Farm Kings Season 3 episode 4

Today Princess Bear (PB) did her very best to try to convince me to let her watch last night's Farm Kings episode before school this morning.  I was a mean mommy & sent her to bed last night and she was not happy about it!  Unfortunately, there was just no time this morning.  Has it worked out her grandparents had to pick her up from school today and I guess she was still in a funk because she hadn't seen it yet.  This somehow lead to her holding court on a Farm Kings watching party this evening with her grandparents and myself.  As always the King family delivered. 

I was absolutely rolling with laughter watching Sam & Paul on their bartering expedition at the Farmers/Flea Market.  How cute was it when Paul was trying on the boots and Sam was seeing where he's toes were?  Adorable I tell you!!!  Paul getting the taser was also hilarious!  I love his attitude with stuff like that.  I might be small but I'll get my punches in one way or another!  Tim and John were great when the other 2 boys were showing off their "treasures".  Again the taser thing had me howling with laughter.  How scene was adorable!

There were two different scenes with Bitty taking care of her niece and nephew and then 2 nieces.  You can tell that she is very comfortable with kids and rightfully so.  The best is how she really seems to enjoy them for the simplicity of childhood and celebrates that.  I think Bitty probably has a very kind, artistic, creative soul and tries to see the best in all things. 

Joe came up with a plan for a pick your own event at the Farm.  Brilliant.  Seriously!  They are all about getting people to understand their relationship and connection to the food they eat and this was a wonderful way to foster that relationship.  The only thing I didn't like is that they put Dan in charge because they had other things to do and Dan is such a natural with people.  It just seems like again Dan is the pick up the slack guy and gets no real appreciation.  Unfortunately Dan kind of did himself in by showing up late and not having a clear idea of the program when he did show up.  Dan is an unbelievably hard work and one helluva salesman.  He just can't make mistakes like showing up late if he wants his brothers to ever truly consider him as a partner.  The event seemed to work well except for the girl cutting herself but that wasn't due to a lack of preparation or any kind of oversight.  I bet that the Kings could feature more than one event a year like this. 

There was the wood carving demonstration that Joe set up as another way to get people to the Farm Market.  You have to give the guy points for always trying to find new ways to get people introduced to Freedom Farms.  The downside of it is how he always and I do mean ALWAYS tries to find a new way to make a buck regardless of the consequences.  This was one of those times that Joe kind of crossed a line in my mind.  Yes he was laughing about it and joking around but there was no real doubt that he would love it if Pete could turn his wood carving into a money maker.  I love Pete's honesty when he talks about not really knowing what he's doing or being unsure of himself.  It is just one more sign that Mama Lisa has done an incredible job raising her family.  They aren't afraid to admit their shortcomings or that they don't know how to do something.  Go Lisa.

Back to the bartering.  Frankly I think the boys hit upon a great idea when they started bartering.  There were things they needed and/or wanted.  They had the produce let the bartering commence!  Now did I miss John bartering for Jerry the goat?  How freaking hysterical was that?  Can't say I've ever seen anyone walk a goat before.  The conversation between John, Sam and Paul about combining their items to barter for something bigger was awesome!  Again I was sitting there just laughing!  It was cute that John didn't want to get rid of Jerry but agreed to go along with it. 

Side note:  I live 20 minutes from Morton Illinois which is the Pumpkin Capital of the World.  My sister, bil and nephews live there.  You can read more about this HERE.  The Pumpkin Festival is HUGE around here and Punkin Chuckin' is a big part of that.  So as they are cuing the segment for what the boys bartered for I'm asking my mom "Hey.....what do you think they got????" and laughing.  As soon as she saw the pumpkin chucker she started laughing.  I know it's a regional thing but flinging those pumpkins around is big fun I tell you!

So, enter Sam and the pumpkin chucker.  I love that he set up targets.  The family definitely knows how to have fun.  Except for poor old Lisa who's going to have to clean it up.  I loved when somebody asked what they had traded to get Luke. 

So, there you have my recap on this weeks episode.  Another good one to be sure.  If they would just get rid of the damn narrator! 

Farm Kings Season 3 episode 3

I have to say that I like this episode the most of the three this season.  Perhaps because several different members of the family were shown in a wonderful light.  Of course the narrator still sucks it big time.  People are still complaining on the GAC website.  I wonder when they are going to get a clue and get rid of him.   Listening to him just grates on my nerves!

The part of Pete taking Jilly to her violin lesson was beyond adorable.  It's obviously he tries to spend time with her when he can and takes a real interest in what she's doing.  The pride he has in her and his love for her is evident.  This isn't always something you expect from somebody that became a father at such a young age.  Having a child in high school I'm sure is never easy but it seems like Pete and Jessi have done a great job.

The part about keeping Ben in shape was endearing.  I had not realized that individuals with Down Syndrome had issues with hypothyroidism as Bitty talked about but was aware that they often have heart problems.  It's wonderful that the family is trying to be proactive in keeping Ben as healthy as possible.  Watching Paul work out with him was heartwarming.  The whole family really does rally together and put Ben's best interests at heart.  No disputing that!

The Freedom Farms weight loss challenge was interesting to watch.  It was a great concept in that there was community outreach and it featured Freedom Farm products.  In theory eating fresh produce should help lead to a healthy lifestyle and weight.  The part where Lisa was supposed to be showing the group how to eat was a complete failure.  Lisa seems to never prepare for things and just shoots from the hip.  She had both feet in her mouth and kept on going.  She needed to have an outline of ideas to cover as a guide.  While the program overall was a success you had to feel sorry for Joe.  One has to wonder about the validity of Joe and Ben entering anyway but beyond that how much did it suck that Joe was the only one who gained weight?  What in the world is Heather feeding him?  It is sad that Joe admits he doesn't have enough time with his kids.  He's never going to get that time back.

I was absolutely cracking up during the greenhouse segments.  For once I actually felt bad for Lisa.  Anytime the boys do a project for her they always have her best interests at heart but things seem to never go quite as well as one would hope.  I did love Lisa pointed out them smashing her flowers is the same as if she went on stepped on their tomatoes.  The boys don't seem to look at it that way though.  Also why does Lisa mention changes she wants to make right away?  It makes her seem ungrateful for what they have done.  Graciousness does not seem to be Lisa's strong suit.

Ben as the water boy was again putting a very human face to special needs so I particularly liked that part.  Watching him talking to the girls was too cute too.  I also love that they are airing Special Olympics commercials during the show again.

So what did you think of this weeks episode?

Yep a bit behind....let's blame it on Christmas! Farm Kings Season 3 Ep 2

OK....is it me or does Lisa remind anyone else of a teenager who thinks she can just smile and get away with anything?  That thought came to me a few times during this episode.   The first one when she pulled into Dave's grocery and started selling pulled pork without his permission.  All in all the guy was pretty nice.  He could have had her hauled off!  If she was selling well there giving a small portion of the sales to him wouldn't have been a bad idea!  While I complete understand (and at times work under) the theory it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission there are just times you can't do that.  Lisa seems to find those times with frequent and gay abandon!  Then there was when she pulled into the Farmers Market and Dan and no clue as to what was up.  While Dan did a great job being Joe for a week last season it seems as though Joe didn't learn his lesson to keep people in the loop.  So here comes Miss Lisa with her my shit don't stink and I'm just too damn cute now give me room at the farmers market.  Seriously?  There was also the little spat with her and Dale (?).  I really don't think he was completely serious about not sharing the secret of his recipes but damn did Lisa start spinning. 

