Calcium Deficient

ATTACK!  The vegan activists have signaled their attack earlier this week when an animal abuse video was released.  Fair Oaks Farms was the victim of the vegan attack. Of course, the video was pretty sickening to anyone who watched.  I would like to make a note that June is Dairy Month and the video release was part of a very strategic attack against animal agriculture.  Fair Oak Farms has released a video of their own stating that three of the four employees in the video had already been fired.  The fourth was let go shortly after the video release.

I first noticed the video on Facebook.  A childhood friend who is a lawyer was wondering about the authenticity of the video.  So was another friend.  Both are well educated, moms, and have girls.  I told them to check for commentaries from Food Babe, and also Dairy Carrie. 
So many things scare me about the release of a video like that.  The number one thing that bothers me is people see it, and believe it.  It's on the internet after all.  Secondly, my peers get scared and quit drinking milk.  Trent Loos had a radio show and reminded people why we NEED dairy.
"Today on Loos Tales I remind folks that as we have reduced our consumption of whole milk our public health has suffered.
In the United States found that fewer than 15% of teenage girls, fewer than 10% of women over 50, and fewer than 22% of teenage boys and men over 50 met the recommended calcium intake.
http://www.loostales.com/audio/loostalesthursday.mp3"  He also noted that 80% of teenage girls are calcium deficient. Wow with two teenage girls this certainly hits home.  While I don't think my girls are calcium deficient I can't help but think of all of their friends.  I have also been trying to explain to my girls that their bodies are absorbing calcium for their bones that will be needed for the rest of their lives.  At some point, a woman quits absorbing calcium, which is why many senior ladies have osteoporosis. 
Enough about milk.  Can you believe the weather?  We are heading into an unseasonably cool week.  The wheat keeps trying to change, but then the sun needs to come out.  We have finally planted a little bit of cotton but not too much.   Most of the cotton that was planted in May rotted, and now needs to be replanted.  Some of the cotton from last year hasn't even made it to the gin yet. 
We finished school and the kids are glad to be at home.  I am not sure that they are glad to be helping their dad.  They have been working on changing disks on the drill.  Weston will be turning eight this week.  He wants a remote control truck, a Nerf gun, and some Legos. 

Day with Cats and Cousins

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, you know the jingle.  Well, Weston had only lost one tooth at Christmas but the other came out this last week.  Now there are certain words that are very hard for me to interpret.  However, I did get his winter benchmark tests from school.  Not going to lie, I need to be reading with him more. Coming in the 92nd percentile for his Auditory Vocabulary was no surprise.  He says the funniest things, probably because he is the youngest child.  Last Monday while getting ready to go back to school from Christmas break, he said, “When I get days off, then I just want more days off.” 
Another example of his auditory prowess was when he said, “It says 8+, but don’t worry I can handle it.”    This weekend he stated that he was poor.  So, I asked, “Why do you think you are poor?”  Then he said, “You know why, I spend all my money on Nerf guns.”  I don’t know that he is using ‘big’ words, but he certainly says things that have some meaning, or understanding of life.
Weston started basketball practice for rec league.  He was so excited to be able to play in a group.  After practice, he confessed how nervous he was to go to practice.  He didn’t know his coach and only knows some of the boys on his team.  Another mom told me that not knowing very many boys is good because then they don’t stand around and talk. 
Allie just finished up middle school basketball.  Her last game was at Hesston.  Cousin Julia lives close by and showed up at the game surprising Allie.  My nephew Lane was disappointed that only I was at the game.  He didn’t understand why I hadn’t brought along Weston and Luke. She also got to go to a birthday party this week for a girl in her class.   Next, she starts Scholars Bowl, that will go on for a few weeks this winter.
Addie is in the middle of her basketball season.  This weekend she attended the homecoming dance which she informed me was stupid because nobody really danced.  The girls stood on one side and the boys on the other.  However, I am sure she had fun with her friends.
We took the kids and our nieces Leah and Kaylee to Manhattan to the KSU versus KU girls’ game.  The 4-H extension agents have a ‘4-H Day with the Cats’ where they can purchase a ticket that includes a meal and t-shirt.  I think they all had a good time.  We stopped and ate at Freddy’s in Hutchinson on the way home.  My brother and his family met us at the game so you can imagine the excitement of the event.  Everyone made it back home with only one child throwing up.