2014 New York Chickenstock

[Lapeerian]

Bringing my Little Girl, some may remember the little red-headed terror from the last picnic She is 3.5 and will have a great time playing with Tab & Trav's two older girls. Already know the end of the day will be a horrific meltdown due to lack of nap and not wanting to leave her friends.

 

[rancher hicks]

Sorry if I was too preachy. I have my reasons.

 

[Nava]

Travis said it's no problem to have a butchering demo. It won't be a problem to dump the parts out in the back field and we'll have a separate area for it so those who don't want to participate don't have to see it. I do have a big pot for water. Travis and I will not be participating. We have no desire to butcher for ourselves, but great for those who do.

We burn papers, compost, animals get food scraps, and recycle. When doing something large we drive it to the dump ourselves. I was thinking of setting up separate cans for scraps, recyclables, and trash.

what i usually do is put all the guts in a hole,feathers too.

 

[Lynzi777]

Sorry if I was too preachy.  I have my reasons.  

Not preachy, I get where you're coming from. However I am with at least one of my kids every second of every day until the day she goes to school. So when I see an opportunity like this come up, I want to enjoy it on my own. ;-)

 

[Desiree Brown]

So just a little story about kids if you don't mind. 

DW was telling today about a coworker who was crying because she only gets to to see her grandson for 4 hrs on Sundays.  It seems her son and the mother aren't together. Not sure how that went. BUT it seems the mother has a new boyfriend and a new baby and seems to think letting her see the grandson somehow affects the family dynamics badly. 

The son says the boy doesn't like to go to grammas,and in  no way cares. That she should buy him an Xbox. Gramma lives on a farm. 

So what's my point?  DW is at DD's babysitting so she can go for groceries.  The SIL has a hurt back and bad tooth.  I will be babysitting next Monday so they can both go while he has that tooth pulled. 
I don't understand what it is with Grandparents not wanting their grandkids.  

( DD just called to say she's home. She came and did her laundry. She's 30 but knows we don't like it when they don't call to let us know they got home okay. )

Now back to the kids. 

We know folks that won't babysit unless they are paid or schedule ahead of time.  

Our SIL's parents say they don't see why we have to have our family holidays separate.       Normally the kids come here one Christmas and the next at the other Grandparents.   Same with other holidays.  We get a long.  It's not easy but we do.  At least for me.  

Showing  kids how to behave in public and social situations is part and parcel to raising kids.  We have friends who's kids can interact with folks of all ages.  

If  you believe it takes a village to raise kids there is sure to be a village at the picnic.  So bring the kids.    

THREE THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD DO EVERYDAY, IS TELL THEIR KIDS THEY LOVE THEM.  THREE TIMES - Elizabeth McDonald age 11.     

I have 4 kids and only one active grandparent. My FIL will help us mostly whenever ( since his split up. His ex didn't like kids) . My parents are not in a good place right now and my mil will only watch one at a time only on her schedule. It gets hard not having support. Especially homeschooling ( I NEVER get a break) but somehow!!!!! We do it. I'm thinking about a summer camp for a week this summer for my boys. I also just found out my 14 year old can volunteer at the camp I'm looking into for the summer. For free. They feed her and house her and she does housekeeping or food prep. I think I missed the registration for this year so maybe next. I have to keep them busy. The second they get bored its madness. School now, 4H all summer.

 

[bakingintherain]

I have one semi active grandparent for my kids (mil) she will take them once a month or so for a sleepover but any other time I have to beg and have her hold it over my head or pay sad because my kids don't have the kind of grandparents I grew up with

 

[rancher hicks]

You all have my sympathy. We'll take the kids anytime. We don't mind.

Present company excluded of course but some of us grew up in a time when it's what folks did. Grew up got married and had kids. Whether you wanted them or not. I have a DD that doesn't want kids and that's fine with us. I hate when people write to Dear Whoever complaining that their parents want grandkids and they don't want kids. No one should be put upon to have kids.

A motto of mine is " Not having kids doesn't make you a bad person. Having kids you don't want does."

My sister had four and all she did was complain about them. Then when the grandkids came along she complains about them. Lord have mercy.

Anyhow, I apologize for starting all this kid stuff. We like kids is all and I didn't want anyone thinking they have to not bring their kids. Not that it's my place to say of course. It is of course your business to bring them or not. I should not have spoken. I'm sorry.

Perhaps I can think of something to bring to entertain them or keep them active.

 

[Glasshen]

On the kid entertaining front, it just popped into my mind that if those who wanted to help with entertainment could switch off reading to kids. I like kids too, and my kids like kids, so someday I may have grand kids, but it is fun to have a kid fix. I could bring a chicken book I bought when I was in NYC for Super Storm Sandy. There is a museum of Jewish Heritage? Or something which was fascinating. It is an area I am not knowledgeable, so thought it would be good. Of all the things in the gift store I chose a book about Yetta the chicken...so it is multicultural chicken. Edited to add the real title is Beautiful Yetta the Yiddish Chicken by Daniel Pinkwater.

 

[rancher hicks]

On the kid entertaining front, it just popped into my mind that if those who wanted to help with entertainment could switch off reading to kids. I like kids too, and my kids like kids, so someday I may have grand kids, but it is fun to have a kid fix. I could bring a chicken book I bought when I was in NYC for Super Storm Sandy. There is a museum of Jewish Heritage? Or something which was fascinating. It is an area I am not knowledgeable, so thought it would be good. Of all the things in the gift store I chose a book about Yetta the chicken...so it is multicultural chicken.

That sounds good. I have got to get that book. I have a friend named Yetta.

Is that "Yetta the Yiddish Chicken" ? by Daniel Pinkwater? (just googled it).

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Not preachy, I get where you're coming from. However I am with at least one of my kids every second of every day until the day she goes to school. So when I see an opportunity like this come up, I want to enjoy it on my own. ;-)

I'm with you there. It is nice once in a while to have some away time. I wouldn't mine once a month, but it usually only happens once every 6 months.

You all have my sympathy. We'll take the kids anytime. We don't mind.

Present company excluded of course but some of us grew up in a time when it's what folks did. Grew up got married and had kids. Whether you wanted them or not. I have a DD that doesn't want kids and that's fine with us. I hate when people write to Dear Whoever complaining that their parents want grandkids and they don't want kids. No one should be put upon to have kids.

A motto of mine is " Not having kids doesn't make you a bad person. Having kids you don't want does."

My sister had four and all she did was complain about them. Then when the grandkids came along she complains about them. Lord have mercy.

Anyhow, I apologize for starting all this kid stuff. We like kids is all and I didn't want anyone thinking they have to not bring their kids. Not that it's my place to say of course. It is of course your business to bring them or not. I should not have spoken. I'm sorry.

Perhaps I can think of something to bring to entertain them or keep them active.

I wish that I could raise my kids the way that I was. My Grandma always took care of me when my mom couldn't. I wish that I could offer that kind of love to my kids. I was so close to her and I miss her so. My MIL lives just down the street and we have the opposite problem with her. She LOVES to watch the kids, but it is hard for her to get around. She still does the best she can. And she usually comes and stops in at least once during the week cause she has "withdrawal symptoms" when she doesn't see them. My mother on the other had is going trough this selfish stage right now and I'm lucky if I can go out there once every 2 months and she is less then an hour away. Getting them to come out here is like pulling teeth without novocain!