Ask the Crazy Woman

So I have gotten a few emails with some questions an thought, "What? You are asking me? A crazy woman?"
Then I laughed out loud and didn't answer the emails. Until now. Maybe someone really does want to know how crazy I am. Let's start the weekend off with my take on a few things, then we can all laugh and realize that I am indeed crazy. I am kidding. But really I'm not.

1. You had 5 daughters first then boys. Were you and your husband "trying" for a boy? Now that you have 2 boys are you done?


After the third daughter was born we resigned to only having girls and actually I would say that the girls were far easier as toddlers than my oldest boy is now at 2 years old. He's a mess and always "into" something. In fact I rarely take him out because he is just plain difficult. We were shocked when we had a boy because we just "knew" we would only have girls and we had even grown used to strangers making the typical comments about having all girls. No, we never tried for a boy. We just hope that we have a boy or girl and not a puppy, because I tell you that even with 7 kids at home...another dog would be terrible. We have 4 now and they are a handful. So babies, yes. Puppies, no.

2. What time do your kids go to bed? Does everyone take a nap during the day?

In a perfect world I would blissfully go about my day and then right after lunch I would make everyone lay down for naps whilst I tend to a quiet hobby or nap myself. Honey, I have NEVER had a perfect day. :-)
Currently the 2 year old takes a 2 hour nap everyday after lunch. While he naps I threaten my children to stay quiet or play outside so as to not wake him up. Usually I must hush and threaten every child about 3 times during the two hour relief from toddler take over. The baby sleeps when ever he wants and I am the WORST about baby routines. I nurse constantly on demand and cross my fingers that he will take a cat nap while I am cooking meals. Otherwise, he sits in a sling and watches everything going on in his crazy fun filled world.
At night, however, I make the little ones go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 (depending on how exhausted I am) and the older ones go to their rooms at the same time and read until 9:00. I do believe that an early bedtime is the BEST managing tool to having kids.

3. I have considered keeping bees too. Is it hard and do you ever get stung?

Bees are NOT hard. Never mind that I have lost almost ALL of my hives this winter, it is NOT hard. Beekeeping IS about working with many factors that are out of a beekeepers control such as weather, pests, genetics, nectar flow, drought. It is sometimes frustrating, but easy. It is fun, but you cannot be the type who gets easily discouraged, especially when you lose almost all of your hives over the winter. I am NOT discouraged. I am NOT discouraged, etc.

As for stings? I have been stung many times. In fact the VERY first package of bees I got stung me about 12 times. You see, I read up on all of the beekeeping books and saw these bee keepers with no veil or protection just happily looking at frames of bees. Naturally I figured I could do the same with a new package. My reasoning was "they are homeless, confused, and docile."
I wen tout to my bee yard with my 3 packages in a t-shirt and shorts..nothing else. Actually the first 2 packages WERE pretty docile and I put them in the hives with no issues. The third package, however, were so mad that as soon as I opened the package they came out and stung me and my husband about a dozen times each! We had to run out through the pasture waving our hand and arms wildly, trying to get the bees out of our hair and clothes. I now gear up in protective clothing while installing a package of bees. Some lessons are learned the hard way.

Thanks for asking and for waiting while I pulled my self together and organized my day enough to answer. Have a great weekend and tune in next week to find out about my new sewing machines that are arriving today via the brown truck. Yep, machineS...plural! I am so excited I could squeal....but I won't.