I received product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
Life is funny. When I was growing up, my only requirement for a future husband was that he could NOT be a farmer. Well…. someone up above has quite the sense of humor. Here I am celebrating our 15 year anniversary this September with my husband. Who IS a farmer! After meeting him back in 2001, my heart changed and I slowly began to picture my life on a farm. Turns out, it’s WONDERFUL! Truly a great place to raise a family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
A Day Down On The Farm
Life starts early for my husband, who gets up at about 3am each morning. He heads out to mix feed and then feed the cows before milking.
A couple years ago, we put up a new free-stall barn. It offers upgraded comfort for the cows, as they are free to walk around, lay down, eat, and drink at any time, day or night.
Then last year, we put a parlor in our old barn. This makes milking much more manageable than our old tie-stall barn. The cows walk through the parlor and get milked, 12 at a time. Then, as soon as they are done, they are free to wander back up to the big barn.
Throughout the day, you’ll find lots of action on the farm. There are calves to feed, bed down, and care for.
Our newest four-legged family member is Dontay the horse. She, along with our 2 mini horses, Ginger and Poppy, need to be fed, brushed, and ridden.
Of course, the chickens also get fresh water and feed daily. And we have to take time to tie up the dog and let them free range at least a few times a week as well. The youngest kids especially love heading to the coop to find the fresh eggs.
And while we’ve talked about added some more animals to our farm, like goats, we have not yet made that jump.
What Would A Farm Be Without Cats & Dogs!?
If you’ve ever been to a farm, it would be rare to find one without a multitude of farm cats and dogs. We have our share as well. All the cats and kittens are typically a big favorite of visitors.
And our current farm dog family consists of Bear and Sammy. Bear joined us about two years ago and is finally over the puppy stage. He’s super loyal and loves kids.
Sammy is our old pup. He’s nearing 15 years of age so he’s slowing down. But he loves the family and you can usually find him chilling in the shade near us.
Farm Equipment
We not only milk cows on our farm. We also run our acreage to have feed for our animals. So you’ll find a variety of equipment. Tractors, plows, planters, and more. The kids especially enjoy riding along with dad in the big tractors.
Farm Fun Activities
Along with caring for the animals, there’s usually a lot to do around the farm. You’ll find the kids having a blast, playing with each other, exploring, or just hanging out.
There’s the playground and sandbox to keep everyone busy. A favorite of visitors too as it overlooks the farm and kids can watch all the action from here.
With plenty of space, riding bikes around the farm is always a fun activity.
And a staple. Climbing bales. A farm kids jungle gym!
Bring The Farm To You This September In Celebration Of National Farm Animal Awareness Week (September 15-22nd)
So whether your kids live on a farm, enjoy visiting the farm, or just love farms, it’s easy to bring a little bit of farm to your home through toys. Get planning now because National Farm Animal Awareness Week will be here before we know it!
Plus-Plus Farm Mini-Maker Tubes
These Farm Mini-Maker Tubes let kids follow step-by-step instructions to build their very own Pig, Duck, Horse, and Cow! Super fun building sets that kids, tweens, and even adults love!
HABA Farm Friends Wooden Baby Book
Even the littlest of farm friends can enjoy a day at the farm. And this adorable little HABA Farm Friends Wooden Baby Book brings the joy of the farm down to their level in a clean, safe, and smell-free way! These beautifully constructed wooden pages are colorful and fun, while also being easy to grasp.
Learning Resources Build & Spin Farm Friends
Geared for ages 2 and up, this Build & Spin Farm Friends toy from Learning Resources is absolutely adorable. Featuring chunky mix and match gears that contain a variety of farm animal friends. They clip onto the board with makes them perfect for play at home or on the go. Fun, bold colors and a spinning action that kids love. A great farm toy!
HABA Peter and Pauline’s Farm Magnetic Game
Magnetic toys are all the rage and parents love them too since they offer screen free play. The HABA Peter and Pauline’s Farm Magnetic Game allows kids to play with a variety of background scenes and magnetic people, animals, and accessories. Kids use their imaginations and dream up an abundance of play scenarios. And the durable metal box holds all four backgrounds plus 122 play pieces.
Learning Resources Veggie Farm Sorting Set
Planting your very own farm vegetable garden has never been easier than with the Learning Resources Veggie Farm Sorting Set. As kids plant, grow, pick, and sort, they learn valuable skills such as color recognition, early counting, and matching. It’s all the fun without the messy dirt!
So tell me, do your kids love visiting farms? And what’s your favorite farm toy from above?
I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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This post currently has 17 responses.
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Darcy Koch
I can’t think of any kid who wouldn’t like to spend a day on a farm. So many amazing animals to see and it’s great seeing how hard farmers work.
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Sarah L
Great pictures of your farm and your kids. In the first picture I wondered if calves would try to eat the shoes in front of them. My sister and I spent a week each summer on my Aunt & Uncles farm.
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Alice F
Miranda, you really make it look fun to live on a Farm!! Your buildings and equipment look so clean and orderly, even with all the animals. I wish our country treated our Farmers with more respect and love.
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Miranda, you really make it look fun to live on a Farm!! Your buildings and equipment look so clean and orderly, even with all the animals. I wish our country treated our Farmers with more respect and love.
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Thank you Alice! My husband works especially hard to keep things up around here, getting up each morning at 3am and putting in 16+ hour days here. And we definitely try to make it a great place for all of our animals too. I really appreciate your kind words!
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Thank you Alice! My husband works especially hard to keep things up around here, getting up each morning at 3am and putting in 16+ hour days here. And we definitely try to make it a great place for all of our animals too. I really appreciate your kind words!
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ellen beck
These are great toys and some I am sure your kids can relate to.I am impressed by your farming operation! You have a beautiful barn, and a good size milking parlor. Farm life is great, and a nice place to raise children. Sometimes a long bus ride to school, but great for sure.
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Lauryn R
I have always dreamed of being able to live on a farm and I find your lifestyle so amazing! I just love the country (give me wide open spaces over the city any day) and everything that comes along with the farm life! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂 And all of these farm toys are great too, I need to get them for my youngest daughter!
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gloria patterson
WOW you have a beautiful place for the cows and the milking area. WAY way back I lived on a farm for a few years and we milked. It is a good place for a kid to grow up they learn early about animals and life.
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Its a good life becoming part of natural learning and understanding all about farm growing and life. The toys and games looks like so much fun
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Julie Waldron
This is so funny! I grew up in a small farm town and I NEVER wanted to marry a farmer. Well……my brother met this great guy through mutual friends. Long story short…..we met on a blind date and here we are 30 years (married 28) and two beautiful daughters and one son in law later. Guess what? He’s a farmer! I love the farm life & am super excited that we will soon be building a new home and living on the 7th generation family farm. I can’t wait to have grand children and buy them some of those cute farm toys!
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That is too funny Julie! It’s funny how life works out some times. Congrats on building a new house too! Definitely a dream of mine but we’re just working on remodeling and adding on for now.
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Nancy Lee Epps
I grew up on a farm with horses, chickens ducks, goats and even a donkey. I know all about the getting up early and the lo g exhausting hours. People think its easy work and all you do is ride around on a tractor all day. That is NOT the case and THERES more to do and get done before that sun goes down. THE MINI MAKER TUBE SOUNDS SOO FUN
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Laura
I like the HABA Farm Friends Wooden Baby Book! My son loves farm animals. I’m sure he would enjoy some of these toys!
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Elizabeth Miller
They look like they were having a blast. The toys are so cute. I really like the sorting toy.
Wow, you really have your hands full. I admire people like you and your husband that do so much work so we can have good food to eat. Thank you and your husband.