When I bought a parsley plant at the farm store, I discovered what appeared to be a swallowtail egg on the plant.
So, we waited a few days for the egg to hatch, and sure enough—a swallowtail caterpillar emerged! 🐛
The kids really wanted to “raise” the caterpillar we found on the parsley. ast summer we took care of one and watched the swallowtail caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly. 🦋
Prior to finding our new little friend, I was thinking about buying a butterfly kit for this summer. Since we found a swallowtail caterpillar on our parsley, I didn’t need to buy a kit! 😁
Zechariah and Zhen looking at the caterpillar on the parsley plant.
It just so happens the kids have diy butterfly biome kits their big sis Mj (24) gifted to them last summer.
They placed one of their butterfly houses in a clear container box to create a caterpillar habitat for Cali (the name the kids gave the caterpillar lol).
We brought the caterpillar box inside our house and placed it on one of our art shelves near a window.
Based on our experience from last summer, caring for a swallowtail caterpillar is pretty easy. All you do is place it in a medium-sized box (preferably clear so you can see inside the box.
Zaya (5) checking out the little caterpillar. 🐛
Place an herb plant such as fennel or parsley in the box so the caterpillar can eat. Caterpillars eat and poop A LOT 💩. They’re basically like a newborn human baby. Lol! 😂 Just no crying. Haha
So, be prepared to see little, round balls in the box. 😆 You can just clean it out with a paper towel.
Later, we ended up scooping out the soil and straw because I realized it was just too much to keep up with.
Secure tulle to the top of the box for air flow and to keep the caterpillar inside the box. As long as there’s food in the box (such as fennel or parsley), the caterpillar will stay put.
But once the caterpillar is done eating and ready to form into a chrysalis, it will start to “wander” in the box. This is when it is looking for a safe place to change into a chrysalis.
This is also why we added the butterfly biome to the box for the caterpillar.
The chrysalis stage is very fascinating. Once the caterpillar turns into a chrysalis, you can actually see the outline of its body on the chrysalis.
I’ll share updates on our swallowtail caterpillar as it continues to grow!
And the temps were a little cooler with a nice breeze.
We’ve been able to get out and enjoy the park again.
I just love visiting parks tucked away in neighborhoods near our house. The neighborhood parks feature a playground with paved walking paths good for walking and riding bikes or even skating.
One of my favorite features is how the walking paths go around the playground making it easier for us to keep an eye on the kids while we walk.
It feels good to see people out jogging, walking, riding bikes, and playing at the playground again.
Last week’s thick smoke made everything look like a ghost town because no one was out walking in the neighborhood or at the parks. Traffic was even lighter than usual.
I know the kids are thrilled to be back at the playground.
They’ve had the best time going to the park three days in a row. They asked me if we can go everyday. Lol 😅
Travis and I enjoy walking together while the kids play at the playground, so I think we just might make evening walks part of our nightly routine! ☺️
We have an unexpected visitor living in our patio garden—a Robin chick! 🐣
Apparently, the baby Robin landed on our herb shelf after a storm knocked it’s nest out of the tree onto our patio. 🥺
Every morning, I open the curtains to my patio door, and I scan the back garden to make sure all is well with the plants and no critters (i.e. pesky squirrels) got into the grow bags.
The squirrels love to tear up my marigolds sometimes. 😏 Just the other day, a squirrel dug into one of my strawberry bags and pulled out the entire plant. 🍓😭
As I was looking over the patio garden, I noticed on the herb shelf a little head peeking out of my petunia flower pot.
“Well, you weren’t there last night!” I said aloud to the baby bird through the screen door. 🐣☺️
That’s when I noticed the nest tipped over on its side on the shelf, and I immediately understood what had happened.
What I didn’t know, though, was how the chick got into the flower pot. Did it by chance literally fall into the pot, or did the mama bird gently move it to the flower pot?
My next question was, does the mama bird know the chick is here? Did she abandon it?
So, I stood back from the patio door and waited patiently to see if a Robin would show up. Within about 20 minutes, the mama bird swooped into the garden and landed onto the petunia flower pot.
Excitedly, the chick perked up and started chirping. It stretched it’s neck up and opened it’s beak wide.
Mama bird plopped a wiggly worm into the chick’s beak, and then flew off.
Whew!Well, that’s a relief, I thought to myself.
I really didn’t want to become an adopted bird mom 😅🐣, but I would have definitely figured something out if the chick needed help.
We did check the ground to see if there were any other chicks. Unfortunately, there was a second baby bird, and it didn’t survive the fall. 😥
So, now we have a baby Robin living in my petunia flower pot on the herb shelf! Hopefully, the bird does okay in the pot. 🐣
A trip to the local greenhouse turned into a math discovery as my five year old excitedly ran over to the flower baskets and exclaimed, “Look, Mommy! Patterns!”