There is also the boys building the pasture thing.  It is pretty evident that the boys are spread beyond thin and at some point they're going to break if that doesn't change.  While I am not surprised at all by Joe's lack of being able to keep up with physical tasks like Pete I was surprised that he counted on Dan's help when Dan had to get to the Farmers market.  The man sure does have a lot going on.

The whole Lisa Bitty thing really made me cringe as well.  Again the narrator sucked and just added BS drama to this and frankly there was enough.  Lisa doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in her kids and that was really apparent in her dealings with Bitty.  Also if Bitty does have the wedding bug who could blame her?  She's 9 months away from getting married and seems pretty damn calm if you ask me!  I do love that she's doing the wedding outdoors.  I wonder if they'll share any of that? 

The best part of the episode in my mind was the human harvester contest.  Personally, I was hoping that Paul would win!  I loved when he added the cape.   He seems to have a very fun sense of humor.  On the flip side of wanting Paul to win it was also nice in a way that Sam did.  After the conflict he had with Luke during the strawberry transplanting last year he has the bragging rights to back up his position.  It was also fun watching Pete & Tim go head to head.  I was a bit surprised that Tim bested Pete in the field picking part to by honest with you!  The corn trophy at the end was hilarious! 

Random thoughts:
THE NARRATOR STILL SUCKS!!!!!!!!
They preview for the reconstruction work at Lisa's has me really looking forward to this weeks show!  It showed Tim and one of the younger boys (maybe Paul?).  That surprised me since wasn't Pete the one who worked in the construction field prior to Freedom Farms?  Also Dan had his short lived stint in it as well.  Those boys sure know how to do things that really get Miss Lisa's head spinning around!  I'm always waiting for her to start spewing green stuff!  It reminded me of the episode when they build the pond for her!  They're hearts sure are in the right place though! 

Farm Kings Season 3 episode 1

OK, so let's get the 2 obvious things outta the way first!  We're all darn pleased that our favorite farming family is back on TV!  Couldn't they just tape year round????  Hiatus sucks for us!  Second, THE NARRATOR SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hey Stage 3 if you didn't quite get that let me put it out there again.....  THE NARRATOR SUCKS!!!  I couldn't even make it through the episode before doing a quick blog post to get everyone's opinion on this.  I published the comments and got several emails on it as well.  If you go to the GAC Farm Kings page it seems to be the overwhelming consensus there as well.  (Check it out HERE)  The show was great before so why mess with something that is working?  The way the family members would do their one on ones were great.  Sure a lot of it was used on a repeat reel to serve the purpose but it worked.  It showed the human side of the family which is part of what makes it a great show.  Yeah, the guys are smokin' hot and who doesn't like eye candy.  The part that throws it over the top though, at least for me, is that this is a group of strong, moral people with work ethic that is almost never seen like this any more.  Lisa has done one hell of a job raising her kids and it shows.  The family doing their one on one wasn't always perfect and like I mentioned it was often repeated but it worked. 

Now for some things that really surprised me.  Dan taking one day a week off?  Whoa!  So didn't see that coming.  I love it and I hate it.  I love it because Dan is standing up for himself.  No talk of making him a partner even though he busts his a$$ just ask much as the older boys.  If you don't take care of yourself who will?  That said...I'm amazed that he made the stand.  I also don't know why he picked Saturday.  The show was near the end of the season but you'd still think with the home market and other things that Saturday would be a pretty busy day.  I'm hoping Dan isn't shooting himself in the foot with this one.  It was so adorable to see him spending time with his girlfriend and making her a priority.

Pete and Jessi taking Jilly to the fair was fun to watch.  Nice because you have to figure that Pete doesn't have much down time like that at all until the season is totally finished.  Nice that they're showing him as a family man.  I was completely laughing when Pete was discussing his dislike of the rides.  Too much spinning?  C'mon dude!  It showed a cute, human, vulnerable side. 

The demolition derby stuff seemed a bit over the top.  First of all the season wasn't over so for 3 guys who are always pushing themselves to the limit it didn't seem like they'd just say "Weeee, lets bust up a car and maybe ourselves in the process!"  It was nice that they're trying to make sure they stay close in ways other than farming.   Again it shows their values.  It also really rubbed me the wrong way to see Lisa's reaction to it.  She's going to go off about them possibly getting hurt?  Last time I checked farming wasn't the safest.  People get hurt dealing with machinery all the time so that wasn't cool.  If your kids want to bond and this is what the picked just roll with it.  A great moment was when they talked about Joe not getting the memo on not hitting the white doors. 

Lisa and the whole apple pie thing was funny and sad at the same time.  How in the bloody hell is she going to blame the fact that she lost on using lard instead of crisco?  It's like she doesn't know how to lose gracefully.  It's never her fault.  By the way Lisa lard is making a comeback.  The editors of Grit magazine even published a cookbook on it last year.  Anyone interested in the cookbook can find it HERE.  So Joe is trying to get her to use Freedom Farm products and lard is making a comeback anyway.  It was nice to see Lisa lose only in that it didn't even cross her mind that it was a possibility.  I think whenever anyone starts thinking they can't possibly lose is exactly the time they need to and karma must have agreed because that's exactly what happened.  Maybe it was the way she was trying to butter up the judges first.  Honestly I can't fathom being so sure of myself that when 2nd and 3rd place have been announced that you know you've won since it's the only option left.  I give her points for her sense of self but it's also a bit mind boggling to me. 

The previews for next week touched on Bitty's upcoming wedding so I'm anxious to see how much of that is shared.  I'm wondering if they will share anything from Tim & Maggie's wedding.  No reference to Joe's engagement so I wonder how that will play out.  I also wonder now that his siblings are all walking their way down the aisle if Pete will maintain his stance of  "we're committed to each other" as far as his relationship with Jessi or give in and get married. 

So overall, I'm glad the show is back.  The family dynamics seem to be the same which is nice.  Now if they would just 86 the narrator! 

Farm Kings Season 2 episodes 8, 9, 10 & 11

I thought about breaking this up and doing 2 posts but I really don't want to be lagging behind anymore.  SOOOOO here we go! 

Episode 8
This was centered on getting irrigation for the animals set up so Pete could quite hauling water all over and Lisa coming up with menu's for the Farm Market.  As Pete said the hauling the water did make his arms look great and he couldn't have been more spot on!   That said it had to really suck doing all that manual labor in addition to everything else he had to do.  Joe took charge and was very active in getting the water system set up.  For one second when they went to test it on top of that hill I didn't think it was going to work.  Thankfully it was all systems go! 

Lisa was tasked with coming up with a menu for the Home Market.  It makes perfect sense that they have her running a food operation there.  From all accounts Miss Lisa can cook and does it well.  The problem is that Lisa always wants to do what she wants to do end of story.  Having a design your own panini or smoothie is great for a place that is slow.  For the Kings sakes I hope that isn't the situation for the Home Market.  There really hasn't been anything on any of the following episodes showing the Farm Market cafe so not too sure what happy medium was  agreed upon. 

