# pridegoethb4thefall-Lovin it,Livin it,Losin it Journal CURRENT EVENTS



## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 19, 2012)

So, I finally have a free moment to try to start my journal.

Please excuse me if I get jumbled up or jump around, this is new to me. Journaling that is.

Where to start? How about my title- Lovin it, Livin it, Losin it.  

Love- My family, my home, my life, My Savior Jesus

Live- Day to day, but also my dream. Since childhood I have wanted animals and a garden and a family, with room for everything, but mostly I wanted my own horse. Now I have all those things- in abundance! God has blessed us and we are faithful to Him.

Losing- My sanity some days, my patience other days, and trying to lose the extra weight everyday!

I am married, am 34 years (but I have turned 29 for the last 5 birthdays!!), have 6 children- 14, 12, 7, 5, 3, and 3 months. We have lots of pets- cats, dogs, horses, chickens, rabbits, guiena fowl ducks, and goats, all hobby.

Since Im not sure where I want to start, I will start with today, and occasionally go back in time.

Today I said goodbye to the hubby- he is on his way to Palm Springs for work, (we are inventors and into sales/marketing) and he will be bringing my 12 year old son home from his bio-dads  house. My Ex-hubby, I found out yesterday, has gone totally beserk and is doing really stupid stuff, so I have decided my son must come home immediatly. He has only been there since Thanksgiving and is not wanting to come home, but I have to do what is right for him in the long run. So my  hubby is going to get him (my son is living near Palm Springs right now) on Friday, finish up another meeting and bring my boy home Sunday.

I DONT look forward to telling the ex that our son will be coming back home to me- the ex is kinda stupid and stubborn. And still isnt over me, 11 years later.. siiiiighhhh

Today I also had tons of laundry- got it all the way up to folded in groups by child, then left it where it was. I'll put it away tomorrow. 

Then there were all the regular chores and household stuff- cooking, cleaning, picking up kids, homework,baths, feeding horses, chickens, rabbits. Had to rake up hay the chickens got into- man those girls can make a mess!!

Oh! The BEST part of today??? I met a new vet today! She is soooo nice! Someone told me about her- sang her praises, repeatedly, so I called her.
She is a mobile vet, only does ruminates, and get this- her license plate on her truck says LOVE GOATS!! Except, instead of the word 'love', it has a heart!! Sooo cute!

Anyhow- she came out to our place today and did a sonogram on my pygmy cross to see if she is preg or not and...SHE IS!!!    Vet only saw one spine, said she is more than 90 days, probably due to deliver in 4 to 6 weeks! I am worried about her only having one though, dont want one huge baby, but vet said its ok to feed her a bit more grain as she could stand to put on a little more weight.
Oh, and the other best thing about this vet? She owns 70 pygmy goats, and many of them are show goats!!! So I feel really good about her helping me with my Sophie. She even said she will hook me up on a friend for Sophie!! WOOT!! 

Apparently all this farmwork is paying off in another way- I stepped on the scale tonight and discovered Ive lost 3 pounds in the last few days! I think that while I have all these animals because I enjoy them, I also LOVE all the physical labor I can put into their care. Caring for them makes working out feel good! I make it a point everyday to do some kind of animal care chore that really gets me moving, breathing hard,or using some muscle. 
Also, going out to do 'farm chores' gets me out of the house and away from the kids for a little while. Sometimes they come with me, but I prefer to do the hardwork myself. FarmChores ARE my weightloss plan!! 

I cant wait till spring and I get to add gardening into the mix! I have a nice little plot we planted last year and I CAN NOT WAIT to get started again! I am letting the ground rest all fall and winter. I covered the dirt with a ton of compost from the henhouse- lots of poo and shavings and worms in that dirt, and I will be roto-tilling it in spring. 

I think thats enough for now, I cant believe I got to write so much and no kids interupted me!!! I know its late, but my baby co-sleeps with me and nurses, so he usually wakes up alot to eat, and my 3 year old is going through this weird phase where he wakes up every few hours to cry and just wants a hug from someone, and then goes back to sleep, so, yeah....peace and quiet and solitude are more valuable than gold, diamonds and an honest politician around here!!!


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## redtailgal (Jan 19, 2012)

I've been turning 23 for over 15 years now.

23 was a good year for me.  I had both my boys, and rockin' figure and all my teeth.



6 children!  I am the oldest of 5.  I was and only child for 7 years, then mom had 4 kids in a very short amount of time (10 months between my sisters)

When I married my hubby, I told Hubby AND God that I wanted to have as many boys as my body could handle.  That ended up being two boys.  I got what I asked for, even though it wasnt quite what I had envisioned, lol.

OOOOHHHH, I remember folding laundry for 9.  We did laundry every day, and it was my job.  We had grandparents living with us, so I did the laundry for everyone, and I cleaned up the kitchen after supper.  

After hubby and I were married, I bought a dishwasher as soon as I could afford it.  It would suit me fine to NEVER wash another fork.

3 pounds!  Good for you!  Be sure to check in on the red hot mama thread, so we can include those pounds in our BYH total!


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 19, 2012)

Hey Redtailgal!

