Snowshoeing!

We love winter, escpecially when it snows!!! The more the better. If you are like me you get bored easy. I love to exercise but get bored quickly doing the same thing. One reason I love living in New England is because of the seasons, every few months it is time to due new things, or old things in a different way, work different muscles. With all this snow, the trails I used to run on now we use to go snow shoeing. We get exercise and Scout can have a nice fresh air snoozer in the pulk sled.

First snow shoe steps

She got the hang of it quickly, and continued for an hour.

Harvesting

As summer comes to an end we begin preparing to store our harvest for winter.

The hurricane left us lots of firewood...

Onions braided....

this sunflower actually survived the mice, hiding it in with the asparagus worked!

potatoes drying...



the melons didn't get big but...

they were delicious!

Always lots of little helpers

Happy Harvesting

Little helper - winter chores

The littlest one's want to help. There are always ways to adapt what you do so they can pitch in. They will be so proud, start to learn they can do ANYTHING they want to, feel like they contribute to their family and don't forget to tell them what a great job they are doing!

Little Scout starts off with a BIG pile of clothes.

All dressed and ready for the snow.

There are chores to do and animals that need me.

First I will shovel off the deck so no one slips.

Frodo is hungry.

There's Satinka waiting for dinner.

Careful, don't slip.

C'mon guys...dinner.

Good girls Tonto and Takoda.

Good boy Little.

Frodo is happy.

I love you Scout.

Little gets some company while he eats.

Now for the hay.

My herd looks good.

Time to clean the run in so they have a nice clean and dry place to spend the night.

I hear the chickens calling.

The coop is toasty warm, food bin full, water all set, eggs collected.

I'm coming out...time for some fun.

Nice sticky snow.

Tatonka watches over me while I play.

Okay boys I'll get the ball.

Night night

Little helper

We are always working around here. The "to do list" is always growing. We try to get as much done as we can each day. Scout is always with us and we balance getting tasks done with caring for her needs. She likes to help and we take the time to foster her interests and let her help. She has a lot of pride in what she does and it is important for her development to feel she is part of the process. Some of the things that she INSISTS on doing each day are: leading the horses in and out of the paddock (she holds the end of the lead line and walks them to where they need to be), drags their halters back to the shed, brings hand fulls of hay to the gate when we feed them, drag her little manure rake around the paddock when we are cleaning up, takes out a brush and brushes her pony when she is out grazing,  throws trash away, puts things back after she takes them out, puts her cup on the table instead of throwing it on the floor, uses a rag to wipe the floor if she spills something, wipes her face, takes hand fulls of kibble out of Stennis's food bin and puts them into his bowl and picks up the empty dog dishes and stacks them up after they eat.

We don't believe in paying children to do "chores". We want her to grow up wanting to pitch in and do her share because we are a family and work together to get things done. Right now we take the time to encourage her and help her anytime she wants to join in and help.