Bizarre & interesting hobbies

[twodoor2]

Do any of you have bizarre, unusual hobbies? Lately, I've been having a blast going to the woods and lake near our home and catching dragonflies and butterflies for the kids to observe up close. They are so beautiful. We've been doing lots of nature hiking as well, and I just enjoy finding unusual insects. When I was a kid, I used to collect insects (my mom wasn't too thrilled). I have a big netted habitat I put them in for observation.

The kids get so excited when they see them, and my two year old exclaims, "a bubba-fwy!!" Elizabeth is terrified of the dragonflies though (I caught some pretty large ones). She only like butterflies, and she asks me if it's a boy or a girl butterfly. I always tell her it's a girl to make her happy.:)

I have yet to catch a praying mantis, it's hard to find them near me, or they just have great camouflage.

[momandwifeoftype1s]

We like the nature walks and finding strange bugs too (no more spiders though!). This is a picture of Connor with a huge walking stick from the park. I couldn't believe the kids found it because it was so well hidden.

http://quick.holdthatpic.com/images/266867.jpg (http://www.holdthatpic.com/)

[bisous]

My DH and DS1 are totally into insects this summer. For the past week they've gone into the hills around our house nightly to catch beetles. I love that they having such a great time. I try to participate and intellectually I'm cool with insects but I still can't get myself to pick one up or touch one! My personal goal for the summer is to get over my fear. DS is absolutely fearless!

I don't know if you would find this unusual but I'm actually a huge bookworm. I remember when I was 16 and got my D.L. my mom asked where I wanted to go on my own and I went to the library. :) I still love it there.

[Pam H]

My 9yo ds caught a praying mantis last year. He kept it in a large clear water jug. It's fairly easy to catch flies on a screened in porch. He fed him three times a day. It was so much fun to watch him hunt the fly and catch him. He named her Zipper.

We watched her molt a time or two.

We had several mantises (sp?) on our porch last year (haven't seen a one this year) and he caught a male and put him in with the female. They mated. We captured him then and turned him loose. She may have eaten him, she's so much larger. She laid an egg sac. Then she died. :(

He wintered the egg sac and is hopeful that they may still hatch.

[Heather(CA)]

When the boys were younger I used to find polly wogs and grow them into frogs on the kitchen counter LOL. My hubby actually asked me to do it this year, he said we needed more frogs in the yard LOL I couldn't find any though...Maybe next year:cwds:

BTW, when we were in DC, one of my FAVORATE moments was seeing fire flies for the first time...I was like a little kid squeeling with excitment LOL It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

[toohughey]

They don't have fireflies in CA? Aw man, just alot of fires this year. We have a fascination with the mushrooms in our yard. we do a mushroom walk all the time here is one of the more interesting ones:

http://www.holdthatpic.com/photos/4129/45958.jpg (http://www.holdthatpic.com/)Free image hosting by http://www.holdthatpic.com/

TRACY

[Mom2Will]

Have you seen a dragon fly baby? Looks like something from another planet!! We love looking at bugs and plants and stars and just about anything outside. One of our favorite things to do is lay on a blanket and watch the clouds or the stars, spectacular free show!

[Thoover]

When the boys were younger I used to find polly wogs and grow them into frogs on the kitchen counter LOL. My hubby actually asked me to do it this year, he said we needed more frogs in the yard LOL I couldn't find any though...Maybe next year:cwds:

BTW, when we were in DC, one of my FAVORATE moments was seeing fire flies for the first time...I was like a little kid squeeling with excitment LOL It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes my kids will catch the fire flys and keep them in a jug with holes on the top. They will have a ton of them and I always tell them to let them go. DD says its gross to catch them by hand as she runs around with the jug hoping they land right in there..lol Everytime they light up they run towards the dark where it was..lol

[BrendaK]

This is not a bug hobby, but my interesting hobby (before D and kids) is the piano. My degree is in piano performance and pedagogy and I used to be classical pianist. But, like I said, that was before kids and D. I would love to take it up again someday!