Zaya has been learning about patterns in math, so she was amazed to find beautiful patterns on all of the flower petals.
For our homeschool math, we use Math with Confidence and living math books we check out from the public library.
Zaya’s discovery got the attention of her big brother, and soon they were both checking each flower basket to see how many more patterns they could find.
It brought me so much joy to see the kids make a connection between math and nature. 😊🌻
Today, the kids took a homeschool nature science class on maple sugaring.
I was so excited I was able to get them registered for this class because last year’s spots filled up fast. It was a wonderful hands-on learning experience for the kids! 😊
Here are a few moments from today’s homeschool maple sugaring class.
The naturalist instructors walked the kids through the science behind how trees work, starting with photosynthesis and how trees use sunlight to make the sugars that eventually become sap.
I loved that the instructors also talked about the history of maple sugaring, tracing its roots from Indigenous traditions to its adoption by colonial settlers.
Zaya and I spotted a little snake while on the nature hike. She wasn’t afraid of it at all. She thought it was “so cute and cool.” 😄
The kids learned how tree sap is turned into syrup and used for some foods (like pancakes!), and that not all trees produce the kind of sap that can be turned into syrup.
The kids also learned how to identify different types of trees such as birch, maple, and oak trees.
They enjoyed collecting maple leaves while on our nature hike, and we brought a few leaves home with us. I’m going to add them to our homeschool scrapbook.
The class ended with a sweet treat for the kiddos—ice cream with maple syrup on top! 😋
The kids had so much at this maple sugaring class! We’re going to be spending the next few weeks learning more about trees.
Inspired by the class, I’ve started putting together a tree-themed unit study.
I already checked out a stack of books from the library about trees, and we plan to add in some nature drawing, nature hikes to observe different trees, and a few forest-school-style activities so the kids can learn directly from the outdoors.
I bought new seeds for my patio birds, as I like to call them. This time I wanted to try a “no mess” seed mix because the squirrels have made such a mess on the patio with empty peanut and sunflower seed shells.
Also, the other day I discovered the birds don’t care much for wheat in their seed mix. When I upgraded the bird seeds to a higher-quality mix, they just left the wheat in the feeders. 😲 I also found quite a bit of wheat on the ground. These birds are fancy now! 🐦😂
Mourning Doves, Juncos, and Sparrows eating seeds during a snow storm.
This afternoon, Travis and I started clearing out some of the shells and wheat. I told him we should get started as soon as the snow starts melting. I don’t want any mold or pest issues.
Although, the squirrel getting into our basement is unrelated to the bird feeder. We’ve always had squirrels climbing our tree and scurrying across the patio fence.
The Starlings have discovered my winter bird feeders.
In January, we had a snow storm every week. This made cleaning the empty seed shells really challenging.
Trust me—I tried! Lol 😆
The below freezing temps caused the shells to freeze. The shells were basically just blocks of seeded ice cubes. 😲
But I have been diligent about regularly emptying the bird feeder trays. So, at least there’s that.
We’re going to keep working on cleaning up the patio each day as the ice and snow continue to melt.
A Blue Jay picking up a shelled-peanut.
BTW—this is my first time having winter bird feeders. I have loved feeding the birds so much! I get excited when I discover a new bird species has found my bird feeders.
Within the last two weeks, Cardinals, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Starlings have joined the bird patio cafè.
And guess what?
I can now identify six types of birds when they are calling out a distance away. I think it’s safe to say I’m a backyard birder now. 😆😂🐦
💜 XO
P.S.— I’d love to know any tips on bird feeding if you know some! 🐦💗
It sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it? A bomb cyclone?
But today I learned something new from the AP: a bomb cyclone is a winter storm that intensifies really fast.
And apparently, I just so happen to live in a region that is susceptible to bomb cyclones in the wintertime.
Of course, I do!
Just a few winters ago, we were hit with a Polar Vortex — something i had never heard of before until moving to the Midwest. 😂
A mourning dove waiting for me to fill the bird feeder. 😄
🐦 The Bomb Cyclone Didn’t Stop the Birds from Eating!
I was actually surprised to find some birds at the patio bird feeders this morning. The bomb cyclone didn’t stop the birds from showing up for their seeds. 🐦😄
Except for the blue jays — I notice when the weather gets bad like this, I don’t hear or see the blue jays until the weather is much calmer.
Thankfully, our house blocks most of the wind on the back patio, so the other birds (juncos, mourning doves, and sparrows) can find some refuge at the bird feeders.
One of the bird feeders on my patio.
