Old Chism Farm: April 2015

Somehow the harder I try to get it all done, the further I fall behind. Maybe my heart still doesn't realize I will never do it "ALL". However, daily my flesh reminds me. In October 2014, I turned 40 years old. Should that make any differences in life...no...none whatsoever! So why then is my hair getting grayer? Why are things blurry unless held at arms length? This really doesn't distress me except it makes my little man's face is blurry when I gaze down at him. I don't want to miss one precious expression on his face. I tried to get glasses, but they assured me my vision is 20/20 still. The suggestion was to get fake 'reader' glasses. I haven't taken that step yet.

In January, Josh turned 21. That is often considered such a big milestone in a person's life. It is a big milestone for us to celebrate in our children, but not because they are now considered legal. For our family it represents a time of complete adulthood that we can evaluate how they are doing without any constraints from us. Are they responsible? Do they take life seriously? Are they preparing for the future? Do they understand how to be good stewards of God's money? Are they hard working and diligent? How is their walk with the Lord? I feel safe in saying he is doing well in these areas of life. I am proud to call this man not only my son, but my friend!

February brought volleyball and lots of it! Miss K played on a Brass high team for her first year. She really enjoys the game and turned out to be good at it. Her goal is to continue excelling at it and play again in coming years. We also attended our annual homeschool Valentines Day Party. Each year our kids dress up in costumes, make Valentine boxes, and exchange cards/treats. This year we had a volleyball player, a hunter, a chef, a princess and a farmer.

March saw our Little Man celebrate his first birthday. Our precious little man is so sweet. He loves to snuggle with mom still. He is not walking, but will stand unassisted now. His first birthday was snowed out, but he didn't seem to mind or even notice.

We also had a special young lady Miss K turn 12! We surprised her with a Jamberry nail party, inviting her friends and doing manicures together. It was a lot of fun!

April found Joe with a new job. Thankfully he quit his cooking job at Panda Express. The hours were outrageous, often 16+ hour work days. He is now back in the Electrical Apprentice trade. He trained at Votech to do this and was thankful to get started back on that path. He also purchased his first car. He has been saving for years to accomplish that goal. We are very proud of his diligence in working to achieve his goals.

Our family just returned from our annual trip to the Big Sandy ATI family conference. The theme this year was "Draw Near to God". With that focus you can't go wrong! If we can just set aside our worries or our distractions to focus on GOD then life becomes easier. The week long conference was a true encouragement in our lives. Our hats go off to the ALERT academy. They were fully prepared this year with activities to keep the early arriving campers active. We love the biking, carpet ball, bonfires, and fellowship time at the beginning of the week.
As the week progresses and the conference kicks off things get really BUSY. Children get enrolled in different classes. SJ and Miss A attended Children's Institute together. Miss M went to Pre-Embassy. Miss K had her first year in Commit, Student Sessions, and the Choir. That left me with just our 1 yr old Little Man to keep up with. That small help allowed me to attend many of the adult sessions. I am always blessed to listen to SM Davis, the Duggars, and the Bates. I was really impacted this year by David Waller sharing a talk about our life spans. The one speaker I missed out on was Tom Harmon. He is a family favorite but spoke in the late evening sessions. I was busy putting my little ones to bed in the camper.

We made many new friends, loved on our long time ones, and enjoyed our time together as a family. As always we are so blessed when we take the time to attend. The new, younger leadership has spoken to me greatly. They were raised in it and now continue on with their children.

For the record, I am aware there has been some controversy concerning ATI/ IBLP. As with anything you take the good and discard the bad. We feel this conference encourages us to foremost LOVE GOD, strengthens marriages, and bonds relationship with our children. Any other use of the material goes against the very nature of what they are teaching.

While we never heard it preached from the leadership, in our earlier years as members we were more on the legalistic track. This was to our downfall and shame. It was never intentional, but more that we viewed the program as a recipe for success. Add 2 parents, stir in a dozen children, a pinch of modesty, fold in a Wisdom Book for 12 years and out will pop well rounded, successful children. Children who know how to take on the world for Christ. What we didn't account for was our lack of grace. As individuals we are each called differently. What looks successful on one child, won't on another. We forgot to tie heart strings...we were too worried about the end result. We needed to enjoy life where we stood day by day. We clearly see our faults and failures. We have things we would do different. However everything we did was out of love and concern for our family.

Did these early years impact our kids? Yes it did both in good and bad ways. However we are totally convinced we are each accountable for our own lives. We have to make a choice what will grow us and what we will allow to stunt our growth. No blame game... Life is a CHOICE. Make your choices wisely...

Catchy title huh? Well Miss M does want a chicken. To be honest she wants LOTS of chickens. She is starting a chicken business. She hopes to sell eggs, chicks, and adult chickens. Here is her GO FUND ME link if you would like to contribute to her efforts. She is in charge of this start to finish although we are overseeing her efforts and giving advice. Please read and share with your friends. (we only ask that you do not use her first name on the internet).

HOWDY! I am a 10 year girl who lives on an 80 acre farm in the central USA. For awhile now I have tried to earn my own spending money with different ideas like babysitting, bake sales, lemonade stand, collecting cans, etc. However most of my ideas won't work because we live too far from town for a girl my age.

I needed a job that I would enjoy doing and make money at the same time. My favorite things are cooking, crafting, animals, playing piano and my ukulele. Because I have been raised on a farm around animals my parents suggested that I find something to do with farm animals.

After thinking it over I decided I would like to start a chicken business. I will be selling adult chickens, chicks, and farm fresh eggs. I chose chickens because they are useful for food, easy to handle, and I have helped with our family chickens and goats in the past.

My parents know this job will teach me responsibility and good character. As a homeschooler, they want me to use this learning time to teach me about money, business, expenses, and diligence.

My dad and I have been making a list of what I will need to get set up. We plan to spend about $1500 on adult chickens, a coop, feed, and fencing supplies. We already have poultry netting to keep the birds safe from predators and an incubator to start the next eggs hatching. This will allow my business to grow from day one.

Thank you for helping me to start this business!! It really means a lot that you are willing to support my dreams of being a business owner.
~~Miss M's Chickens~~