Can you see the others hanging there just waiting to come out? I can't wait until the kids see in the morning!
Showing posts with label Monarch Watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monarch Watch. Show all posts
Friday, August 15, 2008
I Was Heading To Bed...
and I decided to check on the monarchs. I found this...
Can you see the others hanging there just waiting to come out? I can't wait until the kids see in the morning!
Can you see the others hanging there just waiting to come out? I can't wait until the kids see in the morning!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Wednesday Rambling
*Update* I got a voice mail from Daniel's teacher wanting to have a conference on Monday. Crap.
Jacob came home from school on Monday and was all upset because he had to miss recess to finish some work for the librarian. Tuesday, he came home and told me that he missed 10 minutes of recess but that it wasn't his teacher's fault...he still couldn't find one word in the dictionary and that's what is keeping him from finishing his work. I asked him what word he couldn't find and he told me it was the word, "wagon." I told him that we'd look it up when we got home and he said that he needs the page number in the dictionary in the library. I told him that at least he'd know what words are around it. He liked that idea.
About 15 minutes after we came home from school, the phone rings. It's Ms. P, Jacob's teacher. She explains to me that Jacob had a total meltdown and she couldn't figure out how to help him. Has he exhibited this behavior before? Oh, yes. We chatted for a while and she told me that she'd help him look for the word, "wagon," in the dictionary today. I tell her that he told me nothing of the meltdown but she must have handled it well because he was completely understanding of why he had to miss recess. Unfortunately, we're still working on just how to deal with frustration and how to ask for help when he needs it. Her words, "having an over-achiever is nice most of the time, as they are typically the leaders of the class, but they are notorious for being too hard on themselves." Huh.
Daniel brought a letter home from the principal saying that he'll be getting math intervention. What? Umm...okay. Math is Daniel's strongest subject but if you think he needs help...more power to ya. So, he's now in reading and math intervention. Reading I can see...math, not so much. Personally, I think Daniel just likes all of the extra attention and that's fine with me. If they want to give him personalized tutoring, go for it.
Last night, we had a conference with Master Johnson, the boys' TKD instructor. We weren't surprised about what he said about Jacob (good memory, good strength, need to build his confidence level) but we were shocked about what he said about Daniel: good attitude, good focus...but we need to work on speed, balance and flexibility (the last part wasn't much of a shock). He wants both boys to do their form for the TKD championships in three weeks. He sees it as a good confidence builder for Jacob and good practice for Daniel. Since the boys are competing, Mike decided to compete in the sparring competition (we're not putting the boys in sparring). It should be an interesting day. Probably a lot like testing...only with trophies.
Monarchs have officially arrived. I saw (no kidding) 20 on the way to and from dropping the boys off at school and there have been 3-4 in the garden at any given point in time. It's pretty cool.
Jacob came home from school on Monday and was all upset because he had to miss recess to finish some work for the librarian. Tuesday, he came home and told me that he missed 10 minutes of recess but that it wasn't his teacher's fault...he still couldn't find one word in the dictionary and that's what is keeping him from finishing his work. I asked him what word he couldn't find and he told me it was the word, "wagon." I told him that we'd look it up when we got home and he said that he needs the page number in the dictionary in the library. I told him that at least he'd know what words are around it. He liked that idea.
About 15 minutes after we came home from school, the phone rings. It's Ms. P, Jacob's teacher. She explains to me that Jacob had a total meltdown and she couldn't figure out how to help him. Has he exhibited this behavior before? Oh, yes. We chatted for a while and she told me that she'd help him look for the word, "wagon," in the dictionary today. I tell her that he told me nothing of the meltdown but she must have handled it well because he was completely understanding of why he had to miss recess. Unfortunately, we're still working on just how to deal with frustration and how to ask for help when he needs it. Her words, "having an over-achiever is nice most of the time, as they are typically the leaders of the class, but they are notorious for being too hard on themselves." Huh.
Daniel brought a letter home from the principal saying that he'll be getting math intervention. What? Umm...okay. Math is Daniel's strongest subject but if you think he needs help...more power to ya. So, he's now in reading and math intervention. Reading I can see...math, not so much. Personally, I think Daniel just likes all of the extra attention and that's fine with me. If they want to give him personalized tutoring, go for it.
Last night, we had a conference with Master Johnson, the boys' TKD instructor. We weren't surprised about what he said about Jacob (good memory, good strength, need to build his confidence level) but we were shocked about what he said about Daniel: good attitude, good focus...but we need to work on speed, balance and flexibility (the last part wasn't much of a shock). He wants both boys to do their form for the TKD championships in three weeks. He sees it as a good confidence builder for Jacob and good practice for Daniel. Since the boys are competing, Mike decided to compete in the sparring competition (we're not putting the boys in sparring). It should be an interesting day. Probably a lot like testing...only with trophies.
Monarchs have officially arrived. I saw (no kidding) 20 on the way to and from dropping the boys off at school and there have been 3-4 in the garden at any given point in time. It's pretty cool.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monarchs Do Visit!
I was finally able to get a picture of a monarch in our yard! They let you walk right up to them and don't really care. He hung out in the flowers for a little while after I took these. He's a beauty! You can tell it's a male by the two black dots on his wings (see second picture).
The black dots are on the bottom portion of his wings. Also, the lines on his wings are thin which also is indicative of males.
The black dots are on the bottom portion of his wings. Also, the lines on his wings are thin which also is indicative of males. 
Saturday, August 25, 2007
A Sense of Accomplishment
I'm actually amazed at just how productive I am with the kids in school. I don't know why I don't get much done with the boys here, but it seems that nothing gets done with them here. Like yesterday...
I dropped the boys off at school and came home. I got laundry in the washer and began cleaning up. By noon, I had 2 loads done and put away, the first and second floors cleaned, vacuumed and mopped and was on my way to the grocery store. By 3pm, I had a load of towels done, groceries put away, a cake baked and frosted and the day's dishes washed.
There was a monarch fluttering around in my flowers yesterday. He was out there for a good 20 minutes and Hannah and I had a great time watching. No eggs or caterpillars yet, but there is still time.
Our hummingbird is still hanging around. He was mad at me yesterday for changing out the stuff in the feeder. He hovered where the feeder normally is until I came back out and then buzzed me a couple of times. LOL!
I dropped the boys off at school and came home. I got laundry in the washer and began cleaning up. By noon, I had 2 loads done and put away, the first and second floors cleaned, vacuumed and mopped and was on my way to the grocery store. By 3pm, I had a load of towels done, groceries put away, a cake baked and frosted and the day's dishes washed.
There was a monarch fluttering around in my flowers yesterday. He was out there for a good 20 minutes and Hannah and I had a great time watching. No eggs or caterpillars yet, but there is still time.
Our hummingbird is still hanging around. He was mad at me yesterday for changing out the stuff in the feeder. He hovered where the feeder normally is until I came back out and then buzzed me a couple of times. LOL!
Friday, August 17, 2007
What A Day
Boy, am I tired. I actually got a lot done today with the kids in school. First, let me update on the first day of school.
I go to pick up the boys and run into my whole neighborhood. I was able to dispense wisdom gained from a previous year of picking up kids in the afternoon (for example, why do the cars wait outside of the circle instead of pulling all of the way up? Answer: because the preschoolers get out 10 minutes before the rest of the school and their parents have priority parking before 3:35, except on Friday...no preschool on Friday.) I also ran into Zephan's mom...he's just as upset about not being in Jacob's class as Jacob was. According to her, Zephan read the class list 5 times looking for Jacob's name. When he finally gave up, he looked at his mom and said, "Just great. Another year without Jacob in my class." We're going to try to get them together this weekend.
Daniel was the first to appear after school was over yesterday. He looked tired but was smiling. He said that he'd had fun but his eyes were stinging. I asked him if he had seen the reading specialist and he said no. I asked again, "are you sure you didn't see the reading specialist?" He rolled his eyes and said no. I tried a different phrasing, "did you see Mrs. L today?" "Oh yeah! She asked me where all of my teeth went!" He has no idea what a reading specialist is. He just knows who she is! LOL!
Jacob came out, angry that he only gets one recess this year. He was pretty happy about being told to bring a snack to school. "She's to only teacher that has snack-time!" He was so hoping that she was the one.
So, this morning I drop the kids off at school (I just knew that Mr. L, the principal, would be the one to let them out of the car which is why I spent a good deal of time cleaning the car out yesterday. My van's usually a train wreck.) Hannah and I went to pick up some cleaning supplies and we headed home to clean. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned (I've neglected the house a bit this summer). After about 5 hours of cleaning, I was exhausted. BUT, the first floor looks awesome. There are one or two clutter spots, but I don't know what I would do if we ever got rid of all of them completely. I was actually on my hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor. I went through a couple of cabinets and organized them. I even wiped down the cabinet doors and the kitchen walls. Hannah was so cute, following me around with her little vacuum. She tells me that she loves to vacuum. I wonder how old she needs to be to actually vacuum. I know that Jacob can, and does a good job. Daniel likes to chase people with it. LOL!
