Woolly bear caterpillars: Can they predict winter weather?
CRAWLING ON YOUR FRONT OR BACK PORCH. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE WOOLY BEAR CATERPILLAR. DEFINITELY HAVE SEEN THEM. RUMOR HAS IT THAT THESE CATERPILLARS MAY HAVE SOMETHING UP THEIR SLEEVES IN TERMS OF FORECASTING WINTER WEATHER. FOR MORE ON THAT, LET’S TURN OVER NOW TO STORM TEAM METEOROLOGIST RYAN ARGENT, WHO HAS THE TRUTH ABOUT THESE CATERPILLARS? RYAN, IS IT TRUE? YEAH. SO SO LET’S LET’S GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF SOME CONTEXT ON THE SITUATION. SO WE’VE GOTTEN SO MANY PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO US THROUGH EMAIL, THROUGH FACEBOOK SAYING, HEY, YOU SEE THE WOOLY BEARS, IT’S ALL BLACK. OR IT’S LIKE IT’S SOME BROWN, SOME BLACK, RIGHT? LIKE, HOW’S THE WINTER GOING TO BE, RYAN? WELL, LET’S LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WOOLY BEAR FOLKLORE TO BEGIN WITH. SO IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, LET’S CHAT ABOUT IT HERE. SO THESE THIS CUTE LITTLE GUY THAT YOU’VE PROBABLY BEEN SEEING ON YOUR FRONT PORCH OR BACK PORCH, LIKE THOSE ME AND MICHAEL WERE SAYING THIS. YOU CAN SEE THE FUZZ ON IT. YOU CAN SEE THERE’S SOME BLACK AND THERE’S SOME BROWN ON IT. BUT IF THERE’S MORE BLACK THAN BROWN, RUMOR HAS IT THAT MEANS IT’S GOING TO BE A HARSHER WINTER. NOW STEP ON THIS SIDE OF THE SCREEN. IF THERE’S MORE BROWN THAN BLACK, THAT MEANS THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A MILDER WINTER. OKAY, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. WE DID GET SOME PICTURES FROM SOME FOLKS. WE DID. WE DID GET SOME PICTURES FROM JAMIE OUT OF WRIGHTSVILLE ISLAND FROM MOUNT GRETNA. MELISSA FROM COLUMBIA GOT SOME PICTURES FROM YOU GUYS. SO THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THOSE. BUT YOU CAN SEE IT’S A VARIATION OF THE FUR COLOR. SO IT’S NOT REALLY CONSISTENT. SO HERE’S IF YOU WANT A MORE OF LIKE AN EXPLAINER GRAPHIC. SO WE PUT THIS TOGETHER FOR YOU. SO AGAIN THE AMOUNT OF BLACK IN AUTUMN CORRELATES WITH THE SEVERITY OF THE UPCOMING WINTER. THAT’S THE FOLKLORE. IF THERE’S MORE BLACK LONGER, COLDER, SNOWY WINTER, IF YOU SEE MORE BROWN, THEN IT’S GOING TO BE A MILDER WINTER. AND ALSO THERE’S 13 SEGMENTS ON ITS BODY WHICH CORRESPOND TO THE 13 WEEKS OF WINTER. BUT THAT’S WHAT THE FOLKLORE SAYS. NOW HERE, DO GIVE ME A LITTLE DRUM ROLL HERE. WHAT IS IT? IS IT TRUE OR IS IT FALSE? IT IS. FALSE. GUYS. AND NO, THIS CATERPILLAR CANNOT FORECAST THE UPCOMING. I LOVE THAT GUY. BY THE WAY GUYS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. SO NO THIS CATERPILLAR GUYS THIS DOES NOT. THIS LITTLE GUY IS AS CUTE AS HE IS. HE CAN’T FORECAST THE WEATHER. THE THE WOOLY BEAR’S COLORING IS ALL BASED ON ITS FEEDING HABITS, ITS AGE, THE SPECIES, AND THE WIDTH OF THE BANDING INDICATES THE CURRENT OR THE PAST GROWING SEASON OF WHEN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH LIKE EVENTUALLY TURNING INTO A I THINK IT’S A MOTH. I THINK IT IS OR A BUTTERFLY LATER AS IT, AS IT COMES UP. BUT AGAIN, IF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN HEARING ALL THE FOLKLORE AND THE AND THE RUMORS ABOUT THIS CATERPILLAR, NOPE, IT DOES NOT. IT DOES NOT FORECAST THE WEATHER. NOW ENJOY THE FOLKLORE. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE FORECASTING, AS WE LIKE TO SAY
Woolly bear caterpillars: Can they predict winter weather?
