The Customer is Always Right

Up until now, the majority of my posts have been contained to the topics surrounding the adventures we have had parenting two amazing little people! While I do need to get back to those fun posts, I read something this morning on twitter that really struck me. I felt a strong urge to reply, but knew there was no way I could say what I wanted to say in a mere 140 characters, so here we are!

 Someone tweeted about Nestlé's adoption of their new animal welfare standards. It wasn't the original tweet that grabbed my attention - I read the standards and there is nothing crazy in them - it was someone else's reply that got me. There was some back and forth about whether Dairy Farmers of Canada's ProAction Initiative would take care of these new requirements on the dairy side (the answer: yes), and then came the reply: "when do we as farmers stop being the victims of company marketing ploys???"

 As a primary producer, it certainly does feel like we are sometimes ganged up on and are the "victims" with all of these companies very publicly stating their stance on how livestock is raised and cared for. What do they possibly know about farming??

 Here's the deal. These companies are not victimizing farmers. If we choose to feel that way and pout about it, I guess that's our prerogative, but instead, we should really take a page out of their book.

 These companies are brilliant marketers - they know what their consumers want and they play right to them. The interesting thing is that we are all marketing to the SAME audience! Yet we as farmers continue to be defensive and cry foul against any company that publicly states their stance on animal welfare standards. 

But why?

 Read Nestlé's animal welfare standards. The "Five Freedoms" are absolute common sense - any livestock farmer shouldn't be able to argue with these five points. In addition, while I can't speak 100% to the other livestock sectors mentioned, most of what is mentioned under "For Cattle" is already implemented on most dairy farms across the country.

 In my opinion (and it is just that - my opinion), we need to take a page out of nestle's book and start our own "marketing ploys." Up until now farmers have not done a great job of marketing our business, practices and industry. We need to open our doors and start showing the consumers what we do on the farm - take that card right out of the hand of companies like Nestle. We need to show the consumers that we take exceptional care of our animals to ensure the safest, highest quality products reach grocery store shelves. 

We also need to own practices that the consumer finds less than savoury - dehorning for example. We do it because it is necessary for the safety of both the animals and the people who handle them. We need to EXPLAIN this to the consumer and we need to SHOW them the steps we take to make the experience as comfortable as possible for the animal. No fluffy BS about how we do it as babies because it hurts less...it hurts the same regardless of when it is done, we do it as babies for reasons such as the horn buds are smaller and therefore takes less time for the procedure, there is a much smaller area of the animal affected, the animals are smaller and easier to handle and administer anesthetic to. We need to show our practices, explain why we do them, and explain that we are always on the lookout for better ways to do things. (Thanks to Dr. Tim Blackwell for this reminder!)

Will the consumers still call for changes to our practices? Absolutely. Will we have to change our practices to appease them? Absolutely. As I mentioned before, Nestle's consumers are OUR consumers - Nestle is simply the middleman between the farmers and the consumers - without consumers, there is no market. Other countries around the world have caught on to the idea of pleasing the consumers and have made changes to strengthen that relationship (i.e. EU has banned gestation crates for sow operations). If we don't make an effort to meet the demands of our consumers here in Canada, the Canadian consumers (and the middlemen like Nestle) will go elsewhere for their products.

We love our lifestyle, we love our animals, we love what we do, and we are proud of the fact that we feed the world. We can play the victim if we want, but sooner or later, for the sake of our industry now and in the future, we need to open our eyes, open our barns and start advocating for ourselves - and yes, we may need to make a few changes.

Theme Thursday = Ice Cream

I realize it is Wednesday and I have missed Thursday by almost a full week, but I am not skipping a topic for the sake of catching up...especially when the word of the week is none other than my favourite dessert: Ice Cream!

I could write pages and pages about the awesomeness that is ice cream, but instead, I will make this short and sweet. 

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of my Canadian friends out there to pay attention when they are shopping for their ice cream and other dairy products in general. Here in Canada, our dairy industry has incredibly strict rules and regulations, as well thousands of passionate and dedicated producers that are committed to providing the safest and highest quality dairy products to you, the consumers. 

Products stamped with the "little blue cow" logo are made with 100% Canadian milk. Products without the logo are often made with imported milk and milk ingredients. Why does that matter? Quite simply, other countries do not have the same rules and standards as we do here. When you're buying your ice cream, make sure you are looking for the little blue cow...it's one way to ensure you are getting the highest quality product and, of course, supporting our own Canadian family-run dairy farms!

