If you want to teach the virtues of humility, courage, and independent thinking to a child, have them compete in a dirt arena.

I can think of no better place to teach compassion, responsibility and joy than in a barn! It is no secret that our girls love to be in the barn! From goat kidding to calving season, they love experiencing the new life that is bursting at the seams!

Those kids don’t know it, but every one of them grew personally that day. They gutted it out and learned perseverance. That experience made them into better livestock judgers, competitors and better humans!

Let's just kick off the week with a full-on confession, a bearing of my soul, if you will. I am the parent who unapologetically allows, errrrr, scratch that, encourages my kids to miss school to take advantage of other learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

Our big girls are showing cattle this weekend in Kearney, NE which is not too far from home. Competing in that arena is only a small part of the experience. I have told you that I am a student of life. I look at any situation as a classroom.

A few years ago, it became very apparent to my husband and I that if the next generation wants any possibility at being able to come back to the family farm and ranch, we have to make some systematic changes today in order to ward off the threat of vertically integrating the cattle industry like what has been done in chicken and hogs.

I have been making and sharing my Buckaroo Brownie recipe for years. Chances are if you have ever been a part of the crew that works cattle at our ranch, Buckaroo Brownies are always on the menu, especially if I am serving lunch somewhere out in a pasture.

Our girls are all back to school today after enjoying a 3 day weekend at home. They did all of the things our kids are known to do when they are home, they worked with some of their show cattle in the barn, they rode horses, and they helped with some ranch projects.

The first order of the day is announcing our winner of our 4-H memory contest giveaway. There were some great entries that truly made me smile. Almost all of them talked about special people and unforgettable experiences that 4-H brought in to their lives. But, I have to say that Jackie Maude, from Hermosa, SD takes the cake and is our winner!

Welcome to the kickoff of a 3-day weekend full of sugar, meltdowns, late nights and memories made! Who doesn’t love seeing all of the kids dressed up?