Yup, I logged those lbs over at RHM'S!!!  

I hear what your sayin about your body- I came very, very close to dying after delivering my last son. I hemmoraged very badly, ended up in emergency surgery and needing 2 units of blood. THAT was the scariest 2 hours of my life! Now hubby has an appt with the Dr. to get fixed.

Redtailgal, if I can ask, what happened to you that made you stop at 2?

I am blessed with 5 boys and 1 daughter- thank God she is the oldest, she is a huge help around here! 

Laundry is the never ending chore, not a day goes by with out *something* needing to be washed- clothes, sheets, blankets, towels.....bleh!

You know, it was a woman who came up with the idea for the automatic dishwasher! I am eternally grateful to her!!  I HATE washing dishes by hand! Loading the dishwasher is mostly my daughters daily chore- she helps alot, but that is her only, real, official chore. Alot of my family thinks she has it sooo tough, that she has to help soooo much- but I know the truth. That girl has it so stinkin good! 

She doesnt have to share a room (she's the only girl, and the only one who doesnt share), she has 2 of her very own dogs (we pay all the costs for the dogs) she has just TONS of all the latest tech equipment, her own flatscreen TV in her room (but no cable or she'd stay up all night watching TV) TV is for video games on her own Xbox, tons of games and a Kinnect. Her own laptop. And her own Iphone that we pay for every month. I make sure she has pretty much everything she needs or wants. Not that she is spoiled, I just make sure she knows I will reward her for all the help and for her being responsible. She also pulls decent grades and has 'nice' friends, so I want her to know and feel appreciated.
It would be easy to take her for granted, or even just lose her in the crowd of other children and life responsabilities- but I make very sure that doesnt happen.

Raising kids is tough. I know I am responsible for the next generation and who they turn out to be. I want them to be good people and someday, good spouses/partners to their future mates. It does get hard and I do lose my patience sometimes. While my hubby is a wonderful hubby and a great dad, he has the tendency to be 'DisneyLand Dad', which can be annoying. ALL the kids know, and repeat all the time- 'MOM IS THE BOSS'!! Sometimes it would be nice if dad could be the boss AND make good decisions that are in synch with mine. 

Well, its about 20 after 8 in the AM, Im halfway through my cup of coffee, already dressed my 7 yr old for school, made breakfast, got the next 2 youngest up, gotta do sons hair, find his shoes, get baby up and diaper changed, load everyone up, get him to school, come home and get to work!! 

I am still so happy about Sophie- I just cant wait to get out there and feed her and pet her. She is getting so sweet. She used to run from me no matter what, now she literally climbs up into my lap to get the chow bowl! I love scratching her and giving her the love I know she craves. She has just the sweetest face!


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 19, 2012)

WHEW! Im exhausted already! Like, in my bones, need a 3 hour nap exhausted! I am just in the last few days getting back to my old self, recovering from the birth of my last child. It has been a long, frustrating journey.

Today I got up ,had coffee, went to feed chickens and Sophie (the goat), fed the horses the hay, made breakfast, took son to school, took shower (which was awesome, I hardly ever get a shower 2 days in a row!) got everyone dressed, went to the Dollar store to buy little gifts to put in a gift bag for my sons teacher- its her birthday today, ran to grocery store to get brownie bites and a veggie tray for the class to share, went to CVS to get pink hair dye, none there, so went to Walgreens, found it there, went to Carls Jr for lunch (big no no, but everyone was begging and I knew once I got home I wouldnt have time or energy to make lunch), got home fed the kids, visit Sophie for a minute, changed baby, and now am typing this.

And now baby is awake and crying for me and the phone is ringing- gotta run!!


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 22, 2012)

Losin it- Yesterday I spent a good 45 minutes chopping back an oleander bush that is near my goat pen. It was getting overgrown and too close to the fence, so I had to get that done. It was an excellent work out! I love love love farm chores that give me a workout! Its like excersize that doesnt feel like excersize, if you know what I mean. The beauty of it for me is, I benefit phyisically, but while it wont show on the scale right away, I still get the immediate gratification of accomplishment since I can SEE the progress in the chopped up bush. It was 7 feet tall in some spots, now it is 3 feet tall and bout 7 feet along the ground, lenght wise. It works as a sound barrier since the goat pen is only about 40 feet from my bedroom window, but it wont be doing much of that anymore!

Lovin it!- Sophie has become in the last 3 weeks, soooo sweet and friendly! She now walks up to me, even puts her front feet up on me, looking for a treat. This is the same girl that would run in a panic if anyone so much as looked at her, she was soooo skitish! Its true what people say- treats go a long, long way when it comes to making friends with a goat! I am absolutely thrilled with how she is turning out. I tought she was just going to always be a bit stand-offish, but her true, loving nature is coming out, and she is a darling girl with love and personality to spare! Stoked!

Livin it- Hubby begins the long drive home from a business trip today. 9 hours, at least- he's been gone since Wednesday morning, so I cant wait for him to get home. He is bringing my oldest son back from his dads house. My sons bio-dad was making some pretty poor parenting choices, so 7 weeks after he got to his dads, my son is now coming home. Im disapointed the dad couldnt be a better parent (whats new? he's been that way the last 11 years, but I always try to give him another chance) but i am excited my boy is coming home!

