Just seven things? Of course, more than seven things happen when your kids are in 4-H.  I'm making mental notes of what I want to do differently in the following years. Sometimes it's picking up the phone to ask alumni, a vet, or a friend, what can I do to make this better?

I still catch myself telling  my kids, "When I was in 4-H, this is how we did it!"  I am sure I thought I worked really hard on my projects, and I bet my parents thought I could have put more work into my projects.  That's what parents do.  Push their kids, because we know what they are capable of. 

What matters is the lessons we teach our kids, and the habits that form over time.  

1. You meet a lot of families with the same interest as yours.
   
   Photography, foods, animals, or learning about lawn mower parts, you are going to find that these parents are teaching their kids the same thing you want to teach your kids.  Chores, responsibility, life skills and knowing their way around the kitchen.  Survival.  Think you did it right the first time? Let's do it again!  Knowing other families with the same interests gives you someone to talk to, with questions about feeding, picking out an animal to purchase.  I have had conversations with some 4-H moms about the best brand of flour to use for our kids foods project.
   
   
   
2. You discuss more livestock than you ever thought you would at the dinner table
   My son started talking about sows at the dinner table that I'm sure most kids don't talk about. My daughter's friends who were over for the evening learned a few things. One time my son started talking about pigs when we were out to eat.  He was helping another breeder and was beginning to learn about what it takes to breed a sow.  I thought my husband wanted to hide under the table.  
3. There are deadlines to meet, and we like to push it to the last minute.
   
   As parents, we promise ourselves we are starting projects "earlier next year"  and many can be completed in the winter time.  Time tends to get away from us, and most projects are completed, just in time for check-in on general projects day. 
   
   
   
4. When things start disappearing from the house, you know it's probably out in the barn.
   
   My kitchen ladder disappeared this spring.  I  use it to get to the top shelf in the kitchen.  I'm that short, or my cabinets are just too tall.  The ladder is being used to hang lights, and fans, and hold a door open.
   
   I'd love to hear what kind of soap is your favorite to use on pigs, we use Dawn. You know why it gets the grease out! So when we run out, the kids pull mine from the kitchen sink.
   
   We like to give pigs treats.  It's a late night snack or a way to coax them to walk out of the barn, or a little further down the lane.  All the marshmallows are currently cleared out of the pantry.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. The family spends a lot of time in the barn.
   In the evening, we tend to gather in the alley of the barn, sitting in folding chairs, or on buckets. We watch the pigs eat, and we watch them sleep.  When we finally look at our watches, we know its late, and time for us to head to bed ourselves.
   
   
   
   
6. Learn from the Mistakes                             
   
   Last year, my son took lawn mowers for the first time.  There was a driving test and a written test.  He became so confident in driving the course, he bumped the throttle up.  When he bumped up the throttle, his speed increased.  He approached the end of the course with too much speed and knocked off the golf ball from the last post.  That lesson will always be remembered.  Learn from the mistakes so you can do better the next time.  
7. Celebrate the victories
   Celebrate the victories, no matter how small. The blue ribbon in foods, completing the tractor course. Embrace your kids and tell them you love them and are proud of them.  At the end of the week, when the family packs up the trailer and pick up the projects, you realize how fast the week went at the fair.  Take those victories and apply them to the next year.

Markets have been moving slowly.  By the end of February, farmers are looking at the grain markets scratching their heads, wondering when the market will move in their favor.  Cash grain prices in Central Indiana have not changed much since fall delivery prices.

By the end of Friday, March 4, grains were higher.  Brazil had heavy rains towards the end of the week delaying their harvest progress. Political news in Brazil is also weighing in the markets. Their former president is under investigation.

A strong job report was reported this week. US employers added 242,000 workers in February, higher than then 200,000 expected.  US unemployment rate held steady at 4.9% in February.

Next week we are looking towards the USDA S&D report that will be released Wednesday, March 9 at 12 Eastern time.  I don't think we will see numbers change that much, bigger report will be on Thursday, March 31st for the USDA Prospective Plantings Report.

Have you tried their milk? It is heavenly! Chocolate is my favorite!  So delicious. It is totally worth it.Vanilla is good, but I have always preferred chocolate milk. Let's take a look at the nutritional values of both fairlife and Dean's milk. 



Both servings shown are a cup.  Protein in fairlife is 13g, 8g for Deans. Sodium and carbs are the same.  So if you want to increase your proteins in your diet, and decrease sugars, fairlife might be something  you want to try.   I like the idea of fairlife milk because this milk is being "made" a few miles from my house.  It's  not hard to find in stores around here.

Now, let's head to the store. Let's talk about price.  It's our job as moms to be price conscious when we are figuring out our monthly budget.  What is more valuable? Better price or healthier?

Year #2 of the Jasper County Fair is in the books.  Congrats mom and dad! We survived and as we are preparing for State Fair we are already making a list of things do different next year. Things we need to buy, and other things we need to improve on.

2015 family picture

There are days when you are wondering why are we doing this? Why am I getting up early and staying up late to do chores? Who's project is this anyway? :)

Mason front and center for the beef show.

But the moment the kid head to the show ring for the first time, this mom gets a little teary-eyed, but don't tell the husband.

Ryan showing in mini 4-H swine show

Watching Macie improve her showmanship skills every time she went back into the ring was very rewarding. There are so many showmanship skills to work on!

Macie placed 2nd with Duroc gilt

I think she's growing up too fast!

I know the best part about 4-H is friends.  It's priceless and a forever bond.  Sure, there is some fun competition. These smiles, and the milkshakes, and the late nights make it all worth it!