Electrical Fence

What is the best electrical fence to buy? I've seen regular wire. I've seen a coated, white wire. I'm not sure what's best or most cost effective.

I've been looking at electrical supplies trying to figure out the average cost per acre for fencing in pasture, but I have no idea. It's a definite necessity because my half Draft will lean on the fence and push her boundaries if she's allowed to.

It only takes one zap to remind her why she shouldn't do that. I know I shouldn't think it's funny but when she's leaning on the fence and it's turned on, it's funny watching her take off away from the fence. I'm a bad horse mommy.

Read more...

Is there a family guide book to consequences?

The big stable sleepover has come and gone without any pre-teen tantrums because she was grounded and couldn't go. I wish she could have gone but with the list of things my daughter had done that she shouldn't have, there was no way I could let her go. It wouldn't teach her a thing. As she struggles her way from teen to adult, I hope she learns respect and responsibility.

I'm sure we'll have to get through some stomping, door slams, and "I hate you" comments thrown my way before she grows to adulthood. I better brush up my skills on how to take the door off the hinges so when the door slams in my face, I can take care of that little problem right away.

Taking away privileges is the only thing that I can think of doing that will work right now. I'm not sure what other parents do and I don't have a family guide book to tell me. I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way.

Read more...

The Smoky Mountains Are Calling Me

I want to move to the Smoky Mountains. We had an opportunity twice to move and both times we refused because of my stepkids. It would be too far away. They don't pay any attention (none, zero, zip) to their siblings and very little to their father so in retrospect, it probably wouldn't have mattered all that much as unfortunate as that sounds. We should've looked into cross country moving companies and just done it. It would have changed nothing with my stepkids and we'd be living where we wanted to.

We could always hitch a trailer, load our horses and go. Except now the job market has dried up so we're stuck where we are at. Maybe I'll get to retire there...in 25 years.

Read more...

Artcarved Wedding Bands

My husband works in a machine shop so his wedding band doesn't go to work with him. When he comes home, he rarely puts it on because the band is too uncomfortable he says. I found something to fix that as an anniversary gift idea!

They're called artcarved wedding bands. They come in a simple band to a more intricately carved band. Then he'd have no excuse not to wear his wedding band anymore.

I can't complain. I haven't worn mine in a few months either. When we married, I was a size 4. I'm not anymore and it felt snug so I took it off until I finish losing weight (which I'm on my way now). I'm hoping to be able to put my wedding set back on my Christmas.

Read more...

I did it! I met first weight loss goal!

I've posted before about my desire to lose weight because I'd feel more comfortable on a horse. I've been trying for awhile but my thyroid was making it very difficult for me. Well, hopefully that's changing! I've broken down my weight loss into three goals and as of yesterday, have met the first of the three goals! Yeah for me!

I did it by adjusting my thyroid medication. I always knew it was my thyroid (hypothyroidism slowed my metabolism WAY down) but it took awhile for me to figure out how best to treat myself because the doctors would just keep on with the same synthetic T4 medication, keeping me overweight. I couldn't keep on that way without having to look elsewhere for ways to lose weight, like researching the best fat burners since my metabolism wasn't working right.

I'm glad the first goal is met. I hope the weight keeps coming off!

Read more...

Latest Riding Pictures with Tequila Sunrise

She's such a pretty horse and the more she is rode, the more willing she becomes. Plus, she loves her booty scratches when it's done.

Pretty soon, riding is going to be only at a minimum because it gets too cold. We're trying to get in weekly lessons for as long as we can and then Tequila will become a pasture pet for the coldest months of the year most likely (unless we get warm-ups in between the cold fronts).

Read more...

When parenting isn't fun!

The stable where our horses are boarded have a once or twice a year sleepover for all the girls who board and take lessons with them. This weekend happens to be the weekend for it and I have kids who are grounded! I don't want them to miss this sleepover because it doesn't happen very often but grounded means...grounded.