I am also excited as I am trying a new experiment (new for us)- I have a broody chicken sitting on 4 duck eggs! She started sitting around the 15th of this month, so I cant wait to see if she can hatch out some ducks! She hasnt been the best mom in the past- abandoned eggs, chicks left alone that died, etc. Her mom is the best broody ever, so I keep giving her genetics a chance, sometimes they get better with practice, and Im hoping she will get better withh age and tougher duck instead of chicken chicks.  We'll see....


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## jodief100 (Jan 22, 2012)

Great news on Sophie!  I can't wait to see how the duck experiment comes out.  

The hard work pays off in the end.  What else are you going to do?  Sit around and watch TV?


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 22, 2012)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> Great news on Sophie!  I can't wait to see how the duck experiment comes out.
> 
> The hard work pays off in the end.  What else are you going to do?  Sit around and watch TV?


Teeeeeee Veeeeeee???? huh? Whats that? It sounds familiar....kinda like that other thing- Moooo-Veeeeeeees, cant seem to remember....  




(i watch critter tv- its free and i get fresh air- mostly its a comedy, occasionally a tragedy, but ALWAYS very engaging!  )


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 26, 2012)

Ugh- losin it-

Last night, nearly midnight, my brother (a 2x overseas vetran) called me. Apparently, his recently ex-girlfriend told him in a fight that she slept with another man. 
Unfortunately, that other guy was my ex-hubby (whom I care about even though he's an idiot, but he IS my 2 oldest childrens' father).  My brother would decimate my ex, in a fair fight that is. But ex has guns he aint afraid to use.

So, my brother, who is most likely drunk and/or high on something has decided he should get revenge over the fact that he found out 5 or 6 weeks in the past his now current EX-girlfrind cheated on him. Of course, he cheated on her too, so.....

Anyhow, I had to spend forever talking him out of using his considerable training at butt-whoopin on my ex-hubby. Then had to call and text the ex to let him know what is up. Never got a response from the ex, so I am hoping my brother just went to bed. 

I hate stupid drama. My brother is 32 years old for goodness sake, you would think he would be past this kind of reaction over some girl he barely knew.


Lovin it- I get to put up some fencing today with help from some friends. I am so excited because it means I can get a new goat or two for me and Sophie, and they will have a fun place to roam and eat! Yay! And I get to buy the fencing for a good price since a friend works at the stoer I buy it from and so she is using her employee discount to get me a deal!! Woot!


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 28, 2012)

So, anybody in the mood for a nice long, drama filled story tonight? Yes? Oh good, I was hoping youd say that!

Before I start, does anyone have to use the potty, get a drink, or make a call? Go ahead, handle your business, I can wait....

Ya back? Allright, well, get comfy, sit back with your cup of *whatever* and allow the insanity to lull you into a brain-ooze inducing state...


I have 6 children, yes, 6. Between my hubby and I, we have 9 kids. Most of them dont figure into this story though. I just like to start off with that little fact. I enjoy peoples looks of amazment and increduality when they process that info.

Anyhow- most of this started when my 12 year old son- lets call him..A (i dont like to use real names too often online). A has a touch of ADD/ADHD, which makes him kinda hard to handle. His bio-dad asked if he could stay with him for awhile, I wasnt sure, but relented at Thanksgiving and allowed it on a trial basis. Ex is kinda, um, well, not like me, parenting wise. But I really, really needed a break after 12 years of doin it on my own (current hubby is a great dad, but is kinda hands off with kids not his own- by my own choice, not his).

Enter my crazy, alcoholic, drug abusing, womanizing, PTSS suffering, Army Vet, 2 tour doing, brother. Yeah, he's a bit off and has some serious anger issues he chooses to self medicate with before mentioned substances. Brother meets girl, girl is in *bad* situation, Ex needs someone to watch A while Ex is at work, Girl needs a place to stay, so VOILA, she is staying with my Ex, dating my Brother, and babysitiing my son A. Oh and Ex is dating some other crazy chick from holllywood.

Doesnt take more than 4 weeks and I am getting calls from my brother accusing Ex of never watching A, never being home, going out with hollywood girl, and ALL sorts of absolutely crazy shenanigans. From drugs, to s e x, to neglect. Of course I freak out, start calling Ex and asking LOTS of loud questions. Now, Ex has never been all to honest with me, so I am not really able to believe him when he, (of course) denies everything, then proceedes to tell me how CRAZY my brother and HIS girlfriend are. Now, I KNOW my brother is nuts, and after a week of phonecalls, I ferret out that EVERYONE has been lying. Theyre all full of lies, drama and BS. 

I did what any mamabear would do- Drove 600 miles and picked his butt up that weekend! I am NOT going to play games with my children. If I even THINK I smell smoke, Im gonna grab my babies and RUN. Period. Of course EX is still claiming innocent, but I KNOW he's full of it. There were pictures folks, like, naughty pictures. Not of my son or anything- he was somewhere else safe. My problem with that scenario is- If Ex has time to party like that, he has time to be with his son. THAT was ahy I allowed him to go there, NOT to be sitting at someone elses house while daddy gets his groove on. Uh Huh, no way.

