Blog - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

Planting a Seed or Two

April 9, 2014 by Allison

When we were in college, The Rancher worked for an operation that did just as much (or more) farm work as it did ranch work. The Rancher was always a pretty decent farmer, but after working for the Millers, he turned into a dang good farmer. And every spring that farmer comes out of him when there is a little farm work to do! Maybe these days I should call him The Farmer…

We don’t do a lot of “farm” work to put up the acres and acres of hay or grain. We do it mostly when we rotate our crops. In the fall we will dig up a section of alfalfa that needs replanted or the grain that was alfalfa the year before (does it sound like I’m talking in circles? like crop circles… haha!). Ok… we dig up the alfalfa, plant grain, harvest the grain, dig up the grain, and plant new alfalfa. Phew…

Anyway, we dig, or plow, up in the fall so it is ready for planting in the spring.

Now that it is spring, they have pulled out farming equipment, starting with the roller harrow. The roller harrow is used to break up the clumps and make the ground ready for the seed. It also has a drag behind it to get rid of any weeds or such that we don’t want left in. Once the harrowing is done, we are pretty well ready to plant.

Just a few weeks ago we picked up the seed (one of those things we had to catch up on…). The nice sunny weather was a good indicator that is was finally time to plant, but when The Rancher hooked up to the drill (the planter) I knew it was the day. The day to plant a seed or two!

Planting is one of those ranch things we do with a little faith and little prayer. We want to plant as early as possible to get a good start to the crops. If we have to replant again in the spring we lose valuable growing time. We won’t really know if everything went right with the planting for a few weeks when we finally see the green sprouting through. Doing this every year we have a good idea when we are planting how it will turn out, but there is still those few days that we might wonder.

We took the chance to have a family tractor drive this week while we were planting (and while grandpa was leveling the other, other field…). I really should have taken a picture of us in there. You will just have to picture for a minute- The Rancher is driving and I am in the “instructor’s” seat (because I really am the boss, right?!). The dog is crammed in the corner and our kids are moving from side to side (and under dad’s legs) playing with their tractors. Of course there is an awesome pile of dirt and dust on the floor to play in, not to mention the seed that The Rancher’s Sidekick grabbed from the drill. It’s likely that if someone spilled some water in there, something would start sprouting!

I’m sure we are a silly, squishy, filthy looking bunch, but I don’t know if you could find a happier bunch!

10 Reasons Why I Choose to Raise my Family on the Ranch

April 6, 2014 by Allison

Growing up on a ranch, I knew that it was the way I wanted to raise my family. It helps to shape grow a person in so many. The opportunities for life lessons are never ending. And, I know I always say this, but the space is pretty amazing.

No it’s not the only good way to raise a family- there are so many good people that weren’t raised that way. But this is how I chose to raise my family. Here’s why…

1. Everyday we work- we have to. The cows need feeding, which most often requires us moving them to different pastures. Fences, building, and equipment need upkeep and they won’t fix themselves. Bummer… But my kids know how important work is. Already my kids are learning to help and work, to do the best we can and to finish a job we start. More importantly my kids learn to work because they get to go out to work with their dad. Every day they have the best example they need to see a man working.

2. All around us we see the circle of life. Every year there is new life that brings excitement and hope. But not all new life lasts. Death is a hard thing that we face. Cows, calves, horses, dogs… It’s hard, but it’s a part of life. We celebrate life and learn to move on after death.

3. I don’t know if there is a more natural way to talk about the birds and the bees than actually having first hand on the ranch. All sorts of question come up about why do we keep the bulls away from the cows, where do those babies come from, or what is that cow doing. Yes my kids see it happening and yes we talk about it. But that is because it is so easy on the ranch.

4. What better playground do they need than a big ol’ ranch?! There are fences to climb up, tires to go through, chickens to chase, calves to rope and dirt to dig. Really the list could go on and on… Because there is so much for kids to do on a ranch- no two days are the same and there are no dull days!

5. With so much around them, ranch kids learn to be creative. A stick isn’t just a stick! It can build a fence, it can be sword, a gun or a cane. When my little boy watches what’s happening out on the ranch he gets creative and recreates it with his own little equipment. I never would have thought marbles would be poop for the manure spreader! Instead of just building towers from blocks, we make stacks of bales! Imagination is always at work out here.

