Wordless Wednesday

A Belated Less-Words Wednesday

So I've been planning on participating in Wordless Wednesday, but wordless isn't always my way. (I like to explain things...a lot...even when people don't want anything explained to them). So I decided that I will give myself the leeway to do either a Wordless or a Less-Words Wednesday.  I cannot be the only one who cannot stand that grammar but Fewer Words just falls flat in the whole play-on-words category.

Big Man's fancy shoes he simply refuses to wear, but put them on for me for Mother's Day. 

Farm Sanctuary

This past weekend we went to a farm sanctuary. It was such a fun experience for all of us. The kids fell in love with a goat that seriously thought it was a dog.  It was so incredibly adorable; the way it came bounding over to us and stayed part of the group for the whole tour.  There were also horses, miniature donkeys, cows, sheep, turkeys, ducks, geese, other goats, including a couple kids, pigs, and even a llama.

The most interesting part of it, for me, was not necessarily getting to see all of the animals (even though I loved that), but more hearing their stories and seeing the incredible differences from what you (okay, I) would expect to find in a farm.

Some of the animals came from pretty sad backgrounds. There were horses that had come from an animal testing facility and some that had come from a horse breeder, but the latter were in a different pasture as they were not able to interact appropriately with humans yet.  There were ducks people had gotten as Easter presents (people still do that?).  Once they were no longer cute little chicks and the owner could no longer care for it, they (hopefully) drop it off at the sanctuary. One pig had been spared from the slaughter house by a sensitive class of elementary school kids and their living teacher. I loved seeing these animals seem to be happy, well adjusted, and able to even have healthy interactions with us humans for the most part.

There were a good number of differences between what one would expect to see on a farm and the farm sanctuary.  Now, I have to be honest, I have only been on a farm once in my life and I was very very young.  All I remember was holding a lamb.  That was like my Lisa Simpson moment so it stuck in my head.  Therefore, I guess I don't have a good basis for comparison beyond the ideas that are in my head, but that is what we are going to go with for now.  

So one thing I expected was to see the  animals more separated.  The donkeys, cows, and horses all hung out together and ate from the same hay pile, ran around together in ample space, and seemed to get along so well.  Even the llama was in a pen with goats and other animals.  I've seen a llama at the zoo before and they were always kept separate from other animals sometimes even from each other.  

The animals also looked much different than you normally would see on a farm.  This was actually confirmed by other people.  Farm animals are normally fattened up.  These animals were healthy, not lean, but muscular and well built.  It was nice to see what a 500lb pig should actually look like - not like a barrel.  

Also, the animals here could live longer than they would in another farm.  Most cows are slaughtered at the age of 2.  One of the cows that was there was actually 22.  And still looked good!  

I thought it was amazing that the workers there could actually tell us about rituals the animals have shown.  Things like funeral-type rituals were interesting to hear about.  It kind of reminded me of when a goose died crashing into the window at my work.  I wasn't there at the time, but the way my coworkers explained it to me, the geese were mourning in a very anthropomorphic manner.  The workers were telling us about what the pigs did as another was dying-a ritual in which they gather around and take turns pressing their snouts upon the dying pig.  This is not seen very often in other farming environments because of the way dead and dying animals are dealt with.

All-in-all, this was a very interesting and educational trip for myself and the kids.

Look me in the eyes, little girl.  You look delicious. (What? I'm a goat. Eating's what I do.)

Gaaaaaah! He kissed me!

Um Mom, I think he wants to kiss me.

Go to sanctuaries.org, click on your state, and check out a farm sanctuary close to you!

A Liebster Award!

My blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award by The Lady Prefers to Save!  It is such an honor.  I'm so flattered.  Definitely check out her blog.  It is full of great tips and advice!

This award is given to new and upcoming bloggers with less than 500 followers.  Since I've only really just begun to get my blog "out there,"  I was so surprised and delighted to be nominated. 

The rules are:

You must link the person's blog who nominated you for the award.

State 11 interesting facts about yourself.

Answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you.

Pick an additional 11 people to nominate with UNDER 500 blog followers.

Write 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

11 Facts About Me:

1.  My undergrad degree is in Therapeutic Recreation.

2. I work for an amazing nonprofit organization that has done so much to help people in need. We have programs in community service, health and social services programs, and disaster response and rebuilding.

3.  I get mistaken for either my kids' nanny or a teen mom.  I am, however, neither (and never was).

4.  I have signed up for a half marathon and the first time I ran this year was Monday.  The half marathon is 5-6 weeks away.  :( Uh oh.

5. My eating style cannot be labeled.
I don't eat meat, but I do eat fish. I am also cutting out dairy more and more.  I'm liking cultured coconut milk from Trader Joe's en lieu of yogurt, Earth's Balance (not really the best alternative, but I like it for now) instead of butter, and almond milk in my cereal.  I'm also starting to try to incorporate raw food ideas into my meal plans as well.

6.  I have always dreamed of going to the Galapagos Islands.

7. I like reading two books at the same time.
 I read one in paperback and one on my kindle.
  That way, I am still working my way through a bookshelf full of books I've been dying to read and another book I've been dying to read, but don't already have and need to read at night with my Kindle and it's lighted case because one of the kids is giving my a dead arm.  (Shh! I don't want to know about book lights. Give me a n excuse reason to treat myself to a new book.)
Currently I am reading Freakonomics in paperback (yeah, I'm that far behind) and The China Study (love it).