Woolly bear caterpillars, often seen crawling on porches, are rumored to have something up their sleeves in terms of forecasting winter weather.Meteorologist Ryan Argenti from Hearst sister station WGAL reveals the truth about these caterpillars.Woolly bear caterpillar folkloreThese caterpillars are hairy creatures featuring brown and black colors. Folklore says if these caterpillars have more black than brown color, you can expect harsh winter conditions. If there is more brown than black colors, you can expect a mild winter.The 13 segments on its body correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.Truth behind the folkloreThe woolly bear caterpillar cannot forecast the upcoming winter conditionsThe coloring on the caterpillar is based on feeding habits, age, and speciesThe width of the banding indicates the current or past growing season
Woolly bear caterpillars, often seen crawling on porches, are rumored to have something up their sleeves in terms of forecasting winter weather.
Meteorologist Ryan Argenti from Hearst sister station WGAL reveals the truth about these caterpillars.
Woolly bear caterpillar folklore
These caterpillars are hairy creatures featuring brown and black colors.
Folklore says if these caterpillars have more black than brown color, you can expect harsh winter conditions.
If there is more brown than black colors, you can expect a mild winter.
The 13 segments on its body correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Truth behind the folklore
The woolly bear caterpillar cannot forecast the upcoming winter conditions
The coloring on the caterpillar is based on feeding habits, age, and species
The width of the banding indicates the current or past growing season
Woolly bear caterpillars: Can they predict winter weather?
CRAWLING ON YOUR FRONT OR BACK PORCH. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE WOOLY BEAR CATERPILLAR. DEFINITELY HAVE SEEN THEM. RUMOR HAS IT THAT THESE CATERPILLARS MAY HAVE SOMETHING UP THEIR SLEEVES IN TERMS OF FORECASTING WINTER WEATHER. FOR MORE ON THAT, LET’S TURN OVER NOW TO STORM TEAM METEOROLOGIST RYAN ARGENT, WHO HAS THE TRUTH ABOUT THESE CATERPILLARS? RYAN, IS IT TRUE? YEAH. SO SO LET’S LET’S GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF SOME CONTEXT ON THE SITUATION. SO WE’VE GOTTEN SO MANY PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO US THROUGH EMAIL, THROUGH FACEBOOK SAYING, HEY, YOU SEE THE WOOLY BEARS, IT’S ALL BLACK. OR IT’S LIKE IT’S SOME BROWN, SOME BLACK, RIGHT? LIKE, HOW’S THE WINTER GOING TO BE, RYAN? WELL, LET’S LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WOOLY BEAR FOLKLORE TO BEGIN WITH. SO IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, LET’S CHAT ABOUT IT HERE. SO THESE THIS CUTE LITTLE GUY THAT YOU’VE PROBABLY BEEN SEEING ON YOUR FRONT PORCH OR BACK PORCH, LIKE THOSE ME AND MICHAEL WERE SAYING THIS. YOU CAN SEE THE FUZZ ON IT. YOU CAN SEE THERE’S SOME BLACK AND THERE’S SOME BROWN ON IT. BUT IF THERE’S MORE BLACK THAN BROWN, RUMOR HAS IT THAT MEANS IT’S GOING TO BE A HARSHER WINTER. NOW STEP ON THIS SIDE OF THE SCREEN. IF THERE’S MORE BROWN THAN BLACK, THAT MEANS THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A MILDER WINTER. OKAY, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. WE DID GET SOME PICTURES FROM SOME FOLKS. WE DID. WE DID GET SOME PICTURES FROM JAMIE OUT OF WRIGHTSVILLE ISLAND FROM MOUNT GRETNA. MELISSA FROM COLUMBIA GOT SOME PICTURES FROM YOU GUYS. SO THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THOSE. BUT YOU CAN SEE IT’S A VARIATION OF THE FUR COLOR. SO IT’S NOT REALLY CONSISTENT. SO HERE’S IF YOU WANT A MORE OF LIKE AN EXPLAINER GRAPHIC. SO WE PUT THIS TOGETHER FOR YOU. SO AGAIN THE AMOUNT OF BLACK IN AUTUMN CORRELATES WITH THE SEVERITY OF THE UPCOMING WINTER. THAT’S THE FOLKLORE. IF THERE’S MORE BLACK LONGER, COLDER, SNOWY WINTER, IF YOU SEE MORE BROWN, THEN IT’S GOING TO BE A MILDER WINTER. AND ALSO THERE’S 13 SEGMENTS ON ITS BODY WHICH CORRESPOND TO THE 13 WEEKS OF WINTER. BUT THAT’S WHAT THE FOLKLORE SAYS. NOW HERE, DO GIVE ME A LITTLE DRUM ROLL HERE. WHAT IS IT? IS IT TRUE OR IS IT FALSE? IT IS. FALSE. GUYS. AND NO, THIS CATERPILLAR CANNOT FORECAST THE UPCOMING. I LOVE THAT GUY. BY THE WAY GUYS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. SO NO THIS CATERPILLAR GUYS THIS DOES NOT. THIS LITTLE GUY IS AS CUTE AS HE IS. HE CAN’T FORECAST THE WEATHER. THE THE WOOLY BEAR’S COLORING IS ALL BASED ON ITS FEEDING HABITS, ITS AGE, THE SPECIES, AND THE WIDTH OF THE BANDING INDICATES THE CURRENT OR THE PAST GROWING SEASON OF WHEN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH LIKE EVENTUALLY TURNING INTO A I THINK IT’S A MOTH. I THINK IT IS OR A BUTTERFLY LATER AS IT, AS IT COMES UP. BUT AGAIN, IF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN HEARING ALL THE FOLKLORE AND THE AND THE RUMORS ABOUT THIS CATERPILLAR, NOPE, IT DOES NOT. IT DOES NOT FORECAST THE WEATHER. NOW ENJOY THE FOLKLORE. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE FORECASTING, AS WE LIKE TO SAY
Woolly bear caterpillars: Can they predict winter weather?
Woolly bear caterpillars, often seen crawling on porches, are rumored to have something up their sleeves in terms of forecasting winter weather.Meteorologist Ryan Argenti from Hearst sister station WGAL reveals the truth about these caterpillars.Woolly bear caterpillar folkloreThese caterpillars are hairy creatures featuring brown and black colors. Folklore says if these caterpillars have more black than brown color, you can expect harsh winter conditions. If there is more brown than black colors, you can expect a mild winter.The 13 segments on its body correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.Truth behind the folkloreThe woolly bear caterpillar cannot forecast the upcoming winter conditionsThe coloring on the caterpillar is based on feeding habits, age, and speciesThe width of the banding indicates the current or past growing season
Woolly bear caterpillars, often seen crawling on porches, are rumored to have something up their sleeves in terms of forecasting winter weather.
Meteorologist Ryan Argenti from Hearst sister station WGAL reveals the truth about these caterpillars.
Woolly bear caterpillar folklore
These caterpillars are hairy creatures featuring brown and black colors.
Folklore says if these caterpillars have more black than brown color, you can expect harsh winter conditions.
If there is more brown than black colors, you can expect a mild winter.
The 13 segments on its body correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Truth behind the folklore
The woolly bear caterpillar cannot forecast the upcoming winter conditions
The coloring on the caterpillar is based on feeding habits, age, and species
The width of the banding indicates the current or past growing season
As political acts go, an assassination is more like a natural disaster than a controlled explosion: it will wreak havoc, it will often change the course of history, but its perpetrators can never know in what direction. When Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914, his objective was South Slavic independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire; what he got was the First World War and the slaughter of millions. On the other hand, in 1995, when a far-right extremist assassinated the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, at a rally in support of the Oslo peace accords, he could be said to have achieved precisely what he intended: the lasting destruction of the peace process. For that reason, Rabin’s killing is sometimes called the most “successful” assassination in modern history.
These appear to be two substantially different acts. But, if you go by the historian Simon Ball’s rubric in “Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination,” they share a key set of characteristics. “Before 1914, assassination was the preserve of disgruntled individuals, plotters in royal courts, or small groups of fanatics pursuing lost causes,” Ball writes. Princip established a new template: even if the outcome of an assassination proved chaotic, the intention behind it generally was not. The assassin had become a rational figure, precise in his targeting, legibly motivated, and, crucially, often part of a wider movement or conspiracy to topple those in power. Though we usually hear about Princip alone, he acted along with a seven-man assassination squad, tied to a much larger underground network. The man who shot Rabin belonged to a burgeoning movement whose adherents included Itamar Ben-Gvir, a politician who threatened Rabin on live television shortly before his assassination, and who now serves as Israel’s minister of national security.