6. As kids grow on the ranch, they are given their own responsibilities. It my be feeding the family dog or collecting the eggs or even feeding their own 4h animals. But they know it is their job. Yes we will help, but it is their responsibility to make sure it is done. They are responsible for closing the gate when they go through, keeping gas in the 4wheeler and putting their tack away. With responsibility also comes accountability. And then consequences. Some are good- feeding up your steer makes for a food day at the fair. But not locking the gate means the cows get out. Responsibility, accountability, and consequences- all lessons learned on the ranch.

7. We would like to think that days on the ranch are always happy and cheery, but they’re not. Yes we have awesome days of success. There is that day when you catch your first calf and you feel like you could rope the moon! But then there are days when you get bucked of, lose a glove, and tear your favorite pair of jeans. Frustration and disappointment are just as much a part of ranch life. But with it we learn how to deal with it.

8. I love opportunities we have to work together as a family. We pull out the horses and go to the arena. We all gather to the garden to gather in our harvest. We all squeeze in the tractor to feed the cows. Family is important to me and I won’t let anything, not even the ranch work, get in the way. Instead, we just make ranch time family time!

9. Life on the ranch does so much to help with learning in school. Ranch kids learn everything from learning counting and colors to map reading and geography. There are science lessons as the crops grow with water and sun, and grow more with a little fertilizer. The learning never stops- math, science, geography, history, reading… do it all, daily!

10. My kids have learned where their food comes from and the cost for it. We don’t grow everything we eat (so thankful for grocery stores!) but my ranch kids know that milk comes from a cow, not made in the back of the store. And more importantly they know the cost of their food. Not necessarily in money, but certainly in the time and effort it takes to have.

Yep, the ranch is the place for me to raise my kids. A place to learn, live, and love while every day is an adventure. Especially when it is the day you need to teach the 12 year old how to drive the stick shift feed truck…

5 March Highlights We Missed

April 4, 2014 by Allison

I can’t believe that its April. March just started, how can it be over?! The saddest part about this month flying by so fast is that there was so much I wanted to share that I didn’t. So here are 5 ranch highlights we missed!

1. We got a new silencer chute! This chute is so quiet, so smooth, and so much safer. No one will get conked on the head or hands pinched. We won’t be bruising shoulders on the calves that we are selling. We won’t choke down the cows and they won’t come crawling through. Ya, we are really excited! Its like Christmas for these cowboys!

2. With spring upon us, we are gearing up for planting. I batted my eyes just right and convinced The Rancher to take us with him to by the new seed. Getting seed is pretty uneventful really, (unless you are a little boy and then its awesome!) but it was a great way to have a day on the town. It was still a ranch day on the town, not like a fun-shopping-at-the-mall day on the town. But I think I would rather hit up CAL Ranch than the mall anyway… So on top of getting the seed, we grabbed a few parts, terrorized a few tractor stores and had a shopping spree at the vet clinic. Still not terribly exciting, but I got a cool picture I wanted to share!

3. We bought a new little mare! The Rancher’s Sidekick has started to call my old horse his. I find myself horseless… So we bought me a new one. She ten and hasn’t hardly been ridden… but she is gentle. I don’t think she even knows how to buck. The Rancher commented that she has no gas, no steering and no manners, but other than that its all good. Slowly we are learning things and I’m excited! We’ll see what summer brings!

4. While we were in Leadore for the bull sale, we spent some time at the ranch that my brother runs. Its fun to go back there because that’s where The Rancher and I met. And where we worked when we were first married. We jumped in the new side-by-side and took a spin around the ranch, guided by my nieces (ages 9 and 7…). And by guided I mean they gave us the low down on EVERYTHING on the ranch. Gotta love cute little ranch girls!

5. Our neighbor needed help branding and of course, being the good neighbors we are, we jumped in to help. There weren’t too many calves to do, so at the end of the day I took a chance to rope! I got on The Rancher’s trusty mare and roped myself a few calves. I’m a real cowgirl now! One of the calves I roped was already branded… but it still counts as a catch, right? I have a whole new appreciation for ropers- its so much harder to do than it looks!

There are still hundreds of pictures and stories to go along that I haven’t shared. Maybe we will have a slow day (ya right!) and we can do a throwback day! Until then, this will have to suffice!

Tagging Calves With The Rancher

April 2, 2014 by Allison

When our calves are about a day old, we head out to tag them. Our process is pretty simple- tag the left ear if it’s a heifer, right if it’s a bull. The Rancher just told me, “Just remember HEFT and BRIGHT and you’ll always have it right.” Wow… The tag number matches the cow’s number so that we can keep the pairs straight. I wish cows could read so they would know which baby was theirs…

Every ranch has their own thing when it comes to tagging. On the ranch that I grew up on we had the sire (the bull) number and the cow number on the tag with the calf’s number. There were different colored tags depending on the breed of calf. It made it quick and easy to know just who that calf was. There are lots of other ways ranchers use their tags to mark their cattle.

When we tag bulls, we also castrate them. We use an elastrator to do the job. Sounds high tech, right? It’s not. It just stretches the rubber band like elastic (they actually look like a green cheerio) so that we can get it over the scrotum. You hear all sorts of names for the elastics- bands, cheerios, and my favorite… goonie whoppers! The younger a calf is when it is castrated, the better they will handle and recover from the stress. For the most part, using the elastrator is stress free because it slowly pinches off the blood supply to the testes.

Going out to tag is a one man job, but if you have two it’s certainly easier (and brining kids along just makes it extra exciting). One guy drives the 4 wheeler and the other grabs the calf. When I go out with The Rancher, it’s my job to catch the calf. The Rancher brings over the supplies and gets to work. He checks the gender, tags, and castrates the bulls. That’s it.

If The Rancher’s Sidekick comes, he usually has his rope and in the time it takes to tag the calf, he’s got him tied up. It’s had to convince him that he doesn’t have to rope EVERY calf… The Ranch Princess hangs out on the 4 wheeler trying to get it to go… I’m pretty sure that she has figured all but the gas out. We might have to start turning it off when we stop. Who knows where she would drive!

Tagging only takes a few minutes for us on the ranch, but they are moments well spent. The Rancher gets his calves marked, the kids have their fun, and I feel like a helpful rancher wife again!

How to Fertility and Disease Test Bulls

April 1, 2014 by Allison

We got to use our new silencer chute (hooray for a new chute!) for the first time last week. We had 20 bulls to test and we did it in almost half the time that it took when we used the old one (I think The Rancher will keep it…). It made testing bulls so much more exciting! As if testing for STDs and fertility isn’t exciting enough!

There are regulations that cattle ranchers have to run by, mostly to prevent the spread of diseases through the herd and neighboring cows. Before we can turn our herd bulls out with the cows, we have to test for trichomoniasis (trich)- a disease that will pass between cows and bulls as they breed. This test is state regulated and has to be done by a vet.

I feel bad for the bulls (just a little) because the test requires a few penile cells. To get them they insert a small tube in the folds of the penis and wiggle it around to scrape off a few cells. They are put into a solution to be sent off to be tested. Each year we put tags in to show that the bulls have been trich tested and are good to go.

These days, it is more of a precaution than an actual defense against the spread of trich. The vet was telling us that their clinic went out and tested 35,000 bulls and not one of them tested positive for trich. We like to hear that!

Even if we didn’t test for trich, we would still bring the bulls in to test for fertility. No one makes us do it, but we choose to test as part of our herd management. When we know that there is a bull shooting blanks, we will pull him. If he can’t perform he is costing us, mostly for the cows that don’t get bred (which won’t have a calf to sell).

The vet starts with quick scrotal circumference measurement. It also gives the vet a chance to palpate, or feel, for any deformities or hernias. We’ve got to make sure that the family jewels are in good condition!

That’s the easy part…

In order to test fertility, we need a sperm count. To get a sperm count, we need the bull’s semen. To get the semen, we need the bull to ejaculate. There’s two ways to go about it. You can manually stimulate the bull by going inside the rectum and rubbing. Or you can use an electrical pulsator in the rectum.

We use the puslator, which by has been most commonly called the “Torpedo.” Or The Rancher’s Sidekick called it a rocket (“Mom, what’s grandpa doing with that rocket?”). You call it what you want…

Once the bull begins to ejaculate, the vet will catch about a tablespoon of semen. He takes a few drops of the collected semen to put on a slide to be looked at under his microscope. He can count the number of sperm and tell if there is enough to consider the bull to be fertile. He can also see if there are any damaged or dysfunctional sperm. Even if the pull is making sperm, damaged sperm still won’t do the job. Once we get the all clear we send the bull on his way and start again with the next.

Not everyone will do fertility testing, just assuming that the young bulls are fertile and will pull them as they get older. We’re mighty glad we don’t cull bulls that way… We found a three year old bull that didn’t pass his fertility test. When this happens, we will generally do a second test a few weeks later. The first test could have just been a rusty load or he really could be infertile.

Thanks to the Bear River Animal hospital for coming out and giving us another exciting lesson on the bull end of cattle reproduction!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

March 31, 2014 by Allison

Every once in a while I get caught in a cooking rut, cooking the same thing over and over. At this point I find one our tried-and-true favorites that I know will satisfy my rancher. I hit this point this weekend and pulled out an old favorite- Sweet and Sour Meatballs!

Funny thing about meatballs at our house… When we were first married, The Rancher just told me not to bother making them- “I don’t like them,” he said. Then we visited my parents in Montana and had some meatballs and he loved them! Guess what honey, that’s how I make them… Now I have all green lights with the meatballs!

What I love about a meatball is that you can make it so many ways, add whatever you like, take out whatever you don’t and every time it’s delicious! They are fast to make and really don’t require a big clean up… I make dinners depending on what I am willing to clean up some days…

But the meatballs…

I thought I would try something a little new and threw in some bacon and cheese to give it new flavor. It’s like a bacon cheeseburger rolled into a meatball! I have to admit, they turned out AWESOME! Definitely worth sharing!

So grab all the meatball ingredients: ground beef, onion, bacon, cheese, egg, toast bits, Worcestershire, salt, salt, pepper, milk, and red pepper flakes. We only mix up once, so you just as well have it all pulled out!

Start with the bacon, toast, and onion. I go for a chunkier meatball, so I don’t worry about getting it all so finely chopped up. But you do what you want! I just toast a few slices of bread and chop them up rather than buying breadcrumbs. It’s my way of making good use of the ends that nobody wants to eat!

Once these are diced, you’re ready to throw it all in together. Yep all of it!

And stir, stir, stir! If you’re brave you can even mix with your hands. Unless you’re not into the meat squishing through your fingers…

I added my cheese a little at a time so it didn’t end up in one big pile that didn’t get mixed around. We are going for a little cheese in each meatball!

When everything has been evenly mixed, its time to roll them into meatballs. I go for a golf ball size, but they all vary. I have big cowboys and little cowboys, so it all works out! Place them in a 9×13 baking dish, spacing about 1” apart.

Now with the meatballs ready, it’s time to make a little sauce! Grab all your ingredients again, pour tem in and mix! I added a little pineapple juice to liven up the “sweet” part of the sweet and sour. Yummy!

After it’s all mixed up, pour over those meatballs!

I sprinkled a little parsley on top for just a bit of extra flavor.

Cover it up and throw those babies in the oven!

Let ‘em cook for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You know their ready when the house is smelled with a tantalizing aroma that you can’t hardly stand!

Oh… and when they aren’t pink in the middle (that’s probably a better rule to follow!)

Next step- EAT! And share… We had friends over to dinner and was perfect to fill those boys up!

If you’re ready for a new dinner to spice up your menu, you’ll want to try these Sweet and Sour Meatballs! I promise, they won’t disappoint!

Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bacon

1/4 cup cheese, shredded

1/2 cup toast, chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tap salt

1 egg

1 dash red pepper flakes

Sweet and Sour Sauce

¾ cup water

½ cup vinegar

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup pineapple juice

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

Prepare bacon, cheese, toast, and onion.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine ground beef, bacon, cheese, toast crumbs, Worcestershire, onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and egg using hands (or a wooden spoon) until well mixed.

Shape into 20 meatballs and place 1” apart in a 9×13 baking dish.

Mix sauce ingredients together and stir until combined. Pour over the meatballs.

Cover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink.

Enjoy!

To the Leadore Angus Ranch Bull Sale

March 28, 2014 by Allison

At this time of year, the ranchers around here have bulls on the brain. There is a lot of prep work to be done before we turn the bulls out for another summer.

I have to throw this out there that I am so glad I’m not a cow (for a lot of reasons) because if someone was planning my next pregnancy this close to having my last baby (or if I was about to have a baby) I think I would give them a zap with the hot shot.

Good thing the cows don’t feel this way, because we are getting things geared up out here. One bull will cover (breed) about 25 cows, which means we need about 35 bulls. Choosing and buying new bulls can be pretty intense. The bulls we choose will factor in the end product we have- a good finished steer or a good replacement heifer.

The Rancher, the kids and I loaded up in the truck the other day and headed out to Leadore, Idaho (which happens to be where we met, fell in love, and lived when we were first married!) to find a bull at the Leadore Angus Ranch bull sale.

Before the auction ever starts they give the ranchers time to really look through the bulls. They give out as much information on the bull as possible to help buyers find what they want. In their sale magazine they have the parents of each bull, the bull’s individual performance (which is his birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, ect.) and then a list of the expected progeny difference (how they think the calves from this bull will perform).

It’s a lot to take in. In fact, I don’t even know what it all means! I guess that’s why I brought The Rancher… He was looking for a good bull for first time heifers. What he looks for in that jumble of numbers is a bull that will have a low birth weight (it makes calving easier for first time heifers), a high weaning weight (it means they gain weight well), and high milk production (for the heifers we will keep to be mommas later on). PS, did you know that milking traits are paternal, not maternal? Another important bit of info to look at was the CED, calving ease direct. It directly identifies which bulls will lead to easier calving.

Picking out a bull by the numbers is just the first part. Since we are looking to market our calves for meat, we want to produce cuts that have high marbling and a large rib eye (the spot where all of your steaks come out of) surface area. So the next page of numbers we looked at was the results from an ultrasound which gave the bull’s muscle and fat measurements.

After narrowing down the bulls we liked based on the progeny potential and the meat quality potential, it was time to actually go see the bulls. We look for a really fleshy bull, something with a wide backside and a long, deep body. Something that would grow a lot of good meat! We also check out their condition and how well they will make it out on the range. Some of the areas our cattle will go can be pretty intense, so we need a bull that will keep up and get the job done.

The real fun is when the auction gets started. There is all of the bustle of the people, the constant rambling of the auctioneer (I know its not rambling, that’s what it sounds like), the cattle moving in and out, and the ring man taking bids. There is a sort of tension in the air from the buyers trying to bid at just the right time against their competition, the men working the sale trying to get it just right, and the owners trying to have everything just right for a good sale day. I really meant it when I say the auction is the fun part! I love it all!

It was a little more stressful for The Rancher because he was busy trying to get in on those few bulls he really liked without paying a fortune! His patience won out and got him a really nice heifer bull at a good price. All in all, it was another good day for The Rancher and posse!

A Little Fun WIth Some Fuzzy Chicks

March 26, 2014 by Allison

Oh what a terrific few days we have had here! The sun is shining like it belongs! No cloudiness, no showers, yes wind… but we can put up with it. I have been out getting my little vegetable patch all ready to plant (a second little garden plot… because one garden is never enough!). Yes, I don’t plan to plant for a while, but I will be ready when its time!

Sunshine, gardening- this can only mean one thing… SPRING IS HERE! I am acutally having mixed feelings about spring. Don’t get me wrong, I love spring. Love it! I have been cooped up with my kids in this house for far too long. But there is so much work to still get done in the house (I can never keep up with these mess makers!) and all I want to do is go outside. I’m in a dilemma- either I feel guilty when I am outside because there is housework to be done, or I am sad because I am inside NOT enjoying the sun.

I just go outside anyways!

Spending time on the ranch is precious and we never get tired of it. We hang out with The Rancher, we visit the horses and the milk cow. The Rancher’s Sidekick and I practice our roping on the grouchy, white dog (I’m the mom that roped the dog first… I probably shouldn’t be setting such a terrible example). And now we have a few extras friends to visit…

The fuzzy chicks!

Definitely another sign that spring is here! We have had these fellas for a while, but I have just neglected to share them with you. My bad!

On one of my grocery runs I convinced The Rancher to come along and that instantly turned my grocery trip into a ranch trip (no complaints here, though!). At the top of his list was picking up the new chicks at Ward Feed, our local feed store. We got there to find 20 little yellow, fuzzy chicks waiting for us!

The Rancher’s Sidekick was so excited for the little buggers! He insisted on carrying them, but I didn’t think his somewhat careless stroll to the truck would be a very good way to start his relationship with them. We comprimised by mom carrying the chicks and letting them sit by him.

All the way home we had a whole string of lovely “cheeps” from the backseat. The chicks peeped a little too…

Once we got home, the kids couldn’t wait to get the chicks out and play! I’ll admit, I’m not so brave with chickens (oh, ya… you know that already!) and so I only admired, not touched. But my kids were all over it. Maybe it was a little too much loving, but still loving indeed!

Happy spring from a few ranchers that like to pick up chicks!

