt. I liked the name on this manure spreader. We have a spreader that was made by a company in Canada. It was nice to compare.

The children learn about when water came from a pump.

Then there was the corn maze, a hit to be sure. It was a great weekend, and a new tradition was made. Now I am inspired to incorporate history more into our lives. I do love our technology, but there is something about doing things thoughtfully and by hand that produces more then just a tangible product.

Midsummer News

I have often said that the summer is so fleeting it seems that by the 4th of July the summer is virtually over. So this year we are really trying to hang on and enjoy as much as possible. But I wanted to spend some time sharing with you what is going on around our farm. First off we are having a bumper crop of basil! Silly news I know but we are having fun figuring out new ways to cook with basil.

2nd our helpers are getting bigger and having more fun around the farm.

Pray was our first child born on the farm. He is definitely a farm boy and he knows how it works to! Here he puts on my work gloves and heads to the barn. Notice the not matching boots. Nothing else matters when it is chore time.

He loves the animals and it appears that Donkey is his favorite. Funny how Donkey seems to know to be extra careful with his little friend. And I dare say Donkey loves the attention (yes his name is Donkey).

We also have decided that since building a farm (and life in general) is a marathon we should take breaks when we can. For the children the simple act of going to the north shore (of Lake Superior) and throwing rocks is enough to reset them. Here we are at Tettegouche State Park. We hadn’t been there since we only had one child, so it was a fun and memorable outing.

More rock throwing.

Then we went to canal park in Duluth to rent a bicycle for a family bike trip. Loads of laughs there, but mommy and daddy’s legs were definitely burning when we were down. Oh and we actually got to see a ship come into the harbor. Mr. Pray is all about anything mechanical and big, so he was pretty impressed.

This week is the county fair so even more fun is around the corner and I will try to update you on that. But until then enjoy your summer!

The Animals of Crazy Boy Farm and Open House

For years now we have been saying we want to do a calendar. But you know how it is and other projects keep pushing it to a back burner. But as we are loving this spring weather and all the animals on our farm (who are also loving the spring weather) I got an idea for a post–the Animals of Crazy Boy Farm.

But first I wanted to invite all you to our spring open house on May 31st, from 1-4:00. We will have tours, up close encounters with some of our animals, tasty food (we will provide the main dish, please bring a dish to share), great conversation and more. Hope to see you there. And don’t forget we still have some CSA shares available here.

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Avril and Buddy, the pony we were given last year. Avril is training him as part of her 4H horse project.

Avril practicing backing Buddy up.

Mavis would love a pony of her own but we are working on being content with what we have and what we do have is a mini donkey. Donkey (his name was Jack but since we already had a Jack he became Donkey but now Mavis has decided he needs a better name so she chose John) came to our farm 2 years ago. For a long time he was the biggest animal we had. He loves the attention but is still stubborn.

Mavis and Avril practicing “ground work.”

Berkshire hogs joined our farm last year. We are expecting babies in June. Here they are waiting for dinner.

In this post we talked about jersey calves joining our farm. Well here is what they look like now. It was a rough winter and we have learned alot along the way. Out of the 5 we have 2 left but they are going strong. As another farmer friend told us when farming with animals “the learning curve really stinks!” But we are very happy with these boys.

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It is now goat season. These 2 were born yesterday and we actually got to see it. All the children except for the baby were there to see at least the 2nd baby born. As Two said, “boy the miracle of life is messy!”

Then of course there is Jack, our constant companion. He is loving this warm weather and a quick role in the leaves.

Science Class

Oh we do have a bustling household. With 6 children it seems like there is always plenty to do. Now the older ones are starting to develop their own interests and school in becoming more involved. Sometimes at the beginning of the week I look over my schedule and think how things have changed from the days of 2 or 3 little ones content to be home all day. Those days it was mommy who felt the need to be out and about.

Our last birth was this January. I was so thankful that the cold and snow encouraged everyone to a more laid back pace and for many weeks it was nice just to be home. But now it is time to get back to our regular schedule. Including stepping up on school, homeschool coop and science class. We are blessed with a church that is very supportive of homeschool and that offer some supplemental classes.

This year the children have really been enjoying a science offered by local naturalist and author, Julie Von Vett. We took some time off over the new year but now we are back. Recently the children were able to dissect sea stars (star fish for all you ancients like me).

Lessons from Lith

I have not been very active on the blog this year. Some of you may have figured out the reason–we have been preparing for a new addition to the farm, a new human addition. And for some reason this time around it just all seemed like such a rush. I was desperate to figure out systems and get things set up around the farm to make our work easier before baby number 6 arrived. I hadn’t realized what a frenzy of anxiety I had worked myself into until she was born this last month. There was the initial craziness of mom in the hospital (we decided against a homebirth this time) and dad and children trying to take care of everything around the farm. Then we came home to a wonderful welcome home party, clean house and children all anxious to hold their new sibling. But the initial craziness soon subsided and we found a routine and since it is winter a bit slower pace.