There was also Sam trying to plant with Paul & Johns help.  You had to feel bad for the guy.  It can't be easy going into a position of authority of your siblings.  Also was I the only one who wanted to bi$ch slap Betsy the marketing girl when she was suck a little biotch about Sam saying they didn't have time to answer her questions?  Rude girl!

The highlight was watching Sam get ready for prom and seeing the Joe, Bitty, Tim, Pete & Dan's prom pics.  

Episode 9
In this episode Dan is switched from the home market to the Farmers Markets to help make things a bit easier for Pete.  Of course the show left it as a cliff hanger and made it seem as though Dan was in some sort of trouble.  Not the case at all.  Actually it seems like Dan is going to do a smashing job at the Farm Markets.  On the way to the Farmers Market the truck breaks down.  Big bummer when you think about the loss of income.  They aren't at the market selling as long as he's stuck on the road and then there will be a repair cost on top of it.  Dan tried everything he could do get the truck running again to no avail.  I felt so bad for him when the police showed up on the scene.  Once they got to the market he did a great job selling. 

As always Lisa is up to her old tricks trying to sneak things by her sons any way she can.  It's comical but kind of sad at the same time.  While I completely understand that its easier to apologize than ask permission it has to get old.  The first thing is when she takes Lily outside the Home Market to plant some flowers in the raised beds there.  In this cases I COMPLETELY agree with Lisa on all fronts.  Flowers should be planted there not veggies.  It is a visually pleasing aspect that might gain some costumers.  She's absolutely right about that.  She isn't right in using Lily as a means to an end.  What is that going to teach Lily?  SO, in the future Tim should just let her go completely flower crazy and that should be the end of it.  There was also the whole thing about Lisa needing shelves for the home market.  Now the fact that Joe is evidently a bit tight with money as to be a problem.  Lisa waiting to ask permission to buy something until he isn't paying attention because he's on the phone isn't the most honest way of going about it.  It was a complete riot watching Lisa & Bitty going shopping.  I wouldn't want to be the person to have to keep Lisa on task on an excursion like that!  It was nice that after worrying the boys that they wound up finding a free set of shelves on the side of the road.  Gotta love successful junking!   

It was nice to see the family "relaxing" playing volleyball at the end of the show.  As always they are competitive but enjoy there family time together. 

Also for anyone keeping track on this episode Pete's girlfriend helped out at the beginning and Dan's girlfriend helped out at the Farmers Market.  So ladies they're dropping like flies!   

Episode 10
This show mostly was covering the home market opening and an event that was a collaboration between Miss Pennsylvania and Special Olympics.  I loved this episode for so many reasons.  As a mom to a special needs child who would love to participate in a pageant it was awesome to see this girls giving of themselves and spending time with the special needs girls.  I think there is a preconceived notion for girls that participate in pageants and this was a wonderful way to disprove that point. 

As always Lisa wants to do what she wants and things milking would be a great activity.  Joe just sees the insurance nightmare factor and really who can blame him?  So the cow shows up and Joe sends it on its way.  The younger boys had a great time being surrounding by a lot of pretty girls.  The event seemed to be successful and kudos to the King family for again embracing Special Olympics and the special needs population!

Episode 11
OK-  who was cringing whenever Dan sat on one of those dang bulls???!!!???   Also who was kind of surprised to hear about Joe trying it when he was younger?  He just doesn't seem like the rough and tough type.  Also why do they guys have to give Dan about a hard time about wanting to do what they'd tried when they were younger?   He should have probably waited until winter but part of youth is being impulsive, right?  I'm just glad that he didn't get hurt worse than he did. 

Again Lisa decides that she's going to do something without any go ahead.  On the surface you'd think that she really didn't need to get permission to take on a cookbook project but Joe shows without a doubt why it was necessary.  Also as anyone who has been watching the show knows Lisa doesn't follow recipes and she doesn't use measurements per se.  She does it by sight.  I about lost it when she suggested enclosing little baggies with what a "pinch" or a "handful" is to her with every cookbook  SERIOUSLY?????  Bitty had it right when she just tried measuring everything.  Again another job that I wouldn't want to keep Lisa on task with! 

SO- short but sweet recaps since I was so behind.  I'll try to do it better so when life (or my daughter) throw me a curve ball it will won't be such a mess to catch up. 

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 7

OK before I recap this episode is there really only going to be 13 episodes this season? Any word on season 1 going to DVD? I have 18 hours of Farm Kings on the DVR and I can't delete any lest I deal with a melt down from my daughter. She goes through phases where she likes to watch different episodes over and over and over again. Her two favorites are the family ski vacation and the fall festival. I do believe I have created a little monster! This week’s episode kind of turned the tables a bit on who you were inclined to feel a bit of empathy for I think. I definitely felt bad for Lisa and the lack of help she received. I also felt bad for Joe when Tim kind of one upped him by having water delivered for the pond. I'm ahead of myself here though. The episode started with the younger boys helping Tim put up some green houses. It definitely makes sense for them to employ as many greenhouses as possible but I surely wouldn't want to be the one putting them up! The show shared the frustration of the boys tackling a fairly new task. They are beyond capable but there is a learning curve to everything, right? Then Lisa showed up none too happy because all of the boys were working for Tim. Tim also addressed the fact that farmers have big families because there is so much work that needs to be done. The more hands on deck the easier it is. I suppose in theory I understand this but nothing like knowing that you're very existence is to be a farm hand. That said I also understand when Lisa says that the younger boys kind of "owe" her. As a mom there are times I expect Princess Bear (PB) to do something for no other reason than I'm her mother and I need her to do it. Paying your dues is the term I believe. I also loved it when Tim promised his mother and said that he is a man of his word. I think in this day and age that is a very honorable trait to be sure. A lot of the episode centered on Joe and Pete building a pond for Lisa. After the heartbreak of having to cut Lisa off from the water supply because of the drought it was a great thing for the boys to do. Now the fact that the boys just showed up with equipment and no real plan or discussion is a bit of a problem. Joe was so non challant when Lisa came running to tell him he was digging up her flowers. Since they hadn't seemed like the pond was a high priority she had planted sunflowers. I see both points of view in that the flowers were gone and weren't coming back but the flip side factor of frustration had to be pretty great. It seems like the Kings certainly aren't immune to Murphy's Law and the boys hit shale within a few feet of digging. This brought some of Joe's engineer experience into play. I loved it when it talked about "mining this beautiful shale". It also threw a major monkey wrench in the plans. It was going to take more time and cost considerably more than they had planned. They also quite literally rain into a few problems when they hit a french drain. All the problems were tackled with usual King finesse and a beautiful pond was built for Lisa. Atta boy boys!!! Bitty also played a bigger role in this episode than she has in the past. It seems as though she has tired of working at the Cafe and approached Lisa about working with her. She missed being outside and needed the change. It was beautiful when Lisa was discussing the fact that maybe Bitty needed her mom and her mom certainly needed her. No one can ever accuse Lisa of not completely loving her children and wanting to spend time with them. The biggest problem with this change of venue for Bitty is that is leaves the Cafe without a King presence. Something that Joe feels is extremely important. Now I will admit that Bitty should have probably talked to Joe first before addressing anything with Lisa and certainly before she stopped working at the Cafe. I don't understand why Joe felt the need to point out that Bitty wouldn't be getting paid if she wasn't working for Freedom Farms. It doesn't seem like any of the Kings want to rest on their laurels and expect to be paid for no work. I loved it when Bitty assured him that she had talked to Lisa about the job and that she completely understood that she would not be paid by Freedom Farms when she wasn't working for them. I think Joe takes his role of protector very seriously and wants to make sure that everyone is taken care of. The episode wrapped up with an "unveiling" if you will of the new pond. Joe had obviously done a great job and the pond looked wonderful. Lisa was hassling him about the lack of water in it. I loved it when Joe pointed out that he'd done his part and that the rain would fill in the pond. He couldn't very well do a rain dance and have the heavens open. He did what he had promised and did a grand job of it. Now the next while a completely loving gesture on Tim's part did kind of undermine the hard work that Joe had done. Tim clearly still felt bad about having to cut off Lisa's water supply last year and ordered water to be delivered for the new pond. Like I said a very loving, thoughtful thing to do. It just kind of rained on Joe's parade. Know what I mean? The pond scene also showed Jessie, Pete's girlfriend, and Cam (I think that's his name) Bitty's boyfriend. Now it was a pretty quick pan shot when they did it but it still doesn't look like the illusive Maggie (Tim's fiancée) was in attendance. I wonder when she will appear. Someone has pondered if they will have the wedding be the season 2 finale. Since she has yet to appear on the show I really don't think she's going to be willing to share her wedding day as her debut. Someone else pondered about the date of the wedding. The person is married to a farmer and had to put off her dream of a fall wedding because it was such a conflict with harvesting and end of the year responsibilities. Well November 2nd will be here before we all know it and maybe there will be more answers then!

