Christ in our Home

Our husbands are Christ's representation in our home. Yikes! Do I treat my husband like I would treat Christ if He was walking around in the flesh in my home?

Ephesians 5 (emphasis mine)
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands...and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

I used to believe that respect had to be earned. And in some cases that is true. But in cases of headship and lines of authority, respect is given merely because of the position given by God. And God has put our husbands in a position in which He commands us (not suggests to us) that we respect them and submit to them.

Why do we have such a hard time with this? Lies from the enemy in the forms of worldly counsel and fear.

The world does not tell you that your husband will give account for how he leads your family. And you aren't told that you will be held accountable for how you follow him, support him and help him. You aren't encouraged to make his job as head of your home a little easier by not bucking every decision he makes; by not complaining about everything he does. You are told to look out for #1 - SELF! The Bible teaches us to die to self. In sincerity, ask your husband how you can help him. What are his goals for you family and how can you help him achieve them?

We are afraid if we let go and relinquish control to God by allowing our husbands to do their jobs, everything will fall apart. We aren't told that there is security, relief and blessing in obeying God and submitting to our husband's authority - even if you think he's wrong. Aside from anything illegal or immoral, we are commanded to submit in "everything."

There's a story of a wife who's husband was not so good with money. Not so good with paying the bills. But he wanted to be the one to take care of that for the family. Well, sure enough, one day the electricity goes out. He hadn't paid the bill. What she could have done was rant and rave to the children about what a slacker their father is. And when he walked in that door that evening, let him have it. Tell him all about what a failure he is and how he should just listen to her. Then everything would be just fine.

However, what she did was amazing. Her children asked her what they were going to do. She said they were going to pretend they were living like Little House on the Prairie. And when her husband came home, they had the table set with candles and whatever food could be fixed without the use of stoves, ovens or microwaves.

Her husband said that inspired him more than any tongue-lashing ever could.

What if you feel your husband isn't leading? Or isn't leading they way you want him to? Pray for him and zip it.

I Peter 3:1-2
"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct."

One last thought, do we treat our husbands the way we want our sons to be treated by their wives one day?

Family Driven Faith

by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

This guy is one of my favorites. I first heard him speak on marriage. Wow! There is no question where he stands. I am now reading his book, Family Driven Faith: Doing what it takes to raise sons and daughters who walk with God.

Here is an exerpt from the first chapter:

"The most important side of my life is the one where I bear my most cherished titles - husband and father. There is nothing in this world that means more to me than the fact that I am Bridget's husband and Asher, Jasmine, Trey, and Elijah's father. Whenever I say that, I can almost hear people thinking, "Shouldn't your relationship with Christ mean more to you than your family life?" I guess in an ultimate sense that is the case. However, my family is the primary place where my walk with Christ takes on flesh. It is one thing for me to have a personal relationship with Jesus. However, if I spend hours reading the Bible and praying and invest the lion's share of my time ministering to others while neglecting my role as husband and father, my relationship with Christ is out of balance or, worse, inauthentic.

It is my relationship with my wife and children that gives my walk with Christ legitimacy...my earthly relationships are the proving ground for my heavenly one. If I love God, it will be evident in my love for my brothers and sisters (especially those who live under my roof).

That's just in the first few pages of the book! Good stuff. Look for more to come...

Trials of Various Kinds...

...brought to me from 5 children of various kinds!

Today has been one of those days where I feel like I'm going from one situation to the next with the kids...and it's only 1 o'clock. The patience and emotional stamina it takes on days like this can absolutely drain me physically.

I picked up a book I'm reading, When You Rise Up, by R.C. Sproul, Jr. The first two lines I read were:

"When God regenerates a heart, that heart bears spiritual fruit. And a vital part of that fruit is a renewed mind, the capacity to look at the world through God's eyes, to see all that we do in light of serving his kingdom."

"....to see all that we do in light of serving his kingdom." So, I think to myself, "Okay. How am I serving His kingdom. How is this day serving Him?" Because, let me tell you, if there is no purpose except to survive each day, then what is the point?