This afternoon, I went to pick the boys up. Hannah and I are waiting in the lobby when I see Jacob's 2nd grade teacher walk by with her new class. She stops to say hi and continues with her class. Then, Daniel's teacher from last year comes by and does the same thing. I then spot Daniel walking down the hallway, his teacher a few steps ahead. He stops, looks at me and yells, "I'm supposed to ride the bus!" I look at him and say, "No, you don't ride the bus." Mrs. H, his teacher, comes over and explains to me that Daniel was so insistent that he rides the bus, she took him out to talk to the bus driver, who reassured her that he does not (I had to fill out a form the other night that said that Daniel travels to and from school by car and she thought that maybe I'd circled the wrong thing). I think Daniel's going to give Mrs. H a run for her money!
Jacob can't stop talking about the new Spanish teacher. He and Daniel think it's hilarious that she only speaks Spanish while they are in class. I told him that that's the best way to learn it. If you want to understand her, you have to learn to speak it. Jacob then tells me a story about how the only time he understood her today was when she stopped to yell (in English) at another student for bending some cards.
On a non-school related note, we've seen some very cool butterflies in the yard lately. A monarch here and there, but there are a lot of others that have been feasting at the flowers. There was a beautiful swallowtail that was huge a couple of days ago and, today, I saw one that I haven't tried to identify yet. It hopped from flower to flower for most of the morning. Also, our hummingbird has returned. Actually, I don't know if it's the same one as earlier this year, but he's been seen every day this week. He seems to go back and forth between the feeder and the flowers. We seem to be in a very active nature season right now, and it's fun to watch!
I go to pick up the boys and run into my whole neighborhood. I was able to dispense wisdom gained from a previous year of picking up kids in the afternoon (for example, why do the cars wait outside of the circle instead of pulling all of the way up? Answer: because the preschoolers get out 10 minutes before the rest of the school and their parents have priority parking before 3:35, except on Friday...no preschool on Friday.) I also ran into Zephan's mom...he's just as upset about not being in Jacob's class as Jacob was. According to her, Zephan read the class list 5 times looking for Jacob's name. When he finally gave up, he looked at his mom and said, "Just great. Another year without Jacob in my class." We're going to try to get them together this weekend.
Daniel was the first to appear after school was over yesterday. He looked tired but was smiling. He said that he'd had fun but his eyes were stinging. I asked him if he had seen the reading specialist and he said no. I asked again, "are you sure you didn't see the reading specialist?" He rolled his eyes and said no. I tried a different phrasing, "did you see Mrs. L today?" "Oh yeah! She asked me where all of my teeth went!" He has no idea what a reading specialist is. He just knows who she is! LOL!
Jacob came out, angry that he only gets one recess this year. He was pretty happy about being told to bring a snack to school. "She's to only teacher that has snack-time!" He was so hoping that she was the one.
So, this morning I drop the kids off at school (I just knew that Mr. L, the principal, would be the one to let them out of the car which is why I spent a good deal of time cleaning the car out yesterday. My van's usually a train wreck.) Hannah and I went to pick up some cleaning supplies and we headed home to clean. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned (I've neglected the house a bit this summer). After about 5 hours of cleaning, I was exhausted. BUT, the first floor looks awesome. There are one or two clutter spots, but I don't know what I would do if we ever got rid of all of them completely. I was actually on my hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor. I went through a couple of cabinets and organized them. I even wiped down the cabinet doors and the kitchen walls. Hannah was so cute, following me around with her little vacuum. She tells me that she loves to vacuum. I wonder how old she needs to be to actually vacuum. I know that Jacob can, and does a good job. Daniel likes to chase people with it. LOL!
This afternoon, I went to pick the boys up. Hannah and I are waiting in the lobby when I see Jacob's 2nd grade teacher walk by with her new class. She stops to say hi and continues with her class. Then, Daniel's teacher from last year comes by and does the same thing. I then spot Daniel walking down the hallway, his teacher a few steps ahead. He stops, looks at me and yells, "I'm supposed to ride the bus!" I look at him and say, "No, you don't ride the bus." Mrs. H, his teacher, comes over and explains to me that Daniel was so insistent that he rides the bus, she took him out to talk to the bus driver, who reassured her that he does not (I had to fill out a form the other night that said that Daniel travels to and from school by car and she thought that maybe I'd circled the wrong thing). I think Daniel's going to give Mrs. H a run for her money!
