I’ve been trying to train my kids to have cheerful expressions when they’re horseback, because in folder after folder of photos I have of the punks working on the ranch, their faces are always so…serious.
“Why do you guys always look so cranky?” I ask the wee children who have sprung from my loins at various times over the past twelve years. “How come you guys can’t just ride across the pasture with warm, contented smiles on your faces?”
Then they answer me.
“Because we’re working, Mama,” they say.
“And we have to concentrate on what we’re doing.”
“Yeah, Mama! Not everyone gets to ride in the comfortable car, listen to the radio, and watch life pass before their eyes,” they say. “Some of us have to keep this place running.”
They’re grounded. They’re all grounded.
Okay, I guess it is somewhat important for the kids to concentrate on what they’re doing. If they let a cow slip through, it could cause a domino effect, and then they’d have to ride back out into the pasture and start all over again. And what they really want to do is get back to the house and eat pancakes.
Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes. That’s all I hear around here.
Pancakes make them smile, that’s for certain.
Just look! I swear, she’s looking straight at our house, daydreaming about pancakes.
Pancakes. They’ll be the fall of mankind, I swear.
Think about it: What, besides just how dang delicious they are, is good about pancakes?
Flour. Sugar. Oil. Butter. Corn syrup flavored with maple extract.
(Bet you didn’t know that about pancake syrup, did you?)
I could write a book about how non-nutritionally redeeming pancakes are.
But I won’t.
Instead, I’ll continue to write books with more pancake recipes.
Because that’s how I roll.
And now, to change the subject: Have you ever seen a seven-year-old boy tune on a horse? It’s necessary sometimes. When the horse isn’t cooperating, when the horse isn’t stopping or turning or responding as he’s supposed to…
A seven-year-old boy does this.
And that’s how a seven-year-old boy tunes on a horse.
And then everyone goes back to the house and eats pancakes.
The End.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
