My Messy Life - Journal

[SteepedInSheep]

I hope you can figure out how to keep them contained, without big expense.

I'm not sure what DH will come up with. Initially he told me he could add extra electric strands around their dry lot. That would obviously work (hopefully) while they're in the dry lot but we're about to start moving them onto the rotational grazing. I highly suspect he is going to get too busy and I will have to be chasing sheep out of where they're not supposed to be and repairing fences all summer. oh, well.

So far today we've accomplished schooling, as well as made a large burn pile in one of our pastures. We have a calf in there and she is so curious about the fire. Hopefully she has some sense of self-preservation and doesn't burn herself. Everything was extremely dry and burned down quickly. I don't think the fire has even been going for 2 hours and it's almost all gone.
DH took one of the kids with him to a job and it's amazing how much better the kids get along when the dynamic has shifted.
It's such a nice day outside for yard work.... I plan to keep doing it once the little guy goes to bed. Yesterday I used my poultry netting fences to put the sheep on some green grass outside their regular pasture. They cleaned all of that up but I would need another section of fencing if I wanted to move them down further. Not sure if I'm motivated to do that... but they would really like it, lol. There is a burn pile in one of the rotational paddocks I plan to set fire to... I should probably do that and then look at moving the sheep. 2 birds with one stone. Babysit the fire while moving the sheep.
There is one more area of brush behind the chicken co-op that I should bring into the calf pen and add to the fire. It's quite a way to walk though so I would probably need dh's big wagon.
I get comments fairly frequently from other people... they think I'm extremely busy because I have 5 kids and homeschool. And I mean, I am busy, but I also decide what to allocate my energy to on a daily basis. Obviously their education gets done first thing and that's my priority for the day. Then there are things like housework and cooking.. I'm not the best housekeeper but certain things bother me and I keep up very well with daily tasks. Not to mention the kids are all at an age where they are helpful. I don't want to raise children without basic life skills!! Anyway, I digress. I don't feel like I am as busy as people think.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

Nope, a reference to posts in the thread 'Coffee anyone ?' https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/coffee-anyone.35880/post-806564

Oh, thanks. I've read some of that before but it usually has too many posts for me to keep up with.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

Got the two brush piles burned. The one in the sheep field was already created so I just had to light it off. I decided not to move the sheep to that other pen since it would require setting up a whole new stretch of fence.
I had the kids help me make a brush pile in the calf pen. It looks so tidy in there now. DH didn't know I was planning to do all that. Messes like that irk him so he tries to take care of them but he is so busy most of the time. He was so happy with the progress.

 

[Finnie]

I get comments fairly frequently from other people... they think I'm extremely busy because I have 5 kids and homeschool. And I mean, I am busy, but I also decide what to allocate my energy to on a daily basis. Obviously their education gets done first thing and that's my priority for the day. Then there are things like housework and cooking.. I'm not the best housekeeper but certain things bother me and I keep up very well with daily tasks. Not to mention the kids are all at an age where they are helpful. I don't want to raise children without basic life skills!! Anyway, I digress. I don't feel like I am as busy as people think.

My advice? Accept the credit for being busy! (I assume those comments are complements, not criticism. If they are criticizing you they don’t get it and their opinion doesn’t count!) Coming from someone who raised 5 kids but did not homeschool, I know you most certainly are busy.

Looking back, I don’t know how I managed to do all the stuff I did. Younger I guess, with more strength and energy. But I was always exhausted so I probably didn’t appreciate that I was stronger then. That’s probably the key, pushing to the limits builds the strength and the success.

And you are busy and strong and successful. It is apparent. Don’t downplay it too much- those kinds of comments are affirmation that can be encouraging for you!

Oh, thanks. I've read some of that before but it usually has too many posts for me to keep up with.

Me too! I usually click on it and read whatever page the new posts bring up, then skip many pages and read the last page. Sometimes it makes sense and sometimes I have to go back a page or two to figure out what they are talking about.

DH didn't know I was planning to do all that. Messes like that irk him so he tries to take care of them but he is so busy most of the time. He was so happy with the progress.

That was so uplifting to read that! So great that you could take care of that for him and make him happy.

My DH gets irked with messes too. It’s a good quality. I wish I had it. And every so often I realize what it’s like from his perspective and I try to tame my messes a little bit.

 

[Baymule]

By poultry netting, do you mean the electric netting? That would work for the sheep, plus being a visible barrier for them. But then you have to buy more of it!

I have a large back field full of deep beautiful grass.......but is not fenced-yet. I'm afraid to trust electric fencing because there are thousands of acres back there and I don't want to feed the coyotes. LOL

 

[SteepedInSheep]

By poultry netting, do you mean the electric netting? That would work for the sheep, plus being a visible barrier for them. But then you have to buy more of it!