[miss_behave]

This is not a bug hobby, but my interesting hobby (before D and kids) is the piano. My degree is in piano performance and pedagogy and I used to be classical pianist. But, like I said, that was before kids and D. I would love to take it up again someday!

I play piano too. I love it and have one in my bedroom. You must be really good! I'm ok I guess, I wish I was really talented. I keep seeing 5 year old blind piano prodigies on youtube and feeling very jealous and untalented :p At the moment I'm learning "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" from the musical The Piano. I love doing theme songs! The Simpsons is awesome but really hard! Do you not play at all anymore? I would hate to give it up! I love just going to my room and relaxing by playing some songs I off by heart. Sometimes I just do really easy pop songs like Kelly Clarkson.
We rent the piano that I have, have for several years instead of buying one, so if you wanted to take it up again but don't have a piano, you could rent one!

[StillMamamia]

My 'hobbies/passions' are writing, pretend singing (I'm really bad), making up silly stories for the kids and imitating people.
Don't like bugs...I cannot sleep if there's a tiny spider anywhere in the house. DH and kids love bugs though. My DH takes macro pics of any bug and likes to show them to me :eek:

[LJS118]

When the boys were younger I used to find polly wogs and grow them into frogs on the kitchen counter LOL. My hubby actually asked me to do it this year, he said we needed more frogs in the yard LOL I couldn't find any though...Maybe next year:cwds:

BTW, when we were in DC, one of my FAVORATE moments was seeing fire flies for the first time...I was like a little kid squeeling with excitment LOL It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

I'm living in my little bubble over here and never realized that somewhere out there there isn't fireflies LOL do you have squirrels running around in your backyard or chipmunks???? we do in NJ

[miss_behave]

As for bugs, I have a certain fondness for Daddy Long Leg spiders. Do you guys have them? We have lots, always hanging around in corners. I really like watching them. I never kill bugs in the house, I always take them outside.

http://a.bebo.com/app-image/6585518529/i.idlestudios.com/img/q/u/08/05/01/Daddy-Long-Legs.jpg

[StillMamamia]

As for bugs, I have a certain fondness for Daddy Long Leg spiders. Do you guys have them? We have lots, always hanging around in corners. I really like watching them. I never kill bugs in the house, I always take them outside.

http://a.bebo.com/app-image/6585518529/i.idlestudios.com/img/q/u/08/05/01/Daddy-Long-Legs.jpg


:eek: Did you have to post such a big pic??? Have you been speaking to my DH??? :p

[miss_behave]

:eek: Did you have to post such a big pic??? Have you been speaking to my DH??? :p

Ooh sorry, hope I didn't freak anyone out! They're completely harmless, I let them run across my arms and such. I don't like spiders either, but for some strange reason I really like these! I'll remove it if anyone wants me to :)

[lil'Man'sMom]

Marsha, I don't think your hobby is bizarre. It's great to teach your children the wonders of nature.

Right now we are so busy trying to finish our house we have little time for hobbies. This would explain why Manning scored above average/high in measurement and geometry on the MAP testing. He is right there with us measuring and being the ultimate DIYer.

When we take a break Manning and his Dad like to go hiking to track moose and wild turkey. We have moose that come down off the hill right into our yard. We also are patiently waiting for the robin eggs to hatch that are in a nest in Manning's club house. This is the second set of eggs this year that have been laid in the nest. Manning said after they hatch we will be taking the nest out of the club house, he misses playing in there.

[StillMamamia]

Ooh sorry, hope I didn't freak anyone out! They're completely harmless, I let them run across my arms and such. I don't like spiders either, but for some strange reason I really like these! I'll remove it if anyone wants me to :)

No worries :)
I'll just try and not have nightmares about it :D
My DH took a macro pic of a tick :eek:and he was telling me 'Look, pretty cool, huh?'....Hmmm, DON'T THINK SO!!!

[Pam H]

Back to bugs:

I saw one of these and thought I had found the tiniest hummingbird known to man. :p LOL


http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/hthysbe.htm

I rescued one from the porch this morning. :D

Heather, I tried tadpoles one year and failed. :/ I think our fire flies have love fests in our tree tops every night. It looks like someone strung Christmas lights in our pine trees.