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 6

Wow! I'm sure there is some back story that we don't know about but why in the world is Dan always getting kicked about by his older brothers??!!!?? I still think that Dan should have returned to Polyface. Joel Salatin still had loads to teach him. The way the boys react when Dan tells them how something is done at Polyface is so wrong too. At this point it would be nice if they gave Dan at least the courtesy of listening to him. They are right in that it's Freedom Farms and not Polyface. That said they've also mentioned that Polyface is the example that they are shooting for. The idea of making Dan CEO for the week was kind of fun to watch. Thankfully it didn't backfire on Dan! If the worse thing he did was order to much flour so be it. It gave Dan empathy for what Joe goes through and that's all fine and dandy but that's the role that Joe has chosen for himself. So while I'm glad it gave Dan a chance to prove himself but not messing up and doing the commercial it didn't seem to open up the family's eyes about Dan. Honestly it seems like he is a man of many strengths and can excel at almost anything when given the opportunity. I loved that he spoke up about not knowing about the trip that Tim & Sam went on and the Taste of whatever that Lisa, Bitty and Dale (?) were participating in. I think if Joe had been out of the loop that he would have raised hell. Now on to the Taste of ???? and the competition. Good G-d! Lisa might have the most competitive streak I've ever seen. I'm sure it has helped in throughout life but it also makes you think that she could get ruthless if need be. The sense of competition was fun to watch. It was great for Freedom Farms since they featured so many of the Farms products. Hey Bitty! Can you share that recipe for the meatballs? If you don't want to give away the whole recipe how about just the meatball part? We're mushroom junkies in this house and that would go over so well! The trip that Tim and Sam took was interesting to see in that I want to get more berries in the backyard so it was a bit of a learning experience for me. It was also interesting watching Sam struggle with the decision to to to college or stay and work on the farm. The fact that they have so much trust and respect for him is awesome. Also since he didn't have a clear idea of what he'd like to do with his life other than farming it was a good choice to not spend big money on college. I do think that with college being as expensive as it is and kids of 18 being as immature as they are (and should be at that age) going away is just asking for trouble and winds up blowing money. I did love the way Sam acknowledged that helping his brother grow the business was something special. Again the love, respect and work ethic Lisa instilled in her kids shines through. The commercial in and of itself was probably a great idea. The money aspect of it was something to be considered but it was out of the box for Freedom Farms and a great way to spread the word on when the home market was opening. A few problems though. I get that it was Dan's idea and he was CEO for the week. He should have not featured himself as the CEO and focused more on the family. It was a great idea of showing them cleaning and getting ready to open up for the season but perhaps they could have verbalized it better. The last thing is where in the world did they get that producer??????????????? Ok, he's Polish at least that's what I gathered from the accent and his jacket. As a fellow Pollock he kind of made me cringe but that could just be me. SO- all in all Dan did a great job. I'm sure he'll get no real credit for it and they won't be giving him more respect any time soon. Still nice to see that Dan can handle whatever is thrown his way. It will be interesting to see what niche Dan fills in this year and how Sam does with the fruit production.

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 5- FINALLY

Why FINALLY you ask?  Hmmm, because I'm finally getting around to the post?  Perhaps.  Definitely because that little hiatus was a KILLER!!!  What was that all about GAC????  I'm wondering how far they will go with episodes this time.  Fall festival again?  Still no mention of Tim's upcoming November 2nd wedding either.  Hmmmm.

So what happened and what did I think of this episode?  As usual I think that Dan is getting screwed 30 ways to Monday.  I was so proud of him for making the decision to go to Polyface and work with Joel Salatin.  Yes I understand that losing him for a summer would have been rough on Freedom Farms.  I also know that what Dan would have learned and brought back to Freedom Farms would greatly outweigh the inconvenience and stress of having him gone for the summer.  Alas we'll never know because Dan cut his time at Polyface short.  Let's backtrack a bit though.

The Freedom Farms Cafe is broken into.  This absolutely sucks and is an unbelievable tragedy for the King family.  No doubt about it.  It was best put by Lisa saying that whoever did it was stealing from her kids.  Personally I believe in karma and I hope it really b#$chslaps whoever decided to break in.  I don't think there is anyone that would deny that the King family is hard working, dedicated and determined.  The certainly did not deserve to have to go through something like this.  As they also found out the robbery extends much further than just that day.  There is a sense of being violated and fear that is left after an event like that.  Lisa was wonderful when she was talking to the employee and checked to see how she was.  It was a glowing example of mama bear meets business women and it meshing beautifully.  I also felt so bad for Joe when he talked about how he had to tell his brothers.  Joe is very much a typical first born and takes his responsibilities to family very seriously.  That said he wasn't responsible and I hope he doesn't beat himself up too badly over it. 

After the break in Lisa called Dan to fill him in.  He was worried about the family and employees.  After that there really wasn't much he could do from Virginia.  Why Lisa said that they needed him I'm not sure.  I'm willing to bet it had nothing to do with the robbery and everything with wanting Dan home.  So not cool.  He was learning so much and having so much fun that it wasn't cool whatever the reason.  It's not like he was going to catch whoever broke in or be able to help the situation in any way.  All she did was guilt him into coming home for no real reason.  I'm also wondering why she hadn't talked to Dan in awhile.  In this day and age when cell minutes are easy to come by especially on a family plan which I'm really hoping the Kings have there's no reason they couldn't have been talking on a regular basis. 

So Joe, Tim & Pete go about installing a new safe and upping the security around the Cafe.  I did love Tim's method of checking the safes sturdiness.  I also thought it was wonderful that Joe was opening the Cafe with the employees since they were nervous.  It was the right thing to do but that doesn't mean that many bosses would have done it.  It did but a lot of stress on him which sucked.  It was really awesome that Joe took everyone to the self defense class.  I mean if I had a daughter old enough to have a part time job I'd certainly feel safe if she worked for the Kings. 