🤒 Poor Little Zaya is Sick
Zaya (5) is sick with a bad cold. So, we’ve been focusing on healing and resting today with A LOT of Peppa the Pig binge-watching. 🐷
I think she caught her cold from E (25, big brother). He’s been sick with a cold for almost a week now.
Unfortunately, because his job is so strict about attendance (even with a doctor’s note! 🫤), he hasn’t been able to take a sick day. He could honestly use about 2 or 3 days off from work to fully recover.
Zaya snuggling up with Stitch. She has been sick with a bad cold.
🤕 We Need Better Sick Care Practices in our Workforce
I wish the American workforce had better policies in place to protect workers who need time off when they are sick.
I mean, wasn’t it not too long ago we had a global pandemic that taught us we need to have better sick care practices in place? 😐🤷🏽♀️
But what do I know?
A health alert from my weather app today.
🚗 Traveling Across the Border, in a Bomb Cyclone for Makeup
Despite the crazy weather, I did manage to complete one out-of-the-house errand today.
I stopped by Ulta to exchange my bareMinerals foundation (that I bought a couple of days ago) for a lighter shade. I accidentally bought a shade that wasn’t the right color for my skin tone.
I’ve been wearing bareMinerals powder foundation for years now. It’s great for sensitive skin!
While I was looking for the shade I needed, I overheard a woman say she has to “come across the border” just to buy her bareMinerals makeup.
She said she lives in Canada, and the store she frequents no longer sells bareMinerals.
I was amazed to learn that not only does a Canadian store no longer sell bareMinerals (maybe because of the tariffs?), but someone else like me was out braving the winter storm to get her makeup, even traveling to another country for it! 😆
Sunshine, rain, hail, sleet — or even in a bomb cyclone — we will get our makeup! 🙌🏾🤭😄
“…in the shadow of your wings I take refuge, until the storms pass by.” Psalm 57:1
All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!
The dryer stopped working yesterday, but I didn’t find out about it until this afternoon. 😐
E (25) let me know he tried drying a load of laundry yesterday, but when he returned later on for his clothes, the clothes were still wet.
So, I wasn’t able to do much laundry today. I only washed a small load of cleaning towels, which I had to hang dry in the basement.
I’ll have to put a work order in for the dryer on Monday.
I think this is the third time this year the dryer has had an issue. 😐
🛍 Running a Couple of Errands
The weather was cold, cloudy, and a little wet today. Dreary weather makes me feel like taking a nap, so I made today another chill day.
Zaya (5) went with me to run a couple of errands at Target and Meijer.
At Meijer, we bought a big bag of shelled peanuts for the blue jays (and pesky squirrels) I love feeding.
Checking out the crafts aisle at Target.
Zaya ringing up our items at Target. 😊
🐦 Blue Jays and Sneaky Squirrels
Around midday, I was in my room watching TV, and I could hear a blue jay loudly calling out.
I looked out the window, and I saw a jay perched on a branch in the tree on my patio just looking at my window.
One of the blue jays who regularly visits the bird feeders in my patio garden.
I get about three jays who show up for peanuts. Whenever there aren’t any peanuts out, they loudly call out until I open the door and toss out some peanuts for them. Clever birds!
I don’t particularly love feeding the squirrels, though. They just show up as they please and snatch as many peanuts as they can before the blue jays get to them. 😒
It amazes me I spend money to feed birds that aren’t even my pets. 😐😂
👸🏻 Watching Victoria with Chocolate Chai Tea and Chocolates
Back at home, I made a cozy brunch for the kids and I. Then, I watched three episodes of the first season of Victoria, the Masterpiece Theatre series (2016 – 2019).
I LOVE historical dramas, and I especially love Masterpiece Theatre! I’m thinking about getting a subscription to PBS Passport so I can watch all the Masterpiece Theatre shows to my heart’s desire. 😍😄
While watching the show, I sipped my favorite Chocolate Chai tea and munched on decadent milk chocolate almond bars.
Travis got me a small box of these chocolates for Christmas. Kinda pricey, but totally worth it!
Sanders chocolates are divine!
🧒🏽 Five Challenges to Complete, According to an Eight Year Old
Zephaniah (8) said the cutest thing today. He said, “Mom, I have five things I have to do today before I play Minecraft Dungeons.” (That’s the new video game the kids got for Christmas.)
He said he needed to make his bed, get dressed, have some M&Ms 😆, clean under and around his bed, and brush his teeth.
I got the kids M&M Minis as part of their Christmas stocking treats. 😊
“They’re each my separate challenges,” Zephaniah told me.
I’m happy to report he completed all five challenges in under 30 minutes. 😁
“Teach us to count our days aright,that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Psalm 90:12
All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!