I hope kids don't think parents enjoy grounding their kids because there's nothing fun about it. I've been going back and forth over this in my mind for the last two days trying to figure out if they've done enough to make up for and get one of their privileges back (sleepovers) or if I should harden my heart and refuse. It keeps me from worrying about my normal health/weight problems so there's that. Instead of looking up phentermine, I'm struggling with parenting stuff. From a personal standpoint, a night of quiet from teenage angst would be nice. When kids get grounded, the parents seem to get grounded right along with them. Where is the fun in that?

Read more...

Combine Takes Out Power!

Only in the boonies would this happen - a combine took out an electrical pole or some type of electrical unit and took a big part of town and the country off the electrical grid for several hours. I had to have parent-teacher conferences for 45 minutes in the dark with my daughter's teachers. Since I can't stand one of them, not having to look at his face wasn't a bad thing. A blessing in disguise!

I'm not sure if they activated the emergency alert system but it wouldn't have mattered because the television was off. I doubt they did. It was mostly just an inconvenience. I'm sure our small town cop didn't even have to come into work to direct traffic since there are only a few traffic lights here.

Read more...

Flu Hits Home

A flu went through half of our household so far. I said "a" flu, not "the" flu that has so many people panicking. I'm just getting over it now. What I'd like to know is...

How come moms don't have sick days to take when they're sick? When I get sick, my responsibilities don't go away. I still trudge through the necessary ones, as miserable as I am. I'd like at least a few sick days per year and two weeks vacation please! This mom needs better benefits!

:)

Read more...

Best Christmas Presents

With 40-something days left until Christmas, I'm late. Usually by now, I've started organizing Santa lists and tracking down the most inexpensive way to make my kids' wishes come true.

This year, the lists include some electronics like MP3 players and cell phones but surprisingly, there are several books on the list too. Unlike last year, the list of video games they are hoping for has decreased substantially. Is this the end of the video game rage in my home? I sure hope so! If there is one toy that irritates me more than others, it would have to be video games. I much prefer to see my kids reading than playing video games!

Read more...

My Mare Loves the Cold

We've been waking up to frost on the ground and now they're calling for snow showers tonight. I'm not ready yet! I enjoyed the cooler than normal summer. It was fantastic. That doesn't mean I want an early, cold winter too!

I told my husband I wanted to move to where it was warmer - about 75 - 80 degrees year round. Like that's affordable eh? A lot of people head south for orlando vacations this time of year. I can't say I blame them (or all the snow birds who do it regularly every year). It's cold in the north!!

My horse, JeeNee, absolutely loves this cooler weather. She gets really spunky and active the colder it gets. While the other horses go into the run-ins out of the frigid temperatures, she's out running around in it. When it snows, she actually paws at the snow flakes in the air! I really need to get a picture of that! I miss it every single time. One of the negatives about not having our own land to keep her on. What I wouldn't give to have her in my own backyard.

Read more...

No Courage

Rex died 14 months ago and I have still not rode. I don't think I have the experience to ride my mare and really don't have any confidence that I'll stop being neurotic enough to do it successfully. With Rex, he was so well-trained and so sweet that I had some fear but not a huge amount of fear. My daughter is riding so we are at the stable still but I have yet to get back up on a horse.

I was talking to my husband about it the other day. He asked me if I'd lost interest in horses. It's not that. With three kids in soccer and three in cheerleading, I have been running constantly six days a week so there hasn't been any time since school started. We used to get to the stable several times a week but it's been hard to get down there enough recently. Getting older, I worry about getting seriously hurt (or worse) with four young kids to raise. I could get some cheap term life insurance rates to add onto our current policies to make sure they were financially taken care of but I worry that I won't see them grow up. I want to see them grow up.

So I have no riding progress to report. I've not been riding in over a year.

Read more...

Cell Phone Reception

I love living in a rural area but one negative is that there aren't enough cell towers in the area for good cell phone reception and it takes longer to get other technology (like faster internet connections). When we go to my in-laws house, I can't even use my cell phone from there. There is NO reception there. I'm sure they'll get it in time but being as rural as they are, they'll be on the bottom of the list.

It's funny how much I've come to depend on my cell phone for phone, texting, and internet access. With my newest phone, I even have GPS capabilities so this directionally-challenged individual doesn't get lost anymore!

Read more...