[Pam H]

As for bugs, I have a certain fondness for Daddy Long Leg spiders. Do you guys have them? We have lots, always hanging around in corners. I really like watching them. I never kill bugs in the house, I always take them outside.

http://a.bebo.com/app-image/6585518529/i.idlestudios.com/img/q/u/08/05/01/Daddy-Long-Legs.jpg


Miss Behave,

This is what we refer to as a Daddy Longleg in the US (at least our part of the US;) )

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/harvestman.htm

When I was a kid we called Crane Flies a Daddy Longlegs.

[twodoor2]

As for bugs, I have a certain fondness for Daddy Long Leg spiders. Do you guys have them? We have lots, always hanging around in corners. I really like watching them. I never kill bugs in the house, I always take them outside.

http://a.bebo.com/app-image/6585518529/i.idlestudios.com/img/q/u/08/05/01/Daddy-Long-Legs.jpg

I would imagine in Australia, you have many exotic huge insects, and some of the most poisonous bugs and reptiles in the world. In Midwest Illinois, everything dies during the winter, so a praying mantis is as exciting it gets.:p

[twodoor2]

Marsha, I don't think your hobby is bizarre. It's great to teach your children the wonders of nature.

Thanks, because I feel like I have a huge geek sign pasted on my forehead whenever I go walking around with my butterfly net. I caught two mouring cloak butterflies yesterday, so cool. I'm so mean, but I plan to pin them and keep them as part of a permanent display. Mark calls me the insect serial killer.

[miss_behave]

I would imagine in Australia, you have many exotic huge insects, and some of the most poisonous bugs and reptiles in the world.

We definitely do! I live in the city, so we don't have as many scary things hanging around as in the bush/outback.
The worst things are Sydney Funnel Web spiders- the most dangerous and agressive spiders in the world- I'm so scared of them!, snakes lots of snakes (the top 10 most poisonous in the world) blue ringed octupi and sharks at the beach (you won't find many Aussies who are intimidated by sharks- they'll whinge and moan and disobey life guards when ordered to leave the beach because of a sighting.. and this happens a lot, we also have fairly regular shark attacks!) we have crocodile attacks too. Funnily enough you probably haven't heard of the most dangerous one- the box jellyfish which kills more people than snakes, crocs and sharks altogether. I love the beach :D
The only scary thing I come into contact regularly are Red Back Spiders, they're related to black widows. They're in every dark corner, under every chair outside, in the shed etc.

Oh my theres so many more things I could list, but I'm probably boring you. I just have to say I LOVE Australia and all its poisonous creatures, I'm a very proud Aussie :D

[staciebco]

I'm living in my little bubble over here and never realized that somewhere out there there isn't fireflies LOL do you have squirrels running around in your backyard or chipmunks???? we do in NJ

We don't have Fireflies in CO. I remember when we went East for the first time after we married (I'm from Ohio), my DH couldn't believe all the Fireflies. He told me a couple of times, he thought they we just things in a story book. :rolleyes:

[twodoor2]

We definitely do! I live in the city, so we don't have as many scary things hanging around as in the bush/outback.
The worst things are Sydney Funnel Web spiders- the most dangerous and agressive spiders in the world- I'm so scared of them!, snakes lots of snakes (the top 10 most poisonous in the world) blue ringed octupi and sharks at the beach (you won't find many Aussies who are intimidated by sharks- they'll whinge and moan and disobey life guards when ordered to leave the beach because of a sighting.. and this happens a lot, we also have fairly regular shark attacks!) we have crocodile attacks too. Funnily enough you probably haven't heard of the most dangerous one- the box jellyfish which kills more people than snakes, crocs and sharks altogether. I love the beach :D
The only scary thing I come into contact regularly are Red Back Spiders, they're related to black widows. They're in every dark corner, under every chair outside, in the shed etc.

Oh my theres so many more things I could list, but I'm probably boring you. I just have to say I LOVE Australia and all its poisonous creatures, I'm a very proud Aussie :D


No, you are not boring me at all. I find that fascinating, and I'm sort of relieved those Sydney Funnel web spiders are on the other side of the planet. Eeeehhwww!!:eek: I've seen them before on nature shows, and the late Steve Irwin was picking them up. That man was so brave.

I'd love to visit Australia one day, but I'm bringing my bug spray.:p

[twodoor2]

We don't have Fireflies in CO. I remember when we went East for the first time after we married (I'm from Ohio), my DH couldn't believe all the Fireflies. He told me a couple of times, he thought they we just things in a story book. :rolleyes:

There's so many fireflies in Illinois, they light up the evening. I used to catch them as a kid, and poke out the yellow glow chemical in their thorax and examine it under a microscope expecting to see what in the world made it glow. Mind you, I had a cheapo kiddie microscope so I didn't see much. As I mentioned before, my mom didn't know what to do with me.:rolleyes:

[MommaRetta]

Two pianists and now three!

I've never thought of it as a hobby. Just a way of life...... :)

My Mom plays and they bought me a little piano when I was 2 or 3. Mom would play something and I would try to peck it out. So when I turned 5, I started lessons.
I play and teach piano. I couldn't imagine life without being able to at least trickle my fingers down a gliss as I go walking by. We have two pianos. One I use to teach. And the other came with the house! It is an antique upright grand built in 1886. BEAUTIFUL! I'm not a classical pianist although I would've loved to keep studying. I have shelves that are PACKED with music. My dream is to have a piano room someday.

As for a hobby.....I love to read. I like mysteries a lot! Especially when combined with humor!

[Momof4gr8kids]

Hey Marsha,
We like to take nature hikes too.
About a month ago we were walking a trail around a pond, and we saw these very interesting brilliantly colored beetles. One was green, like an emerald green, and the other looked more like a blueish green. They were a tiny bit bigger then a lady bug. I've tried looking them up online, but can't find a true name for them. They almost looked like this (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B2A06F16-FD8A-4DAF-9795-7776B4335F35/0/Rosemarybeetle1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/projects/rosemary_beetle.asp&h=200&w=200&sz=15&hl=en&start=44&sig2=ErH7bNXuJLMTCqyCloA0GA&um=1&tbnid=EiuM_PisrZnK4M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=SOJ4SLKsMYyipwTfnYgV&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmetalic%2Bgreen%2Bbeetle%2B%26start%3 D42%26ndsp%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfire fox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DZqN%26sa%3DN), but no stripe, and they were really brillantly colored. If I hadn't seen it in nature, I wouldn't have believed it was a real insect. Any ideas on what they might be, or how to find out?

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

I have a small animal skull collection :rolleyes: and Hubby makes outdoor "art" with found objects. I think he wants to start welding soon:p hope if he does, that the garage survives!

[twodoor2]

Hey Marsha,
We like to take nature hikes too.
About a month ago we were walking a trail around a pond, and we saw these very interesting brilliantly colored beetles. One was green, like an emerald green, and the other looked more like a blueish green. They were a tiny bit bigger then a lady bug. I've tried looking them up online, but can't find a true name for them. They almost looked like this (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B2A06F16-FD8A-4DAF-9795-7776B4335F35/0/Rosemarybeetle1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/projects/rosemary_beetle.asp&h=200&w=200&sz=15&hl=en&start=44&sig2=ErH7bNXuJLMTCqyCloA0GA&um=1&tbnid=EiuM_PisrZnK4M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=SOJ4SLKsMYyipwTfnYgV&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmetalic%2Bgreen%2Bbeetle%2B%26start%3 D42%26ndsp%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfire fox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DZqN%26sa%3DN), but no stripe, and they were really brillantly colored. If I hadn't seen it in nature, I wouldn't have believed it was a real insect. Any ideas on what they might be, or how to find out?


I'm not sure, but we have similar ones all over the place by my home with a coppery metallic sheen, and a metallic green neck. Did you know that some beatles were so beautiful, that the ancient Egyptians used to make jewelry out of their carcasses. Those were called scarab beatles. And I thought the only beatles in Britain were called John, Paul, George and Ringo (bad joke:rolleyes:)

[twodoor2]

I have a small animal skull collection :rolleyes: and Hubby makes outdoor "art" with found objects. I think he wants to start welding soon:p hope if he does, that the garage survives!

