Single Mom Salute!

Aug 26, 2013 by Lauren

Recently, Michelle Obama caught some flack after she misspoke, calling herself a “busy single mother.”  She quickly realized her gaffe and said “when you have a husband who’s president, it can feel a little single – but he’s there.”

 

Though she took heat from critics, I think a lot of women out there completely related to the “single mom” feeling, especially us farmers’ wives!

 

I don’t mean to imply that there aren’t other groups of women who often feel or actually ARE “suddenly single” moms (military wives, I’m looking at you!), but since I’m a farm wife, it’s how I relate.

 

Harvest is right around the corner, so my tour of duty as a “single mom” is something I’m spending a lot of time thinking about and preparing for these days.  Although I am a stay-at-home-mom and, therefore, used to managing the household and childcare, harvest (and planting season) are a whole other ball game.

 

During not-so-busy seasons, my husband is home around dinner time and we can all sit down to a nice family meal (with perhaps some food flinging and screaming from our son).  During harvest, we have a lot of “daddy-less dinners.”  I don’t get a break at 5 because my husband typically isn’t home until 10.  Motherhood becomes a serious 24/7 job with little to no help.  I am responsible for every errand, every chore, cleaning up after and caring for my 2- and 4-legged children, and my husband for the 5 minutes a day I see him between one of us sleeping.  Seriously.  He leaves before we wake up and he often gets home as I am going to bed.  So I definitely understand the “single mom” feeling!  But at least he is home at night.  I can relax knowing that he is here, safe and sound, even if I don’t get to spend much time with him.

 

Because that’s the real problem isn’t it?  When you don’t see each other, it’s hard to communicate.  You get frustrated.  Things slip through the cracks.  One year, our schedules were so busy (during planting season) that I had to drive out into the corn field to remind him that it was his birthday and dinner was in town (an hour away), in two hours!

 

This year I have a head start on “single mom” duties since my husband is in Canada on a week-long fishing trip.  Let me go ahead and say it…full-time single moms…I don’t know how you do it!  PROPS TO YOU!  Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful little boy, but he is also two years old.  AKA he is very busy.  And I am very TIRED.  I think even the dog is counting down the days until my husband gets home!

 

It seems that women are always told that we can have it all, do it all, be it all, but the fact of the matter is we can’t have/do/be it all…all at the same time.  That’s why I hope that we, as women, and as wives, can take a lesson from Mrs. Obama and admit when we are carrying the brunt of the load.  Then maybe, just maybe, we can ask for help when we truly need it…even if that “help” is just a coffee date with a friend or 30 minutes to ourselves once in a while.  Harvest may only last a few months but it can feel like an eternity!

 

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Back in Business

Nov 9, 2012 by Lauren

So.  It’s been a while!  In case you’re wondering, I decided to take most of October off to do some pretty important things.  Here’s what we’ve been up to:

HARVEST

Obviously, the month of October normally constitutes a large portion of harvest, particularly harvesting soybeans.  This is the time of year where we get done bitching that it didn’t rain all summer/we ran the irrigators 24/7 and start bitching that it’s too wet and beans won’t cut.  But this year was supposed to be different.  Yes, this summer was dry and hot BUT that means harvest should’ve started and ended earlier than normal.  So…

MIZZOU!

Adam planned a special birthday trip to Mizzou.  He figured harvest was so early that surely he’d be done in plennnnnnnnty of time to leave town.  Right.  Like every year, just as soon as you start picking beans, “rainy season” is upon us.  We had more rain in the month of October than we’d had for the entire YEAR up to that point.  Either way, we had a great time and the beans were still waiting for us when we came home.

MADONNA

My book club planned a trip to see Madonna in St. Louis right before my 30th birthday.  She was over 2.5 hours late but, hey, it’s Madonna!  What a show.  I’d share my  photos from the concert but I think you can all guess what iPhone 4 pictures from the 300 level look like (if not, just imagine TV “snow”).

BLOG REDESIGN!

You likey?  Me likey.  Duh, of course, it’s purple.  The revisions aren’t 100% finished but I am so pumped!  My design guru, Holly, kicked major ass once again.

Now.  As I mentioned, the revisions are still being ironed out but there is one HUUUUUUUUUGE update coming by the end of the month.

I can’t give you an exact date yet, but get excited!  Stay tuned!

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Summer Roundup

Sep 6, 2012 by Lauren

Now that summer’s over and harvest has started, it’s time for a quick photo recap of our super busy summer!

Swimming with Uncle Heath

Too cool in his stroller

Hanging out with Grandma at Sunnen Lake

G$’s 1st Birthday party

More 1st birthday fun

Myrtle Beach

More Myrtle Beach

Kristin and I at Myrtle Beach

Although I’m sad that summer is over, I am looking forward to all the fun things that fall brings.  Hooded sweatshirts, pumpkins, bonfires, Halloween parties, the entire harvest “season” and, most of all, cooler weather giving me an excuse to buy more cute clothes for G$!

Notice that turning 30 did not make the list of “fun” fall events.  Just sayin’.  🙂

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For Real This Time

Aug 30, 2012 by Lauren

Harvest started yesterday!  Yay!