Then we got to the point of Dan's return.  Joe's response was so completely shitty and not appropriate.  To say he was awful to Dan is an understatement.  I'm really hoping that it was a lot of editing and that Joe isn't that big an a$$hole.  Not holding my breath though from past things with Joe.  Dan came home because Lisa told him he was needed.  Complete BS and he walked into the lions den.  Now it did seem like there was a 2 week gap or so from the robbery and Lisa's call asking Dan to come home and his arrival.  Only way of catching that is if you follow the whole birth of the pigs thing.  For as much of an AH Joe was Pete was a complete mensch when Dan showed up.  He seemed genuinely happy to see him and the love was apparent. 

A side note if we're keeping track of the King boys that chew and it can be confirmed either from the show or pics its now Joe, Tim & Dan.  WTF guys?????  Lisa smack those boys of yours upside they head and use some of the mom guilt on this topic. 

At the end of the episode it seemed like Dan was not going to be returning to VA.  I really hoped he was just home for a visit and then would go back and continue to soak up that knowledge from Joel.  Not to be. 

So those are my thoughts and feelings on episode 5.  So glad it's back on and can't wait to see what else happens this season!  I wonder if Tim will talk about his fiancee at all or him he'll just show up in season 3 rocking a ring.  What do you think? 

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 4

Winter is slowly turning into spring and Lisa needs to do spring cleaning and prep in her gardens. This is a pretty big task and she needs help. She says something to the effect of “didn’t have these kids for nothing”. Ok so you were trying to birth your own field crew? I thought you had a big family because you loved kids and being a mom. It just rubbed me the wrong way. She then tricks Pete, Dan and Bitty into coming over to help her clean up and plant some trees.


Joe is still on his kick on wanting to add cattle to Freedom Farms inventory. Pete isn’t completely sure that Joe has all the details of slaughter worked out and is understandably a bit nervous. Joe thinks he’s got it figured out but Pete hopes that he just takes it slow. Joe goes to check out some Scottish Highland cows and bulls. They are a heritage breed and Joe is looking for a niche market. In the end they decide not to go with the Scottish Highland but rather they go with Angus. The visit a farm that has some Angus available. The silver lining is that there are several already pregnant cows eliminating the need for a bull right away.

Dan received a call from Joel Salatin offering him an internship at Polyface Farms. Joel is Dan’s hero and who the King brothers have decided to model Freedom farms after. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from the best. The down side is that it lasts through the entire summer.

Sam is finishing High School and taking on fruit production. Tim is teaching Sam the ropes and sharing his vast knowledge. Tim discusses the fact that he wants to share his knowledge with his brothers. He also acknowledges that he doesn’t know everything yet. Sam isn’t sure what exactly he wants to do with his life but thinks farming is the best option for the time being.

There is some discussion among Tim, Pete and Joe about whether Dan will stick with taking care of the cows. Once again they are slamming Dan saying he’s capable but will he stay with it. Isn’t he the guy that became the face of the Farm store? He built up a great relationship with the clients. He stuck with that even though it drastically cut the time he was able to spend in the fields. It seems to me that Dan is always taking it on the chin and doing what the family needs regardless of his own happiness.

Dan and Bitty discuss the offer that Joel Salatin has extended to Dan. One of the things is that Dan has always been on the farm. He had the short lived construction gig that he loved and had to leave to help with the needs of the family. Dan went to college and was a civil engineer, Tim worked in the mining industry, Pete worked construction and Bitty went to culinary arts school and took a year away from working for the family. Dan hasn’t had the chance to do anything like that. Now he has been offered something that can really teach him a lot and in the long term will benefit Freedom Farms. He has the opportunity to work with the best and who the King family is modeling their operation on. I can understand that losing Dan for the summer would be a major loss. I can also see that Dan has repeatedly stepped up and done what the family has asked of him. I also haven’t seen him messing up often. Other than not covering plants from frost one time and showing up to the farm store 2 hours late what has he done that was bad? He has given up things he really likes in order to help though. So now he has the opportunity to really broaden his horizons. In turn it can really help Freedom Farms. While I can admit that Dan leaving for the summer leaves a major void and he perhaps could have talked to Joe about it better it really is his decision. Joe’s reaction was pretty harsh. Joe points out that he has more pigs coming and this is a family operation. Says that they’ve been training Dan since birth. Talks about it killing him and Dan can’t do it. Tries for guilt and talks about making a sign for a replacement brother for the season. He then recoups some and tells Dan “whatever you do do a damn good job. I’ll figure it out”. It was the one time I think Joe has been a truly stand up guy. It changed quickly though. Dan hugs Lisa and drives off. Joe goes back to ranting and tells Lisa that she had three good ones and then popped out Dan. Then he starts talking about the fact that Dan is committed to Joe.

This kind of goes back to remark that Lisa made earlier too. These kids were not born to be farm hands. Also what right does Joe have to depend on his siblings without question? If the partnership is between Tim, Pete and Joe they are the only ones they can completely rely on. I understand that they think of this as a family operation. So anytime someone in the family decides to spread their wings (other than Luke and its ok for him) and pursue their own dreams it’s going to be taken as a personal affront to the family? What if Sam decides that he doesn’t want to spend his life farming? Or any of the other younger boys? I think there are a couple of things in play here. It will give the family a chance to see that Dan is more reliable than they give him credit for. He’ll also bring back really useful information that will ultimately help Freedom Farms prosper. Also Joe, Tim and Pete need to put some time into what happens if the younger boys don’t all want to follow in their footsteps. It’s not really fair for them to assume that all the Kings will stay and work Freedom Farms.

Farm Kings Season 2 episode 3

OK, things have been a bit crazy here. Kiddo running temps in the 103* range and frankly I wasn’t thrilled when I saw the previews for episode 4. I’ll do the recap on both episodes and list them as individual posts. Maybe it’s just because I’m tired but I’m getting to the point of wanting to ask some members of the King family what the bloody hell their problem is. I digress.


This episode started with the younger boys having some major cabin fever and acting out because of it. They do not like being cooped up inside. Lisa calls Joe and tells him he has to do something about it. Huh???? Why is she relying on her oldest son to take care of the issue for her? I get that this is a close knit family but why is she placing this on Joe to take care of? That said Joe comes through and sets up a ski trip vacation for the family. A great way for everyone to burn off some energy. Tim decides that he isn’t going since someone has to stay and take care of everything. Joe asks Tim to take over the donut delivery run for him and Pete asks him to take care of the chickens for him. I think Tim was looking forward to having some time alone to just be.

A slight side note. When the heck did they get goats? Too dang cute! Are they raising the goats for milk or meat? Freedom Farm spa products anyone? Goat milk soap rocks!