Historically, Ball notes, the “direct results of assassination have almost always disappointed the assassins.” Rabin’s murder is one exception. Another might be the moment, in 1942, when British special agents and Czech resistance fighters acted in concert to murder Reinhard Heydrich, a brutal Nazi commander and one of the key authors of the Final Solution. It was certainly clear why, and Heydrich’s killing became “a template for ‘honourable assassination’ carried out by righteous democrats,” Ball writes. But the other consequences were horrific: the Nazis went to a village called Lidice, which had once sheltered a British radio operator, and killed all the men, sent all the women to a concentration camp, and gave the “Aryan” children to German families to raise but slaughtered the rest. Ball sums up the conclusion of the British report on the Heydrich assassination: “Technical success, operational disaster.”
“Death to Order” is a dense, detailed, and sometimes dry read, unlikely to set a conspiracy theorist’s (or really anybody’s) blood racing, but its international scope and careful documentation are salutary. Importantly, it does not neglect state-sponsored assassination plots, especially those engineered by the C.I.A. during the Cold War. Ball manages to sound wryly appalled quoting the contents of a C.I.A. assassination manual: though murder cannot be justified, the guide advises, “killing a political leader whose burgeoning career is a clear and present danger to the cause of freedom may be held necessary,” which means that “persons who are morally squeamish should not attempt” assassination. For those who get past their qualms, the handbook recommends the “most efficient” method: dropping a person at least seventy-five feet “onto a hard surface.” Pistols are discouraged, but the manual accepts rifles, which, in the twenty-first century, have become a popular weapon of choice.
What do assassins want now? It’s a case-by-case question, but one worth asking, not least because political violence appears to be on the rise in the United States. Among the recent notable examples are two attempts on Donald Trump’s life, including one in which a bullet struck him as he spoke at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024; the attempted arson of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home, in April, as he and his family slept inside; the killings, in June, of the Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark; and the murder of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, in September. Two weeks after the Kirk assassination, a man opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas, killing not the officers who were his reported targets but two detainees; according to his parents, he had lately become overwhelmingly afraid that he had radiation sickness.
A cursory appraisal of these events suggests that the age of Princip is over. We have returned to an era of disgruntled plotters and fanatics—of lone and often lonely men (many things have changed, but the vast majority of assassins are still men), whose hazy motives seem patched together by personal grievances, mental illness, and solipsistic internet quests. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the twenty-year-old who tried to kill Trump in Pennsylvania, was a registered Republican of otherwise jumbled allegiances, who seems to have been choosing between various prominent targets, including Joe Biden and Trump, in the months leading up to the event. We don’t yet know what Tyler James Robinson, the twenty-two-year-old Utah man charged with shooting Charlie Kirk, hoped to accomplish. (Robinson has not filed a plea.) The prosecutor in the case, Jeff Gray, has sketched out a scenario in which Robinson, who grew up in a Republican family, had recently moved to the left, and become, as his mother allegedly told police, “more pro-gay and trans-rights-oriented.” According to Gray, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner was transgender. In a text exchange after Kirk’s shooting, the roommate asked Robinson why he did it. “I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson replied. “Some hatred can’t be negotiated out.” Whatever Robinson thought might happen, the short-term consequences of Kirk’s killing have included federal and local crackdowns on free speech, and a rising profile for the white supremacistNick Fuentes, who is trying to fill the vacuum left by Kirk. And as a would-be act of solidarity with trans people, if that is what it was, Kirk’s assassination left Robinson’s roommate, and arguably trans people in general, more vulnerable, not less.
In the past, political violence in the U.S. was more likely to be carried out by groups—the left-wing Weather Underground during the nineteen-seventies; the right-wing militia and anti-abortion movements in the eighties and nineties. Now it is more often committed by individuals unaffiliated with any organization. As Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has written, there is a “deeper trend: the ‘ungrouping’ of political violence as people self-radicalize via online engagement.” The Antifa that Trump is always invoking as an all-purpose bogeyman—some lethal, disciplined underground network that resembles the Irish Republican Army—does not exist. Instead, we have individuals whose opaque, ad-hoc gestures rarely fit into a recognizable campaign. Even when they leave a message of some kind—partial manifestos, a crumb trail of social-media posts, or words etched on bullet casings—clarity is elusive. We’re left examining ghostly traces of ideas that won’t coalesce into an ideology. Speaking about the Trump shooting, Katherine Keneally, a threat-assessment expert, told the Times, “These sorts of incidents, where we can’t figure out why they did it, are becoming more common.”