So there you have it, a post brought to you by the word "ice cream"!!

Until next time! 

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 - ice cream

2/6/14 – snow

2/13/14 – flat

2/20/14 – lights

2/27/14 – memories

Chapman's Ice Cream is little blue cow approved!

Theme Thursday = Bottle

This week's #ThemeThursday post is brought to you by the word "Bottle"

At four weeks in, this is the first word that has made me wonder what the he** I am going to write about. In fact, the more I think about, I can't help but reminisce about my fair ambassador/queen of the furrow days and doing impromptu speeches in competition. For those that don't know, an impromptu is when contestants are given a question to answer or a random object/subject to talk about for about one minute. The idea is to see how good contestants are on their feet. Thinking about "bottle" reminded me vividly of standing on the stage in front of everyone and pulling a thesaurus out of the box...what do you say about a book full if words? (I believe that's even what I said!)

Likewise, what do you say about a word that is such a common, everyday word?

"Bottle" is just that, an everyday word. There are hundreds of things that come in bottles: water, pop, milk, condiments, shampoo, cleaners, lotions, makeup, sunscreen, booze, medicine, and the list goes on. 

As a society, we are often guilty of judging people by what they have in their various bottles. As an anti-pop person, I often catch myself judging people chugging a bottle of pop...all of that sugar...oh jeez, is it DIET?? Oh god the aspartame! 

Is that his SEVENTH bottle of beer? Did she just finish off that second bottle of wine HERSELF?? OMG, Sara has a bottle of real bleach under her sink...clearly she is single-handedly ruining the planet. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Sara thinks Jackie is a weird, crunchy hippie because she uses vinegar in a spray bottle for her only cleaner. Jane uses regular shampoo...yet another planet killing heathen. Sally uses a bottle of some planet friendly shampoo...clearly she has more money than brains! We are passing judgement on people exclusively based on the contents of their bottles.

There is one bottle judgement that as a young mom I have had first-hand experience with...the epic battle of the baby bottle. As a mom, you are always judged by whether your kid takes a bottle, and if they do...you most certainly are judged by what is IN your kid's bottle.   And it doesn't matter what camp people are in, there is always judgement to be passed. 

I always wanted to nurse my babies...you know, "it's best for baby"...due to some unfortunate experiences, I was not able to nurse my youngest hooligan for very long (if you would like the whole story on that, check out my older posts here!). When I made the decision to stop nursing, I decided I would pump exclusively so that he would still receive the food that I felt was best for him.

The funny thing is, when someone would first learn he was bottle fed, it didn't matter WHAT was in the bottle. The automatic response usually went something like this: "Oh....you bottle feed?? That's great!" *with a super awesome fake smile* (You could almost hear them continue under their breath with: You know you should really consider breast feeding! It's WAY better for baby and not to mention cheaper!) The automatic assumption was that I didn't WANT to nurse my baby and that I must not have done my research.

So I would enlighten whoever was sticking their nose in my business and let them know that unfortunately my poor little guy couldn't nurse, so I actually pump for him. Want to see Judgy-McJudgerson do a 180?? Tell them you willingly milk yourself 4-6 times per day for the sake of your child! Suddenly I had went from that shitty mom ramming formula (aka poison) down her kid's throat for her own convenience to mother freaking Theresa! 

"OMG! Wow!!!! That is amazing that you are able and willing to do that! You are such a great mom!"

Really? Wasn't I just on the verge of having my kid taken away because I was an unfit mother for giving him a bottle?

Oh what's that you say? Your kid doesn't take a bottle? Sorry mama, but you're not off the judgement hook either...why? Because your kid WON'T take a bottle!! How on earth can you go anywhere for more than 3-4 hours when your kid won't take a bottle? Clearly you MUST be doing something wrong...coddling her too much probably...she will likely still be on the boob when she heads of to college.

See what I mean? There is some epic bottle judgement happening in the mommyhood! Nobody is safe!

So, in honour of this week being the week of the bottle, I propose that we as mamas make a pact to end the bottle judgement! Every mom is looking out for her babies' well being and while they may choose ways of caring for their kids that are different from your own, they are doing what is best for their children, their families and themselves. Let's have some respect for each other and save the lectures and judgement for situations when it's really needed.

