Raising Butterflies

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are of my nephew, Brad, and his Dad, Tommy, participating in the Food Challenge we had in Survivor - Easter Island... and winning!

SURVIVOR - EASTER ISLAND - Well, the Martins were down one challenge with the Obstacle Course victory, but we all knew the Food Challenge was going to be tough for the Faulkners. One person from each team had to sit out because there were only three dishes. Austin immediately offered to remove himself from this particular challenge. He was fast, and called it before the other three had a chance.

Josh found himself pitted against Brad and sat down to a covered plate. "I'm not eating eyeballs," he said.

"Josh. I don't even know where to buy eyeballs, much less how to prepare them," I assured him.

"I'm not eating fish guts either." You can tell we've been watching Survivor for a very long time.

"Well, that's good to know. I'll feel so much better about sending you off to college in a couple of years knowing you won't succumb to those temptations."

Beverly counted to three and Brad and Josh removed the covering from the plates. Brad didn't even hesitate. He started shoveling bright orange "stuff" into his mouth. "What is this? What is this?" Josh began to yell.

"It's carrots from a blender, Josh. That's all." I told him. Brad was halfway finished.

Josh put a spoonful in his mouth... and immediately began to gag. "Oh, my gosh. This is horrible. What did you put in this?"

"Nothing. It is a clean carrot I put in a blender and chopped up. That's all."

Josh put his spoon on the table. "I'm done. No one should be expected to eat this. It's not possible."

"IT'S... JUST... A... CARROT!"

By this time, Brad had two more spoonfuls left on his plate. "Could I have some salt, please?"

"No! This is a Survivor Food Challenge. You're lucky I couldn't find the eyeballs!"

Brad finished his blended carrots, and it was time for the second round. (Did I mention this challenge was the best two out of three?)

Tommy sat down, and to be honest, I don't want to even mention the name of the Faulkner who bailed on this one. Beverly counted to three and Tommy and the unnamed Faulkner uncovered the dish... one baked parsnip (salted AND peppered).

"What is that? Is it a rotten carrot? How do you expect me to put this in my mouth? Are you trying to poison us." You can guess who was speaking at this point in the story. I'm too ashamed to tell you.

Tommy shoved the whole parsnip in his mouth, and was done in a matter of seconds. We never got to the third dish. (By the way, the third dish consisted of half a chocolate Easter bunny, two peeps and 15 jelly beans. Back in the day, I could have inhaled that plate in 10.5 seconds.)

At this point in Survivor - Easter Island the score was tied... Martins - 1; Faulkners - 1. But there were three challenges left. Come back tomorrow for one of the favorites... the Fire Challenge!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! - I'm always trying to think of new ways to make A Simple Life more interesting, and as I've always clarified, most of my ideas come from other blogs, magazine articles, etc.

I've decided to try something I've seen in a few other places. I'll be having a Question and Answer post Monday, May 3. You can post a question by e-mailing me or leaving it in the Comment Section of the blog any time between now and May 3. The questions can be about information from old posts (where to find something, etc.), why I continue to call myself The Enchanting Belinda (when I am not "enchanting"), or anything else you might be wondering.

This may not work, but you never know unless you try. Right? We'll have to wait and see!

Wednesday Wisdom - I'm still in a "24" state of mind, so today's wisdom comes from Jack Bauer, CTU Agent Extraordinaire!

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, then it'll just be a question of how much you want it to hurt." (I recall saying this exact phrase to the kids when they were little, but it works so much better for Jack.)

"The only reason that you're conscious right now is because I don't want to carry you." (Yep. I used that one, too.)

"I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life." (Hmmm. Is it just me, or is Jack getting his good quotes from all the Moms out there?)

Raising Butterflies

When the kids were small, a second grade teacher friend gave us a caterpillar which was already in the cocoon. She told us to place it on a curtain or drape. As the days passed, we watched and waited. I remember the day we came downstairs and there was a beautiful butterfly in our living room. It was so much fun.

Now you can raise butterflies every year with kits you buy on the Internet. This would be a fun AND educational activity to share with your children each year. The website I'm going to share has the entire kit available for $24.95, but if you are crafty and smart, you can make your own butterfly cage with things you have in your house. This drops the price to $14.95 for five caterpillars, food and instructions. If you choose to buy the butterfly cage, it would be a one-time purchase. Check the information and see if this is something you and your little ones would enjoy doing each year.

Go to www.thebutterflysite.com/activities.shtml. Click on Fun Butterfly Activities for all the information you need to purchase the kit and raise your own butterflies.

Have a fantastic Wednesday. Thursday I'll have pictures from the Fire Challenge, a fun date for you and yours, Blog Linkage, and a little this and that.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda