The Muench Bunch

3/31/15 Our family went to Karen and Orrie’s for breakfast. Lavern and Verna Mae had been staying along with Terji and Elaine W. Later Terji and Elaine came and watched Jayden and I ride horses. Elaine is always very interested in things we do and asks a lot of questions. She is a sweet fun person to be around. In the mean time Luke told Po that he should pick rocks for $1 a rock. The two set out on the gator. Luke came back with a smashed cut finger. His pinky looked bad with it sliced on each side up at the top. Karen and Elaine helped me doctor him up. Luke was pale and almost passed out. We debated going to the hospital. With Elaine’s nurse expertise we decided not to. It took some time with ice and holding it in a soapy wash cloth to get it cleaned up and bandaged. Luke cried all the way home in the gator, but in the house he was pretty tough about it all. He just did not like when we tried soaking it. After some Tylenol, a bath and supper, he was ready to spend the night at Gr

3/30/15 Today was the first day of Spring Break. Luke gets the entire week off from school, as do Jake and Jayden. The weather today was great, got up to 73, but very windy. We had places to go today, the dentist, doctor and taekwondo. The boys get pretty buggy and annoy one another. We had the quietest most peaceful ride home. Why? We made a stop at the library and everyone was so engrossed in their books all the way home. It was wonderful. I knew they  weren't  pestering one another and driving everyone crazy. I also knew they were’t filling their brains with video games or watching more television. 

3/28/15 On Friday Luke invited Grammer to his school for literacy lunch. Knowing her birthday was the next day , Luke took flowers to school for her. He carried the flowers on the bus and got them safely to school. It was pretty sweet. Grammer got to hear Luke read and have lunch with him. Saturday was the big surprise birthday party for Karen. Orrie lined up a big party at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. Family and friends arrived at 5:00 and Orrie and Karen came at 5:30 where we surprised her. She knew something was happening with all Orrie's secret phone calls and conversations. The meal was buffet style with good food. Orrie put together a slide show of Karen and several people sang including my kids. They sang “ I could Sing Of your love forever."  Special   guests  Terji and Elaine Walthinsen came all the way from Oregon to stay for a week. 

Sometime in February, Mark introduced the boys to  Star  Wars. He had 3 VHS tapes from the original  episodes. We always thought Jake was to young to handle the violence and the  intensiveness  of them. I think Luke is still a bit young, but they are enjoying watching them with Mark. Luke does run out of the room on a few occasions. Now the  boys  are Star Wars fans, wanting to look up ships and rockets on Google. They have been checking books out at the library and Jacob spent $35 of his hard earned money on a book of his own. I could not convince him that was too much money.  Jake knows so much about the different types of ships, droids, and creatures. They recently discovered the cartoon version “The Clone Wars”. Jacob is on a kick with drawing all kinds of vehicles from the shows. He also is very creative in building ships and vehicles from the movies without any directions. 

The newest addition to the farm. The big shiney tanker.  The boys and their trucks.

 I just don’t understand. Mark always tells me I don’t understand how a business works and how business people have to be. This morning with our family in the car headed to church, Mark gets a phone call. First I was very annoyed that he was taking a call on a Sunday morning on the way to church. I could tell from the conversation it was pertaining to a Salford. I wondered why he even answered the call. Then, he tells me to turn around and go back home because he may have to go to some guys field and help him with his Salford. My emotions took control of me and I was angry to say the least and shot back at him, Are you  serious !!?? He called his hired man and sent him so that we could continue to church. I was still angry that he would have gone if his hired man could not. I said, "Tell the guy it is Sunday and you are going to church and that’s where he should be." I was also thinking it is Sunday morning and  mid March. There is plenty of time to get field work done, just

3/19-20 Allie drove back for a few days visit. She arrived Thursday mid morning and had lunch with us and tagged along with Jayden and I while we ran to Ames. We took the horse trailer to get Ace. We had to leave the trailer at the vet in order to get into the parking lot for Jayden’s orthodontist appointment. Then we drove to the hospital where I visited Ellen. She had surgery to have part of her colon removed. She was doing well and thankful for the visit. Lastly, we got Ace to take him back home. The vet student that gave Jayden directions loved Ace. She told Jayden that she may have hugged her horse. I think he was a super patient and well loved. We need to keep him in a small pen and have him come back in 10 days for a re-check. Allie talked to us about anything and everything. She is doing well, working two jobs and taking a college online class. She is very thin and wears comfy clothes. She is highly addicted to her facebook and is on it constantly. She posts over 20 posts in

3/18/15 The day was planned out because Luke did not have school. I scheduled the kids and I to go help with Meals From The Heartland. When Jayden went out to feed horses she came in and told me ACE had a cut on his foot. I inspected it and saw a good sized gash. At first I thought it was probably superficial and would heal in time. After seeing her horse try to walk and seeing how sore he was, I knew it was more serious. He was also swollen. We called the vet. Jadyen decided she would stay home while the vet came and I should go on to Des Moines. I didn’t feel right about it, but Jayden insisted I go. The boys and I arrived late because of poor directions. I still don’t own a GPS or use an iphone or google maps for directions. I take the old way and use the address to find my way. I drove to it, however it was a lot farther South than I thought. In being late, we didn’t get a job packaging right away and had to put stickers on bags. The last half hour we packaged. Luke did rice and J

March 15 -20 On Monday it got up to 80 degrees, then it dropped and was cold the rest of the week. The weather has been so sporadic. Both Monday and Tuesday, Jayden had to tak her standardized tests. Makenna and Alivia T. tested at the same time so we car pooled. Jake went with Alex and hung out one afternoon helping move firewood. The boys just like to hang out together. I am so glad Jake has a good friend in Alex.

   Mark and I celebrated our 16 th Anniversary on the 14th by going out to dinner at Hotel Pattee. Today, the 13th was a busy one with Jayden’s Breakaway clinic. We asked Camie Widmer to give lessons at our arena. It was a wonderful day with sunshine. Jayden, Makenna, and Cheyenne participated. Camie worked with the girls from swinging, throwing and catching, to roping off horses with a calf sled. I think the girls learned a lot and enjoyed it. Jake spent most of his time observing, but I had him jump in and try now and then, with Camie helping him. I think Jayden enjoyed it and I hope to do more things like this in the future.  

March 8-13 What an amazing week. We were blessed with amazing weather from Monday through Sunday. It stayed in the 60’s and even got to 70. Wow. to feel the sunshine was awesome. We tried to spend as much time outside as possible in the afternoons. Monday and Wed. I took Luke to taekwondo. He is officially a camo belt and excited about it. With it comes more advanced class, an hour long class with forms, board breaking, and sparring.  Luke was super excited to get his new sparring gloves. He wore them all the way home and took them off to go to bed.  Taekwondo also comes with major time conflicts. His new class time interferes with AWANA and my bible study.  I weighed the options around for a long time and decided to make it all work. So, I will take Luke on Mondays and every other  Wednesday . That way he is not missing out on too much class time and can still go to his AWANA on occasion. It seems the best solution for now. Soon he will be in soccer and we will be planting in the f

Song Lyrics If I hear a song and the singer has a good voice, the song has a nice tune or beat to it, I chose to like the song. I hear the music, and rarely ever pay attention to the lyrics. I hear the main chorus but other than that I don’t really pay much attention to what the song is about or what it is saying. Today a song was playing and I turned it up and told Jayden I liked the song. It had a nice tune and the music was fun. She gave me a funny look. As I  listened  to it I kept hearing the main verse. I asked Jayden what the singer was saying.  Jayden informed me what the lyrics were really saying. This happens to me so often. I like a song based on the beat or the music. Once I hear the words it makes me sick. There are so many songs out there with bad messages. So many inappropriate. I listen to  country  music and it is getting worse and worse. 

Another night of taekwondo testing for Luke. This was the first time he tested by learning the entire form. In the past he has only learned half the form, something they do for the kids. His instructor felt that he was ready and he did great. He learned the yellow belt form. He does very well and only goes one night a week, where the rest of the kids all go two nights a week. This was the largest group I have seen at a testing night so far. Luke earned his camo belt. The belt he set his goal to reach when he started last year. Our big challenge is going to be how to keep Luke in taekwondo in the future with our crazy schedule.  

The Anderlik’s have had their cattle here on our pastures and in our lots for a few years. That is not the problem. They use our land, feed our round bales, and Mark ends up doing 90% of the chores. Mark’s Dad never has any problem calling Mark and telling him what he needs to do. During calving season, year after year, Mark ends up saving numerous calves. They rely on Mark’s parents or Mark. Years ago they took his show box out of our barn and repainted it with their name and have basically taken every piece of show cattle equipment Mark owned. They tend to “borrow” whatever they need and forget to give it back, including a flat rack of fence posts. The Anerlik family travels across the state and country to cattle shows and sales. They enjoy showing and being involved in that part of it, but don't spend the time doing the chores and work behind the cattle.There is no gratitude,  more of an entitlement. Mark has become so frustrated that he decided if he is doing all the work an

March 5 Today I am 40 years old. That is a hard number to swallow. Wow, I can’t believe I am 40. When I was a child that seemed so old to me. You always heard jokes about being over the hill and such. Now it is my turn. Ugh. At the age of 40 I have been married for 16 years on the 13 th . I have a wonderful husband that loves the Lord as do I. I have 3 awesome kids. I am a busy mom that gets to experience my kids to the fullest. I get to be a stay at home farm mom and now a homeschool teacher. I love being with my children and I am enjoying teaching them what it is I want them to know and learn. I may not be the best teacher in the world, have the most patience, not be the most organized, but my kids are happy, loved, and learning.  I am a tired mom, I run the kids here and there to 4-H, taekwondo, youth group, AWANA, art, soccer, and horse events. I cook and run meals to the field and men to semis and tractors. It is a busy season of life and sometimes , most times I wish it would s

 March 1 Sunday the kids got to ski with thei r  4-H club. The kids got a pass to ski, snowboard, or tube, or all 3. The club paid for all but $10. The weather has been very cold lately, but today it got into the 30’s so it was a great day for it. Luke wanted to ski so bad too, so I let him go and I just watched. He did great and was completely independent. He would carry his  skis  out to the slopes, buckle them on, head up the rope tow, and ski until he got tired. I went out and watched now and then, but he was on his own. Jayden was on the bunny hill with him quite a bit as she stayed with cousin Jaynie and showed her how it was done. Late,r Jayden took to snow boarding. She did really well for her first few times down and her instructor was very impressed with her natural ability. However her tail bone hurt when the night was over. In fact in writing this at a later date, she was in pain the next day and several days after. Jake was all over the place. He didn’t know what to do f

To be told on your birthday that your mother is going to have a baby would for some be super and exciting! But not when you are 23 and your mother is still in prison for the second time. When your mother is supposed to be getting her life back to normal. When your mother is still married to her husband she left, but the father of the child is a boyfriend. How do you celebrate, how do you accept it? I feel so sad for Allie. She has had a rocky road ever since she graduated high school. Her world has been turned upside down because of her mothers many actions. I pray for her all the time and hope that she can rise above all that she has had to endure.