The Muench Bunch

 The plan for the day was to go to Living History Farms with the Ogden homeshool group. The day was only going to be in the 30’s and breezy. We just went from 60 and 70 degree days. We were prepared to put on long underwear,  hats, mittens, and winter coats. At the last minute we took a vote and decided we should go on a nice warm day ourselves. Today we thought of another plan. Luke was home from school and it was field trip day. Plan B worked out great, we went to Merle Hay mall where they have a wildlife exhibit in the mall. We went and explored the exhibit with cougars, coyotes, skunk, raccoon, bears, and wolves. It was interesting to see all the critters. From there we did some shopping, and found some winter coats for the kids. Luke wanted to wear his costume all over the mall. He got a lot of comments and smiles. He loved the attention. On the way home we arrived in Ogden just in time for trick or treat. The kids really didn't care where we went as long as they got to go. I

 Mark has been working non-stop he is getting tired and grumpy. So many days in a row with no break or rest. He runs long days sunrise til late. He has good reason to be tired. Today he started at the Boxholm farm that he is custom farming. The coop said they would be open until 7, but shut down at 4. That caused more time in transporting corn. He chose to haul the rest to Grand Junction. I made 3 trips up to the field today. I have been taking  Mark  his lunch everyday during harvest. It doesn't seem to make a difference that we are homeschooling. We usually get done at noon, I make a quick lunch, then run it to the field. I will be glad when harvest is done too.

The bad luck continues in the field. The combine got stuck again today. Mark was able to drive back and forth and get it out without having to pull it out by tractor. Luke had his taekwondo testing to earn his yellow belt. He did really well. He had practiced his form so many times, he was ready a month ago. He really enjoys taekwondo and is fun to watch. 

 Our friends, The Burr’s called and said they would like to stop by today. I was thinking sometime around 4:00. It was 7:00 by the time they had gotten to the house. I had already prepared meals and took them to the field. Not really knowing what time they would come, I saved some beefburger meat just in case. They had field food for supper. Angela brought me a neat gift. She made a gift bag full of cute gifts with a poem, "The Farmer's Wife Survival Kit." It had things like a bar of soap to wash away the field dirt. A pair of gloves when I need an extra hand. A little tractor for when ours breaks down. There was a candle, mints, hankerchief, and all kinds of fun things. I thought that was very sweet. They are such thoughtful people. Dan went right to the field and rode with Mark. He was fascinated with it all and compared it to flying a plane. They all stayed until 9.  

 Break downs continue as our harvest rolls on. Saturday the semi  differential  went out . Mark said the ground is so soft this year everything kind of sinks in the ground and is hard on equipment. Sunday the grain auger on the combine bumped the grain cart and the spout came off for the third time this fall. Without it the grain is like a fire hose and shoots grain clear across the cart onto the ground. Tonight the combine got stuck in the mud. After the ordeal of getting it out of the mud, they went back to combining,   then a warning light came on. Now for the biggest breakdown, a shaft broke inside a combine fan. This involved taking the combine to Harcourt to remove the gigantic tire to access the area and repair. Just another break down to add to the ongoing list this fall

10/26/14For at least a month now, the television has been bombarded with political campaign ads. What really gets me is how they put out negative ads bashing one another. In this day, there is such a big deal made over bullying and teaching our children not to bully, yet all hours of the day on television that is exactly what the politicians are doing to one another and they are supposed to be our leaders. Not a good example. I can’t change the channel fast wnough when they come on. I tune them completely out and stop listening, but they are annoying! It has gotten so bad that I am tempted to unplug the television. Unlike most homes, we do not have cable television, so we cannot just change the channel. It is on every commercial one afer another. You also see it in magazines, tons of flyers in the mail, the radio, and even ads before you watch internet videos. There is also the aspect of money. These politicians campaign and want our money for support so they can use more money and mo

 On our way to the field with meals, Luke and I were noticing how awesome the sky looked. He told me the clouds reminded him of ocean waves. Photos never look as neat as the real thing, but we captured the view on photo. Psalm 19 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands .

After school the Spillman kids came to spend the afternoon. The girls rode horses while the boys explored the shop and tried to work on Jake’s lawnmower he wants to restore. Braden brought his tool box ready to help. He has restored a tractor with his Grandpa. It did not take long for Braden to realizr this little lawn tractor has quite a few issues. The boys went with me to the shop and drove the gator around awhile. The boys were to shy to ride in the field with the men, so they ran around outside at home. They are good kids and have a lot in common with Jake. So thankful the kids have good friends! Huge answer to prayers.

