Capullo

The beautiful chrysalis of the monarch and what the caterpillar looks like when it is getting ready to pupate.

I found a caterpillar:)  I think I found it on a milkweed plant on my side yard near the airconditioner.  It seems monarchs are on the decline so planting some milkweed (The scientific name is Asclepias) may help the numbers to increase.  Kentucky is Zone 6a-7a so The wheels are turning in my thinkcap and I am already wondering where I can get some seeds.  We have had great success with butterflies.  This will be the 3rd time we have found caterpillars and put them in this here lucky container and they made CAPULLOS (spanish for cocoon) and then turned into butterflies. 

We have had swallowtails:

We also had a 3 that turned into little light green butterflies, almost white looking.  That was just a few months ago.  Summer 2012

Below is what we hope to see in  1-2 weeks.

This is a Monarch butterfly sipping nectar from a Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) blossom.  Complements of Joyful Butterfly.

Healthy Eating

We all know how to eat healthy....But sometimes I just need to be reminded...

AND

MORE



What is in a name?

                                              

Do think a name matters?
A friend of mine who is a pediatric nuerologist, told me that names matter. In fact she told my husband and I not to name our child Daniel. Sorry anyone with kids name Daniel. She said they were wild or hyper. I can't remember exactly, however I often think about this whole name/personality connection.

I know 2 women named Barbara. They are both;
Hardworkers
Focused
Detailed
Conservative
Organized
Clean and neat homes

What do you think? Is there truth to my friends thoughts or is a name just a name

Driving my kids to and from school myself

Mornings can stressful. 

Get out of bed. 

This is the hardest for me.  I usually do not feel happy first thing in the morning.  All I want to do is sleep more.  The desire to stay in bed is so strong it trumps my all resloves I made the night before.  I have never liked getting out of bed and actually waking up.  And for the past year I wake up more tired and exhaused than I went to bed.  I do not feel refreshed or recharged.

Get up.

Eat. Kids stop talking.  Eat

Kids, go brush your teeth. Luna, what are you doing!  It's not play time.  Brush your teeth.

Brush teeth.  Gabe!  Where are you!  No hide and seek.  Brush teeth.

Get dressed.  Kids stop playing.  Put on your clothes.

Luna don't forget to put on underwear.

Gabe, put on your clothes!

Luna, where are your socks!

No, Gabe you can't wear blue today!

You have to wear these underwear.  I know you don't like them.  It's all there is.  You can wear the car ones tomorrow.

Come on Gabe put on the underwear.

If you don't put on the underwear.  I will have to punish you.

Just trying to get out of the house on time. 

 Without yelling. 

THE REWARDS

Luna's huge smile as she is going into school and looks back to wave to me.

Gabe greeting me when I arrive to pick him up.

He runs to me with such force I have to do the following;

Procedure;  drop down on one knee grab something. 

But I love those hugs.
AND

Listening to songs in the car with them.

Luna reading me a book.

Talking in the car with them.
Calling out "yellow cars"
Spotting dogs in cars, owls in trees and cats in yards.
Seeing concrete trucks, dumptrucks and cranes.
Simple time together with them, even though it's in the swagger wagon