Bottle...let's all try not to judge people by what's in their various bottles. There are far more important things for people to worry about!

DISCLAIMER: I will say though, there are two times when I WILL continue to judge people by what's in their bottle...pop and ketchup. Pop will eat your insides and ketchup is a food RUINER!!!!

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream
2/6/14 – snow
2/13/14 – flat
2/20/14 – lights
2/27/14 – memories

If it's not your bottle, it's not your business.

Theme Thursday = Arctic

This week's #ThemeThursday post is brought to you by the word: Arctic

The arctic...A place that is home to Santa, polar bears, a small selection of other hearty cold weather creatures...and not much else. 

As a kid growing up here in Canada and learning about the far north, I always thought it would be neat to go to the arctic. From the pictures, it looks like a magical winter wonderland almost all I the time! But then winter would actually roll around here and I would be reminded that being cold wasn't really my thing. In fact, if there is such a thing as past lives, I'm fairly confident I must have lived somewhere warmer...like Hawaii or maybe even somewhere on the Mediterranean. Anywho, winter would come and I would spend from November to April wrapping myself in multiple layers, cursing the windchill and praying that spring would arrive quickly!

Now according to many of our non-Canadian friends, Canada IS the arctic. But, while there is an area in the north that falls within the arctic circle, a LARGE majority of the population actually lives nowhere near the arctic circle. That includes all of us right here in Southwestern Ontario. Sure, we have winter, and sure, it's colder here than a lot of places, but a typical winter here is NOTHING in comparison to a real arctic winter. 

Two weeks ago, we had the closest taste of an arctic winter that our area has had in over 50 years. Several days of -25 to -35 degree weather with windchills that were significantly colder than that even. Kids couldn't go outside due to the threat of instant frostbite, vehicles wouldn't start, water pipes froze (fortunately for us...just in the barn!) and many people experienced a "frost quake"...it's a real thing...Google it! It was freaking cold! Especially for this past Hawaiian-Italian (clearly I look the part with my translucent skin tone, freckles and red tones in my hair!).

Anyways, as I sat in my warm house (thank you carm and our "fair" division of household tasks), I was thinking about how stupidly cold it was and how i couldn't wait for spring to arrive...my usual winter thought train. But, then in an effort to be more positive, I decided that winter must have been created for a reason, so I tried to come up with a few cool things about winter...here's what I came up with:

1. Winter kills bugs: creepy crawlers but more importantly, germs. Ironic that flu season falls over the winter, but after a really cold snap, what had been ailing people for the previous weeks, suddenly disappears. I learned from a vet that when your calves are sick, you need to make sure you are thoroughly washing the milk feeding equipment with hot water and soap, and then store it in the freezer until the next feeding to kill anything that didn't get washed off...there ya go! Winter kills bad stuff!

2. Snow days: No need for much explanation on this one...everyone knows snow days are AWESOME!

3. Winter Olympics: without winter, there would be no Winter Olympics. As a Canadian and sports nut combined with my overwhelming desire to win things, I LOVE to watch the Winter Olympics. According to the hashtag, #wearewinter so naturally Canadians excell much more at the Winter Olympics than the summer games (not to take anything away from our awesome summer Olympians!)...who doesn't like watching their flag raised while the anthem plays...and this just happens a lot more often at the winter games as Canadians skate, ski and sled their way to victory. 

Speaking of sledding, 4. Tobogganing: if you haven't tried it...you must!! You'd think that sliding your way down a hill only to have to trudge back up the hill in all your winter gear and dragging your toboggan with you would get old after the first time down the hill...but it doesn't! Trust me!

5. Water: we are fortunate around here to have many lakes and rivers and overall abundance of fresh water. This is due in large part to our winters. Snow is made of ice and ice melts into water which replenishes our water tables every spring. A snowy winter is always welcomed by the farmers around here for this reason...a winter with not much snow leaves a lot less room for a dry summer and therefore a lot more rain dances need to be performed throughout the summer months. Farmers don't like to dance...so they like snowy winters! Haha

6. Maple Syrup: Yup! Canada's (and Buddy the Elf's) favourite condiment! More than 80% of the world's maple syrup is produced in Canada (mainly in Quebec). There are two vital ingredients to making maple syrup: maple trees and winter...both of which we have here in Canada. I won't go into the science...you can google that.