So the family packs up and hits the road to go on their skiing vacation. Luke was supposed to meet them at the final destination but his car broke down. They stopped to pick him up on the way. Joe tried to fix the car and that was a no go. Watching the actual road trip was hilarious. Lisa has to take very frequent pit stops. I liked it when Joe just pulled over and she went in trees. I’m thinking that someone might want to take away her fluids on trips. Just an idea of course. Oh I forgot the beginning of the trip and the intro with who was going. Bitty’s boyfriend Cam was going. Pete brought his girlfriend Jessie and their daughter Jilly. I guess that answers the question of who is Jilly. If Pete is 24/25 and they’ve been together since high school it looks like this child is his. There’s also the fact that she calls him Dad. Joe joined for the trip although he’s always very busy. Then again he probably needed the break more than anyone. What I wondered about was his family. Where were his girlfriend and kids? More things that make you go “hmmmm”.

The family arrives at the rental home and it is gorgeous. It looked absolutely huge. It showed the boys going snowboarding. It was Dan’s first time to try snowboarding. He didn’t score 10’s but he had an ok first run. Pete seems to be the family snowboarding pro.

Joe true to form was attached to his computer and cell phone constantly working. At one point Lisa hid his laptop. It was too funny. Joe comes back and everyone plays dumb about the laptops whereabouts until he offers Ben $5 for info. Ben decides money is worth mom’s wrath. It is scenes like this that make the show worth it. The family dynamics are great. Another side note since it was around the table. Sam was wearing glasses one morning and looked completely handsome as all get out.

Pete discussed how much he likes winter so he can enjoy more time with Jessie and Jilly. He doesn’t come out and say that Jilly is his but the timeline looks like she is. He is very cute when he’s talking about how she is cute and makes him smile. He discusses his relationship with Jessie and how he is committed to her. He also discusses marriage a bit. He says that he’s married to the farm for the time being. He also talks about his parents’ marriage and watching it ravel and unravel. He doesn’t swear off marriage but doesn’t seem like it’s happening anytime too soon. He discusses the fact that he and Jessie are committed to each other. Again it really does make you wonder what the heck really happened with Lisa and her ex husband. Whatever it is had to be pretty damn big since it has turned some of the kids off to marriage and there is no apparent relationship with the father.

There was a great segment about Ben skiing for the first time. Lisa expresses her wish for Ben to do the same things that his siblings do. The ski resort they are at has a program for special needs kids. How freaking cool is that??!!!?? Ben was pretty resistant to skiing at first. Not only is it something new which is always tough but there is a degree of fear. Lisa and Luke try telling Ben that he just has to try it and that it’s easy. Dan sees what is going on and comes over to assist. The Jessie and Jilly come down the hill and try to help. Lisa explains that Jessie has always had a close connection to Ben. She did a great job getting down on his level and talking with him trying to address his fears. Lisa talks about how much of Ben’s life has been about hurdles and crossing them. She discusses how hard it is when he is scared and does the “No mom” routine. Hats off to her for sticking to her guns and getting Ben on skies. In the end he decides that in fact he does like skiing.

Just a note about something from the beginning of the episode before departing for the trip. It shows Dan working at the bakery again. Something that we know he detests. I thought Dan stopped working construction because Bitty needed help at the Café location. It wasn’t an easy decision for him but he did it because he felt the need to help family. It was sad because he was really enjoying doing the construction work. So how is it that he went from helping at the Café to working the night shift at the bakery that he hates? It just feels like Dan gets whatever s&*t jobs they want to lay on him and then he gets ragged on for not staying with something or being irresponsible. Um, did he not quit something that he really enjoyed to help the family? Why do they keep on giving him the short straw and expect him to smile, grab his ankles and sing along? I just don’t get it.

There are hearts breaking wide open all over the world tonight!!!

OK, I did mention in my post last week that Tim's girlfriend was rocking an engagement ring but I guess some people didn't pick up on that.  This week I got emails from a few people asking why I hadn't addressed Tim's upcoming doom.  I mean nuptials.  So I guess I'll dedicate todays post to it completely so there is no missing it.  Yes ladies, Tim is officially off the market.  Well at least engaged and from what we've seen of Tim on the show he seems like a pretty stand up guy and like one who takes commitment seriously.   If you go to the Freedom Farms website you can even find this article in which Tim discusses being engaged.  Find it HERE.  Someone also sent me this picture of Tim and his fiancee Maggie asking me what I knew about it.  Um....nothing more than you apparently.  I live in Illinois and no longer no anyone living in the state of PA so no connections whatsoever.  It is kind of funny that I get mail about this stuff though.  So indeed the article is true and Tim is engaged. 

Now before Maggie's sister, friends and family start leaving less than nice comments don't even bother.  This was sent to me & I'm just passing it along.  No idea where it originally came from nor do I really care.  I think it's great that Tim is happy so let's raise a glass and wish Tim and Maggie a long, loving life together filled with nothing but joy!

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 2

Again the Farm Kings delivered.  The episodes main focus was Lisa helping out at the bakery and needing help filling a big order.  She tried calling most of the kids and no one could help.  Although being at the bakery is so not Tim's cup of tea he agreed to help when Lisa called him.  He really does the role of doting son very well.  The banter between him and Lisa was a blast to watch.  I love when he mentioned her lack of measuring cups.  If we're keeping track so far Bitty & Tim have pointed this out.  Lisa left Tim in charge of taking out the pies.  Ooops.  One had a close encounter with the floor.  Tim whipped up a new pie and again saved the day.  Lisa had a sparing match with Dan.  It's very apparent how much Dan likes spending time with his mom and really does turn to her for guidance. 

Dan was having trouble with the pigs in his brothers opinion at least.  They thought he wasn't paying proper attention to the pigs.  Then one of the pigs escaped from its enclosure.  Pete yelled for Dan who then started chasing the pig.  I loved it when they did the cut away with Pete and he said you could chase a pig all day.  It really did look like it might come to that. Pete then renovated some of the gates for the pig enclosure to help with the breeding program.  I really hope that the brothers were being a bit harsh because I think Dan really does like the opportunity to shine.  He did an awesome job with the Farm Store last season. 

Joe and Bitty went on a road trip to the mushroom capital.  Bitty has an adoration with mushrooms and Joe wanted to look into the business side of it.  It was nice seeing Joe so relaxed and laid back.  I wonder if they'll add that to the line up in the future. 

Lisa while looking for things to help out became very frustrated with Joe's tendency to hoard things.  I will admit that it looked like a big cluster f*&k.  So Lisa decided to take matters into her own hands.  She had an auction selling the stuff.  That is so something my grandmother would have done.  Joe and Bitty pulled in after their trip and the auction was in full swing.  It was king of interesting to watch Joe's reaction.  The best part of the song was before the auction though when the younger boys came in to help.  Lisa had previously tried calling them and they didn't answer.  So when they came strolling in she let them know in no uncertain terms she wasn't happy.  She let them know that when momma calls they better pick up or it was the end of their cell phones.  I loved it.  I hope I'm a strong mom like that. 

Now for my only bummer of the show.  I noticed it in this pic of Tim and then was reminded in this episode.  Take a peek at this pic and tell me what seems off. 



Dude!!!  What is up with the can in the back pocket??!!!?? C'mon Tim you're a smart guy so why are you trying to kill yourself?  Have you checked out any of the stats on chew/ snuff lately?  I know that you and your brothers are trying to farm in a healthier way that benefits the earth and consequently you so what are you doing?  Here are a few things for you to check out in case you have looked into this information lately. 

