dads

I'm a firm believer that children need a mom and a dad. 

Certainly there are cases where the mom is left on her own, or where the dad shirks his duty and takes off, or where the dad has passed away. 

But I'm not talking the exceptions. 

I'm talking the rule. 

I know how much I need my dad . . . and I'm 31. 

And I know that Georgia already recognizes her dad and responds to him with smiles and toots and big eyes.

She knows her dad because he's here.  

Because he sings to her. 

He reads to her. 

He prays over and for her. 

He tickles her. 

He smooches her. 

He takes her to church. 

He keeps her safe. 

He comforts her. 

He snuggles her. 

He explains things to her. 

He tells her about her future. 

He describes the puppies and the cows and the chickens to her. 

He works long, hard hours so that her mom can stay home with her. 

He tells her about Jesus and politics and land prices and farm markets and how to build fence and dig tile and why Lent matters. 

And he always has a smile and a kiss for her when he comes in, even after working a 21-hour day. 

I can feed her and change her diaper. 

But she needs her dad. 

And I'm glad the Lord blessed her with this one. 


PHOTO COURTESY KATIE LOCKHART PHOTOGRAPHY 

from cow to table

Someone recently asked: How long does it take for milk to get from the cow to the jug?

Short answer: About 48 hours!

Long answer: Our cows are milked three times a day. The milk leaves the cow and is immediately held in a tank where it's cooled to below 45 degrees as well as tested.

Milk trucks arrive at the farm each day. They transport the milk to Kansas City where it's tested again, pasteurized, homogenized and bottled. 

Then it makes another trip: to the grocery store! By the time it arrives on your grocer's shelves, it's left the cow fewer than 48 hours prior. 

So when it comes to the milk in your refrigerator or that your Cheerios are swimming in as you read this, you can bet the farm on the fact that it's pretty darn fresh! 

PS Check out this video. It'll show you milk's journey from the cow to your table in 48 seconds. Ready, set, go! 

Fuel Up

It's good to eat. 

It's better to eat dairy. 

It's best to just plant your face in a vat of chocolate milk. 

I mean, it's best to eat healthy. 

Yes. That's what I meant. 

 
On Sunday, Midwest Dairy Association--which "represents more than 9,100 dairy farm families to nearly 38 million consumers across 10 Midwestern states . . . [working] on behalf of dairy farmers to increase dairy sales, foster innovation and inspire consumer confidence in dairy products and practices"--hosted a little tailgating party before the Broncos/Chiefs game.

They had food to eat, games to play, and a media wall for picture taking, all to promote "Fuel Up to Play 60," a school wellness program that basically encourages kids to get off their bums, eat semi-decently, and play for at least 60 minutes a day.

I want to eat cheese and play 60 minutes every day. Where do I sign up?

This gentleman thanked Chris' brother for all the hard work accomplished at Heins Family Farms every day, but we're just as grateful that this gentleman makes sure hundreds of kids drink their milk during the week!

One of the neat things about the event was that schools whose children excelled at eating healthy--at eating pork and drinking milk--got to send a few of their kids and teachers to the game, tailgating beforehand with . . . wait for it . . . real live dairy farmers!

I just stood around and asked people if they still served chocolate milk in schools. 

Because if we're being honest with each other, we all know that the chocolate milk days were the best days.

Before we fueled up on pork, beef, fruit, veggies, cheese, and . . . wait for it . . . chocolate milk, Chris' family tried to determine how long it would be before Chris and I end up on a pull-up banner. 

Apparently Chris' big debut in the Lutheran Women's Missionary League Quarterly doesn't count. 

#betterlucknexttime

While indulging in milk and cookies, I learned all sorts of good stuff in addition to the fact that cows moo in accents, like how pasteurization works (and why dairy farmers are such big fans of it for your sake) and how homogenization works.

Now, see? If you were there, you could have learned valuable life lessons like this too. 

We've got to get you out more. 

While Chris was busy discussing water buffalo and camel dairies (Did you know they have those? Didyoudidyou?), I kept trying to stand at the media wall with a microphone to ask all the attendees which designer they were wearing. 

Apparently that's not a thing at NFL games. 

KC Wolf, the Chiefs' mascot, saved the day by showing up, wiggly eyes and all, to thank the dairy farmers and the school kids. 

And a couple of the Chiefs' cheerleaders (or apparently only the backs of their heads) were there to say thanks too. 

Hey, chocolate milk is worth cheering for if you ask me. 

Afterward, when we'd had our fill of healthy food and the kids couldn't take one more picture, we were able to go to the game, where cameras with detachable lenses apparently cannot. 

#lame

Even though the Chiefs didn't win (and it took me 30 minutes to figure out who Peyton Manning was), we loved every minute at the NFL's loudest stadium. 

We'll just go ahead and assume they were cheering for chocolate milk. 

Hey, a girl can dream. 

Thanks, Midwest Dairy Association!