What's wrong with her coat?

Today my child's teacher asked if she needed a new coat.
I'm trying to see thus through her eyes. Her coat is the right size. It has a great functioning zipper, and a nice style hood that stays attached and covers her head.

But aparantly it's dirty. So dirty it should be replaced?
I really don't mean to be an ungrateful bitch here... But this coat is in great shape, it's just dirty... I don't understand.

She's just going to get a new coat dirty too. I don't understand how thus fixes anything.

Then she will have two dirty coats?

I would understand lies of offers... But I don't understand this one. I like free stuff. I'm good at accepting help when I need it.

Now I'm slightly insulted that a really good coat still isn't "good enough" in someone else's eyes. I've seen kids who need new coats... Wrong size, broken zippers, ripped sleeves, holes in the pockets so big you could lose a statue of Buddha.... I know kids who DO need new coats.

Am I wrong for thinking that as long as it is warm and secure it should be fine? That a little dirt isn't a big deal?

Where exactly are those Angels?

Once upon a time a nice couple had three young children just bursting with life and energy. The couple stayed nice and busy having fun with these kids while building their homestead and dreams. They had a plan to garden, raise chickens, steadily make improvements and live free range and self sustaining. They had a list of repairs and improvements for their home, which was 80 years old and in need of updates, but they believed it was worth fixing, not replacing. The dad had never gardened before and was learning to do that while working on his favorite hobby, his autocross car. Mom was finally winning the battle to get out of debt (which they had incurred during bouts of unstable employment) and was on a personal journey to overcome her asthma and get more fit and participate in 5k races. The oldest child was starting a counseling journey to find the root of her behavior issues, the next was accepted to a free preschool that would lower their daycare bill and help accelerate the debt payoff. Dad had arranged for a contractor to take a look at a crack in the foundation so they could become eligible for a program to improve and weatherize the house.
Then one day their reliable birth control somehow failed and two pink lines came to visit, along with constant nausea and vomiting, exhaustion and oodles of projects that were left undone. Dads contractor friend got busy and didn't come, they passed the deadline for the home improvement program. Mom had trouble sticking to her grocery budget because she threw up their usual inexpensive meals. Dad hurt his shoulder at work, making it difficult to work his usual hours because he couldn't do his usual work. Mom considered her options. She couldn't continue her new running hobby. The garden fell behind. Their plans for home improvement were stalled, knowing mom couldn't travel the steep farmhouse stairs after a few months safely and they made new plans to arrange bedrooms differently. Mom kept her secret quiet because people get judge mental and rude about families with many kids- especially if they need help. She went over the list of options for unexpected pregnancy: abortion, adoption, keep it. The first was not an option, "harm none" is their religion. Adoption would be awkward to explain, and they really did want another child but the timing was not what they planned. Mom made a new plan to reapply for home improvements while on maternity leave, take some extra time off from her high stress job, and accomplish different things.

Then at her first appointment mom found out baby had no heartbeat, and would not result in a successful pregnancy. All her new plans fell apart. No applying for help with the house. No time off. No complete family and being done with baby clutter. So she focused on her old plans. Running, gardening what she could salvage, decluttering and cleaning the house, make some small improvements like planned and try to apply for that program again anyway. She was back on budget, decided to love her job again, and move on with her dreams.

Weeks later the final step began- her body finally realized the baby was with the Angels and moved on. But mom had plans, went for a run anyway, cleaned out the garage and the basement..... Until her uterus sent out a mayday: all the activity wouldn't let a clot settle to stop the bleeding..... And she found herself in the ER. Luckily no major complications, sent home with pain meds, but today mom learned that she is too tough. Too tough for her own good.

I don't want to be ungrateful for this gift, but I am very scared of trying to work through wretched morning sickness. It's bad. I'm already fighting it hard and I didn't even know I was pregnant 72 hours ago. I am terrified of gaining too much weight. I don't know how long my clothes will fit. I had goals damnit!