What some of you might not realize is that this is exceptionally early for harvest.  Normally, farmers (popcorn-picking farmers) aren’t in the field until September.  I know that’s only a few days away now but, considering some of our neighbors started picking early last week, this is a really big deal.

The reason harvest is so early this year is completely related to the weather.  I don’t think most suburban people recognize that weather patterns really do affect us ALL YEAR.  The fact is, central Illinois had a very mild (read: warm) winter.  So while the urban dwellers rejoiced over the lack of snow and the resulting stress-free drive to work, farmers started worrying about how the higher temps would affect them for the rest of the year.  Maybe that sounds nutty but it turns out that they were right to worry.

The warm winter affected farmers in the following ways:

-Major fluctuations in the ag markets (corn, beans, hogs, etc.) due to hugely varying predictions on what the weather would do to the crops/livestock.  This made it much more difficult to determine when to sell your crops and for what price.

-Typical freezing winter temperatures obviously affect the insect population.  Since we didn’t have those normal cold temps, we had an influx of bugs.  An influx of bugs means changes in how much and what type of insecticides we use.

-Lack of cold temps also meant planting season started much earlier than usual.

-An unusually hot summer LAST year meant we ran irrigators really hard right before last year’s harvest.  The warm winter THIS year meant planting season started much earlier, which meant irrigations had to run much earlier.  Those two combined meant irrigators broke a LOT more this year.

-Broken irrigators plus another unusually hot and dry summer meant crops weren’t able to get the water they needed, at the times they needed it.

-Crops not getting water…well, I think we all know what that means.  (Just in case: Less crops and livestock to go around.  That means higher prices in the corn market, which means more expensive gas and more expensive food because corn is in a lot of food products.  More expensive meat because corn is part of the diet of most livestock.  Basic supply and demand.  Oh, and we’re supposed to feed most of the world.  No big deal.)

 

Overall, this weather pattern, so far, has meant more money spent, more stress on the farmers and their families, a likely much lower-than-average yield and, well, a lot of not-so-good things.

BUT there has been one upside to it all.  Harvest will be over EARLY!

My birthday is November 4th (schedule your cake and flower deliveries now to avoid the rush) and, often times, I spend it at home with my dog, or in a combine, working with my husband well past dark.  This year, however, I’m turning 30.  And yes, it’s silly, but I was really hoping to spend it with my husband and family for once.  On my actual birthday.  Not a week later, on a random Wednesday, or just when nobody has other plans.

THIS year, we are going back to good old Columbia, Missouri for a football game at my alma mater, Mizzou, and to show Adam around my old drinking stomping grounds.  I haven’t been back since my graduation in 2005.  (How can that be possible?  Shit, I’m old.)

(Photo credit: missouri.edu)

See, harvest and football season are always at the exact same time, so I haven’t had a chance to visit in seven years.  I have, however, had recurring nightmares, literal actual nightmares, that the bookstore has quit carrying my favorite Mizzou products, ever since I left Columbia.  (#firstworldproblems)  So, point is, going back is a BFD for me.  I can’t wait and I’m so so so excited that Adam will be done working (Sort of.  A farmer’s work is NEVER done, trust me.)  early enough to come with me!

YAY HARVEST!

 

 

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And So It Begins…Or Not

Aug 27, 2012 by Lauren

Last week all I heard people talking about was how most farmers would be starting harvest today.  No matter where you went, farmers were comparing moisture levels, asking each other how they thought this year’s yields would be, arguing over whether the heat/lack of rain would ruin everything.  In other words, everyone started getting the annual “ants in the pants” syndrome.  We even had a party to attend celebrating the upcoming harvest “season.”

 

Then it rained.  A lot.  1.5 inches, to be exact (at our house, anyway).  That’s the most rain we’ve had (at one time) the entire YEAR.  It’s a big deal.  The streets flooded, the yard has standing water in it (which is a HUGE feat when you live on 100% sand), hell, the deck is still wet this morning.

 

But none of this stopped the party from happening.  Normally, it’s a great time but, this year Adam couldn’t go due to previous commitments, so G$ and I went without him.  It’s always so much fun dragging your kids out in the pouring rain, isn’t it? 😉

 

So there I was, in flip flops, in the rain.  Genius, I know.  I hauled my giant diaper bag on one shoulder and G$ on my opposite hip.  Apparently, he had one hand resting on my chest because, as we walked in, some guy yelled “He’s got his hands right where they should be! On them titties!”

 

Really?  Really?!

 

This is my life.

 

Anyway, we didn’t stay long.  (Shocking, I know.)  And, of course, due to the rain, harvest has likely been delayed for a day or two, minimum.  That’s fine by me!  We missed having Adam around and I think he might be coming down with this nasty summer cold that G$ and I had.  Poor guy.  What a way to start the biggest, most important part of the year.  Looks like I’ll be buying Super Juice* for everyone!

 

*AKA Odwalla or Naked juice.  This stuff is so jam-packed with vitamins and nutrients!  It always feels like my body wants to be sick but then I drink the juice and it’s like “ok, ok!  I surrender!”

**This is not a paid sponsorship or review.  I just really like that damn juice.

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