insects in the mail

I ordered something from Insect Lore.

Tiny caterpillars!

They arrived in the mail a week ago.

The boys will literally watch the caterpillars' transition

as they mature, change into chrysalides,

and finally emerge as butterflies!  

The caterpillars are eating a lot and are growing very fast.

The boys are excited as they watch them each day.

I’ll keep you updated.    

a little note

((( I.Love.Raising.Boys )))

it's oh so quiet

It’s peaceful and very quiet in my house right now.
There is just the hum of the refrigerator and me.
My sweet husband took the boys out camping.

I love that he is willing and brave enough to stand up to the midday heat, relentless mosquitoes and inevitable camping mishaps.
Oh, the stories they’ll come home with.

I get to relax or race if and when I want to. I rarely get long stretches like these and, boy, do I need them. They are gone just long enough for me to begin to miss the CiRcUs AtMoSpHeRe again.

It is nice to have quiet in one's life.

The ebb and flow of mothering is constant, and yet always changing.
They are growing. I am growing.
It is a fun dance when you learn when to lead and when to follow, when to speed up and when to slow down.
But mostly, when you make a mistake, learn to pick yourself back up, smile gracefully, grow from your experience and pass your wisdom on to someone else.

Each time the boys come back from camping with dad they seem older. Their voices are deeper, they have grown an inch, they have learned new skills (like using a two-man, hand saw to cut firewood; Oh, they can skip that story!) and they seem to be growing beards.
I think the beards are sticky remnants of s’mores and dirt but I really can’t be sure.

I do know they haven’t been coddled by a mother and they need that time as well.
There isn’t a hovering mother wiping dirty faces, forewarning them about the dangers of campfires, cautioning them to be careful in the lake and reminding them not to pee under that tree.

The boys need their quiet too.

I will welcome their sweaty hugs, stinky laundry, tall tales, the spider that hitched a ride in their backpack, the deeper voices and then...after all the adventures have been told…………………then I will check their heads for ticks and let them soak in the tub until they are squeaky clean again.

Happy June

…wrapping up home school, staying out of the rain, playing in the rain, staying out of the heat wave, cooling off in the pool, smelling honeysuckle, planting new flowers, riding bikes a little faster, seeing the first lightening bug, making popsicles, (is that another ant?), having friends over, grilling chicken and eating juicy, sweet watermelon….sliding into June has been fun!

I hope you are sliding into June quite nicely.

anew

My grandmother is here from Colorado.

my grandmother, Helen, and my mother

Maryland seems brighter since she has arrived.

She has come to visit and celebrate her daughter's 70th birthday.

Yes, my mother is turning seventy and my siblings

and I are throwing her a party this Saturday.

I am excited and very busy with a lot of fun, party stuff.

I will post pictures later.

My two aunts are coming too.

It is going to be so much fun with them here!!!

***

Some new things this week:

a new smile

both front teeth are out....finally!

our new backyard visitors

golden finches

a green frog

a three week visit with my lovely grandmother

my oldest with my grandmother

my seven-year-old is looking for creative ways to earn money
this is what I found when I walked into the kitchen…hmmm?

"tasting new stuff.....10 cents!"

puffy eyes on my five-year-old….spring allergies

itchy, puffy eyes

the boys sudden interest in taking pictures

my middle son's picture

my youngest son's picture

And last but not least,

my seven-year-old wanted to know what

a fried egg would taste like if it were frozen.

Well, we found out. Pretty tasty, indeed!

ants

Attention!!!

If you don’t like insects, skip this post!!

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We have ants in our kitchen!

I know it is early for our area,

but here they are!

Below are the responses I have received so far:

A. Oh, Gross!!!

B. What?

C. Cool!!!!

My curious boys shift between “B” and “C” and

I checked off “A” right away, but I am faking a “C” on most days!

Over the 2009 holidays, my middle son received an ant farm as a gift from some friends of ours. I thought maybe we could order the ants over the next several months. Well, the last year was not the best year for ordering ants.

Unfortunately, we had our own free, insect collection sneaking in here and there driving me batty.

We had our usual tiny, brown ants starting in April, the occasional cave crickets, my arch nemesis (which forced my husband to do all the laundry for six months, more about that later) in the basement mid-April, mud dauber wasps in May, a delightful hoard of box-wood beetles in a flower bed in June, a random spurt of horse flies in July, and let me not forget the stinkbugs in August.

I was in no mood to order any insects. Also, I am a big wimp when it comes to creepy, crawly things. On top of that, my sister and I were born with Bionic, Bug Vision; we can spot a spider a mile away. I am not joking! Needless to say, I was exhausted, come September, when we started up home school again.