Some basic stats can be found HERE.  A truly heartbreaking story of a young man that died from oral cancer at the age of 19 can be found HERE.  OK, I know I'm on the soap box with this one but cancer is really scary shit.  It takes one, just one, cell going rogue and the rest of your life changes.  This is something you can actually have some control over.  I won't deny that any addictive substance is tough to get over but you have a long life in front of you so don't play Russian roulette with it.  There is truly nothing worse than watching someone you love deal with cancer.  Waiting for lab tests to come back.  Are you in celebration mode or warrior mode.  What's next?  It sucks and it's scary.  So if you have a hard time then look to your family and fiancee for help.  I'm sure you want kids and you want to see them grow up so please try to kick this bad habit.  OK, I promise I'm done. 

Farm Kings Season 2 Episode 1

Ok on a much lighter note....FARM KINGS!!! As I mentioned yesterday illness has taken over our house. Princess Bear (PB) has been ill since last week. She was home sick from school on Thursday and completely delighted that GAC was featuring a Farm Kings marathon. I had to babysit my nephews so Grandma stayed with PB and was introduced to the Farm Kings. Only my daughter could get away with that!




It was finally time for the new episode and it delivered. It delved right into what the show is about. Farming and family and it stayed true to it. It was nice to see them show how the cold weather took its toll. It does grate after awhile. It seems like after the holidays there is very little redeeming quality to winter. I would have loved to know more about how Tim figured out his seed supply. It was really cool to see Pete's woodwork and see his word shop. It also showed the Shop at New Kent has been renamed the Freedom Farms Cafe & Carryout. Initially a good deal of time was spent showing Bitty and how things were going at the Cafe. Now I really don't know how much they did for the sake of adding drama to the show but it definitely looked like Bitty was overwhelmed and not liking it. More on this in a minute. It also showed that Dan at gotten an "outside" job for the season. He was working construction and really enjoying himself. More on that in a minute also. And just because Joe dreams/plans big a lot of time was spent on the plans he had for expansion. I admire his tenacity but it definitely has the ability to drive his family to the brink. Then again the fact that Tim & Pete are the ones trying to rein him in and get the finer details worked out are what makes Freedom Farms work and hopefully continue to prosper.



The Cafe is Bitty's domain and a bit out from Freedom Farms. I can see how she could feel like a one man island there. She was working a ton of hours and trying to make it a success. It seems like everyone comes to her for everything. I mean everything. The idea of labels to heat the Tomato basil pies was a great idea but c'mon how hard is it to remember something like that? So Bitty finally came to the point that she needed another King at the Cafe and wanted Dan to come work with her. She talked to Joe about it and he gave her the go ahead. Now the $64,000 question is who is Jillian?



Dan had been working with a local contraction company. He seemed like he really was enjoying himself. Perhaps even better than that is the fact that the people who owned the company as well as his coworkers really liked Dan and loved his work ethic. If nothing else it gave Dan a chance to receive some accolades that it seems as though he doesn't get from his family often.



It was a bit heartbreaking when Bitty went to talk to Dan about coming to work with her. It was heartbreaking because you could just tell how tired and stretched thin that Bitty was. It was also heartbreaking because you could tell that Dan was really enjoying himself and what a struggle it was to decide what to do about his work situation. The pull of family is strong for the Kings and ultimately it won out.



On to Dan working at the Cafe. On his first day there some sort of water leak takes place. Evidently there are often issues in the building which is leading to a fair about of distress and anger since the landlords seem to be MIA. Dan who admits from the start that he's not a plumber tries to fix the problem as Joe comes in wanting to know what Dan did. Maybe it was just me but it kind of rubbed the wrong way. It really does seem like Dan is a bit of a black sheep. Then again that could just be the wonders of editing. There was also a meeting? A confrontation? with the building landlords. While I can completely relate to Joe being fed up by the lack of maintenance and basic courtesy from the building landlords he again didn't come off looking his best. While I can understand that he feels like he's running out of options I don't know if the best thing for a struggling business is to move locations. So I'm not sure if threatening to move was the best move. Hopefully the landlords drop some money into the place and make amends.



So all in all I've got to say that the episode was well worth the wait. It also gave a good look at what the season was going to cover which was nice. The end of the show with the boys shooting was great. Although I thought Tim was supposed to be the best shot in the family. It looked like they were having fun so that is what counts.



Now on to what seems to be on the mind of Tim's many fans. Well ladies it looks like we'll all be admiring from afar with hopes of nothing more. Maggie is rockin' a ring and planning a wedding. Since this is what Tim wants and his family seems good with it I say we wish them the very best. I suspect the wedding will be a down home kind of thing. You know rustic country kind of thing. Lots of burlap and lace. We'll just have to stay tuned!!!

Farm Kings Season 2

Who's ready for Season 2 of America's hottest farmers? I know we certainly are! Princess Bear (PB)has been keeping a countdown for around 2 weeks. GAC hasn't posted any new photos on their website to date. Freedom Farms has been doing a great job on Facebook and Twitter though, thankfully! It looks like the King family has at least started going all out into the hog business. I wonder if there will be another episode with Joel Salatin this year? I hope so! I also wonder if season 1 is going to be released on DVD. PB regularly watches those episodes and threatens life and limb when anyone suggests deleting them to make more room on the DVR. Here's to an outstanding Season 2!!!

Farm Kings Episode 2

Ok so I actually got to watch the entire second episode today and some of the things that I kind of thought last night are still sticking with me.

-Joe has some issues.  Good and bad. 
*Biggest one so far on the show is that he needs some extra help.  I hope that subsequent episodes show that he's hired the help they need.  Only catching a few hours of sleep here and there is going to catch up with him in a big way.  It also means he's not getting any real time with his family and his kids need him. 
*Joe is kind of gruff and comes off as knowing it all.  There were times I found myself thinking "man this guy is a jerk".  I'm sure it's because he's overworked and tired but if I thought it I'm sure others have as well.
*Joe needs to have better communication with Pete & Tim.  The whole lettuce thing.  The teasers for next weeks episodes on getting the pigs.  Seems like Joe makes a decision and that's it.  That is potential for a BIG disaster.
*The discussion about closing the store at 4 when Lisa points out that people are coming home from work at 5pm and Joe's reaction of "We're not here for convience.  We're not Walmart" is so the wrong attitude to have.  Hopefully you don't lose customers if they are watching the show.  People do want to be able to grab something on the way home to help prepare dinner.  You don't have to stay open late but 6 is a good idea.

So my recommendation for Joe is to get some rest, hire some people and set up a way that you, Tim and Pete can communicate every day.

Lisa.  She really truly inspires me and scares the hell out of me at the same time.  I also feel bad for anyone that her boys bring home as a spouse.  No one is going to live up to mom.  That said the woman is a force of nature and I want just a bit of her energy and wisdom.  I love that she is sticks to her guns when she is positive she's right.  The whole thing about the  closing time for the store.  The scene with her and Elizabeth was a bit harsh and I loved it when Elizabeth held her ground well over the salsa thing.  It's a bit more about mom's way is always best.  When Lisa was asking John were he was last night I was thinking that this is a lady that really knows her kids and trusts them.  Maybe its a big difference between raising mostly boys and girls.  All hell would have broken out 30 different ways if I didn't come home and my parents weren't 100% sure of where I was and who I was with.  All in all I just love watching Lisa in action and think she is one tough cookie....I think I'll add her into the list of who I'd like to be like when I grow up. 

