Category Archives: Family Life

Sometimes just doing life together is the best way to learn. Here are ways to incorporate learning into your family life.

Open House Recap

I am not very good at throwing parties. But thanks to some very special friends who enjoy party planning (Rose and Mara) plus my children who threw in some ideas of their own, this years open house was a great success. The weather was beautiful and the company glorious. And special thanks to my parents who came early to help with last minute preparations.

When we were cleaning the feed sacks out of the barn in preparation for the party Avril came up with the idea of a sack race. As the children were racing one guest said, “Oh look there is actual dust coming out of the sacks.” Oh my, not exactly dust, more like remnants of the feed. Life on a farm.

No Doeun family event would be complete without a basketball game or some variation. Here the children have a shooting contest. Notice Miracle, our pet goat that lived in our house for awhile roaming, in the bottom left. The only bad part was when she decided to try some of the buffet and we had to throw away some food, and she got sent back to the barn and had to be monitored for a couple days to make sure she didn’t get sick.

The dogs don’t normally get to be at parties, but Hiro certainly loved the attention.

The animals were a big hit, here is Miracle’s son from this year.

The one area I didn’t get cleaned, but where we are keeping the chicks, so a popular spot none the less.

There was also tours, a scavenger hunt and face painting. So much fun for the day. Hope you can make it out next year.

Chicks Galore

Sometimes it is hard to roll with the punches while farming. That is one of the reasons that we wanted to be a diverse farm. We have cattle, pigs, goats (for dairy and pets), chicks, and turkeys plus we do vegetables. This makes it a bit easier, if it is a wacky weather year and vegetables are struggling maybe the animals can pick up some of the slack.

But this year it is the animals that are having the problems–birds specifically. We were planning on ordering chicks this year, layers and broilers. But when the news of the the avian flu hit we decided to stay as self contained as possible. Minnesota where we live is having such an issue that 4H has decided that no poultry will be shown at any of the county fairs or the state fair.

So we pulled out our incubator and decided to hatch our own. We bought it last year when we first got turkeys and tried a batch in the fall only to discover that the afternoon sun was shining in our basement window and bringing the temp way too high. We were not successful. This year we made sure no sun was coming in and bought a digital thermometer. And this year–success.

It is actually really cool watching chicks hatch. First they peck a hole through the membrane inside the egg, then the first chips appear on the outside of the egg, see above picture.

Then they start to peck in a circle around the egg. Once they have completed that they push until they are out. It takes quite a long time, sometimes over 8 hours. We leave them in the incubator until they are dry.

Then we have this.

Right now they are living in our downstairs bathroom. We didn’t have as high of a success rate as I would have liked but we had too much temperature fluctuation in the beginning, then somehow the incubator was plugged into a different outlet that we didn’t know wasn’t working, so the temp dropped way too much near the end. We will see if anymore hatch and on Monday start another batch. It only takes 21 days, the trick is to monitor the temperature (101-102) and turn the eggs every 12 hours (skip the first day and the last 2). It is a very rewarding experience, even with the mistakes. Such is life.

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.

Spring is here

I cannot tell you how blessed I feel that spring has come early for us this year. Proeun and I were just talking over the weekend that last year at this time (and the year before) we still had alot of snow cover on the ground. In January when I laid up after the birth of Lith it already felt like such a long winter and I could barely bring myself to hope for an early spring. And then it came.

The great thing about Minnesota in the spring is everyone feels wonder.

This weekend we finally got around to getting a hammock for Proeun as a birthday gift. He has wanted one for years. We will see if he gets to use it much. Now he is saying we need 2.

Even our work had a fun, festive feel. We had some repairs to do on our hoophouse from the winter. Here the girls and Pray Grant just enjoy the warmer temps the hoophouse offers.

Pray Grant is our little fix it. If there is any project being done involving tools he wants to be involved. Here he is looking for something to measure.

While we were building the hoophouse last year Two had great fun digging a hole. I love how this life lets the children experiment with there imagination, and really create a fun game. Here the left over poles became a bridge that was used for a star wars reenactment as well as a conquistador.

Now that the hoophouse is ready and the weather has warmed the plants in the greenhouse will soon be finding there way to the soil and I can’t wait. I am so ready for fresh from the garden veggies. Are you? If you haven’t looked into purchasing a CSA share it is a great way to get a good mix of veggies, learn some fun preparations and support a local farm. Local Harvest has listings for CSA farms across the country. If you are in our area you can find out more about our CSA here.

Get out and enjoy spring!

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.

A New Year Begins

It is hard to believe that 2014 is actually over and a new year has begun. We have so been enjoying the quieter part of the year though plenty has still been going on. As the children get older it is so fun to see their interests growing. Avril and Mavis have been enjoying planning 4h projects for next year and Two has been loving learning all about basketball through his first year on the local traveling team and some tutoring from his dad. This weekend he has his first tournament and his sisters have been planning cheers and picking out their cheer leading outfits.

I have been thinking this holiday season about how much I love the fact that the children have their own support group. Yesterday Avril was making bows from a craft book she had gotten from the library. Her sisters (and Mother) thought they were just great but I am reminded how cruel the world can often be with a focus on tearing down, rather than building up and I almost cried thinking about how blessed our family is to be able to provide this environment of love and support.

For new year’s resolutions I am pretty lax this year. In fact as I await the birth of our next baby I am a pretty tired momma, and I think a great resolution would be to learn how to use systems more and teach the children how to do more for themselves. Of course I want to continue focusing on an environment of love and support. I am hopping for a more smooth year.

And then there are crafts. I would love more crafts. Today we made pom poms for the Doeun cheering squad.

First cut a length of yarn around 12 inches long. Then begin wrapping yarn around your hand like so. You will need to go around 50-100 times.

When you reach the desired thickness gently slide off fingers and keeping loop intact slide pre-cut yarn through the loop.

Tie using a square knot on one side and flip it over and tie the other side with another square knot. So it is tight in the middle and you have loops on the top and bottom.

Slide your scissors in the loop and cut. Then do the other side.

Fluff and use the strings you used to tie the pom pom as a handle.

While I am resting Proeun has already started planning our 2015 CSA season. I can hardly wait for the warmer weather, fresh veggies, and being able to be outside comfortably again. If you are looking for a CSA please pop over to our CSA page and check us out.

Hope you have a peaceful and blessed 2015.

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.

Farm to Table

Last weekend we had a great weekend. The City Center Market in Cambridge hosted a Farm to Table meal at our farm! Have I mentioned I love food! and farming (or making friends with a farmer) is the best way to eat really well. So we went out to the field and harvested sorrel and mint for our Cambodian chicken salad (we had boiled and shredded one or our chickens the night before). We harvested strawberries for strawberry shortcake and I made a French chocolate mousse using our eggs. Here are some pictures from the day thanks to Channa from City Center Market.

Here is my version of Cambodian Chicken Salad

2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped sorrel
1/2 cup shredded carrot0
1 small bunch mint, leaves only
1 lb boiled and cooled rice noodles
1 chicken boiled and shredded

Sauce:

1/2 cup water
3 TBSP white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 garlic cloves chopped and fried separately.

Assemble the salad first. Then make the sauce by boiling the water, then added the sugar until it is dissolved, Add the vinegar, turn off the heat and add the garlic. Let sit for about least 20 minutes.

Drizzle over the salad. Call also add chopped green onions.

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