So now he is home. BUT, his wonderful, thoughtful father, went and bought him a pet. Not just any pet, but a STINKING, SMELLY, FOUL ODOURED FERRET! Yep, a nasty little weasel. Dont get me wrong, its cute and all, and its been neutered, and de-scented, but come ON, that thing freaking STINKS, and it smells my whole house up! He cleans the litter box AND bedding EVERYDAY and it STILL reaks! Its like a giant cat diarrhea wrapped in putrid raw bacon sitting in the sun while beeing peed on by male tom cats- IN   MY  HOUSE.
Buuuuut, its my sons baby and he LOVES it, and he has NEVER, in 12 years shown such caring and dedication to anything except his own nostrils, so I just dont have the heart to make him send it to his dads. Plus, I aint driving tha thing anywhere- it pooped all over the inside of our truck on the way here. Hubby was not pleased, especially after he discovered it had also peed all over his trade show magazines he needed for work. I did think that was kinda funny. So sue me......(it was funny!)

All that happened in the last two weeks.

Right before A came home, I got a wild hair to buy some pygmy goats. So I did. Hubby was not pleased. But one was sick and died- but not before costing me 500 bucks in vet fees and medications. I learned alot about goats, really fast. So now I have one pregnant, lonely doe. She was a bit wild when I got her, but now she just loves me. And by just, I mean, she ONLY loves me. Not anyone else, but I am working slowly on that. I kinda like it though. I know she prolly just loves me for the food and ability to scratch her itchy spots, but I'll take what I can get. At least I dont have to do any laundry for her.


About 3 days ago, I decided I needed to fence in part of my pasture to give my Sophie (my doe) some room to run and forage. Also to give some space so I can get a few more goats to keep her company (and me out of any extra spending money). Fencing is pretty pricey, but worth it. So I have a young man, who claims to have the ability to build fences, over to my home to build it. He says he can have it done in 2 days. HA, not even close yet folks. 

Young man is 19. My gorgeous, physically well-developed daughter is 14, going on 15 soon. Yeah, you do the math. I am having VERY stern talks with young man AND my daughter to make sure EVERYONE understands the rules and that I will beat the goo outta any young man who thinks he's gonna sweet talk my baby girl. So, young man is then allowed to come inside and socialise a bit, but thats it.

This is the point where things go downhill for everyone....

Young man shows up today, early. Now, I have told him- Drive SLOWLY up my driveway, my kids and dogs play on the driveway (its a huge driveway) and since you drive uphill to get to my house, you cant always see whats ahead of you until you are almost on top of it. He says he understands. Then young man decides to back his truck up closer to the fence so he can get his supplies closer to the work space. I am inside the house, and my hubby says to me- I think Bonnie has been hit my a car!!! She is limping and has tire markes on her!! I FREAK OUT!! She is my 5 year old Boston terrier, my baby, my favorite dog EVER, the kind of friend and pet you would sell your most precious possesions to keep alive for just one more day. I turn to her in disbelief... I see her twisted leg, her look of pain as she stares up at me. She has blood all over her scraped up belly. My heart shrivels in my chest and explodes at the same time. That IDIOT young man RAN OVER MY DOG while backing up!! 

I go into survival mode- I WILL save her, I will, I will I will I will.  Jump into the truck with my 4 year old in the middle, my son A holding my Bonnie in his lap, every second is agonising for me. Every driver ahead of me is a complete A-hole who cant drive and wont get out of my way. Bonnie lays so sweetly and does not make a sound the whole way. 5 miles feels like 50, 10 minutes like an hour. We pull in and I rush to cradle my girl in my arms like a baby (a 40 lb baby) and speed walk her into the vets office. They take her in immediately, they are Angels. 

Days later, well actually 2 hours, but it felt like days- I get the call about her. Hip was dislocated, but they have done their best to put it back. Internal injuries are unknown still. She must stay overnight. My poor, poor baby..does she know I am crying for her right now? Vet is so far optimistic about her recovery, she must wear a brace on her leg for 2 weeks, she MIGHT come hoem tomorrow. Unless they find out she has internal injuries. Only time will tell. Her blood tests came back fine,with only slightly elevated liver enzymes (but not all the liver enzymes were elevated).  I wont know if she will be ok for awhile. No, she HAS to be fine. She just HAS to. I will be praying alot tonight.

THEN, after I get back from the vet, where I couldnt stay and had to leave right away because I have an infant at home, who needs me to nurse him, I find out Young IDIOT man has broken the main water pipe to my house. And I TOLD him it was there and to watch out. So he took 4 hours and 3 trips to the store to figure out a temporary fix till tomorrow, when there will be enough light to do a proper repair. While all this goes on, the man we are buying the house from stops by and FREAKS out. About EVERYTHING- from the fencing, (i should have asked him first about putting it up) to the fact that my garage is full of stuff. SORRY I have 6 kids and am a bit behind in dusting the garage, I will surely neglect all my motherly/wifely duties to straighten that up for ya. 5 minutes after he leaves, my cousin shows up with her 3 hungry kids and all her own drama. She stays long enough for them all to eat, make a huge mess of my house, then leaves. 