My answer was clear...I am raising warriors for His kingdom. I am raising a new generation to love, serve and glorify Him. Today, it may not seem like they are getting it. Today, it may feel like they've forgotten everything we've ever taught them. Today, it may feel like aliens really do exist and they have come to live in my house, overtaking my children's minds and bodies!

But it gives me a new perspective and a revived spirit when I understand that there is a purpose for addressing these issues.

I could ignore them. I could stick them in front of the TV all day. I could send them to school and pack their schedules full to escape such trials.

What good would that do? What purpose would that serve? In their lives or mine? I'm reminded of James 1:2-8:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Photography Class

I'm taking a photography class this month. We bought an expensive digital SLR about 3 years ago and I've always wanted to figure out how to use it better - without reading the manual. I have picked up the manual several times and started reading it, but I could never finish.

So our assignment from last week was to take a picture using the info we learned. Here's what I took. It looks best in sepia but I don't have that option on my pitiful photo editing programs. Guess I need that on Christmas wish list.

Peace in Parenting...from the Moraes Family

I was reading http://moraesfamily.blogspot.com/ and loved this post! With permission, I'm copying it here:

Ever since homeschool started, I've been engaged in numerous conversations with moms concerned about whether they are doing enough! Anxiously wondering if their children can compete with their public and private school counterparts.

I've taken part in loads of conversations with people who feel as failures, because their children do not add up to some "expectation" placed on them by other moms and their perception of what is taking place in other people's households. Fear and worry are shaking the very foundation of most, no, I take that back, all moms! (If you are reading this and feel you are the exception... call me, I'd like to pick your brain a bit! :) )

Sadly, I admit to being consumed with many of the same worries and fears. And here is where I choose to take a stand. For my own sanity's sake and the well-being of my family.

1. I choose to be myself, no matter what I think others might think of me.

2. I choose to honor God and only God for His will for my family.

3. I choose to enjoy and love my children exactly where they are and not constantly worry about how they measure up.

4. I choose to find peace in the fact that my children are wonderfully, fearfully and creatively designed to serve the greater purpose that the Lord has appointed them to.

5. I choose to encourage my children to be themselves (not someone else's child) and to find their God given gifts and abilites.

6. I choose to pray, pray, pray and pray some more. To faithfully intercede on their bahalf, pray for their protection, and like Job, ask for the forgiveness of their sins.

7. I choose to forgive myself for the mistakes that I've made and those that I will probably make in the future.

8. I choose to accept that my kids are a work in progress, just as I am! And just as I am not perfect, I should not expect them to be.

9. I choose to do my very best and then move over so that God will finish the work that He started in them.

NOTE TO MOMS READING THIS: Mom, you are doing a great job!! Don't allow worry to rob you of the time you have with your children. Before you know it, they will be gone. Make the most of every moment. Laugh, run through the rain barefoot, see the beauty in your children. Don't worry about their flaws, just be faithful and consistant. God will handle the rest. Pass on your faith with eagerness and let your Godly example shape your children's hearts. So they're dirty from head to toe, so your 4 year old doesn't read, so your 10 year old hasn't memorized the periodic table of elements, so child one picked a booger and flung it at child two, so what!! (Okay maybe that last one needs addressing LOL). Worry will only rob you of the joy your children bring. God's plan will prevail!! Lean on Christ in everything you do!! My prayer is that we rest in Him and allow Him to pour His peace into our hearts.
Hey, I'm a work in progress too...... but we all need encouragement sometimes! :)

Well said, Mrs. Moraes! Well said!

The Battle

My post a few days ago revealed a side to me most of you don't get to see or hear about. I, too, have days that are stressful and disheartening with respect to my children. But my sweet husband reminded me of

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

There are days we feel we are fighting our children. But in reality we are fighting FOR our children. We are in a battle with the rulers of darkness who want nothing more than for us to give up, give in, cop out! And that makes me angry! That fires me up! That gets me going!

God gives us our children as blessings. And with our children comes the responsibility to guide and shape them into warriors for His Kingdom! It is NOT easy! It is not a task for the fainthearted or lazy! But it is worth it.

We will be held accountable for what we do with the lives of these little ones. Sure they have free will and will do what they want with what we give them. So, what they do with their lives one day is between them and God. But what we do now and invest in now is what we will give account for.

Cece often says, "The value of anything is the price it pays in eternity." Education, in and of itself, has no value in eternity. What we do with that education does. Talents and gifts alone have no value unless used to glorify and honor the King of kings. If any of these things are cultivated and groomed for approval of men, they are worthless.

Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

So, let's step it up. What fills our days that is worthy of bringing before the throne? What things have we labeled "important" that really aren't?

In Mark, someone asked Jesus which commandment was the most important. Jesus told him,

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

We fight the enemy when this is what is fostered, nourished, encouraged, praised and exalted as significant in our lives and our children's lives.

3rd (and final) 1st Annual Butterfly Day

I love learning new things. During the "teaching time" of the last 2 butterfly days, I ended up trying to talk over the kids and moms. I felt like I was yelling to be heard. For one, I felt bad shushing the kids since they weren't mine and their mom's were right there.


This time, I tried a little trick I saw Mrs. Wortham use in one of my boys' Sunday school classes. She whispered! She didn't raise her voice when the kids started talking. She lowered it. So this time, I shushed and when I felt like I wanted to talk louder to be heard, I spoke quieter. It was so much nicer (I'm sure for all involved).


Here are some pictures of the day...

My only disappointment was that I only had 2 little butterflies for them to look at and hold.

If you need a good laugh...

I laughed until I cried. I'm still laughing so hard I can barely type this. I don't know how I got to this blog but Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith of Selah.

This post killed me! My kids were laughing just listening to me. I'm copying and pasting from her blog but the link is: http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

'The other day, we had a really funny conversation while I was teaching. We are doing Sing, Spell, Read and Write (which I LOVE!), and they doing great with their letters. We were working on the letter "B," and for one of the exercises, they have to cut, color, and glue the pictures that begin with that letter. There are a bunch of pictures, but only a few that match the letter for that day. As we looked through the pictures, I was saying things like, "What is this one? Ba-ba-ba-ball! Right! So that starts with B!" Ellie starts cutting, but she is being more quiet than usual, and I tell her to start saying them out loud so I can make sure she knows what she is doing. She does two in a row correctly and then holds up a picture of a chicken.

"Ba-ba-ba.....chicken." She starts to color it.

"Ellie, that is a ch-ch-ch-chicken. Not ba-ba-ba. Ch-ch-ch." She has a look of disgust. She repeats, this time with a little more intensity.

"Ba-ba-ba-chicken."

I decide to take a different teaching route and start to point at another "B" picture. "What about this one, Ellie? It's a ba-ba-ba-bus. See the difference?"

She is still coloring the chicken. She pauses and looks me dead in the eye, crayon frozen in midair.

"Mommy, why do you hate chickens?" Okay. She's serious. And I'm about to spit out my Diet Coke.

"Ellie, I don't hate chickens. It just doesn't go with today's letter. Why don't we hold onto it and we can talk about it when we do "C."

I can tell by the look on her face that this is probably not going to fly. Abby chimes in.
"Mommy, Ellie is right. You shouldn't hate a chicken." Four eyes. Staring at me. Accusing me of poultry-hatred.

"Girls. I do not hate chickens. I like chickens. It's just that chickens do not start with the letter B." They look at each other, and as a show of solidarity, Abby starts to cut out her chicken. I bury my head in the lesson book so they don't see me laughing. I did take a picture of Ellie holding the picture with a look of disdain.

Later that night, a neighbor-girl was over and they are playing dress up. And by "dress up," I mean "destroying every closet in the house."

I am in the kitchen making dinner when Ellie saunters in with a feather boa, tutu, and oversized purse.

"Hi mama."

"Hi Ellie. What are you doing?"

"We're playing ballet dancers. What about you?"

"Making dinner."

"What are you making?"

"Chicken." Clearly I have not thought this through.

She stops in mid-prance and looks at her friend, who, apparently, is in the know about her chicken theory.

"Told you," she whispers under her breath.

Her friend nods in wide-eyed unison as they march into the playroom while I trail off..."I do not hate ch-ch-ch-chickens!"

Two days later, Ellie announces that she is a becoming a vegetarian.

I serve her vegetables, in order to prove that I am an equal-opportunity food server.

She smells them and pushes her plate away.

"I think I want chicken, mommy." She smiles. We eat chicken (some of us with loose teeth), and of course during our nightly prayers, Ellie talks about her beloved picture, and the day early next week when he will rightly claim his throne as the "C" word.

Have I mentioned I love homeschooling?'

Outta Here

Have you ever wanted to pack up everything and move?

Start a new life anywhere? All by yourself?

And I don't mean before you got married. I'm talking about since you had kids!

I have! Or should I say, I am.

Do you ever feel like you are the only one in your situation?

The only one with a kid as hard as yours? Or ever get tired of discipline, correction and training? I have! Or should I say, I am!

Ever look at the next 13 years and think, "Oh, my word! How am I going to make it?"

Yeah, me too.

I'm sure tomorrow I'll feel better. But today, the white flag is waving. The towel is sailing to the middle of the ring. Today, I'm crying, "Uncle! I give up! I'm done."

Today, I see no light.

Probably because I'm not looking to the Light.

"Take every thought captive..." comes to mind.
"Momentary affliction..."

Hmm.

My rational mind says, "Get a grip! This is nothing. Did you already forget your last post about people being tortured and dying for their faith? You think you have it tough? Suck it up, lady!"

Hmmm.

Well, I feel a little better now. Nothing like a good kick in the pants.

Persecution

There's been this recurring theme of stories that I've heard or read lately. They are all related to Christians being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. It started when I read the blog of a woman who met another mom at swim lessons. The other mom and her family had been forced to flee Uzbekistan because the dad was in trouble for preaching the Gospel.

Then, of course, having the Olympics in China prompted discussions of their laws and treatment of Christians.

This past Sunday, Pastor David told several stories about martyred Christians.

Monday, before naps, I asked Sweet Pea to get a book to read. We have a set of 5 books titled, "10 Boys Who...Didn't Give In, Made History, Used Their Talents, Made a Difference, Changed the World." Each book has 10 stories about different boys in history. The first story in the one she brought me was about Polycarp. This was one of the stories Pastor David had shared but somehow I had missed his name.

Finally last night, my mom was telling me about a missionary at their church Sunday night from China. He shared how only by God's grace had he escaped being caught.

I don't know why my attention has been brought to the persecuted church so much lately. But I wanted to recommend some reading that will change your life:

Tortured For Christ - Richard Wurmbrand

Jesus Freak - DC Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs

Also, http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2008/08/getting-to-know-persecuted-church-part.htmlily.com/2008/08/getting-to-know-persecuted-church-part.html - I don't know how to do those fancy links but this is the website of the woman who met the lady from Uzbekistan.

We think we have it so tough when our AC goes out or rain comes in our house. We as Americans, who can worship freely, know nothing of suffering! It's good to be reminded.

Olympics!

Saturday we had an Olympics day with the Fittros. Since it was raining, we moved our couches and chairs out of the way and used our family room as the arena. The kids competed in the Long Jump, Discus, Volleyball (teams of 2), Summersaults and Cartwheels, Mini-Trampoline and a Bean Bag Toss.

We had the best time.

It was a Fittro sweep for the Discus.

I think our favorite to watch was Volleyball. Lead Dog improvised and made a net. We used a balloon for the the ball. Sunshine and Little R were on a team but Sunshine lost interest and LR had to hold his own. He had been watching the US team play and learned a few things about spiking the ball. He was quite impressive. He won the Gold all on his own. Of course, Sunshine was all too happy to share in the prize.

Mommy, there's Water in the House!

Not something you want to hear! But Thursday, after 4 days of rain, Little R discovered that TS Fay was moving in with us.

I had sent him to do his afternoon chores - one of which is dusting downstairs. As he went around the dining room table, he announced, "Mommy, there's water in the house!"

Thankfully, the Lead Dog came home right away and the vacuuming began. I highly recommend if you live in this state, getting a steam vac. We've used it on our last 2 houses. That night we emptied the canister more than 11 times. I lost count the next day. The carpet was wet 5 feet from the wall. See how dirty the water is? That's how it came in!

There was also water coming in the living room windows and under the baseboard.

The Lead Dog's ready to seal up the wall, put down wood floors and get rid of the carpet. Unfortunately that would be ridiculously expensive and probably won't happen. Oh well. I just hope the smell of wet carpet goes away!

2nd 1st Annual Butterfly Day

(One of our black swallowtails)

I was in denial that TS Fay was going to force me to cancel my second butterfly day. I waited until Friday morning to email and call everyone to see if they still wanted to come out. It wasn't the rain that I was worried about, it was the flooded roads.

Some of the moms chose to postpone and will come out September 2. If my calculations are right I should have more butterflies that day.

But despite the rain, we still had 15 children and 5 moms come out. I actually forgot to take pictures for this one until Heather and her family were getting ready to leave. They obliged me and posed with their Life Cycle Craft.

1st Annual Butterfly Experience at the Wagners'

Today I hosted a little Butterfly Experience for some of my friends. We had 9 children (+ my 5) who participated. Friday, I am expecting 20 children (+ my 5) -- unless I pawn my little ones off on my sweet friend, Christie, down the street.










We started out with a cool craft (thanks to Rebecca G. for the idea) that showed the butterfly's life cycle. Sweet Pea, Little R and Handsome did a great job being in charge of a station at the craft table. I couldn't have done it without them.

Then, we were supposed to have story-time, but because I wanted to beat the rain, we did a little butterfly hunting in the woods.


Now, yesterday when I was out there, there were tons of butterflies fluttering around. But I guess because of the wind and soon coming rain, they had taken cover. We did get to see some host plants and caterpillars.















We also got to see a couple of my captive butteflies in the gazebo mating. I'm sure some of the mom's are excited about explaining that one!












After a little story time, we put our snack together (another great idea from Rebecca G.) and the kids ate on pretzels while I talked about the life cycle of the butterfly.












It was my first time doing something like this. I felt like I had so much to share but not enough time to get it all in. And I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with too much info. So I hope they walked away with a good experience. I hope the kids learned something new.


I mostly hope they remember what I said about having a God that loves them way more than butterflies and caterpillars. And how if He takes care of those little creatures, surely He will take care of His little ones who are created in His image.

Kids in Church

Stef had a great question about her Kindergartner who will soon be sitting in big church with her. So, I thought I would blog my advice to her:

I do not expect our kids to sit perfectly still. However, we did talk to them about the reason for sitting as still as possible (remembering their ages) and being quiet. And the reason is so they don't distract others who may not know about Jesus from hearing what the pastor is saying. So we show love to our neighbors in church by trying to be quiet and still.

I try to keep what I bring for them to do as simple as possible just because I don't like bringing a bunch of stuff with me. I also think it's not necessary to make the church service about how many activities they get to do. So we used to bring a spiral bound notebook and crayons. They always bring a Bible and we help them look up the Bible text if they want and need help, but we don't make it an issue of something they have to do. There are times that the kids look up the Scripture and sometimes they don't.

On a side note - during Bible-time every morning I have the kids look up the Scripture we're talking about to get them used to finding things in the Bible. I also have taught them the books of the Bible and we review them often.

We bring a simple, non-crumbling, snack for them to have between SS and church and always make them go to the bathroom before.

It does take some time of adjustment to be in church for that long of a time. We role-played and practiced at home what we expected - like how to stand for singing or reading the Bible. They don't have to sing but I encourage it.