7. Snowmen: this one came from Miss M. Her daddy is a mean snowman making machine...tradition says that the children roll balls of snow and stack them up and decorate them into Frosty-esque creatures. Again with the competitive nature, Carm can't just build a regular snowman with the kids...his involve loader tractors to lift the giant boulders of snow on top of each other! Clearly that kind of industrial sized snow art can't be done in any other season.

So there you have it! Seven cool things about winter! We don't live in the arctic and thank goodness for that, but we still live where we experience winter and all of the cool (and sometime downright cold) things that go with it!

Now, is it spring yet?

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

Authentic Weather = Best Weather App Ever! 

Theme Thursday = Equal...Equal vs Fair: An Epic Battle

Wow...that's a lot of equaling in that title...

Today is Saturday and not Thursday, but it's time for another installment of #ThemeThursday! In my defence, I did write this on Thursday, but just didn't have time to type it up until this morning!

So here it is...I present to you, a post on the theme of "Equal" 

The word "equal" is a term that comes up on almost a daily basis. The word itself is not necessarily used, but the theme will come up, or another word or term meaning the same thing will be used...either way, there is a lot of talk about equality. Perhaps it's chatter about equal rights, pay equality or gender equality. Or maybe it's referenced in a mathematical sense...money, a recipe, store inventory. In other words, it can describe amounts or things or actions that are the same, or it can be used as a verb "to equal"...one plus two equals three.

Anyone that knows me knows I am NOT a math person, so in my daily life, the word "equal" tends to be used more when talking about things that are the same.

As a member of a family farming business, there is A LOT of talk about "equal" as we move through the process of planning for the future of the farm and the generations that will assume responsibility of the business. There are siblings that are active participants in the day-to-day operation, and there are some that have chosen careers away from the farm. The internal struggle that all farming parents have in a situation like this when it is time to integrate the next generation is: "How do we make sure we are fair to all of our kids?" Chances are, over the years ALL of the kids contributed to the farm in some capacity even if they eventually chose a career elsewhere.

While we are certainly not the parents in this particular situation, we are the next generation and see first-hand the struggle his parents go through to ensure the farm carries on, but that everyone is happy! Carm and I have had the opportunity to attend a number of presentations and workshops aimed at helping to ease the transition from one generation to the next. We have learned lots of different tips, techniques, theories and strategies, but there is one statement we heard that absolutely stands out in my mind. It really resonated...not because of the roles Carm and I play in the delicate web of family and business, but because it was a statement so simple and logical that I immediately began to think about how this statement can be applied to almost anything in my life.

"There is a big difference between "equal" and "fair"; you don't have to be equal to be fair."

Let that sink in for a minute...

The speaker was using this in reference to farm succession planning, but like I mentioned, it really jumped out at me because there are SO many situations where we as humans use "equal" and "fair" interchangeably when we shouldn't.

Think about a marriage. A husband and wife are often referred to as equals. In terms of rights and human beings deserving of love and mutual respect from one another, this is ABSOLUTELY true! But, when it comes to the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities that occur in the home they have built together, it is sometimes next to impossible to split all of the responsibilities down the centre equally.

As newlyweds, this was certainly something we struggled with in the beginning. Why should I have to do the dishes after I cooked the meal every time? He should do them half the time! I learned rather quickly that was NOT going to happen...and it's a good thing...otherwise our house may have started to look like one of those disgusting houses you see on the show "Hoarders". Instead of battling over whose turn it was to take the garbage out or load the dishwasher, we decided I would look after the majority of the household chores and he would be in charge of the garbage and recycling and maintaining our outdoor furnace.

If you write our chore lists out on paper, it is clearly not an EQUAL division of tasks based on quantity, but for us, it is fair...that furnace is a 2-3 times per day job in the winter and it doesn't matter if it's -1 or -31, he has to be out there chopping wood in a snowstorm like he's Paul fricken Bunyon! I'll take washing dishes or scrubbing floors in the warm house over that any day! I should also note that we do help each other out when needed! Carm does help around the house when I need him and I will often collect the garbage for him to take out or whatever he needs help with.