Today I find myself 5 weeks pregnant and confused. This was not planned. Miscalculation. I wanted another eventually, in another year or so. Don't confuse me with ungrateful or angry, just working to rearrange my life plans. I don't have insurance. I was going to join my husband's plan from work in January. Thanks obamacare for still not having affordable coverage! I am right in the middle of training for running some 5ks. I am just getting my garden started. I have a big construction project to work on. I only have one bathroom! I just started organizing and de cluttering my house! I am not ready! But on another note... I have 3 kids, we know what to do with another. It's going to be fine. I am not sure how I am going to handle my high demand job and morning sickness. I was going to write a book first!

Busy day

I am going to start now and work my way backwards with today, should be interesting.... Snugging squishy for the second time, she didn't sleep all that long. long enough fore to log in and take a jeopardy contestant test.... Which I don't hold out much hope for, I had issues over 5 questions with just calibrating my screen... But the first answer was outlander! Yay for small miracles! I spent more time waiting before the test than taking it, but I was afraid that I would get distracted, I had to ask my hubby to make a litter box for the cat in the basement which we picked up together when ellie got out of school, and on the way home hubby's pager went off with a brushfire, because I posted about my recent mouse issues on FB and an acquaintance offered me her mouser, because the mice woke me up at 3 falling into my trash and getting stuck, whining, rustling around and then escaping....

Reverse my day again.... Tried to nap with kids because of sleep deprivation, but I was just too geeked about the chicks I got today to rest and I spent naptime naming them Houdini, spinach, feta, frittata, pepper, nugget, patty, drumstick, wing and tender. Previous to that we looked for outlander disc 1 at the video rental (fail) and drums of autumn at the library (also fail but at least I got a new library card!) and got a few forgotten groceries after returning pop bottles to the store and dropping off a bag of "stuff" at work, and on my day off!, and when dropping off oldest at school and having special "muffin" time. And this all started with a mouse waking me up at 3 am. I got up and sorted laundry.... Denial only lasts so long... Then the alarm clock starts going off.

Chicken sitting

I'be been wanting to keep chickens for years. Fresh eggs, sustainable unaltered meat.... Hundreds of points of importance. But I've never had chickens before. 2.5 years after buying our property, I am determined that this is the year! So when a friend asked me to care for her chickens over a weekend I was elated! What could go wrong? Ha ha ha...
I learned oodles about how to keep them from her setup, she breeds, incubates, and hatches her own designer breeds, I just wanted a few... 6-8... Standard chicks to grow into birds, and likely butcher for meat when it got cold. But I learned they can and will survive the cold... Even the nasty cold winters with 50 mph winds and -35 degree mornings... With probably only needing a heat lamp and well built shelter.

Anyway... Back to chicken sitting. First I check the incubator. No action. They are 2 days overdue and she thinks they are duds. Easy. Next, check the babies in the back 1-2 weeks old... Change their water. But when I ger to the 6 week olds.., their heat bulb has blown, and the garage is too cold for me to leave them. Small panic. But I refill 5 gallons worth of water for the 11 week olds who are almost big enough to join the adults outside in the real coop, instead of in the garage in a cardboard enclosure. Waiting to hear back from the friend about the heat bulb I go out to check the coop.

The big chickens dislike being stuck inside for 36 hours and totally run me down while I tried to fill their water dish. Then I check the boxes for eggs. I looked yesterday but I guess some instructions were missed... Today I lift the board on the rolling nest box and find GASP a total of exactly a dozen! I snatch them with my chilly-too small kids mittens. Now I just have to get the chickens back in the coop. It's like herding toddlers. After my third try I get all but one stubborn hen in there! And she has big claws and a wicked beak, so I chase her for a good 10 minutes before I corner her on the open side of the door and shoo her in. Whew!

The heat lamp issue I solve by stealing the -1 week olds lamp and giving it to the 6 week olds. Done!

But that's not the funniest part. I got my eggs home and was filling my sink to check for floating eggs... But six oblong ones float and one of the others has a patch of broken shell so I tossed it. These eggs can't be more than 36 hours old... What gives? The answer "did you grab the decoy eggs?" Doh!

I have much to learn about keeping chickens.