THEN- My freakin refridgerator quits working! It just stopped. No reason, other than to top off my already horrible day. Perfect. 8 people in this house and no fridge. And a dog in the freaking ICU at the vet. And no water due to a broken pipe. And I cant wash clothes since there is no water, nor can I give baths. And still, NO FENCE. But, what do I need a fence for now? Its not like I can afford to buy any goats now. Maybe in March...

I am trying to look for a bright spot in todays events. Something. Anything. No luck so far. I am only still standing because Jesus is holding me up.


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## Cabinchick (Jan 28, 2012)

"I am trying to look for a bright spot in todays events. Something. Anything. No luck so far. I am only still standing because Jesus is holding me up."

Yesterday is done. You learned MANY lessons in one day! Reflect on that and you'll realize, although painful and exhausting, you survived the day with Jesus holdin on to your hand! I'm no Dr Phil, but sounds to me like you are taking on way too much - you are not SuperWoman, none of us are. Do Not be afraid to ask your friends for help with whatever you need. And we are here to listen to you when you need to vent 

C


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## Mamaboid (Jan 28, 2012)

pridegoethb4thefall said:
			
		

> I am trying to look for a bright spot in todays events. Something. Anything. No luck so far. *I am only still standing because Jesus is holding me up*.


There is your bright spot, right there.  Oh, and your Son is safe, your dog is still alive and has good hope of recovery, and YOUR DON'T HAVE TO DO DISHES OR LAUNDRY TONIGHT.  Sure hope tomorrow is a much better day.  Hang in there.


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## redtailgal (Jan 28, 2012)

YOu know..........I have an idiot brother.  I know of another member on here that has to deal with brother drama too.  Makes ya just want to smack'em.  That's it....lets line the three brothers dumb up and practice slapping.  lol

Hang in there, Hon.  God will not give you more than you can handle.......and right now He is showing that He has alot of faith in you.  Keep your chin up and show the same faith in Him, and you will be just fine.


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## Squirrelgirl88 (Jan 28, 2012)

So how long will the fence guy be in ICU? You did run him over right? Tell me you ran him over. At least make him pay for damages, vet bills, and anything else, then fire him, then run him over.

While I understand the "God never gives you more than you can handle", I sometimes doubt what he thinks I'm capable of handling. Can't I just surrender? :/

Bright spot - your children are safe. The dog will recover, and you can order take out for a few days.


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## Mamaboid (Jan 28, 2012)

After my horrible year in 2010 where I almost died twice, I made the following statement, I have repeated it several times since,maybe you will get a chuckle out of it.
"I know God will not give me any more than I can handle, but some days I wish he had JUST a little less faith in me."  Oh, and I agree, please tell me that you at least smacked the crap out of that idiot.


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 29, 2012)

I must say, I have had very vivid day dreams of slapping the crud outta the young idiot. Instead, I am having him build the fence for free- its the least he can do IMO. Im sure he is embarrassed and I know he feels bad, but I sure aint paying someone after what happened.

Update on my dog Bonnie-

She came home yesterday afternoon. Her back leg is in a sling, her hip was dislocated. Vet said it went back into place fairly easily. She has gone pee a couple times since she got home, but hasnt pooped yet. Her appetite is off, but she will eat if I handfeed her dog food. 
I am very worried still as she REFUSES to drink ANY water. Vet says she got alot of IV fluids, so she may not be thirsty, but it seems like going 24 hours without drinking water is NOT good. 

She is on 3 medications right now- Antibiotics, Anti-Inflamitories, and pain meds. Vet said meds may make her constipated and she may just not need to poop since she hasnt eaten much in the last 2 days. Not to mention her bowels were squished when she got run over, so her intestines are probably sore, so she may not want to push the poop out cuz it hurts a bit.

She is seeming a bit depressed to me. She will get up and walk a bit only when I take her out to pee. Otherwise she just lays there mostly sleeping. I dont mind her resting, I just wish she would drink water. But at least she is eating some. 
The whole vet trip set us back almost $800 bucks. Could you imagine the goats I coulda got for that kinda money??? Or better yet, I coulda hired a proffessional fence company to build my fence and NOT had my dog hurt. Course, I wasnt planning on spending that money- it was suppsed to go to pay my $860 electric bill. (yeah- PG&E has a dirty monopoly out here, and they are just destroying us with their rates! JUST to get sevice, BEFORE using ANY elcectricity, it costs us $232 bucks!!! Thats JUST the fee's and taxes and junk!!! Sick, aint it?)

Anyhow....

We got the pipe fixed in the yard, so our water to the house is all good.

I got my fridge to work again!! YAY!!! I pulled it out, unplugged it, and cleaned all the vents and ALL the dust, pulled out all the shelves and drawers inside the fridge and sanitized every surface, cleaned the place the cold air comes out, plugged it back in and........HUUUUUUMMMMMM!! The motor comes on and we have COLD air again!!! WOOT!

