What A Kansas Farm Mom Does when She Isn't Farming

I was recently asked to do a post on what farmers do when they aren’t farming.  Well, I couldn’t answer that in just one post it was going to take at least two.  Since I am a farm wife, what I do on the farm when we aren’t "farming" is different than what my husband, The Farmer, is doing when we aren't "farming." 

First post, the Farm Wife:

Clean House-After long hours in the field, alongside my husband and with 2 boys living in the house, my house can look like a tornado ran through it.  Most of the time it is just dishes, laundry and sorting through a mountain of mail.  Which brings us to the next item…


Pay Bills and update the accounting software. I have found if I keep up on things all year it makes the tax season much less painful.

Volunteer for community activities

• I am co-chairman for the PTO Book Fair.  We have a great time raising funds to buy new books for the libraries at our school.

• I serve on the Imagination Library Board of Directors locally.  This is a great program for pre-school kids.  Check out the link and consider starting a fundraising drive in your area.  

• My fellow farm wives joined me last week in a fundraiser for our hospital foundation where we answered questions about ag.

 

I cook often when I am not in the field.  As you can tell on my recipe page, I love to have food in the freezer that is ready to be thawed out and eaten.  When I get home at 9 pm, the last thing I want to do is cook a meal.  At least if I have things in the freezer, even The Farmer can warm up supper for the boys if he beats me home.

Youth Program Leaders-  I am by no means an expert in Geology, but due to my son’s interest in rocks and fossils I am the county leader for Geology.  I have learned right alongside my son, but to the kids in our county I am a “Rock Star.”

Yard Maintenance-  I am always ashamed at how my yard, flower beds, and gardens look especially after wheat harvest.  I know several farm wives that have gorgeous flower beds that are maintained a little bit every day in between running for their husbands-maybe when I don’t have kids to keep me busy.  I know I will miss these days and my yard can look lovely when the boys are too busy for me.

The flower bed the boys and I planted this spring with plants I have found over the years at plant exchanges.

Youth Education-  I love to go to the school and talk about farming and ranching.  The kids love to see the a baby calf that is only a few hours old.  I just love to do the Kindergarten Farm Day.

Projects with the kids-  My boys are in 4-H, so we always have something going on: trying a new recipe, identifying fossils, preparing a new speech for competition, the list could go on and on.

It took me quite a while to come up with this list.  I never really thought about what I do when I am not farming. It is a fabulous life and I wouldn’t change one thing about it and I feel blessed to raise my kids with me at my job as A Kansas Farm Mom.

My youngest trying to avoid a nap by playing on his DS in the combine.

Have a great week everyone!  -A Kansas Farm Mom