A Good Day for a Haul: Taking the Heifers to Locomotive

March 25, 2014 by Allison

I’ve mentioned that we like to calve out our heifers on the ranch because they need a little more help. But at some point they need to make it down to Locomotive. The range is the ideal place to have the calves to avoid the sickness that can travel through a herd when they are close together. The whole kids-share-germs-like-candy concept isn’t just for kindergarteners. Instead of a ball to pass the gems around, it is usually the mud, the straw, or the trough. Being spread out on the range decreases the contact they have to other germs.

Eventually they will join the rest of the herd in the spring pasture, but when they first get to Locomotive they have their own range. We haul down a little unloading ramp and unload the heifers and calves right on the range.

Cows have a funny tendency to just take off and run when they get to new pasture. We like to hold them in a corral if one is available. If not, which was the case this time, we just unload a few at a time and circle around them to keep them put. This gives them a little time to mother up and find their calves before they take off.

Taking it slow to unload them might take a little longer, but it pays off to know that everything is paired up and ready to make it out on the range!

The Rancher’s Wife Living in the Middle of Nowhere

March 23, 2014 by Allison

To have the amount of land we need to run the ranch, we live in the middle of nowhere (TMNW). The Rancher would say we GET to, that it’s a privilege. We have the space to ride and play. We can have as big of lawn as we want (or the lawn mower can handle). There aren’t too many neighbors to worry about being quiet for. We get to live life how we choose to! I can agree with him now that I have learned a few tricks to living away from civilization, some that are definitely worth sharing!

1. Get a freezer. Or maybe two… You will curse yourself every time you run out of food, every time you make an extra trip for more food, and every time you try to cram your groceries in the little freezer space above your refrigerator. Yep… get a BIG freezer.

2. Since you bought a freezer, you have room to buy extra groceries… so do it! Load up on your favorite frozen fruits, veggies, chicken nuggets and of course BEEF! I even have butter and cheese in there! And just to be on the safe side, grab a few frozen pizzas for the days that dinner just doesn’t work out. Stick it all in and enjoy it later.

3. Every visit to town warrants a trip to the grocery store. Even if you think there isn’t stuff you need, go. I always end up grabbing a couple of gallons of milk. My family can never have enough milk! In fact, I get so much that I freeze some to ensure that we don’t run out.

4. Living far away from a gas station makes you realize how precious fuel is. In an ideal world you would have your own gas tank at home to fill up at. But if you can’t manage that, always leave town with a full tank of gas. Running out of gas in TMNW is SUPER frustrating and there is nobody to blame but yourself.

5. It’s sad to say, but since there are less trips to town (because it takes up way too much of the day just to get anywhere) you don’t always have fresh stuff. Either learn to live with that or learn to grow a garden. I suggest the latter because there isn’t much more satisfying than a good green salad from the backyard!

6. Those man car skills really are not just for men. Learning how to change a tire, check the oil, airing up tires, and using jumper cables is something that every person living in TMNW should know. Cowboy Charming (instead of Prince Charming, right?) is a LONG way away and really doesn’t have time (or even want to) to come save the day.

7. You will spend lots of time in the car… LOTS. Make sure you have a car that will be able to go the distance (especially if you didn’t learn those mechanicing skills we already talked about…). Just accept already that putting more than 15,000 miles on the odometer in a year is normal.

8. And if your car is getting that many miles, so are your kids. There have been a lot of late nights spent on the road. Teach the kids to sleep in the car. Take pillows and blankets, at least one for every person… or maybe two. Heck, take all you have in the house and borrow from the neighbors if you’ve got to! The extra work is worth it! And since the babies will be falling asleep always take pjs so they can just got straight to bed once you hit home.

9. Take out doesn’t exist in TMNW. Nor does delivery. Sorry, you GET to have a home cooked meal every night. I highly recommend meal planning, left overs, and guilt trips to get someone else (hubby, anyone?) to make dinner. If all else fails, get out the frozen pizza- that’s why you have a freezer, remember!

10. We don’t have a time to make lots of trips to town, nor do really want to. So with each trip, make it worth it! Hit up the grocery store, the bank, the hardware store, the post office, CAL Ranches, and the local Good Will. Or maybe just Walmart… they’re supposed to have it all, right?

Living in TMNW can make life tough, but choosing to make it work makes it all worth it. For us, getting to live where we have the space to do what we love is always worth it, even when I have more milk than I know what to do with!