So, I shoved the ant farm up on a high shelf praying my son would forget all about it. Then, in July, he got another ant farm for his birthday! Yay! Then every month I heard, “When can we order the ants?”

I broke down and must have repressed the entire last year and ordered the ants last month from Uncle Milton!

Last Thursday, they came in a tiny plastic tube, in an envelope, in the mail.

The boys were thrilled.

Their cousins liked them too

I got some books out of the library about ants and did some research online and the boys have enjoyed learning some interesting facts about these amazing insects.

****

Things I have learned so far:

I still don’t like ants even if they are contained.

Ants are all type “A” personalities; they never stop working.

They bury their dead.

They communicate through chemicals and their antennas.

Some still have six legs….yuck!

and....

Having an ant farm on your kitchen table

is a great way to lose weight;

you lose your appetite as soon as you see them!!!

Maybe, I’ll keep them through the swim suit season?

outside fun

The warmer weather has my mind swirling with ideas to extend exploration and outside play for the boys. The laundry has already started increasing because their outdoor adventures bring back muddy pants and coats and soaked socks. And I don’t care. I really don’t. They are having a blast! I put them in old coats and rain boots and don’t sweat it when they return to the door. They know to take their rain boots off before they walk up the steps to the door and to take the clothes off that are dirty right inside the door. We do have some rules that make life easier on us all.

Outside rules:

Stay in the yard
Don’t intentionally throw, kick or pour mud, dirt or leaves on the other
Pee inside the house
Come quickly to get help if the other is hurt
All hats, mittens, etc. stay on unless brought inside
Our toys stay in our yard
Don’t stick any limb through the fence that has a dog on the other side
Don’t run with, swing or throw long pointy sticks
Be a helper, share, cooperate, and take turns
Insects do not come in the house, unless they are in a bug box that has a tightly fit lid
Explore, have fun, climb, jump, run and squeal

I am sure I am missing some and the boys will do something else this summer to create a new rule, something like, “No pretending to fly like superman out of a tree!”

Here are some outdoor play ideas I found that I might try this summer:

Water play from childhood101

Gravel and trucks from Two Chicks and a Hen

Mud Pie Kitchen from pepperpaints

Oh, my sister and I would have loved this kitchen, my mother, not so much.

and

Wooden Chairs also from childhood101

Don’t let the label fool you

What do you think I found inside

this black case that was in my youngest son’s room?


Post a comment to make a guess.

The winner will receive a small gift.

If there’s more than one winner,

a winner will be picked randomly.

Have fun!

p.s. Don’t let the label fool you.

Family members are excluded

from the contest. Sorry!

blood...

I went on another fun visit to the E.R. tonight but this time with my oldest son.

He was getting some blood work done today and passed out.

He is a veteran blood donor and recently a platelet donor too!

So, this was a surprise!

After he came home from giving blood,

he felt awful and his symptoms grew worse every hour.

I took him to the E.R. to get him all checked out.

All is well, now!

Speaking of blood...

if you have the stomach of a nurse,

why not donate some this month.

Here is a link to the Red Cross

to find out how and where to donate.

With all the snow and crazy weather around the United States

their donations are low and they are in great need!

Why not check it out!


and now for some cute stuff...

look at this adorable, little tent from Dear Lizzy


and these cute cards and headbands from katie did

Top five reasons why...

We went to the pediatrician's office yesterday and today we got the call….. my middle elf has strep throat! Yuck!

Top 5 reasons why I do not like going to my pediatrician’s office:

1. The wait is very, very long.
2. We have to sit on germy chairs.
3. We have to sit next to germy people. (including mine, when they are sick)
4. I have to pack two bags of books to make it though the long wait.
5. I have to bring snacks, drinks and usually a lunch because we get so hungry from the long wait.

Top 5 reasons why I like going to my pediatrician’s office:

1. My pediatrician ROCKS!!
2. She has three boys too. She can sympathize, relate, advise, laugh and roll her eyes with me.
3. She makes hospital visits and will take my rare, direct, phone call in an emergency.
4. The staff ROCKS!! They are extremely busy, but extremely patient and kind. They always have a smile.
5. I have gone to her for 21 years. I trust her. She is so worth the wait!

****

Since it has been a blah-kind-of-day here, I am going to post some pictures that make me smile!

I could look at peonies all day

I like him

I love gerbera daisies.