Jacob can't stop talking about the new Spanish teacher. He and Daniel think it's hilarious that she only speaks Spanish while they are in class. I told him that that's the best way to learn it. If you want to understand her, you have to learn to speak it. Jacob then tells me a story about how the only time he understood her today was when she stopped to yell (in English) at another student for bending some cards.
On a non-school related note, we've seen some very cool butterflies in the yard lately. A monarch here and there, but there are a lot of others that have been feasting at the flowers. There was a beautiful swallowtail that was huge a couple of days ago and, today, I saw one that I haven't tried to identify yet. It hopped from flower to flower for most of the morning. Also, our hummingbird has returned. Actually, I don't know if it's the same one as earlier this year, but he's been seen every day this week. He seems to go back and forth between the feeder and the flowers. We seem to be in a very active nature season right now, and it's fun to watch!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Buzzed By A Butterfly
I was dead heading some flowers this afternoon when I was buzzed by a monarch! He went right by my head and then circled me a few times. I wonder if he thought I was a flower! LOL! He (or she, I couldn't get a close enough look) was huge! I don't know if it's the same one that's been flying around or if it's a different one but it was so awesome! I hope this is just the beginning!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Happy August!
We got our official sign yesterday. We don't have a way to put it up yet, so it sits on the front porch. We'll stake it into the garden soon.
We've been seeing more and more monarchs around lately. I haven't seen any in the yard since the other night when Dad was here but we saw at least five on our way to Tae Kwon Do last night and 4 on the way back. That was pretty cool. I'm hoping that they find the milkweed in the yard and decide to lay some eggs.
For the first time in 5 years, Mike and I have all the proper stuff for the cars. Both cars have Kansas plates, we both have our Kansas driver's licenses and both cars have Kansas insurance. The only thing that kept us from having all of that in Iowa was that Mike's car had Illinois plates. We had the plates and insurance in Virginia but no driver's licenses (licensed in Iowa). My poor van has been plated in 4 states, where Mike's has only been plated in 3. LOL! We've got quite a collection of plates going.
It's so funny how quickly I got used to NOT hearing the tornado sirens going off (Virginia didn't have tornado sirens). There's only been one time, since we've been here, that they've gone off for a tornado warning but I'm thrown every time the first Wednesday of the month rolls around. Does Illinois still do it on the first Tuesday, or am I remembering that wrong? If I remember right, Iowa did theirs on the first Wednesday, too.
This morning, Jacob and I were talking about how, when I was in high school, I dissected a cat. He asked me how. I picked up Guillermo and kind of showed him how we took the skin off (obviously, I didn't actually do it) when I noticed just how white his whiskers are getting. At some point, I called him an old fart, which literally sent Jacob into a laughing fit for almost an hour. Apparently, he'd never heard that phrase before. LOL!
We've been seeing more and more monarchs around lately. I haven't seen any in the yard since the other night when Dad was here but we saw at least five on our way to Tae Kwon Do last night and 4 on the way back. That was pretty cool. I'm hoping that they find the milkweed in the yard and decide to lay some eggs.
For the first time in 5 years, Mike and I have all the proper stuff for the cars. Both cars have Kansas plates, we both have our Kansas driver's licenses and both cars have Kansas insurance. The only thing that kept us from having all of that in Iowa was that Mike's car had Illinois plates. We had the plates and insurance in Virginia but no driver's licenses (licensed in Iowa). My poor van has been plated in 4 states, where Mike's has only been plated in 3. LOL! We've got quite a collection of plates going.
It's so funny how quickly I got used to NOT hearing the tornado sirens going off (Virginia didn't have tornado sirens). There's only been one time, since we've been here, that they've gone off for a tornado warning but I'm thrown every time the first Wednesday of the month rolls around. Does Illinois still do it on the first Tuesday, or am I remembering that wrong? If I remember right, Iowa did theirs on the first Wednesday, too.
This morning, Jacob and I were talking about how, when I was in high school, I dissected a cat. He asked me how. I picked up Guillermo and kind of showed him how we took the skin off (obviously, I didn't actually do it) when I noticed just how white his whiskers are getting. At some point, I called him an old fart, which literally sent Jacob into a laughing fit for almost an hour. Apparently, he'd never heard that phrase before. LOL!
Friday, July 27, 2007
First One!!!
I just had to blog about how we've spotted our very first Monarch!!! My neighbor across the street (I used to think she was a crazy cat lady but I don't think she is) told me last night that she's excited about seeing monarchs and will be keeping a lookout for them. I'm just so excited!!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monarch Waystation!!!
