Was inviting Stephen Colbert to speak before a House panel on migrant farming a mistake? Probably. Does it make a mockery of the whole system? Yeah, I guess it does on some level.

But, really? He's hilarious. Here's my fave fave favorite quote---although it was hard to choose.

"This is America.I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

So, let me get this straight.

In no way should I "interfere" with a buoy, and I should NEVER molest a lobster trap. Okay. But it would probably be okay to molest the actual lobster? Or, wait...can I molest a lobster fisherman?

What about the TRAPPING of the lobster fisherman? I could do that, right?

Mmm...decisions, decisions...

Look! WE MADE BUTTERFLIES!! Oh yes, we did.



All FIVE cocoons made it, and we now have 1-2-3-4-5 butterflies flying around in there! This may not seem like a big deal, but this is not even sorta the kind of thing I usually have success with. They are so cute, and they love their oranges & sugar water. We'll be letting them go next week, but for now it's so cool to watch them chill out in there.

But here's the thing.

This.




Yeah, ummmm...that. No one--NO ONE--told me that anything other than a beautiful butterfly was going to come out of those cocoons. No one mentioned the ewwwww. I guess I just thought that they just kinda broke out, unfurled, and took off? Dude. Google tells me it's meconium, but Google lies.

That there? That's a bloody mess. You had to know I'd share it, right?! The kids' "awww"'s were quickly replaced with "ewwww"'s when they saw it all. Sydney was very offended by the whole thing, as was I---considering that I had a mouth full of cereal when I first saw it.

We are gonna put this down as a one time experience, because that nastiness is never going to get cleaned enough for us to keep that tent. It's smeared down the sides, man!

My supermom status is safe...after all, I did prove to the kids that we could turn caterpillars into butterflies. All set. Cute, yeah?!

Butterflies! from Jennifer Farris on Vimeo.

My favorite things about Colin, #164:

When he answers the phone at home and I hear the person who called say, "What are you doing, Colin?". He will---without fail---answer, "umm, answering the phone?".

My favorite things about Sydney, #132:

When she brings her American Girl Doll in the car, she ALWAYS makes Felicity's arms & legs do The Robot along with the song on the radio. It's hilarious every time.

Well, here goes! This is our butterfly habitat!



We started with seven caterpillars (I'm so bummed that both of the kids are to old to have called them caller-pitters, I'm not gonna lie). We then watched them eat, crap, spin their silk, crawl up & cocoon themselves. The pooping was a highlight, of course. They really did form the coolest cocoons--they're kinda iridescent. Only five of them made it as far as the habitat. We've got 4 that attached like they were told to the little round of cotton. And then we had one like Sydney. That one said, "actually, I'll lay right here & keep you guessing, and I may or may not feel like doing any more work at all". He's currently on the floor on a paper towel.



Best case scenario? We get to see 5 beautiful painted butterflies emerge from their cocoons, sip our sweet nectar water, and then be released from our loving hands into the bright blue sky. Worst case scenario? We have 5 shriveled cocoon turds that become nothing, 2 disappointed kids, and are now owners of a useless butterfly habitat tent.

Stay tuned!!