My little Muffin, a mixed breed hen, is still sticking tight to her 4 duck eggs. I might candle them tonight to check development- its been about 12 days or so, so there should be something to see. Should be due to hatch around Valentines day.

Sophie is doing good. I think she will love having the pen opened up once the fencing is done. She is building a nice little udder, her vulva is starting to elongate, so I am hoping she will have her kid(s) soon. Valentines day would be cool with me...


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Jan 30, 2012)

Weeeeeeelllll.... Took Bonnie the Boston Terrier into the vet for a quick check up. She hasnt pooped today. I am still so worried about her, She just seems soooo depressed. Vet said she seems to be doing better. The road rash on her tummy is pretty pink still, so he gave me some salve to put on it. I expect to have her leg in a sling for about 2 weeks.

Sophie is getting BIG and round now! Today she was SO excited to see me with the goat chow bucket, she nearly knocked me over in her rush to get to her special tower! Her special tower is a large blue milk crate turned upside down. She loves that thing! When she wants to be petted and scratched, she jumps on her tower to signify to us  lowly humans that it is now acceptable to pet and scratch her itchies. 

After I was allowed to feed her her chow AND scratched all her itchies away, she was in such a good mood! She was dancing and prancing and literally following me around her pen at high speed. Her jollyness was only superceeded by her never ending quest to find any possible stray bits of goat chow that might be hiding in my hair or between my fingers. Such a happy playful girl today. This goat I thought was going to be forever standoffish, seems to have become a really good friend. 

Speaking of friends..... I go thursday to see and possibly pick up 2 new pygmy goat friends for Sophie!!! My goat vet has a herd of (mostly) show pygmies, and she said she has a few girls she is looking to re-home! I feel good about this arrangement since she is aware of my situation with Sophie being pregnant and having horns, and I know she takes good care of her herd.
And she is fairly local to me, so I dont have to go far to get them! YAY!

But, she did say they are more used to being in a herd, and not so much around people, soooo, I guess I will be taming 2 new does. It took about 3 weeks with Sophie, and SHE was totally human shy. I was told these goats are shy, but can be walked on a leash and get hoof trims ok. 

I am hoping I can apply what I have learned with Sophie to the new girls and end up with 3 super sweet girls. Of course, I am hoping Sophie has a girl too. Im not looking to have any bucks, but I might just fall in love with her buckling and keep him as a wether. IDK, I'm not really sure I WANT 4 goats at all though....well, I mean I want LOTS of goats, but I have to be realistic too. I have alot of responsibilities, alot of other animals, 6 children and a hubby, and NONE of those are cheap to keep,  so, I have to keep the goat number as low as possible. 

Plus, with kidding season here, who knows what may come my way?

Almost forgot to update about my Muffin- my little mixed breed hen sitting on the duck eggs... Out of 4 eggs, 3 are duds and one in very well developed! I have never hatched duck eggs before, so this is exciting! I hope she can actually keep track of this little one and not let it get killed by the other poultry. She left her last single chick alone too long and it got stepped on by a big fat duck, broke its little neck. C'mon Muffin- I wanna see this baby make it!!!


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## jodief100 (Jan 31, 2012)

I am not sure what else to say but....


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Feb 3, 2012)

Wow, things just keep gettin better....or I keep gettin crazier.

So now, I have agreed to let the crazy ex-girlfriend of my crazy brother, who was babysitting my son at my carzy Ex-hubbys house, come to stay with me and my family for a month or so. I guess she has noplace to lay her head that is safe and drug/alcohol/crazy person free, and my brother begged and begged, and her "bishop" at her church said she is really trying to change, so........ now she is coming here for about a month.

Jeez I hope this doesnt backfire too hard on me/us. This girl was raised VERY devout, Fundamentalist Mormon- like the wearing of Holy Undergarments, has 15 siblings, Fundamentalist. Now, Im NOT saying anything negative about that, just giving background. She left her family and faith for awhile, met my brother after being with some VERY unsavory people, and made some VERY bad choices. My brother is NOT mentally ready to be a good partner to someone, self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to deal with PTSS and a bad childhood. He idint help her situation.

She seems like a nice girl, and my son really likes her. She wants to get straight with her life (so she says) and get a job and move on to school and doing the right thing. She also wants to get back into her church. I will be helping her with rides to work and church etc. I hope I can handle it. I am concerned with her religion, to be honest. While I know alot about the Mormon faith and practices, WE are Christian. I hope our beliefs dont make her uncomfortable. But I DONT want her to share her religion with any of my kids. I know, I know- that sounds bad. But, I do respect her choice, but my faith is important to me and my children.

I have laid down the rules of my house to her very firmly. I told her that if I even suspect she is screwing up, or if she causes ANY drama, I will send her to the nearest homeless shelter. Period. NO second chances. We live a clean lifestyle. We dont need another person here, but I feel like God has put this person in our lives and wants me to at least try to help her. So, I told her NO boyfriends, NO socializing, NO substances of any kind are allowed. She can go to work, church, or school. Thats it. Since I have to drive her, I hope she will make good choices. She wont know anyone, so hopefully she wont get into trouble. Before you think Im being mean or anything, understand, this girl has had a troubled past, and I have 6 children to care for. I have an open heart and a smart mind. I want to see her be successful, and success comes from hard work, not hanging out and having too much free time. I am giving her a free place to stay, a ride when she needs it, food, and I DONT expect her to be a maid or a babysitter, only to clean up after herself and maybe help me out if I am in a jam. I pretty much have a handle on things around here, so I just want her to focus on herself and getting into good habits that will help her to become self-sufficient and independent.