 Harvest has not gone exactly smooth. It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. We have not gone more than two full days without a breakdown or delay. From the start, we had  problems with the dryer, then two snouts on the combine bent. Then the grain cart broke, then a tractor, then another tractor problem. Mark spent 5 days in the field, then it rained delaying 3 days. Most recent the combine had problems with a belt and a chain. I wish I could tell more specifics, but I only get the most basic answer and to ask any more questions only upsets Mark even more. It has not been a fun harvest. When things are running and running well, things are good and he has been able to stop at home for a meal on occasion. It is nice with all the field help this year. We have Mike, Cory, Tony, and Linde. Mark's dad has been running the combine most of the time. It gives Mark a chance to slip away for a brief time. In all the busy chaos, Mark's phone seems to be contuinually at his ear.

Since the weather was super nice, we decided to make Alivia's weekly riding lesson a trail ride. We asked Carina to ride with us. She said it has been a year since she has been on a horse and she has several horses of her own. The 4 of us got on horses and rode into the hay waterway. The weather was just perfect for it. Winnie came up lame just a few days ago and seemed extra sore today, so we kept our ride short. 

 In the morning we took 3 of our 4 cats to the vet for shots. The 4 th cat decided to wander this morning missing his appointment. On our way out, we passed a rummage sale and stopped. We got some major treasures for next to nothing. The church ladies were so fascinated with Jacob's interest in old radios and televisions. They just adored him and marked the prices way down and gave him some for free. We loaded up on kids books, got some board games, and a few other treasures. Jake ended up with a mini  television , an old radio and Polaroid camera. After lunch the boys went straight to the field. My friend Carolyn and her daughter Tabby came to ride horses. What started out to be a chilly day 45, turned out nice and sunny. We had coats on, but it was a great day to ride. We rode through our hay patch and along the waterway near the highway. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

 On October 8, the first man in the US died of Ebola. Not long before, two  missionaries  infected with Ebola were brought to the US to be treated and both were  survivors  thanks be to God. The latest victim was not so lucky, he was a Liberian man who traveled from West Africa to Texas where he lived. He went to the TX hospital for medical attention and was sent home for 3 days before returning and being diagnosed with Ebola. The number of people he exposed is scary. Shortly after his death, a nurse that worked with the man came up sick and had contracted ebola. That is where it gets really scary. These health care workers are in a hospital setting using every precaution from full body suits, extra gloves, booties, and full face masks. They have extensive procedures to prevent contamination like this. Of all people, they should be safe. Then another  health  care worker recently contracted it. Now it is in the US and we are in trouble. Ebola has been a life threatening disease in Afr

The morning did not start off too well. While Jayden was doing horse chores, her horse ran over and stomped on the cat Rusty. It hurt him terrible and nearly killed him. He was barely alive and suffering bad. We ended up having our hired man come and take care of the cat so that he did not have to further suffer. Rusty was a yellow cat that we found at the shop skin and bones. He was affectionate and we took him in. He has been friendly and a yellow butterball. He has always been very timid of our other cats, so tended to hide out a lot. He was the cat that Luke named.

 It was a no school day for Luke, so we decided to have a fun day and call it a field trip. We met Alice and Grandma after lunch in Ames. We car pooled to the Cambridge apple orchard. It was a great day sunny and nice with a light jacket. We roamed the center that was all set up for kid fun, with a petting farm, pedal tractors, giant jumpy pillows, mazes, pedal go carts, giant slide, apple toss, hay ride, and a big pit of corn to roll in. I saw a few mom’s I knew and Luke found his very good school friend Alex G. with her family. We made our way through all the activities and even had an apple donut. The kids were having so much fun, I wish I had allowed more time. We got some good pictures too. Our evening was full to the brim, so we had to head back to Ames at 4:30. From Taekwondo, to AWANA, to youth group. Jake followed me for the night and is happy he doesn’t have to do that every week. It was AWANA parent night, so I went with Luke instead of my bible study. Luke’s leader also

The timing was great for a family night out. Mark got rained out of the field and Luke had no school the next day. We went to Ames and ate supper at Texas Roadhouse. Then we saw a funny family movie,"Alexander's Horrible Day." It has been a very long time since we have all gone to the movies. What a fun night.

 Jayden is enjoying giving riding lessons to Alivia. Today was lesson 5. She is getting paid $10 a lesson. She sets up cones, barrels and logs. She has Alivia walk and trot and do all kinds of activities. I think Alivia is really enjoying it too. Winnie has been great for her to learn on. We have had some really nice weather for lessons.  Mom, Dad, and Alice came down to watch her lesson today. It was a rainy cold day. Good thing we have the indoor arena.

So glad to have found this great horse for Jayden. He has been a perfect match for her and they make a good team.