My oldest doing what he loves best

silly boys

red and white stripes

random things I find in my kitchen

no explanation needed

~~~

Have a great day.

Give someone a free smile today!

let it snow

I am wondering

just how much snow

we will get tomorrow.

This was a picture

from last year’s blizzard!

Stay safe and warm!

(a little link for snowy days)

raindrop

the 22nd

December 22nd

Decorate a gingerbread house!

I have been busy, busy, busy. But who isn’t; so, I won’t complain. It has been great having my husband here. He truly is a big help! He has been the resident dishwasher and my “errand boy!” I tend to get a wee bit snippy if I lose my focus and he keeps me in check. I have been cranking out the baked goods and have been busy wrapping gifts and assembling plates of food.

Looks like we might get some snow on Christmas!

the 16th

December 16th

Decorate oranges with cloves and ribbons to make pomanders.

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We are a family that is committed to sharing.
So along that line, the littlest elf has shared his illness with the middle elf this evening.

We might just have to hang a pomander in his room!


On the brighter note, we had our first snowfall. It was only an inch but it was enough to coat the yard. The boys got excited, bundled up and ventured out into the land of “Hoth!”

I filled up the bird feeder and cleared the walkway.

It was very pretty.

(Oh, and asked my husband to pick up bread, milk and toilet paper with the rest of Maryland!)

the 4th

December 4th

Make and hang edible gifts for the birds

…and squirrels!

We are delighted to have a variety of birds visit our backyard throughout the winter. So far we have seen cardinals, chickadees, blue jays, variety of woodpeckers, hawks, finches, sparrows and morning doves!

*****

I took the boys to hear /see The Nutcracker at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra this morning!

My youngest fell madly in love with the Sugar Plum Fairies!

Oh, my!

the 2nd

So, yes, we did decorate a bit inside!



December 2nd,

Put together a small prayer album with pictures of relatives, friends and neighbors!


The boys and I actually put a prayer album together last year and we will just update it as new friends and family members have since come into our lives! We put some Christmas photo cards in the album, included a photo of our church (from our church bulletin) and a picture of the White House to remember to pray for our leaders. We took turns praying for one page/family each night.

I asked my middle son to draw a cover for the album to slip in the front sleeve. I was thinking a cute picture would be nice. Instead, to my surprise, he wrote,

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

about twenty times.

I had to smile as I thought how appropriate it truly was and how often I forget to cast my burdens and that, yes, we should

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

the 1st

December 1st

Decorate the house with Christmas decorations!

It’s here, December 1st!

I created 25 little envelopes the boys can take turns opening each day until Christmas. Inside, there is a little note of something we can do as a family. The boys absolutely love this. My goal is to get the boys to think of others and not themselves, during the month of “Me,” I mean, December. The notes include things we can do to decorate the house, bond as a family, bake goodies for neighbors, make crafts for grandparents and give food and toys to others in need. I think it is a great way to teach my children that Christmas is not about receiving but giving.

I’ll post each envelope for each day with the notes inside,

so come on back and check it out! : )

ease and quiet

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Helen Keller

I have had this quote taped up in order for me to see it, on a regular basis, for years now. I love it because it is so true and it gives me a good whack over the head incase I start to whine and complain over little things. I know my younger boys have a lot ahead of them in order to develop character. I pray that I don’t rescue them out of the necessary learning experiences they need in order to grow into responsible, young men.

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they have no fear

I am not a huge fan of bugs, insects and spiders, but I do try to act relaxed and interested when my boys thrust a crawling lump of legs and such inside the radius of my comfort zone. I “ooo” and “awww” and use my best acting voice and face of total relaxation with out giving away a hint of my palpitating heart and my intense urge to run very far and very fast, with a little squeal to boot! They have no fear. I don’t really mind that charming side of boyhood. Besides, I need them to be my brave knights to rescue the poor, spindly souls that accidentally wander into our house.

Inside the house, the phrase, “Mom, look what I found!” could mean the discovery of a lost game piece. Outside the house, the same phrase takes on a whole new meaning. So, I bought the boys bug boxes in order to encourage them to gently pick up and drop whatever species they find into the clear containers. It was not only to contain their subjects to further study them, but to selfishly protect myself when they run toward me almost tripping with excitement and clutching something wiggly and alive. Here are a couple pictures I bravely shot last summer. Who knows what we will find crawling outside this summer!

Yup!

Even Superman has to brush his teeth!

I was wrong...

My (almost) four-year-old, tip-toed into the kitchen and showed me what he found. In his little hand were some baby clothes. He asked if he could wear them. I smiled, gave him a hug and told him that they used to fit him when he was a little baby, around six months old. I explained that he was wearing big, boy clothes now and they surely would not fit him. “Maybe we could put them on Monkey,” I suggested. A couple minutes later he came back into the kitchen with a big grin across his face! I guess I was wrong. Here he is wearing his six-month-old baby clothes. He was so proud of himself I actually let him wear the outfit the rest of the day.