I just hope she makes the right choices and uses this as an opportunity to start over and become a strong woman on her own. I had to tell my brother that he cant come visit her for 30 days, and if he really 'loves' her, he can wait. She wasnt too hot on that idea, but I told her "too bad, you need to be a whole person yourself before you can be the other half of a relationship". Time will tell how this turns out, she said she will be here in the next few days.........

The good news? I GOT 2 NEW PYGMY GOATS!!!    A young doe and her 2 month old gray doeling!!  OMG I love them already!! Momma goat has been named Lightning, and the baby, whom my HUBBY has claimed as his own (yup, he has GAS!) has been named Thunder. So now we will have Lightning and Thunder all day and night, all year round!! Lightning is still a bit scared and nervous with all the change she has gone through.

Lightning and Thunder came to us yesterday. I had made a deal with a nice woman to trade one of my mini horses for her 2 goats plus some cyclone fencing and posts. Lightning and Thunder had only been at the ladys house for about a week, so they have been at 3 different homes in the last 2 weeks- poor goats! 

First thing we did was introduce Lightning to Sophie through the gate. They sniffed noses, snorted, and imediatley ignored each other. Well....that seemed to go well, so next step was to bring Lightning and Thunder into the pen with Sophie. Lightning was very protective of her baby, but not aggressive. Sophie ignored them both, until baby Thunder got curious... Thunder walked slowly up to Sophie, curiousity all over her tiny nosed face.

Sophie, however, was NOT impressed by Thunders cuteness. Sophie put her head down, horns first, and said- Beat it little girl! You see these horns? They mean business, so just go back to yer momma! And lil Thunder trotted back to momma FAST! Lightning just looked at her like- I told you so! Now stay away from that grumpy girl till she gets to know you better!

I was suprised at how cool Sophie was really. She was not really being aggressive, she just kinda showed the baby that she did, in fact, have horns, but was not acting like she was actually going to head butt her. It was almost a gentle tilt of her head, but down low and done slowly. She pretty much ignores Lightning, but I know the truth- she's glad to have goat friends again. And she even shared her grain with Lightning with No problem! I feed the grain out of a large bowl tha has a handle and spout and has lines inside the bowl marking out cups and liters, so when I had it out, both girls had their heads in there chowing down together. I thought Sophie might get mad, but she just kinda shoved Lightnings face outta the way when she wanted to have it for herself. The sharing was cute though.

Today we gave Lightning her wormer, CDT, and some pro-bios, and Thunder just got CDT. Sophie got CDT and pro-bios, but no wormer since she was wormed 2 weeks ago, and 2 weeks before that.  I will be watching them all very closely for any signs of illness. Lightning is looking very healthy though- her coat is SUPER soft and full and has good weight on her. I think she must have come from a nice place that took good care of their goats. She has very, very white fur, and she's clean as a whistle. Thunder is a CHUNKY MONKEY baby! She has wonderfully thick soft fur, no dirt or debris in it, all around healthy and happy, and her momma is still nursing her a good bit. Thunder is just kkind of exploring other foods right now, but mostly is still on milk from mom, from what I can see.


Bonnie the Boston is doing much better today. She is up and walking more, eating and drinking more too. She's starting to want to go outside and wander a bit, so I know she is feeling better. She doesnt know she has to go to the vet Saturday for a check up and possible re-wrap on her hurt leg. I'll tell her later.

I talked to my goat vet and let her know I got the new goats and I wont be getting the does she offered, and she was totally cool about it. She said her other does will be kidding soon and if I wanted, I could get some babies from her! 

Oh geez, I wish goat math worked like chicken math!!!  Eggs in the incubator dont count as chickens, chicks in the brooder dont really count as chickens, hens not laying yet dont really count yet, hens you might be tradeing or selling cant count either, rooster just dont count at all, soooo really, I only have, like 11 chickens, right? HOW do I do that with goats????


On a side note to anyone who has made it this far- I am really, ridiculously bad at math, can anyone tell me how big my pasture area is? Like square feet or yards, or however that is figured out?

It is rectangular shaped, 200 feet long 50 across. I have it coming off my pen that has the barn in it, the pen is about 20 by 50 feet (i think) but Im not wanting to include the pen in the pasture area figure.

Thanks!!


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## Roll farms (Feb 3, 2012)

My goat math:  I don't count them.

When people say, "How many do you have?" I never have to actually say it out loud.  Especially if my hubby is w/in earshot.

I just say, "Around 25 or so....I'm always having babies or selling some or buying some so it's hard to keep an exact count."


