Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

[sumi]

@Mini Horses that sounds amazing!

 

[tortoise]

We got about a foot of snow last week, but this week is 40's and starting to get mud puddles. It's nice to not need a coat!

I tried crutching sheep last night. I need new clipper blades. One of my girls has a huge udder. We observed her breeding, she is due 3/21, but I'd be surprised if she doesn't have them sooner, just because her udder is huuuuge.

 

[tortoise]

Not much going on here. I'm still on kerogenic diet with intermittent fasting and have been doing a lot better. My blood glucose is down to my goal and I'm off my 2 medications for POTS without losing functioning.

DH has been working 70 hours weeks, plus on-call every other weeknight and every-other weekend. We are both exhausted. Did I mention this is still the slow season and his work will get busier soon with lambing/calving/foaling season and then normal summer busyness?

I'm going stir crazy, I'm lonely and stressed to the max because I'm not getting any down time or breaks from children. My kids are tantrumming, whiny, and just extra. So extra. DS10 is refusing to take his ADHD medications, which isn't helping much. I'm about to go full crisis mode with a shopping spree. Can I have a puppy?

DH did some more barn construction. We had 3 too-large lambing pens. He split 2 in half to make 4 appropriately-sized lambing pens. They're due starting just over a week.

I'm not really going to get a puppy. At least not until lambing season is over and any bottle lambs are weaned. Maybe.

 

[sumi]

Sounds like your DH needs a day or three off so you two can spend some time together, away from the kids, if possible. Give you both a break and time to relax and just enjoy each other. Being a single mom, I totally understand that needing a break from children, stress and all that fun stuff! A friend of mine said to me the other day being an adult is HARD. True words, especially when you're a parent. It's wonderful, but it's rough sometimes too, and wonderful, in spite of the rough bits?

Glad to hear your health is better and you're feeling better!

 

[NH Homesteader]

I (sort of) feel your pain. Winter won't end and cooped up kids are no fun! Hope lambing goes well. How many ewes?

Glad your diet is working for you!

 

[tortoise]

@NH Homesteader , we have 7 ewes bred. If our oldest ewes have triplste again and our yearlings have singles, it will could end up 14 lambs. We will probably keep ewe lambs and 2 wethers. I need some fresh blood though, so I might be buying bottle lambs in June also.

 

[Mini Horses]

Perhaps you have family around who could take the kids for a weekend? Otherwise, send DS10 to school, take DS2 to a daycare and have a day OFF! Even hire a sitter come there and YOU LEAVE. Gotta do it.

Now, I can tell you this -- it does NOT get easier. My 51 y/o son just left and needs/wants to move in "for short time, until we can find another rental" maybe a couple months. Not just him -- with girlfriend AND her 14 y/o dtr, neither of whom I like, just tolerate. That is stressful, big time. I'm brain scrambling for a change in next 24 hrs....praying something opens up.
I am NOT wanting this to happen House he was renting, owned by church, they need the parking lot to be there. Just no housing that is affordable and being in construction, no work to speak of in winter. So $$ tight!! Really concerned about "how" long it may be.

Wanna trade???? I'm sure thinking of converting some barn stalls

 

[tortoise]

We got a rare weekend off last weekend. It was a treat. DH and I had a stay at home date night and watched movies the first night. Then PMS hit and I watched the rest of the movies and cried my eyes out at stuff that wouldn't normally affect me. LOL

I had a little temper tantrum this morning, locked myself in the bedroom and went on strike. DH took care of house and kids for a few hours. I also got some quiet time in the afternoon. DH and DS10 were working on the barn some more and DS2 needed to come in for a nap. A bit of quiet time makes it better!

@Mini Horses I hope you find a way to keep peace and quiet in your house! Maybe it will be a short stay? I don't envy you at all, sounds very stressful!

DH built a manger for the lambing pens and worked on wiring in outlets for heat lamps. We moved 3 ewes into lambing pens tonight because their udders are huge and I'm concerned they'll lamb early. 2 of them lambed early last year and one lamb from each got out of the pen through the gutter and the moms wouldn't take them back. I know best practice it to move them after they lamb, but I lost two lambs that way last year and would rather clean out lambing pens for an extra week than repeat the same experience. The 3 ewes are my tame ones so it's fun to go check on them and love on them. .

DH has been in the process of hiring someone, and it's not official, but he made a job offer to his favorite applicant and she responded. Sounds pretty good, but she hasn't made a final decision yet. If she accepts the job, DH may be able to cut back hours late summer or fall. We should know her decision in a week.

 

[sumi]

@Mini Horses that does sound stressful! Hope something else will come up for them soon, so you don't have to do this.

@tortoise I hope his applicant gets back to you soon, with good news!

 

[tortoise]

His applicant accepted the job offer today! She starts in June. I am excited! I might get to see DH more! But the downside is our family income will go down a lot, possibly 67% less than the past year, and probably for a couple years. Oh my! Time to practice what I preach! Frugality is much less fun when it's obligation and I can't just take a month off here and there!

Hopefully my health holds steady so we don't have to pay for my medications. Or DS10's medications - he has been off his for 3 weeks so far with no significant changes. Our rx together are about $300/month. That's a HUGE chunk of my monthly budget.

No news on lambing season, they should start within the coming week. The first are due officially on Wednesday.

DS2 is learning about Easter. He knows it involves "Peter Rabbit", eggs, and "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" song. Whatever, I'm ready for him to stop saying "Happy Balentine's Day!"