8. I am a total Sci-Fi nerd.  My obsessions include Doctor Who, Orphan Black, and The Walking Dead.  Star Wars is very important to me and I love going to Star Trek movies.  I watched an episode of Big Bang Theory where Penny told Leonard that when he asks her for a date night, sitting and watching TV doesn't count.  Leonard responded with "Even if it's Doctor Who?"

 I'm on Leonard's side.

9. I desperately want (have always wanted) a pot belly pig and my own chickens.

10. Every single time I volunteer for my daughter's outdoor program, it RAINS.

11.  I loooooooove being a single mom.

I am such a control freak, very my way or the highway.  It is nice when people let me mother the way I know best. :)

Of course, it helps that my kids are totally amazing, smart, and helpful.

The Questions and Answers:
1. Why do you blog?
I blog for the networking.  I love sharing with other women and moms, tips, tricks, stories about our kids, ideas of what to do with them etc etc etc.  It is really nice to get to talk and share with my fellow bloggers on a mom-to-mom level.

2. What is the strangest place you have ever woken up?
I am not so sure there is a strange place.  But I have to say when my kids want me to snuggle them a bit after we read at night, I am prone to falling asleep in their beds.  So I wake up in the middle of the night because I'm hanging off of someone's occupied twin bed more often then I would like to admit.

3. What celebrity do you admire the most and why?
I really don't follow celebrities very much, but I think if I had to pick someone to admire maybe Jessica Alba?  I think it's really cool that when I have seen her, she is dressed fairly conservatively and looks like a respectable mother.  I like that she has started her own line of products that are greener and safer than many of the mainstream products.  It's nice to see someone passionate about their kids and a good cause.

4. What is one of your major pet peeves?
Grammar!  I can't stand all of the "me and Jimmy" to start sentences!  I guess that is the one that grates on me the most.  But it's the worst when it's in kids' books.  Like seriously?  While we teach them to love reading can we at least be decent grammar role models???  "Jimmy and I played soccer."  "Jimmy and I!" 5. You're only allowed to eat one food indefinitely, what would it be?

6. Are you a cat person or a dog person?
Well, we just came back from the animal sanctuary and now we all want a goat.

7. Do you prefer dresses or skirts, and why?
Dresses!  I love wearing dresses because all you have to style is the shoes.  It is so much easier to have one piece of clothing that counts as an entire outfit.

8. What is your favorite post you've ever written?
I really love these bath toys.  I made more of them in shapes, letters, and numbers.  They are so much fun!

9.  How did you pick your blog's name?
My blog's name is me being rather tongue and cheek with my father who likes to tell me all the time that I "swill never make mother of the year" and that I'm "certainly no super mom," but I try to be so I chalk it up to being sort of super for now.

10. What is your favorite poem?
This is a good question.  And one to ponder.
When I was in school, I really liked Lawrence Ferhlingetti.  Then, in and after college, the poem I clung to was Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.  Now I don't really read poetry, not because I don't want to; it just, for some reason, hasn't happened.
I do, however, really like reading Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss.

11. Knowing what you know now, what is one thing you would have done differently in your 20's?
College!!!  I did not take advantage of all of the things college could have potentially had to offer.  I started thinking I would join a sorority and the honor society and do all these great and wonderful things, have a degree in business or engineering, and become so cultured and grown up.  I did not one single one of those things.  I think the most I did was go to a couple hip hop work out classes with a few of the girls in my dorm.  I loved it, but why did I not continue?  I picked a major that my mom wanted and that I thought would be all easy As etc.  I totally wasted the whole opportunity.  I would love to do it over and do it over properly (and end up in a career that I would love...I am now, but I'm also back in school 10+ years later.)

The Nominees:
Kinky Cherries
I Saw a Star
Being Barlow
Robot Eats Ice Cream
Gorgeous and Gossipy
Living in Heels in a Lego World
(not 11...let's pretend I can't quite count for now...)

Questions for the Nominees:
1. Tea or Coffee?
2. What is your favorite children's book?  (Either from your childhood or that you now read to your children)

3. What is the last thing you ate?

4. What is your go-to pick-me-up when you are feeling down?

5.  Is there an app that you wonder how your parents made it through your  childhood without?

6.  Strength training or cardio?

7. Why do you blog?

8.  What is on your iPod right now?

9. What is your dream vacation?

10. Do you have any special weekend rituals with your spouse or your kids?

11. What is the one item in your closet you can not bear to part with?

Why Going Pescetarian is Awesome!

Wow! I cannot believe how incredibly busy I have been.  It has been crazy.  (And I have many ideas swirling in my head that I simply MUST blog about ;) Man, I am going to need some extra hours in the day.)  I'm currently working on my Liebster award post.  Yeah, I have been taking like 3 minutes a day to answer another question.  But I promise I will get it done ASAP.  I think things are starting to slow down.  

In the meantime, I figured I will leave you with the following reasons for loving going pescetarian: