It took quite a bit of preparation and quite a bit of time, but we did it! We ‘hatched’ a couple of Monarch butterflies at home! Months ago we started by getting seeds for the correct plant that is used by the butterflies. It is the only plant they will lay their eggs on and the only plant the catterpillers will eat. Slowly the plants grew and they even got some flowers. Then suddenly we hit the jackpot. 5 little catterpillers were walking around the leafs. After a couple of days only two remained, but these were growing fast. In about a week the catterpillers were very fat and started to create their cocoon.
Category Archives: My life
Monarch butterfly
It took quite a bit of preparation and quite a bit of time, but we did it! We ‘hatched’ a couple of Monarch butterflies at home! Months ago we started by getting seeds for the correct plant that is used by the butterflies. It is the only plant they will lay their eggs on and the only plant the catterpillers will eat.
Slowly the plants grew and they even got some flowers. Then suddenly we hit the jackpot. 5 little catterpillers were walking around the leafs. After a couple of days only two remained, but these were growing fast. In about a week the catterpillers were very fat and started to create their cocoon.
One year more
Uf, today it is my birthday! I’m getting old. 45 years already. An old fart.
This birthday is in the middle of lots of chaos. A pandemic with viri everywhere. Kids that have been grounded for months. Tickets to the main land that gets cancelled all the time. A strange year! My with for this birthday was simple. A nice family photo that represents the times in which we are living right now. Nice for later.
As an additional cherry on the cake we also received some other good news. Alex finished his school year very well, and today we received this notes. All his notes were 9s or 10s. We are very happy with that. Alan also has some good results. The can add and substract all by himself!
One more week
Only one more week. One more week and we will be able to get out of the house again. After one month of being locked in at home it will be a big event to be able to get out of the house again. Still, it will be little by little, but still better than nothing.
Good cop, bad guy
The cops are dispatched to retrieve a case full of gold, but some bad guy also wants a piece of the action. A shootout is the result, and the bad guy bites the dust. After the cops depart the scene a stray dog checks out the aftermath.
A combination of playmobil toys, the Stop Motion app, some ketchup and lots of patience we made our very first very short film. Enjoy!
Sport – Body Project
What to do when you are locked in your home for a couple of weeks. In the beginning I did very little and this was quickly noted in my weight. I have gained a couple of kilos while doing nothing at home. All the stress caused by two bored kids didn’t help at all in bringing down my weight. Luckily I found a great solution. We have been training for 20 to 40 minutes every day with YouTube and team body project.
Simple exercises and a very motivational trainer who really gives you the idea that every movement you make it a big win. Really great and even the kids like to join in which makes it even better. After the short workout we get short time of quiet and relaxation at home while the kids recover the energy they burned.
Covid-19 update
With a pandemic running around there is a clear need to do something. In Spain all non essential things have been stopper for two weeks already. Last weekend these two weeks have passed and have been extended for a couple of weeks extra. Probably we will have to stay at home for around two months. There is a first time for everything, and this is clearly the first pandemic experience for all of us. A strange situation.
Snail eggs!
Just a couple of days ago Alex and Alan both made a nice cozy habitat for a couple of snails we found outside our home in the mini garden we have. Alex has lots of snails (around 10) and Alan only wanted one, and later added a few more so he had three. For two weeks the kids have been feeding the happy snail cucumber (their favorite), tomato, lettuce.
To avoid damaging the snails whenever that are picked up (as little as possible) the kids wash their hands, to clean any salt and dirt from their hands. After handling the snails they again clean their hands to avoid whatever may occur after touching a snail. They have even cleaned some of the snails a couple of times by holding them gently under slow running lukewarm water. Basically the snails seem to have their own private heaven.
The are happy and it shows. After two weeks both snail farm are already crowded with lots of little snail eggs!
Relationship improvement – Corona
Last month our dinner date fell in the sand. Literally. The fine dust was the topic of the evening and we did not discuss anythings else. This month should have been better, but no, it was even worse. We’re locked in our home and are unable to do anything at all.