Parenting is another instance where I have learned the fair vs equal battle is fought on a daily basis. If I had a penny for every time one of my parents told me "life's not fair" when I was growing up, I would be filthy rich! As a kid, I can remember whining about my sisters getting something I didn't or a friend going somewhere I wanted to go...when I was told "no," I would immediately follow it up with a "but mom! That's not fair!!"...sometimes with tears, and sometimes not. Looking back at being told "Well, life's not fair sometimes" I now believe the statement should be: "Well, life's not always equal" You could also go so far as to add ", but it's usually fair" to the end.  I realize that due to poverty or other unfortunate circumstances this may not be the case for some people, but in mine it was. So I didn't get to go to a particular party...I did get to go to lots of other ones. All of our friends got to go to Disney World and we didn't, but we got to go to lots of other cool places instead. Our parents didn't buy us every single thing we opened our mouths for, but in turn, we learned to appreciate what we had and the value of money and earning something...FAIR trades I would say! Besides, outside of necessities like food, water and shelter, if every person, couple or family did all of the same things or had all of the exact same items and experiences, the world would be a pretty boring place.

Now that both our kidlets are old enough to verbalize their displeasure about things, we have started to hear the familiar "But that's not fair!" I have caught myself on more than one occasion channeling my inner Sheryl and John, responding with the familiar "well, sometimes life is not fair!"

They are maybe still a little young to understand the difference between equal and fair (let's be honest, a three year old only knows that his bowl has less ice cream than daddy's and THAT is the end of the world...who cares if it is fair!), but perhaps we will have to work on that with them when they are a little older!

"Equal" and "Fair" - two words constantly used interchangeably that really mean two different things. When you keep in mind the difference between the two, it's amazing how much your perspective and attitude can change!

Remember: "There's a big difference between equal and fair; you don't have to be equal to be fair!"

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

Master C undoubtedly thinking "Life's not fair"

If You Ain't First, You're Last...Thursday Theme = ONE

I realize that it's Sunday and not Thursday, but if I'm going to do this project...I'm going to do it right dammit! That means catching up on week one. Besides...I'm a dairy farmer's wife...everyone knows dairy farmers are ALWAYS late!

So...Theme Thursday Week #1...Theme = ONE

When I think about the word ONE, what comes to mind is something that worries me as a parent; especially now that Miss M has started school and the situations I fear are not so far away.

You see, I am a competitive person...I like to win, I like to be #1. "If you ain't first, you're last' - Thank you Ricky Bobby for summing it up so eloquently!

As a kid, I was on sports teams, in choirs, dance, 4-H and speech competitions, and I worked my butt off in school. Fun fact: I actually received not one, but TWO 100% grades on my grade nine report card...what?! Who does that?! The point is I was a perfectionist to a fault and often was way harder on myself than necessary...I still am. Nothing makes me more disappointed than opening our magazine fresh of the press and my eyes falling on a stupid, little spelling or grammar mistake...UGH!! Or, how about when my rec league slo-pitch team gets smoked in a game...again...COME on! If only I had read that article 101 times instead of 100, and if I had just hit 3 grand slam home runs - the magazine would have been perfect and we would've won the game.

The truth is, I could have read that article 200 times and I still may not have caught that silly error. I stared at it for HOURS as I wrote it, then I proofread it multiple times, then I had several other people proofread it and still nobody caught it. And the ball game? Who do I think I am? Even Jose Bautista doesn't hit multiple grand slams in a game!

As a kid, I'll admit, I sometimes cried if I didn't win something. Not always, and I don't recall ever making a scene about it, but I liked to win and when I didn't, there were sometimes tears; especially in the cutthroat world of 4-H dairy shows. If I was beat by someone I deemed worthy, then I was happy to be second or third or even just in the top ten if it was a big enough show. But, if someone beat me that "shouldn't," then I took it personally. Same goes for singing, dancing, speaking or any other individual competition.

"So what?" you say...what's the big deal?

The issue is that essentially, I married the male version of myself when it comes to winning and doing well at things. Now, if you know my husband, you'll know that chances are he would never have cried about not winning something, but he was certainly NOT happy with himself. His mom loves to tell the stories of Carman's rise to goalie superstardom (the Paris Beer League IS pretty much the NHL). Like myself, he was THAT kid. He spent hours and hours and hours standing in net and taking shots from whoever he could convince to slap a puck at him. He wouldn't quit until he was satisfied with the number of shots he had stopped...or his mother dragged him into the house and ripped the goalie pads off of him herself! He was the same with fitting cattle...he practiced and practiced until it was perfect every time.