Jayden is a great kid and is always up for helping out. Yesterday, she helped Karen pick pumpkins, move garden hoses, pull out tomato cages, and vacuum.  Today she washed all her outside windows. That Jayden is something else. She does these things with a good attitude without arguing or complaining. Her only complaint, she managed to vacuum her toe. Only Jayden could do that.

I took some photos of Jayden and Jacob for their "school pictures". Grandma got in on some of them too. Even though I forgot to dress Luke on his school picture day, he still looked cute in his Jamaican soccer jersey, love it!

While reading through Luke's AWANA lesson with him, we were reading the verse John 14:6 Jesus Answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That got Luke to thinking and he asked me if a person was good and nice would they still go to heaven. I told him it doesn't work that way, just like the verse in the bible says. His eyes got sad and he looked at me and asked what about one of our hired helpers? What big lessons for a 6 year old to grasp. I am so proud of him for understanding. He not only recognizes a person's ways and actions as not a Christian, but also now has made the sad realization that not everyone will go to heaven. It is the hard, sad truth, we hear it all the time. Jesus Christ is a gift one must  receive  and accept. Nobody can force someone to accept, all we can day is pray and be an example. 

When Aunt Alice mentioned her church was participating in "Meals From The Heartland", I told her to sign us up. The kids and I went down to Des Moines with Alice and Carina to help pack meals on a Tuesday evening. We were scheduled to work at 6PM. There was around 12 of us that helped. Jayden, Jake, and I had helped before and really enjoyed it. This was Luke's first time. He started out as a meal stacker. He had to stack the meal packs before they went into a box. I was the package sealer. Jayden and Jacob added ingredients.  Each meal package feeds up to six people. To feed a family of six, it costs just $1.20 to package. The meal package contains rice, soy protein, vitamins, minerals and dried vegetables (carrot, onion, tomato, celery, cabbage and bell pepper). We would fill a box containing 24 meals aproximately every 2 minutes.  That is 720 meals in an hour. The center was full of teams filling packages and boxes. It was a great feeling to be a part of feeding

 It was a crammed packed day, but the most exciting news, it dried out enough for us to start harvest. For the kids, the highlight was getting to be in the field, even if it was brief. We gave riding lessons to Alivia at 1:30. I got Luke early from school so we could make the Ogden homeschool meeting from 4 to 6. The kids did an art class while I was at the meeting. Back home, I put together my  sandwiches  I had cooking in the crock pot and delivered them to 5 guys. The kids got to ride in the field for an hour. Let the busy harvest begin!

10/5/14 Our church donated 12 tons of donated food for the local food pantry. The kids and I shopped and filled 4 paper bags with items to bring. Jayden along with the high school youth helped organize the bags and load them onto a semi before the service started.  We got to enjoy Pastor Paul Sabino today. He is with the church plant in Cedar Rapids. They have just built a larger church because they outgrew the first one. It is so awesome to see God growing these churches. After church, we took the kids to the ISU Cyclone Stampede Rodeo. This would be the first year ever, that the ISU rodeo was held indoors. ISU recently put up an indoor livestock pavilion. It was awesome. The rodeo has been held outdoors in a dumpy arena for years. I can remember back when I college rodeos, the other schools dreaded coming to Iowa. The pen was small, usually muddy, and it was always held in the cold of October. One year I ran and there was slushy icey rain. It was so nice to see an indoor rodeo. The

 Jayden went with Makenna to help lead kids on horses for Camp Sunnyside. It was in the 30’s and windy in the morning. They said they were so cold. They knew to bundle up and had winter coats on. They walked horses all day until 3. It had to be the coldest day all fall.

 Luke went to stay the night at Karen and Orrie’s. He took his large tote of mega block legos. He built and built.  Mark and I went out to eat at Red Lobster.  Jadyen and Jacob went to Spillmans for the night. They went to see the movie “Left Behind”. I have seen the former movie made years ago. I knew what the movie is about and explained to Jacob so he ould have an idea. He said it was very intense and it made his legs shakey from being so tense. The movie talks about the end times when the rapture takes place and. It is a theory of how it will be based on biblical facts in revelation. The rapture takes place before Christ returns and all the Christ followers on earth ascend into heaven. Those non-believers get left behind. It is a movie that makes you think and it talks about pastor that get left behind. That seemed hard for Jake to understand, but there are pastors that aren't truly Christ following believers. I have read the several Left Behind books in the series and find th

I enjoy the many fun things we can do as homeschoolers. Where else can you read with your cat? Jacob really enjoyed reading Shilo. We got our homeschool art supplies and today we did our first project. The kids and I sat down and made a pastel drawing. Pastels are kind of like chalk crayons, but messy. I was impressed with the kids work. Jacob wasn't as into it, he is all about drawing. Jayden made a harvest scene and Luke made a John Deere tractor.