There was a lot more in the second episode but those were the things that kind of stuck with me.  Of course in my opinion there wasn't enough Tim screen time but I'll probably think that every week!  Pete starting drawing some of his lines in the sand so I think it will be fun to watch that as the show continues. 

The Farm Kings have redone there online store (guess what PB is getting for Christmas? lol)  Check out the webstore HERE for awesome t-shirts!  I love the Farm to Fork and the Born to Farm t's.  Pretty sure PB is getting the Born to Farm.  If you haven't started following the Farm Kings on Facebook and Twitter what are you waiting for?????   OK, so I'm out for now.  Have a good weekend! 

Finally! The Farm Kings!

Photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Holy hotness right???!!!??? And there are 10 of them! 9 boys and 1 girl. Before you ask the girl, Elizabeth, was second born so this wasn't a case of trying for a girl. 10 KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, now all I think of when I hear that is the fact that I spent 7 1/2 months of my pregnancy with PB throwing up. I can't even imagine doing it 10 times. Hats off to mom Lisa King just for that! Well that and there is no way I could come up with 9 boy names I like to save my life! First off their show is called Farm Kings and its on GAC. It premiers this Thursday. Click HERE for a complete schedule.

 I caught the Meet the Kings episode when I was channel surfing one night last week. At first I was just amazed at 2 things. 1)10 kids (see my reasoning up top) and 2) The hotness factor. The show primarily focuses on the oldest four boys Joe, Tim, Pete and Dan. The whole family has show time but the story as well as the farm is carried by the oldest boys. So I'm sitting there and I'm watching this kind of very fun loving, deeply passionate family. Every single person in the family is good looking. Like seriously handsome (and in Mom & Elizabeth's cases pretty). The show seems to focus on Pete's looks and he is definitely a hottie. No ifs, ands or buts about it. What they really don't look at is that they ALL are. I was watching Tim (3rd oldest overall, second oldest boy) and thinking if I was to write a list of what I would want my perfect man to be as far as overall looks and personality this is it. Send that letter to G-d with a please and thank you. Seriously makes the heart go pitter patter! I think Tim is going to have his own post. So back to the family.

Joe is the oldest and basically the patriarch of the family. In its own way pretty damn sexy. I mean the dude isn’t even 30 and he’s in charge of the farm, bakery and market. Oh and he’s an engineer by trade. Everything that happens goes through Joe. Lots of responsibility and that takes some pretty broad shoulders. From what I've read Joe lives with his girlfriend Heather and their 2 kids. Hey Joe- MARRY THE GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then there is Tim, the farmer. Man, think he'd take a phone call from me or answer a letter? I have a million and one questions to ask him about seed starting. I know that there is nothing cooler to me then when I have seeds I've planted sprout. Ever want to really get immersed in the complex beauty of nature watch some seeds sprout! Ok, I digress. So Tim is the farmer so basically the success of the farm is on his shoulders in a big way. He's got to get the seeds started. Get them strong enough to transplant and hope that they are hardy enough to take whatever Mother Nature throws their way. (I really want to ask him if they are using heirloom seeds and have considered going organic, think that's too ballsy or nosy?) Tim is also very involved in helping raise his youngest four brothers including the baby of the family Ben that was born with Down Syndrome. He is all about teaching them about farming, hunting and just growing up to be men in general. Do I even have to explain why I find Tim to be the sexiest thing walking G-d's green earth? OK, you want me to spell it out. Here it is without too much description since I really do think Tim is getting his own post. 1)He's a farmer. It works for me 2)He's a responsible guy that loves his family. Something that I've never experienced so I find it to be kind of like a unicorn. That unobtainable that you still wish for. 3)He likes tattoos obviously. 4)He's a man's man. A tough guy. We can talk about his hunting and obvious physical strength and that would all be a turn on. Then there is the fact that when he choose his tattoos he didn't wimp out on stuff. Meaning he has the band tattoo ALL the way around his arm and what looks like a dream catcher on the inside of his right arm. For the life of me I've NEVER understood these huge muscle bound men that thought they were G-d's gift to women and only did a 3/4 band tattoo. You're not guy enough to handle that underarm part? Grab a pair and man up!!!

On to Pete- Pete really does seem like a living teddy bear that just happens to be hot as hell. He has his hair in dreads and seems to give off this very bohemian vibe. He has a great smile and could definitely be centerfold material for Playgirl (I'm guessing! It's been a long time since I've checked one out!) He is also rocking a couple of tattoos I think, one on his right inner wrist (ow!) and a band under his left elbow but it looks faded so not quite sure what is up with. He in addition to be a farmer has an artist streak. He likes painting, sketching and whittling. The slide show has some pics of his woodwork. (Think he could make a fairy for PB or a wolf for me???!!???) He is also the guy in charge of the 150 or so chickens they have. Color me jealous! The damn city won't even let me keep a couple in the backyard here!!! He is also very musical and plays the harmonica and guitar. The sales at the farmers market go up when Pete's shirt come off. To be honest that is just a kind of given. Tall, blonde guy who smiles a lot and is in OMG great shape. Women respond. 'Nuff said.

Last but not least there is Dan who wants to be a partner with his brothers. There isn't as much available to read about Dan on line but he seems like he's a bit of a jokester. I LOVE that he's rocking a mohawk. Reminds me of back in the day when most of my guy friends in high school had them. (Insert '80's/90's HS daydream here) What I liked watching about Dan is that he really does seem like a jack of all trades and so eager to learn and be a part of things. He also has this gleam in his eye that reminds me of my youngest nephew. They one that makes us say that he has the devil inside and we better watch out!!! It seems like a portion of the show is going to focus on whether Dan buckles down and finds his niche and becomes a full fledged partner. I think Dan is probably very lovable but has a wild let’s have fun streak running through him.

Now as I watched the Meet the Kinds episode a few times and then did some looking them up online (both on GAC and the Freedom Farms website) I had a couple of reoccurring thoughts. As I shared the King family with some friends they mentioned this same things that I was thinking. We'll get the obvious out of the way. As already discussed this is a family of seriously good looking individuals! This is also a very big family. This is a strong family. Not quite sure what caused the split literally in marriage and business between the father and the rest of them but they stick together. That really doesn't happen often! They work their asses off. I have never seen people come together and work so hard for a common goal and be so passionate about it. Also everyone is amazed with Mom Lisa. She raised GOOD kids. 10 of them. They all clearly love and respect her and they're decent, responsible, loving individuals. I remember hearing stories of my grandmother who raised 6 kids. When the boys were acting up she’d grab them by the ear and bang their heads together. I can kind of see Mom Lisa doing that. She doesn’t seem like she’ll take any crap from anybody. That said she also seems like she’d give everything she had and then some for her family. The fact that she is so proud of her kids is pretty nice to see. The fact that her kids are so willing to do for her is awesome to see. I can’t wait for the show to kick off on Thursday night. Don’t even think about calling, texting or facebooking me!

~Meet the Kings videos

~Meet the Kings bios

~Freedom Farms Website

~Freedom Farm About Us

~Joe

~Tim

~Pete

OK- no idea why Pete's name is centered & nothing else is I'll try to do some editting tomorrow. I have to go pay attention to my child. You know the little things: feed her dinner, give her a bath and help with homework!