I have a large back field full of deep beautiful grass.......but is not fenced-yet. I'm afraid to trust electric fencing because there are thousands of acres back there and I don't want to feed the coyotes. LOL

Yes, we have several sections of the electrified poultry netting. We used it before we had our permanent sheep rotation of grazing set up to move them around. It was a ridiculous amount of work. We also use a section for my duck pen.
Coyotes give me the creeps. I hate their caterwauling. I don't want to feed them, either!

 

[SteepedInSheep]

My advice? Accept the credit for being busy! (I assume those comments are complements, not criticism. If they are criticizing you they don’t get it and their opinion doesn’t count!) Coming from someone who raised 5 kids but did not homeschool, I know you most certainly are busy.

Looking back, I don’t know how I managed to do all the stuff I did. Younger I guess, with more strength and energy. But I was always exhausted so I probably didn’t appreciate that I was stronger then. That’s probably the key, pushing to the limits builds the strength and the success.

And you are busy and strong and successful. It is apparent. Don’t downplay it too much- those kinds of comments are affirmation that can be encouraging for you!

Haha, well, thank you for the different perspective. I hadn't thought of it that way.
How it's been used (in recent memory) has been as the excuse/reason my friends don't call or ask to hang out. They day I can't possibly have time. I have told them several times that I will tell them or not answer the phone if I'm too busy but they just can't take my word for it.

That was so uplifting to read that! So great that you could take care of that for him and make him happy.

He deserves the best. he's had a long day today. We're still waiting for him to come home. He'll have a hot meal ready when he gets here.

My DH gets irked with messes too. It’s a good quality. I wish I had it. And every so often I realize what it’s like from his perspective and I try to tame my messes a little bit.

I'm so weird. In some areas of my life, I'm particular. I'll tidy and do things in a certain order and it bugs me if something interrupts that process. Then with some other things, I'm like a tornado... 🌪 I don't see some messes unless company is heading my way!

 

[Baymule]

I'm so weird. In some areas of my life, I'm particular. I'll tidy and do things in a certain order and it bugs me if something interrupts that process. Then with some other things, I'm like a tornado... 🌪 I don't see some messes unless company is heading my way!

I identify with that. I'm pretty sure that I am ADHD. My daughter is diagnosed and my youngest granddaughter, pretty sure where it came from. I am so particular and well organized on some things, and I am blind on others. Tornado, yep, that's me, the flip side of that is me being a slug without a care in the world. On some things it's like I'm OCD, other things I ignore. I may be crazy, but I'm a lot of fun!

 

[Finnie]

How it's been used (in recent memory) has been as the excuse/reason my friends don't call or ask to hang out.

I get where they are coming from! I had a few friends that homeschooled, and I knew not to call them during the day. (Back in the days of answering machines and no cell phones. Nowadays I think I would just be texting them and let them read it whenever.) Then in the evening, my husband was home, dinner had to be dealt with, evening routine/kids bedtime etc, so not really calling any friends then. Maybe it’s just an excuse for your friends, but I used to feel like my homeschooling friends were pretty much inaccessible except for at church functions. I only ever called them when I had a good reason to leave a message.

I'm so weird. In some areas of my life, I'm particular. I'll tidy and do things in a certain order and it bugs me if something interrupts that process.

Me too! My clothes closet is highly organized and I fold and put away laundry in a certain way. I used to hang my children’s clothes hangers evenly spaced apart. (Too many clothes in my closet now to space anything.)
Messes falling down all over the place and dishes fill the sink before I bother to put them in the dishwasher, but nobody better move any of the things I keep on the counters because they each have their allotted square inches of real estate where they belong, and I will adjust them back if I see them out of place!

I can’t keep up with a lot of things in my life, but by golly I will keep those hangers and salt and pepper shakers where they belong!

I identify with that. I'm pretty sure that I am ADHD. My daughter is diagnosed and my youngest granddaughter, pretty sure where it came from.

Oh, speaking of which, I got my ADHD testing done in December and results in January. I have the ADHD that presents without the H part. They don’t just call it ADD anymore. Now it all falls under ADHD and they have to add a string of other words to differentiate what kind, and I’m pretty sure the word inattentive is in there.

I’m finally getting around to making my appointments for coaching/counseling and possible medical management.

 

[Finnie]

. On some things it's like I'm OCD, other things I ignore. I may be crazy, but I'm a lot of fun!

This is me exactly except without the fun part! Seriously, I’m always the slug. I always wished I had the hyperactive part and then I could run around do things.