The Very Hungry Caterpillar My A**!! Parents Watch Out for these Caterpillars!!!!

There has been a lot of reports lately about the "Puss Caterpillar" around the Florida area but now I just saw on the news that one has stung a toddler in my area and I'm very concerned. As a child I remember me and my cousins touching and picking up caterpillars if we saw one from time to time, not even knowing or being informed that one could possibly sting us, now that I know this I find it necessary to pass this info to other parents who may be unaware of any potential harms that could possibly come to our children from these caterpillars. I found a list of venomous caterpillars on www.poisoncentertampa.org and I thought I would share this with you all.

1. Puss Caterpillar - A convex, stout-bodied larva, almost 1" long when mature, and completely covered with gray to brown hairs. Under the soft hairs are stiff spines that are attached to poison glands. When touched, these poisonous spines break off in the skin and cause severe pain. Most often found on oaks and citrus. In Florida there are two generations a year, one in spring and the other in fall. 
   
2. lo Moth Caterpillar - Pale green with yellow and red stripes. Often exceeds 2" in length and is fairly stout-bodied. The nettling organs are borne on fleshy tubercles, and the spines are usually yellow with black tips. The spines are connected to poison glands. Ixora and rose are their favorite hosts.
   
3. Buck Moth Caterpillar - A large caterpillar, 1-3/4" to 2-1/4" long when mature. It is yellow-brown to purplish-black with many small white spots and a reddish head. Feeds on oak, willow and other deciduous plants.
   
4. Flannel Moth Caterpillar - This caterpillar is about 1" long when mature. Stinging hairs are intermixed with soft hairs in diffuse tufts. Larvae are creamy white (Upper photo), turning dark as they mature (lower photo). They feed on oak and various other shrubs and trees. 
   
5. Hag Caterpillar - Light- to dark-brown with nine pairs (sometimes fewer) of variable-length, lateral processes, which bear the stinging hairs. It is found on various forest trees and ornamental shrubs. Not as common as the other species.
   
6. Saddleback Caterpillar - Brown with a green back and flanks, on which there is a conspicuous brown oval central area that usually is bordered with white. The brown spot looks like a saddle, and the green area looks like a saddle blanket. It may exceed an inch in length and is stout-bodied. The primary nettling hairs are borne on the back of paired fleshy protuberances toward the front and hind ends of the body. There is also a row of smaller stinging organs on each side.
   
7. Spiny Oak-Slug Caterpillar - A pale-green caterpillar about 3/4" long when mature. Favorite food plants include oak, willow and other deciduous plants.
   
8. Tussock Moth Caterpillar - Larvae are 1-1.5 inches in length. They are characterized by hair pencils of black setae that extend forward from the prespiracular verrucae of the prothorax, a dorsal hair pencil of black setae on the eighth abdominal segment, dorsal tussocks on the first four abdominal segments, and mid-dorsal glandular structures on abdominal segments six and seven.
   

 If you or your child sees any of these caterpillars I highly suggest going the other way. If you (The Parent) can safely capture it without touching it that's great! Get it the hell from out your yard! Now if you or your child gets stung by one of these caterpillars, don't panic! 

If Stung: Place Scotch tape over the affected area and strip off repeatedly to remove spines. Apply ice packs to reduce the stinging sensation, and follow with a paste of baking soda and water. If the victim has a history of hay fever, asthma or allergy, if allergic reactions develop,or if you don't have any of the following supplies contact a physician immediately.

The Disgusting Things We Do For Our Kids!

I believe i speak for all moms when i say I've been in some very disgusting situations with my kid. You never even realize until your actually a parent that "Their issues are your issues." I mean obviously that's a given, but the reality of it is really shocking to a first time mother. Ive caught myself doing things that would usually make the average person say YUCK! and i do it like its second nature now. Its part of parenthood, if you don't step up who will?? Okay so what i want to know is am i the only person who does these things:

1. Wipe snot away with your bare hands - Yes if i have a wipe or napkin near me i will use that instead but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. Anit no way I'm going to have my little homie out in the streets with a snotty nose. [Looking like the snotty nose boy from "Martin's" Building] 
   
2. I Examine Poop!!! - Call me the poopie police or whatever but I'm always checking to make  sure everything is looking normal... hehehe
3. Stick your hand in the toilet - Toddlers always seem infatuated with the toilet water, especially mine and they will throw toys, phone, anything inside just to see the water splash. I remember on one occasion i was dumping Baby Alex pee from his potty into the big toilet, well soon as i dumped the pee he dumped my keys and i had to reach in there to grab them since i had already began flushing the toilet before i noticed them... smh 
   
4. Smell Butts - I have definitely been catching myself a lot recently picking up my baby or leaning down and smelling his butt, i don't even notice i do it sometimes. 
   
5. Pick their Nose - If you've been following my blog for awhile, you already know one of my pet peeves with kids are nasty noses. So yes i admit that i will go get my sons boogers out his nose, because he doesn't know how to do it yet... I use napkins.... most of the time hehe
6. Clean their face with your Spit - This is actually a normal thing i think all mothers do, I usually only do that if he has dried up tears on his face or something sticky. 
   
7. Catching that unwanted food into your hands - The first time i actually did this i was so shocked at what had just transpired in the food court of the mall... Half way into chewing his grilled cheese Baby Alex decided he was done and attempted to spit the whole glob of mush onto my food, i nonchalantly put my hand under his mouth and caught the food like it was nothing. it wasn't until then did i realize how gross that was.
8. Picking up Poop off the floor  - Lol i have only had to do this once but it felt like i was cleaning up after a puppy. I'm currently working on teaching my son about the potty, and one day when he went to poop in the potty he missed the whole damn thing and pooped on the floor.

These things may be very disturbing to someone who doesn't have kids, and maybe even disturbing to someone who has 3 kids, but at the end of the day this is me, this is motherhood. Its not always rainbows and sunshine, but as a mother you should be able to deal with these types of things because they can happen any day at anytime without warning. I actually love these little experiences because you go back and laugh, and you learn.

Wednesday Weekly Recipe

 So I'm sitting on my couch, trying to figure out something different to make for dinner last night, when I stumble upon this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas on eatcakefordinner.net,  but the twist was they were made with Stuffed Shells!!! OMG my mouth began watering immediately. I had to share this with you guys!! My husband Proposed again once he tasted this lol...

THIS WEEKS RECIPE IS CHICKEN ENCHILADA SUTFFED SHELLS (FROM EATCAKEFORDINNER.NET)  

 Ingredients

1. 2 cups of Cooked Shredded Chicken (Rotisserie fine)
2. 1 Tablespoon of Taco Seasoning, or to taste
3. 3/4 cup of Sour Cream
4. 1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
5. 2 Tablespoon of Chopped Cilantro, plus mor for garnish
6. 1 Tablespoon of Chopped Green Onions, plus more for garnish
7. 1 Large Tomato, diced
8. 2 cups of Monterey or PepperJack Cheese
9. 18 Jumbo Pasta Shells, cooked

White Enchilada Sauce

1. 3 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
2. 3-4 Tablespoons of Flour
3. 1 (14.5 oz) can of Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
4. 1/3 cup of Green Salsa
5. 1/4 cup of Sour Cream

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, taco seasoning, sour cream, chopped red pepper, 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 Tablespoon chopped green onion, 1/2 of the diced tomato and 1 cup of grated cheese.  Divide filling between the cooked jumbo shells and place in a greased 8x8-inch casserole dish; set aside.  
   

 For the Enchilada Sauce

1.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour, one Tablespoon at a time, until a thick paste forms.  Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.  Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and continue whisking until smooth and sauce reaches desired creamy thickness.  Stir in the green salsa and sour cream.  Pour sauce over stuffed shells.  Top with remaining cheese.   
2. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Broil  for a few minutes until cheese is browned.  Garnish with additional chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and remaining chopped tomato.  Serves: 3-4, depending on how many shells each person can eat.       
   

   
   

   
   

Poop Poop in the Potty!!!!

I'm just so excited to announce that last night before bedtime Baby Alex pooped in the potty for the first time.!!!

 AHHHHH I'M HAVING A PROUD MOMMY MOMENT!!

 I just recently introduced him to the potty but i haven't actively started potty training him yet. I just usually sit him on the potty first thing in the morning, before and after nap time and before bedtime so he will become familiar with it, and up until this point all he did was pee but now he pooped!! My main intention is to try the whole 3 day potty training boot camp in the next few weeks. I will definitely keep everyone updated on his progress and i will make post once i start the actual potty training.

Yeaaa!! one step closer to tossing the diapers!!!