That's very interesting. You should post pictures.

[Pam H]

Hey Marsha,
We like to take nature hikes too.
About a month ago we were walking a trail around a pond, and we saw these very interesting brilliantly colored beetles. One was green, like an emerald green, and the other looked more like a blueish green. They were a tiny bit bigger then a lady bug. I've tried looking them up online, but can't find a true name for them. They almost looked like this (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B2A06F16-FD8A-4DAF-9795-7776B4335F35/0/Rosemarybeetle1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/projects/rosemary_beetle.asp&h=200&w=200&sz=15&hl=en&start=44&sig2=ErH7bNXuJLMTCqyCloA0GA&um=1&tbnid=EiuM_PisrZnK4M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=SOJ4SLKsMYyipwTfnYgV&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmetalic%2Bgreen%2Bbeetle%2B%26start%3 D42%26ndsp%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfire fox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DZqN%26sa%3DN), but no stripe, and they were really brillantly colored. If I hadn't seen it in nature, I wouldn't have believed it was a real insect. Any ideas on what they might be, or how to find out?

Is this it? Japanese Beetles http://www.ent.iastate.edu/images/coleoptera/scarabaeidae/japanese_beetle_adult.jpg

If it is, you don't want thema round! They will eat your leaves off of maple trees, grape vines, flowering trees, etc. They aren't that easy to get rid of either.

[twodoor2]

Is this it? Japanese Beetles http://www.ent.iastate.edu/images/coleoptera/scarabaeidae/japanese_beetle_adult.jpg

If it is, you don't want thema round! They will eat your leaves off of maple trees, grape vines, flowering trees, etc. They aren't that easy to get rid of either.

That's the exact beetle I was talking about. They're all over leaves and bushes in our area, very pretty though.

[Pam H]

That's the exact beetle I was talking about. They're all over leaves and bushes in our area, very pretty though.

Marsha,

They are pretty, but harmful.

We use liquid Sevin Dust with water and spray it up on the leaves. They will return year after year and multiply, multiply, multiply.

[twodoor2]

Marsha,

They are pretty, but harmful.

We use liquid Sevin Dust with water and spray it up on the leaves. They will return year after year and multiply, multiply, multiply.

They're not by my house, but by the bushes in the ajoining neighborhood. There's tons of them. The leaves have lots of holes in them.

[yeswe'rebothD]

not only are the Japanese beetles destructive, but moles also eat their larvae, so if you have beetles, you have moles too.....

Ask me how I know this? In a few years when my dad retires from teaching, he will officially become a professional mole hunter... :rolleyes:

[Heather(CA)]

I'm living in my little bubble over here and never realized that somewhere out there there isn't fireflies LOL do you have squirrels running around in your backyard or chipmunks???? we do in NJ

I think there are fireflies somewhere in CA just not where I live:( Some people have squirrels and/or chipmunks, I don't though...I do have possums though, remember when I found the baby one in the garage?:D There are squirrels at the park;) I miss the fireflies:( It's probably too dry and hot here.

[Momof4gr8kids]

Is this it? Japanese Beetles http://www.ent.iastate.edu/images/coleoptera/scarabaeidae/japanese_beetle_adult.jpg

If it is, you don't want thema round! They will eat your leaves off of maple trees, grape vines, flowering trees, etc. They aren't that easy to get rid of either.

Nope, pure green it was, and very shiney. It didn't even look real. I'm going to take my camera out tomorrow and see if I can get a shot of one and post it. It was soooo neat.

Heather, we don't have fireflies either. I have never seen one

[Momof4gr8kids]

I'm not sure, but we have similar ones all over the place by my home with a coppery metallic sheen, and a metallic green neck. Did you know that some beatles were so beautiful, that the ancient Egyptians used to make jewelry out of their carcasses. Those were called scarab beatles. And I thought the only beatles in Britain were called John, Paul, George and Ringo (bad joke:rolleyes:)

I did know that. Isn't that cool?:) My son is really into Egyptology. He used to want to be an archaeologist and do digs there :cwds: Now he wants to blow stuff up and be a pyro tech.