I was crazy jealous of Deb and her monarch caterpillars. I have everything we need to be certified...except milkweed. Until today! On a whim, we stopped by Lowe's this afternoon and I found milkweed! I bought 16 plants (10 is the registration minimum) and registered to have our yard certified as a Monarch Waystation!
I got this e-mail just a little bit ago:
Dear Barbara,
We are pleased to inform you that your Monarch Waystation application is currently being processed. The milkweed and nectar flower habitat you have created for monarch butterflies will be registered and certified as a Monarch Waystation - congratulations! You will receive your certificate and site ID via mail soon. You are now eligible to purchase an official Monarch Waystation sign - any number of these signs may be ordered for display at your certified site(s). Displaying these signs will educate others and with your help encourage your friends, neighbors, schools, and others to create additional Monarch Waystations. Monarchs need our help! Details about submitting additional materials (photos, complete plant lists, comments, etc.) for your Monarch Waystation record will accompany your certificate
Thank you for your interest in monarch conservation!
Sincerely,
Orley R. "Chip" Taylor
Director,
Monarch Watch Create, Conserve, and Protect Monarch Habitats
How cool is that? And I didn't think we could do it until next year! Yay us!!! I ended up putting the milkweed in the front, since I had pretty significant butterfly host plants there to begin with, so that's the part that's certified. Next season, I'll add that back rectangle to the habitat.
I got this e-mail just a little bit ago:
Dear Barbara,
We are pleased to inform you that your Monarch Waystation application is currently being processed. The milkweed and nectar flower habitat you have created for monarch butterflies will be registered and certified as a Monarch Waystation - congratulations! You will receive your certificate and site ID via mail soon. You are now eligible to purchase an official Monarch Waystation sign - any number of these signs may be ordered for display at your certified site(s). Displaying these signs will educate others and with your help encourage your friends, neighbors, schools, and others to create additional Monarch Waystations. Monarchs need our help! Details about submitting additional materials (photos, complete plant lists, comments, etc.) for your Monarch Waystation record will accompany your certificate
Thank you for your interest in monarch conservation!
Sincerely,
Orley R. "Chip" Taylor
Director,
Monarch Watch Create, Conserve, and Protect Monarch Habitats
How cool is that? And I didn't think we could do it until next year! Yay us!!! I ended up putting the milkweed in the front, since I had pretty significant butterfly host plants there to begin with, so that's the part that's certified. Next season, I'll add that back rectangle to the habitat.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Another Dreary Day
It has been raining here since Wednesday. It's been cold (by late June standards) since yesterday. We're talking upper 60's as highs. Okay, so we got to 71 yesterday, but right now, we're sitting at 63 degrees and it's a little after noon. Since Wednesday, we've gotten 5.5 inches of rain and it's still coming down. I have to admit that I've been having a lot of fun on the weather blog and have even had my name said on the 10 o'clock weather (again!)...which just makes me want to post more over there. It's interesting to see just how different the rain totals can be just down the street from me. Luckily, we're not getting the 10-12 inches that some are getting just south of us. Those people are literally floating away and are being rescued from their homes. I placed my order for mid 80's and sunshine and was told by our weatherman that my request was on backorder. LOL! I hope we dry out soon.
Jacob and I have decided to get our yard certified as a Monarch Waystation. We won't be able to do it this year but are confident that we'll be able to get it next year. There's a lot of planning and work that we need to do but I have no doubt that we'll get it done. Once we get certified, we'll be able to put a sign up in our yard showing our designation. We'll also be listed in the registry and will get a certificate. After we're up and running, we'll start raising monarchs and that's when our real work will begin. But, we're really excited and looking forward to it. Get more info on the program by clicking Monarch Watch. Once you're there, click on the Monarch Waystation Program to learn more. You can live anywhere in the country and participate...not just Kansas. This site also has a lot of great information and you can even get your monarchs from them!
Jacob and I have decided to get our yard certified as a Monarch Waystation. We won't be able to do it this year but are confident that we'll be able to get it next year. There's a lot of planning and work that we need to do but I have no doubt that we'll get it done. Once we get certified, we'll be able to put a sign up in our yard showing our designation. We'll also be listed in the registry and will get a certificate. After we're up and running, we'll start raising monarchs and that's when our real work will begin. But, we're really excited and looking forward to it. Get more info on the program by clicking Monarch Watch. Once you're there, click on the Monarch Waystation Program to learn more. You can live anywhere in the country and participate...not just Kansas. This site also has a lot of great information and you can even get your monarchs from them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)