I found a new rhythm and stride and a weight lifted off my shoulders. Normally I love being pregnant but this time around not so much. Now I am free to enjoy our newborn and feeling much healthier then I have before. Hopefully that will translate to more energy for writing and farming as the new season approaches.

But I have discovered that each child gives me valuable insights and lessons as I grow to become the person I was meant to be. This child is no different. Whereas my first child started me on this journey and that I should expect the unexpected, my 2nd child taught me how much work I had to do on character and that for sure if you have a character flaw your child will get it. My 3rd child taught me the beauty of life and letting go my ideas of the perfect sized family, my fourth taught me what a blessing health is and that it should be guarded. My 5th and 1st child born in our new life on the farm challenged me to set up ways to make work easier and this last child has taught me how futile worry is.

Last year was not a particularly good year for us. The wacky weather continued and seemed worse than usual. The CSA market was flooded and our membership was way down, so we had to look for other income streams and could not hire help like we had previously and I was pregnant, worried about how we would continue, my health, the baby’s health and a multitude of other things. I worried about having a homebirth, then I worried about having a hospital birth. There really wasn’t much I didn’t worry about, but in the end I have a beautiful perfect baby in my arms and both our health is preserved and the Lord provided through last year. Surely I didn’t need to worry. Now I am relaxing in a feeling of contentment. I am still planning and dreaming, but trying to let go if things do not go as planned. I am thankful for Lith and the lessons she has brought as I am thankful for all the other children. I am so thankful for this life, though it is hard at times. Many of the choices we have made are not the popular choice, but they are ours and we continue to grow as individuals and a family.

Hoophouse, etc. etc. etc.

For the past couple of years as soon as the CSA season ended we crashed. We had just completed a marathon of work and it was time to rest. But also for the past couple years the springs have been horrible for planting–snow on the ground till May, followed by lots and lots of rain and more cold. So this year we knew that if we have projects that we wanted to complete before the next growing season we were going to have to complete them in the fall. So this year as soon as the CSA season ended we began projects and have been working every since.

The first and biggest project was our hoophouse. This will allow us to plant earlier in the spring regardless of what the weather is like. We knew with the weather patterns of the past couple of years a strong growing season depended on it.

We ordered from Zimmerman High Tunnels and have been very happy with both the customer service, quality and price. Thanks to my wonderful husband assisted by our oldest son and my father-in-law the hoophouse went up in just 2 weeks! We did have neighbors and family come out to help with the plastic where more people is definitely best, thanks mom and dad, Sambath and the Leathermans!

The kids favorite part was digging a hole. Not sure what we do with it now.

Originally I had planned on spending the month of October doing 31 Days to Clean. Another side effect of a really busy growing season is that it seems like the house begins to fall apart. So I wanted to go on a guided cleaning spree but with so much work to be done outside that had to take a back burner. But I find that I do know what areas really need attention and try to work on it a little everyday.

So after the hoophouse there was the field to get prepared for next spring. Another wonderful neighbor of ours, Marv, loaned us a plow to help break up our perpetually hard soil.

Last weekend it was planting garlic, again thanks to my father-in-law as bending over is getting more and more difficult for me.

So great that the nice weather is holding. More projects this weekend. How are you spending your fall?

Welcome Jerseys

I am sure anyone who has tried to start their own business understands the struggle to stay on top of changes in the market. But when you farm you also have to stay on top of changing weather! My the past couple of years have been weird–long, long winters, super wet springs, cool summers, etc. At least this year we didn’t have the number of severe storms we had last year. But anyway you get the picture. While we are adding a hoop house this fall for our vegetable production we decided that it was time to branch out into meat production. You have already see our pigs. Now it is time to meet the cows.

It has always been a dream of Proeun’s to have cattle. We always thought that we would go with a traditional beef breed but the price of cows is particularly high this year. We were lucky to stumble upon a local dairy that uses Jerseys (jerseys have always been my favorite), They sell their bull calves for meat production and we purchased five (not all of them are pictured). They are only a couple weeks old now and the children really love handling them. We are still bottle feeding them twice a day and we keep them in a stall at night but bring them out to their own pen during the day so the children are getting plenty of practice leading them.

While I love eating vegetables I have always found working with the animals more rewarding on a personal level. 2014 has been a difficult year for crops but at least some good has come out of it by pushing us to expand our business (and family life) into other ventures. All in all it has been very good.

Seward Co-op Cooking Class

This weekend we had an amazing opportunity–teaching a cooking class at the Seward Co-op. It was such an amazing experience. I love surrounding myself with people who love good food, sharing ideas and recipes and just chatting. Here are some pictures from the event.

Proeun really loves sharing traditional dishes. But one of the things about traditional dishes is teaching people how to eat them. Here I describe how to make an envelope out of the lettuce leaves for the Lok Lac.

Lok Lac (Hot Beef Salad) and Stir-fry pork with collards.

The question came up “how do you get kids to eat vegetables?” Honestly I am not really sure, I guess just have it available and model good eating habits. We are not perfect and sometimes the children reject meals I have made but these are some of their favorite, probably because they are also Proeun and my favorites and we eat them regularly. They cleaned up after the class!

So it was a pretty great day. The co-op was beautiful, especially the kitchen! The people were fun and interesting and it was a pretty great way to spend the morning.

Here are the recipes I wrote for the class. If you are looking for ways to eat greens this summer try these out. They are fun and easy. The stir-fry one can be made using whatever protein and greens you have on hand. These type of recipes are great for seasonal eating.

Lok Lac (beef salad)

1 pound beef thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves crushed
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1-2 TBSP Oyster sauce
1 onion thinly sliced

For salad:

1 head lettuce
1 tomato in thin wedges
1 cucumber peeled and cut into 2 inch sections then halved and finally thinly sliced
1 green onion prepared as the cucumber

For dipping sauce

4 TBSP lemon juice (about 2 whole lemons)
1 tsp fish sauce
½ -1 tsp ground black pepper fresh is best
salt to taste

Begin by making the meat. Brown the meat in a pan with the oils and a bit of oil to get it started. Add garlic and other seasoning and continue stir-frying until the meat is done. Set aside.

Take the lettuces and separate the leaves. Arrange in a circular pattern on a plate or in a bowl. Layer tomatoes then cucumbers and finally green onions in center of bowl or plate. Pour the hot beef mixture over the top of the salad in a little mound.

For the dipping sauce combine all ingredients.

To eat take a leaf of lettuce. Layer tomato, cucumber, green onion and beef in the middle of the leaf and fold up to make and envelope. Dip in the sauce and enjoy. Eat with rice.

Basic Stir Fry

1 pound thinly sliced meat (pork, beef, chicken, etc.)
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
2 TBSP oyster sauce
1 TBSP corn starch

4 cups chopped greens (water spinach, kale, mustard, etc.) can also mix them.

Begin with the meat, brown the meat with a bit of oil, when well browned add the seasoning. When almost done add the greens. Some will take very little cooking time so watch them or they will turn to mush. Stir and cook until wilted to desired texture. You can add one more TBSP of oyster sauce or soy sauce to taste if not the desired taste.

Eat over rice or add some cooked noodles and a bit more sauce for Lo mein.

A 4H type of summer

This is our third year in 4H and we are finally starting to get the hang of it. The children and I have planned out their fair projects early and many of them are already completed. While Two is old enough to bring an animal to the fair we decided to wait till next year when Avril will be ready as well. So this year Two is working on dog training with his lab Jack. It is going quite well and Jack loves Two so much you can see how eager he is to please.

But during the dog training what to do with the other children. Luckily the training is held at a park. Not a fancy dancy park with the newest equipment but and exploring type of park. It has been great watching the children explore and learn.

Normally I am a homebody and hate to leave but there is something to be said at the quietness of an evening at the park with nothing pressing on your schedule and just being. I wouldn’t have thought that 4H would give that to me but it has. So thankful to be part of it. You can find out more about joining here.

Happy Memorial Day–Enjoy summer

When we first moved to the country I never wanted to leave the property and that was fine for awhile. But even farmer’s need to take a break and step back and reset. I find for me the best way to do that is the wilderness. I am blessed to have a family property I can retreat to, but even with having a place available I hadn’t been there since we moved. Finally this weekend I was able to get away and it was like heaven. I have to say being out there away from life’s pressures, enjoying nature, I just feel more myself and more able to enjoy life and family.

My children took the weekend’s opportunity to enjoy trying out the camera. Two and Mavis especially enjoyed this with Two saying he wanted to be a photographer. Here is a portrait he took of Effie.

Mommy t-rexxy by Mavis.

Pray Grant by Two.

I love just going for walks with the children.

One thing I really want to learn is how to identify the things of nature–plants, trees, birds, bird calls, etc. Here is a plant I discovered on this camping trip. I believe it is a marsh marigold.

It wasn’t all fun and games. The gentlemen worked to put up an outhouse.

Finished outhouse by Mavis.

So work, play, relax, love, enjoy and reset that was the name of the game this weekend. Honestly it was so needed. I hope you are taking time regularly to recharge and reset. What things do you like to do?

Home School Farm

Learning to be Holistically Sustainable