[bgallini]

Well, my [I]hobby[I] is scrapbooking but that's not bizarre or interesting.

But I like insects too! I generally conisider it part of my job (child care provider). Every year, we catch caterpillars and watch them change into butterflies or moths. This year we found a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar...it, and the moth, were very cool.

One year, I found a Praying Mantis egg sac but I made the mistake of putting it in a jar and bringing it inside....so they hatched in the middle of the Winter!!!:eek::eek: There were billions of them!! We 'grew' some fruit flies to try to feed them and let a bunch of the mantis' go. :( (I figured some might survive, we don't have horrible Winters). I don't remember the whole ordeal but I did learn to never do that again....I'll just keep the jar outside next time.

I also love fire flies and catching them. I'll catch them when I take walks at night and carry them with me as I walk sometimes. Last Summer I was sort of bummed when I realized my 9 yo wasn't really into catching them anymore. But then we found out that my 17 yos gf had never caught one before so we all spent an evening outside catching them.

I do take pics of all of these to go with my real hobby!!!

[tiffanie1717]

Barbie - I'm a scrapbooker, too! I love to do everything involved with it - photography and creating pages.

Nothing insect related. My husband says I go into "bug mode" when I see an insect that needs to be gone from my sight. :)

[momandwifeoftype1s]

I make quilt cards - another odd little hobby of mine. The front of the cards look like a quilt, made from coordinating fabric swatches with pinked edges. I put a ribbon through the middle of the card, and add a piece of white cardstock with an inspirational saying in the middle. The cards look like mini quilts. I've made these as teacher gifts, presents for my friends/family, and just for special notes. If you get one of these cards from me, you know I worked hard to make it for you. :)

I also make photo cards using pictures of nature. I capture images that I find beautiful and make them into scrapbook type cards. My tagline on the back of the cards is Creation Appreciation by Amy.

[Pam H]

I make quilt cards - another odd little hobby of mine. The front of the cards look like a quilt, made from coordinating fabric swatches with pinked edges. I put a ribbon through the middle of the card, and add a piece of white cardstock with an inspirational saying in the middle. The cards look like mini quilts. I've made these as teacher gifts, presents for my friends/family, and just for special notes. If you get one of these cards from me, you know I worked hard to make it for you. :)



These sound gorgeous!! Do you have pics?

[momandwifeoftype1s]

These sound gorgeous!! Do you have pics?

Kind of funny, I only have one sample left. I give them all away! This is a Fall/Halloween fabric one. I change the fabrics for holidays, seasons, recipient's interests, etc.

http://quick.holdthatpic.com/images/267281.jpg (http://www.holdthatpic.com/)

[Pam H]

Kind of funny, I only have one sample left. I give them all away! This is a Fall/Halloween fabric one. I change the fabrics for holidays, seasons, recipient's interests, etc.

http://quick.holdthatpic.com/images/267281.jpg (http://www.holdthatpic.com/)


Those are really pretty! I may borrow your idea for some special Christmas cards this year. Do you mind?

[momandwifeoftype1s]

Those are really pretty! I may borrow your idea for some special Christmas cards this year. Do you mind?

No, I don't mind. I can never make enough to sell them myself because they take a long time. It's a relaxation thing for me. I use Tacky glue to stick down the pieces brushed on with a paintbrush. I stick on the ribbon with scrapbooking adhesive. My favorite part is coordinating the fabrics. I buy Moda or Benartex coordinating squares (comes in a package of 30 or so). It is easiest to use a pinking shear rotary cutter and mat to cut the fabric. Enjoy!

If anyone has any 1" Benartex Quilter's Candy - I would LOVE to buy some from you.

Here is one more version of the cards. I actually received this one from my friend who moved to Iowa (sob!). I taught her to make the cards, and we used to work on them together while our kids were in school. She sent one in the mail to me as a surprise and wrote "You told me to be selective about who I send the homemade to, and I saved this one for one of the best!". I cried...

http://quick.holdthatpic.com/images/267285.jpg (http://www.holdthatpic.com/)
Free image hosting by http://www.holdthatpic.com/

[Momof4gr8kids]

WOW! Very nice work! Love it! Thanks for sharing the pics with us!