This is a personal preference, but we don't let the kids sit between us. The Lead Dog and I like to sit together. So they can sit on either side of us.

I love having them in church wth us, though, because I get to snuggle with them and love on them.

Be sure to encourage and praise them when they do participate and are quiet - even if it's with a whisper and a squeeze in the middle of the service. But don't bribe them with treats afterwards if they do well. They should be doing what is right because it's right and it honors God and others, not because they get something for it.

Service

Matthew 20: 26b-28

"But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

This morning I talked to the kids about how Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. And He did this out of love for us. So if we want to be like Him, we should look for ways to serve others. I told them that in everything they do, they should look for ways to serve others. They can pick up after themselves so Mommy doesn't have to. They can surprise someone by making his or her bed. When they go to get a cup for themselves, get one for someone else.

Philippians 2:3-5

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

So the older boys surprised the youngest boy by making his bed for morning chores. Then later that morning all the boys made our bed.



For lunch the girls made mac and cheese with cut-up apples on the side for all of us. The boys set the table.
There were lots of little things that they did, too. And no matter how big or small, I made a big deal about it. I want them to know that showing love and kindness through serving others will receive much more praise and attention than a good score on a test or in a ball game.

I Think I Smell a Skunk!

My mom used to jokingly say, "You guys are going to drive me to drinking." Now that I'm a mom, I have thought the very same thing!

I have also, at times, blamed my children for the way I have acted toward them.

Today in class we watched the last video in the Love and Respect series by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. He talked about how conflict or life in general with our spouses does not cause us to be the way we are. Our spouses just reveal what we are inside. They expose our inner properties.

Let me explain. If you step on a rose and the aroma of the rose is released, you haven't caused the rose to smell like a rose. You just released what it is made of. The same with stepping on a skunk. It will stink, not because you stepped on it, but because of its inner properties.

In the same way, the scorching sun will melt butter yet harden clay. Same heat, different results. Why? Because of the properties of the butter and clay.

So when we react to our spouses, do we smell like a rose or a skunk?

Same with our children. When they "push our buttons", what aroma do we release?

Think of the skunk as our natural man and the rose as the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 says, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

(By the way, I highly recommend the Love and Respect video series! It will be taught again starting Sept. 6 in the Byrums' class, 9:45am, Sundays. Every couple should go through this at least once. Well, that is unless you're perfect. In which case, write a book and let me know when it's done. I'd love to read it, cause I'm so not perfect!)

Homeless

Yesterday we were making cookies for Christie to take downtown to feed the homeless with a group from church. When I explained to the kids what we were doing and why, they started asking questions. Questions about why the people didn't have homes, stuff like that. Then Handsome says, "I know what we should do. We should make a check for $1,000 and take it to the bank and get the money. Then we can take it to them and they can buy a house and a job. Is that a good idea?"

If it was just that easy, right?

The group meets every Thursday night. They feed 50-70 homeless people and then give a message. If you want to help out making food or going to minister, let me know. We're hoping to go as a family sometime soon.

Matthew 25: 34-40 Jesus' words:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"

Got Caterpillars?

We do!! I have 70 monarch caterpillars crawling around in our aquarium (in addition to 40+ eggs and babies that are still outside). I have about 25 black swallowtails, 13 zebra longwings, and a few gulf fritillaries and queens.

I need your thoughts/feedback/help. (This is an invitation for anyone who reads this) I have been thinking of having a science time where your kids could come and learn everything they ever wanted to know about these caterpillars and butterflies. When you leave you could take some of the seeds for the plants that the monarchs and queens eat and that attract many other butterflies - start your own butterfly garden.

OR

You could adopt a caterpillar (or more) if you want to watch at home the whole process of it becoming a butterfly. You would just have to find a good-sized milkweed plant for it to eat.

Let me know which you would be more interested in. I'm trying to figure out a way to feed these things.

My Little Mary

Whenever the kids have anything draped over their heads, they call themselves "Mary." Here's our littlest Mary with her favorite pink blanket.