Crazy J Farms

Crazy J Farms Follow along to see what's happening around our farm. With cows, chickens, and a few feral kids, there's always something going on!

Ever wondered how to keep kids entertained for hours in the tractor? Tally marks, headphones, and books.And not just any...
08/11/2026

Ever wondered how to keep kids entertained for hours in the tractor?

Tally marks, headphones, and books.

And not just any old books. One of those really annoying noise making books that all of the little ones love. Cause boy, my #3 really enjoyed his. 😂

Last week, Kindergarten math introduced tally marks, so it seemed fitting to give #1 very specific things to look for and tally. Rabbits and butterflies were those chosen things. After five hours in the tractor, the final count was 16 rabbits and he quit tallying somewhere around 45 butterflies. But every single one still had to be called out. 🫠

All of that to say, it was LOUD inside my tractor cab!

Then later on, I found out that ol dad found a pair of headphones and #2 didn't speak one word in the entire five hours! He just listened to the music, smiled, and shook or nodded his head when asked a question.

So what did the farm teach me this weekend? A day spent in the tractor is great counting practice. (It's not really great for handwriting practice, though, so disregard those shaky tally marks.) Say no to noise making books. And if I can ever pull it off, take helper #2 with me because he's quiet. 🤪 But really it showed me what I already knew. And that's that these boys of ours are super cool!

Hi. We're back. Kinda. Maybe. If you've been wondering where we've been or what's been going on at Crazy J, this picture...
08/05/2026

Hi.

We're back.

Kinda. Maybe.

If you've been wondering where we've been or what's been going on at Crazy J, this picture ought to sum it up.

We've been in the hay field. Lots and lots of time in the hay field. And I can only tell you all that we are making hay so many times before you get bored with that.

It's really been a pretty boring month, but also a really busy month.

We celebrated two of the boys' birthdays. And like every July, Josh worked a lot.

We've battled the heat. The cows and the chickens have struggled to keep up. We are waiting for our next batch of chicks to start laying in a few weeks. We've moved the cows to once a day milking in preparation for drying them off in a couple months. And also for my sanity.

The boys had Bible school a few weeks ago. We also started our first year of homeschooling the same week, so we've been trying to find our groove with that. I don't know. I might try to take you all along for a little bit of that ride.

So yeah, I think that sums up the last month pretty well.

I'll try to not be such a stranger.

☺️

07/09/2026

Celebrating my 1st year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the rain. 😆BUT...This mud might actually make ...
06/29/2026

I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the rain. 😆

BUT...

This mud might actually make me lose my mind.

The cows act like they don't have acres of grass. Their new favorite place to hang out is the now super muddy area by the water trough. (Some of that might be from my leaving the water hose on one or twice, not just from 4 inches of rain. 🙃)

The boys act like they're seeing mud for the first time in their lives and now it's the greatest place to play. Like EVER. 🫠

And I am not a responsible enough adult to ever choose appropriate footwear for chores. (Sorry if I was also like this as a kid, Mom. 😅)

But still, I say, I AM THANKFUL FOR THE RAIN. 🙌

Example pictures of why I'm losing it over here are in the comments. 😂

While I was gone today, I got a phone call and it went something like this..."Were you aware that you have two calves ou...
06/27/2026

While I was gone today, I got a phone call and it went something like this...

"Were you aware that you have two calves out in your yard?"

"Yes, we let them out. Are they causing trouble?"

"No, they're literally just chilling in the front yard."

"Yup, they're fine. Thanks for letting me know, though."

😂😂😂

Crazy J Farms, home of free range kids, chickens, and bottle calves. 😉

📢Milk and Egg People📢I have some changes coming, but I need some input.My life seems to revolve around milk and eggs the...
06/25/2026

📢Milk and Egg People📢

I have some changes coming, but I need some input.

My life seems to revolve around milk and eggs these days. The work of it all is fine. Honestly, I love it, but the mental load is heavy.

I need some time back with my family and some days that I can go do what I need to do without worrying about if someone is going to show up while I'm gone or busy or just trying to spend time with my family.

With that said, I'm looking at moving pick up to three days a week. Right now, I'm leaning heavily toward Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.

So this is where I need your help... help me pick hours that are going to work for you, but won't leave me sitting around waiting.

Thank you in advance for the input. 🫶

The boys spotted some ripe blackberries along the farm road on our way down to water the cows. Of course, we had to stop...
06/17/2026

The boys spotted some ripe blackberries along the farm road on our way down to water the cows.

Of course, we had to stop and pick some since they seem to be taking after their mom and can't let an idea go once they get it in their little heads.

We didn't get a whole lot, but I'm really impressed by how well they did for a bunch of boys who are four and under.

We hardly got any red berries and nobody complained about getting poked by thorns, so I'll chalk that up as a win.

Let's be honest, all that really matters is that we have enough for a cobbler tonight and we've got that covered. 😉

●Bingo●I never would've dreamed when we brought him home back in January that this would be what every evening milking w...
06/17/2026

●Bingo●

I never would've dreamed when we brought him home back in January that this would be what every evening milking would look like.

For the first several weeks, I was certain that we would be taking him back to the pound. He didn't like us to pet him. Didn't like the kids walking by. He was just, over all, really intense.

If I told Josh once that he couldn't stay, I probably told him ten times. But we just kept putting it off, because, let's be honest, who is actually going to take a Heeler that nobody knows anything about? (Besides us, of course. 😅)

But his attitude just kept improving. He kept settling in more and more.

And before long, he was sticking around a little longer for more pets. He wasn't just tolerating the boys, but guarding them. And he quit trying to kill chickens. 😉

He's still quirky. I've never actually seen anything like him. He has this thing for buckets and bowls. IYKYK.

He's still intense. He's not sure about strangers or delivery people.

He still herds chickens sometimes.

But our street dog has turned into my lap dog, which tells me that he is a terrible judge of character. 🤣 And I am so glad we kept him.

On a much lighter note than today's previous post.. Things I never thought I would do before becoming this version of my...
06/16/2026

On a much lighter note than today's previous post..

Things I never thought I would do before becoming this version of myself and a boy mom:

Dehydrating chicken lungs for dog treats.

Because how do you turn down a little boy who says, "Mom, do you think we should save those and dehydrate them for the dogs?"

And then helps separate them out while processing chickens.

I think I'll keep him. Big ideas and all.

And for what it's worth, the dogs LOVE THEM. 😉

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Vienna, IL

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