[momandwifeoftype1s]

You're welcome!

Another fun, bizarre hobby is also a relaxation/art thing I do with the boys. I use a warming tray (the kind that plugs in from the 70s) for a melted crayon art activity. Cover the tray with a double layer of foil. Wait for the tray to get warm. Peel crayon tips, and hold them to the tray until the wax melts into little pools of color. Repeat, and fill up the whole tray. Make a print by pressing a piece of heavy drawing paper on top of the tray. Blot with your hands (use potholders). Lift up the paper, and it's instantly dry! You would be surprised how fun this is - and so relaxing too. It looks especially nice if you use sparkly crayons.

Ok, I'll stop now. Can you tell I love artsy stuff?

[LJS118]

As for bugs, I have a certain fondness for Daddy Long Leg spiders. Do you guys have them? We have lots, always hanging around in corners. I really like watching them. I never kill bugs in the house, I always take them outside.

http://a.bebo.com/app-image/6585518529/i.idlestudios.com/img/q/u/08/05/01/Daddy-Long-Legs.jpg

Yes...we have daddy long leg spiders in NJ

[Twinklet]

Do any of you have bizarre, unusual hobbies? Lately, I've been having a blast going to the woods and lake near our home and catching dragonflies and butterflies for the kids to observe up close. They are so beautiful. We've been doing lots of nature hiking as well, and I just enjoy finding unusual insects. When I was a kid, I used to collect insects (my mom wasn't too thrilled). I have a big netted habitat I put them in for observation.

The kids get so excited when they see them, and my two year old exclaims, "a bubba-fwy!!" Elizabeth is terrified of the dragonflies though (I caught some pretty large ones). She only like butterflies, and she asks me if it's a boy or a girl butterfly. I always tell her it's a girl to make her happy.:)

I have yet to catch a praying mantis, it's hard to find them near me, or they just have great camouflage.

Marsha, I love doing stuff like this! We have the following in our back yard:

A deer skeleton (from a kill behind our house--I bleached and boiled the bones after the vultures picked them clean)

Owl puke pellets from our yard

Snails in jars; one jar is being fed cornmeal, the other spinach.

A snake skin found in the wild

A jellyfish in a jar (dead, but intact with tentacles)

A crab skeleton, random vertebrae, sand dollar skeletons and other interesting things found on the beach to study more in-depth later. We love to tide pool and I do leave the living things at the ocean.

My youngest loves birds, so she has a notebook with a collection of bird feathers and photos of the birds they came from, all from our house and the beach.

I love science and can't wait to start homeschooling this part (other subjects I can definitely wait on, though!)

[twodoor2]

Andie,
I'm glad you love science as well. I've always been more into physics, but it's a bit beyond my children's grasp at their age level. I don't know if they're old enough to understand General Relativity.:p They are learning about space and planets though.

I cannot wait to get a telescope though when they're older. That's my next venture since I recently purchased a microscope and we're getting much enjoyment out of that. It's amazing what you can find living in a little drop of water.

[Aidan'sMom]

Well, I don't have any bizarre hobbies.....but I do have two gross little boys who I have to help catch all sorts of things bugs, frogs, lizards etc. And Brent discovered a few nights ago that when you catch a "lighting bug" (as he calls them) you can pull of the part that lights up and smear it all over yourself and it still stays lit. GROSS!! So now at bath time they get an extra good scrubbing!!!:D

[Heather(CA)]

Well, I don't have any bizarre hobbies.....but I do have two gross little boys who I have to help catch all sorts of things bugs, frogs, lizards etc. And Brent discovered a few nights ago that when you catch a "lighting bug" (as he calls them) you can pull of the part that lights up and smear it all over yourself and it still stays lit. GROSS!! So now at bath time they get an extra good scrubbing!!!:D

I guess it's good that I have boys LOL, I love frogs and lizards...Even snakes. When I was in 6th grade, I traded a BRAND NEW box of colored pencils for a lizard:eek::D My mom freaked and I had to let it go:( LOL