Vyla, our 8 year old daughter, is this post's author... :) One day we got turkeys. They were a little bit bigger than baby chicks. We put them in a nursery for a couple weeks and then once they were done in the nursery, we put them outside on fresh grass. Once they were bigger we put them in a mobile turkey house and moved them to fresh grass each day.
Taking a look at the baby chicks we are raising for our neighbor...
Our 8 year old daughter Hannah is today's author, here to share about a new addition to Hannah's Hens: Our new guard dog's name is Panda. He guards our front door really well! He sits on the doormat in front of the door so we can't go out. He's supposed to guard our chickens, not our door!
Vyla, our 7 year old, is the author of this blog post. She's excited to share with you about a new addition to our family: "We got a new cat. Her name is Reecee. We got her in November. Her species is calico. We like to play with her. She likes to scratch us while she plays. I am going to give her a mouse toy for Valentine's Day. I already gave it to her because I was so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It bounces around and it also squeaks." To keep reading Vyla's account of our first-ever cat in the family, click & continue.... :)
It brings us joy to give our children a place to express themselves here. As they share their heart, we pray it touches yours. Today Hannah, our 8 year old, gives you a glimpse into her outdoor joys: gardening and tending the 27 baby chicks she purchased May 1st. Living life through her unrushed ways brings simple joy and a calm to your soul. To read her highlights, continue on...
I took this photo on a recent trip to Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. Ahhh, yes. I had a perfectly "wow" experience there, as you can imagine. But the marvel of that is for another post. Today is about seizing this Mid Year Moment - and believing our best is yet to come, as this image invites. As we're halfway through the year at this point, it's worthy of our reflection. John Maxwell, globally renowned leadership guru, taught me to evaluate our year at halftime and make adjustments as needed. And of course, acknowledge what needs celebrated as we continue climbing towards our goals and dreams.
Vyla authors this post, sharing her thoughts from a 6 year old's perspective on what's happening at Well Grounded Farms this week... check it out!
We're the Hocks [pronounced Hokes], the family of Well Grounded Farms. Our ten year old son, Asher, is this week's blog contributor bringing all his wit and charm to story the new home we just built for our "hicks." Read the post to hear Asher's definition of a "hick!"
Doing something for the first time is a big deal. Our breakthroughs need not only be acknowledged, but celebrated. We experiencing that as a family right now! The whole family cheered this week as our efforts from the past few months climaxed. What was once just an idea for a wholesome, all-beef hot dog, we wanted to offer families...has now become a real product: our Well Grounded Farms Smoked All Beef Hot Dogs. We did it! And they're now available for you to shop and serve your family, too.
Our 7 year old daughter, Hannah, is a contributing writer to this week's post. She has an exciting announcement to share here about her new farm endeavor. Here it is in her own words... "We got chicks on satrday. I'm starting a bisnss clld Hannah Hens. We got 27 chicks!And we keep them in our sun room."
Sometimes what we need most is to simply get back to the basics. Do you agree?Our family has invested the past 6 years growing back to our roots. Probably longer, actually.And, in the most unexpected way, we're pursuing a dream that found us along the way. And led us home.In 2020 we moved back to Nebraska, to establish our life and new calling/business, Well Grounded Farms, in the area where I grew up. It was time to come home.This blog is to chronicle the story of Well Grounded Farms and its people. On mission to make eating well easy for families. With the big picture vision of restoring integrity to food.Let's get acquainted. Come, let me introduce you to our family.We are the Hocks. (pronounced Hokes). Yep, consistent to our personalities of going against the grain, our very name defies phonics ;)Our team lead is Andrew. That's my husband. His awakening to Regenerative Agriculture in 2015 brought a major paradigm shift for our entire family we continue to grow into. Andrew handles all things production/operations related for Well Grounded. He also works part time as a meat cutter at Wahoo Locker.I'm Laurie, wife and mom to this crew. I'm coordinating how we, as Well Grounded Farms, connect with families looking for guidance to feed their families well. I also work from home as an independent Coach/Consultant. Organizations hire me to develop new managers into exceptional leaders. Oh, I should also mention I'm a Dietitian.Andrew and I have 3 young kids. A son and 2 daughters. Here they are doing chores this morning, giving our chickens some TLC.Our oldest is Asher. He's got the innovative mind of an engineer and the determination of a wild mustang. He's very entrepreneurial as well as an avid reader. He's currently working through the Wingfeather Saga series... each book has close to 400 pages!Next is Hannah. She is a budding musician (who just began piano lessons this month), a talented LEGO creator, and a tender-hearted animal whisperer. Our hens literally flock to her (no pun intended) whenever they see her! Her poise and gentle spirit puts anyone at ease.Vyla is our youngest, and she is fiery. She brings life and fun wherever she goes. Her spirited approach to all things is contagious. She loves the kitchen and creates many artisan masterpieces there. Wearing her chef's hat seems to bring out the best in her :)That's us. We are Well Grounded. And so are you.See you here again soon.