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Feb 3, 2012)

Ok, so goats I *might* sell dont count then, and goats not born yet obviously cant be counted.... Thats a good start to my goat math!  Of course, I only have 3 and dont plan to sell, so, for now, I only have 3. Not going to have bucks, so wont be having many babies  

I think I figured out the square footage of my pasture area (that was embarrasing to admit I couldnt figure out the math on it!). I just multiply 50 by 200, right? Came up with 10,000 square feet.  There isnt alot of weeds in that space, but there are a few really big oak trees in there, and tons of dead leaves. I do plan to toss some forage in there as I do yard maintenance.

So now I need to find out how many goats I can keep in that amount of space that is a healthy number for the area. I hope Im not at my limit already, but if so, thats ok. I want to be sure all my girls are super happy, healthy, and well socialised. MUST.....resist....new....goats....


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## jodief100 (Feb 3, 2012)

10,000 ft ^2 is correct.  Thay is a little less than 1/4 acre.

How many you can keep is dependent on amount of forage avaialble and amount of suplimental feed offered.  Just make sure they are not eating everything down too far and offer suplimental feed if it gets to short and you will be fine.  In my opinion, too far is under 6" of grass.  I suspect with that much space anything over 3 little goats will require supplimental feed unles it is really lush.

I suggest running a fence across the middle so you can move them from one to the other regularly.  It helps with pasture and parasite management.  For great pasture move your chickens opposite the goats.  Goats in one half of the pasture, chickens in the other, then swap.  The chickens will clean up the parasites and repopulate the field.


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks for the tips! I plan to keep offering free choice alfalfa/orchard mix at all times, and keeping the feeder full, or just making sure to re-fill it when they eat whats out there. Will keep an eye on how much they need. I know there isnt alot of forage in the space- its more a way to give them room to run and play, jump on rocks, and do what they wanna do with the big oak trees in the area. There are alot of leaves on the ground, but not alot of weeds or browse. Maybe I can toss some seeds of something out there and see what happens (if I do the split fencing thing).


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Mar 21, 2012)

So, its been crazy around here, just too busy, really.

First, my hubby was gone to chicago for a week, so I was very busy keeping everyone happy, clean, and fed. 

On the farm update- Sophie, my pregnant pygmy that I was so worried about- well, she finally kidded, without any notice. And I mean ANY notice...Her ligs were hard, NO goo whatsoever, no noise, very small udder (even for a pygmy, but she's a big pygmy), no posting, not able to get my fingers around her tailhead...NO signs kidding was coming, really...I checked every day, 3-4 x's a day. I went to bed after checking her, got up then checked her at 9 am and saw all kinds of amber colored goo on her tail and rear, so I raced around looking for a baby, hoping she hadnt kidded yet. I looked in the kidding barn and found a perfectly formed, full term baby doeling. dead. She looked like something had sat on her. She was still wet from birth, no defects, perfect, but still dead. I was sooooo beyond sad and depressed. It was my first experience and I feel I failed that baby in a major way. But life goes on and now I have learned to watch closer.

The same day the baby died I had an appt. to pick up 2 NEW DOELINGS!! They are so cute and perfect- Id been waiting 2 months for them and while I was so sad from the other baby dying, they really helped to make me feel better. They are nigerian dwarfs and just so sweet! Named Shyla and Snickerdoodle, they are taming up wonderfully and are a joy!

I also got a new nigerian dwarf doe who is due to kid between tonight and the next week or so, be on the look out for a kidding thread from me soon- I hope to post one and keep up with it as much as possible, PLEASE help me and answer all the panicked questions I will ask!!

We also got a newborn lamb a few days ago- we are all helping to bottle feed it. Its a bummer ram from a friend who is a sheep farmer, I think its a Dorset, a hair breed. he's all white a really cute. I dont like sheep myself, but the babies are the cute-est ever!! He will belong to a family friend when he gets bigger, so he wont be staying here once he gets bigger (at least I think thats the plan...).

My horse had a hoof issue and needed a vet, so I have her on antibiotics. She keeps losing tons of weight despite worming and high quality hay in massive amounts. The vet is stumped as blood work revealed NOTHING, except slight anemia from previous worms. Fecal showed no parasites/worms, blood showed no problems with any organs, no elevated white cell count, no fever, and she has a good appetite. No improvement yet, so I am just doing all I can and hoping for the best now. My mare is only 12 years old. She is due for a tooth float, thats next month.

Today I had to bring in my favorite and oldest hen "mama", she was acting odd and limping a bit. She let me near her and let me pick her up without a fuss, so I knew she wasnt feeling well. She had alot of fluid around her hind end as well so I knew something was off. I suspected either egg bound or egg periontitis. I brought her inside, soaked her hind end in warm/hot water for 15 minutes, towel dried her, stuck her in a crate with water treated with Sulmet, and set it by a heater vent to help her dry. She finally pooped a huge poo, then laid an egg and is now up and looking happy. I am keeping her inside till tomorrow- overnight observation thing. 

I have lost a bit more weight- Down to 143. Feeling pretty good about myself. I been cleaning the barns alot, so I think that has something to do with the weight loss. cant wait till gardening season is in full swing- then I really get to sweat! Its the most fun I can have while working out.

Then of course theres all the family drama going on, but I will get into that later... Im all out of free time and gotta go make a goat check and put my youngest child to bed!


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