Are you starting to see why I am a little worried for our kids?

Assuming perfectionism and competitiveness are inheritable traits...our kids are screwed!

They will either be little versions of the two of us, or they could be the complete opposite...I'm not sure what's worse!

All I know is both kids are already showing early warning signs of perfectionism. Miss M is only 4 and gets terribly disappointed in herself when she colours outside of the lines...which is almost never! Master C will be only 3 in a month and a half (where did the time go?) and he will spend HOURS riding his broomstick "horse" around the yard, practicing on an imaginary jump course. When he misses a jump, you can hear him reprimand himself and his "horse" and then they start all over again. Both kids showed calves in the peewee show at the fair this past year, and BOTH will tell you quite emphatically that they were the winner.

We laugh at their antics mostly...let's be honest, it's pretty fricken funny watching a little dude ride a stick around, neighing like a horse and galloping over whatever "jumps" have been set out. But, I am being honest when I say I also worry a little about what the future will bring in this department!

If they are anything like their parents, I foresee a lot of chats about winning and losing graciously, letting things go, just doing your best, not gloating, not pouting, having FUN doing the things they like to do and not always making things a competition. If they aren't like their parents...I have no idea...that's uncharted territory...I guess we'll cross that bridge if we get there!

Now that I am sort of an adult (real adults are old), I can admit that I need to be better at letting stuff go and having more fun myself. I can still strive for perfection, but if I come across an extra comma in an article I wrote...don't sweat it! Or, if my ball team finishes in last place...it happens. There is always next year. I hope that by trying to be a little less uptight in my own life, I will be able to have a little more fun and be better able to help my own kids keep their competitiveness and perfectionism in check...and possibly keep myself from morphing into that crazy-ass stage mom that I am destined to become if I don't chill!! So, here's to ONE, and not always having to be number ONE!

In honour of this being a post brought to you by the number ONE, I am going to proofread this post only ONE time. So, if you come across a typo, get over it...I did!

And remember...if you ain't first, you're last!

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

The expert at anything was once a beginner - Helen Hayes

#ThemeThursday 2014

Since I am apparently terrible about relaunching my blog and then promptly forgetting about it, I figured I needed a little motivation. Now that I am back to work, by the time I get home at night, get dinner on the table, lunches made, baths done and kidlets to bed, the last thing I want to do is sit down at my computer and stare at the screen again! But, I do miss writing for fun on my blog. So, when a friend proposed #ThemeThursday 2014, I jumped at the chance to get back at it!

The best part? She gives me the theme for each post! I don't even have to think about it! Yes!

So here we go...let's see if this is the ticket to truly reviving The Tales of a Modern Mama in the Country!

Want to join in and blog more in 2014? Check out the details right HERE

Powered by Linky Tools Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list… If you want to join in check out the theme list for the year! Come on...you know you want to!

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

2/6/14 – snow

2/13/14 – flat

2/20/14 – lights

2/27/14 – memories

3/6/14 – three

3/13/14 – circles

3/20/14 – green

3/27/14 – fast

4/3/14 – slow

4/10/14 – fuzzy

4/17/14 – egg

4/24/14 – chain

5/1/14 – force

5/8/14 – button

5/15/14 – legacy

5/22/14 – drive

5/29/14 – thrown

6/5/14 – vintage

6/12/14 – tie

6/19/14 – summer

6/26/14 – pride

7/3/14 – stars

7/10/14 – boom

7/17/14 – sugar

7/24/14 – science

7/31/14 – frost

8/7/14 – fruit

8/14/14 – square

8/21/14 – whirl

8/28/14 – button

9/4/14 – apple

9/11/14 – stripe

9/18/14 – pirate

9/25/14 – blue

10/2/14 – fast

10/9/14 – leaf

10/16/14 – eat

10/23/14 – yellow

10/30/14 – boo

11/6/14 – dots

11/13/14 – paper

11/20/14 – new

11/27/14 – fizz

12/4/14 – give

12/11/14 – green

12/18/14 – glitter

12/25/14 – bright