SALEM — Hundreds of Halloween visitors and witches gathered on Salem Common Thursday to hold the annual “witches circle” ceremony to honor the spirits of loved ones who have passed on, as well as to award former adult film actress and practicing witch Stormy Daniels with the first annual “Salem Witches’ Woman of Power Award.”
“The greatest war on women was a witch hunt that spread like a cancer across the European continent and England, and culminated here with the Salem Witch Trials,” Christian Day, a practicing warlock and organizer of the ceremony, said.
“Many of those people were not witches — some were, but I think many of them got away. That’s why 85% of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials were women. We are still facing a war on women today, and that’s why we chose Stormy Daniels as the recipient for tonight’s reward.”
Daniels, who gained notoriety in recent years for her alleged extramarital affair with Donald Trump, has been a practitioner of witchcraft since her childhood. During a court case in 2019, when she sued former lawyer Michael Avenatti for wire fraud and identity theft, Avenatti’s legal team used Daniel’s spiritual beliefs and practice of witchcraft in an attempt to discredit her as a witness.
“I would like to award Ms. Stormy Daniels with this award in honor of her strength, her character, and for standing strong for what is wrong,” Lorelei the Love Witch said.
“It doesn’t matter what spiritual or religious beliefs you hold, or why you’re here in Salem today,” Daniels said. “Whether you’re here to wear awesome costumes, see the weirdo witches, or pay tribute to your ancestors, I can tell you that there is one thing we can all agree on, you should not be persecuted for your beliefs. You should not be bullied into silence or into making a choice whether you like it or not. We are all equal — your gift is your voice, and that’s the one thing that no one can take from you.”
If you’re a diehard Swiftie like us, your immediate reaction to learning the title of ‘Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?’ was probably “me, Taylor.” Which is totally understandable! We’ve been following along with the Eras Tour for over a year and she still finds new ways to surprise us. And the European leg is like a new show entirely, now that we have The Tortured Poets Department in our lives.
Let’s take a look at what changed throughout the show and its setlist, one era at a time! These changes are accurate as of the first night in Paris on May 9th, 2024.
Pre-Show Playlist
First off, the changes started before Taylor even took the stage! Taylor added three new songs to the playlist that echoes throughout the venue before she goes on.
The Intro
The nostalgic Eras Tour intro includes Taylor saying the name of each era, so naturally, she had to add in The Tortured Poets Department! Listen closely and you’ll hear her say the album name between the 1989 quote and Red album title.
Lover
At the first show in Paris, Taylor unveiled a new orange and magenta bodysuit with matching boots! Not much changed throughout this set, but we did lose ‘The Archer.’ We thank her for her service! The closing song is now ‘Lover’ with an extended outro.
Fearless
Thankfully, since the Fearless set is only three songs, Taylor didn’t rearrange anything! Again at the first Paris show, she revealed a new black, silver, and gold fringe dress that we think pays homage to the iconic fringe dress she wore on the 2009 Fearless Tour. We’re not crying, there’s just something sparkly in our eye.
Red
The first major change of the show is that the Red set is now the third era in line, instead of evermore! The setlist remained the same aside from the switch in its placement. We also got a new ‘22’ shirt saying “this isn’t Taylor’s Version,” which we’ll need for when we’re out in public and mumble under our breaths about how a store is playing the wrong version of her music.
Speak Now
Taylor really brought us back to the Speak Now World Tour with the refreshed version of the Speak Now set! Unfortunately, we’re back to it being only one song, but we can’t complain too much because we adore ‘Enchanted.’ Before Taylor takes the stage, the screens show updated visuals with stunning flowers, and the dancers come out to keep the crowd entertained.
reputation
At the opening night of the European leg in Paris, Taylor had the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever and give every era a new costume except reputation. And she did it! Nothing changed during this set – not even the red and black snake bodysuit – so all you fellow rep stans out there are safe.
folklore & evermore
The sets with the most change are folklore and evermore, which have been combined! But we did lose the ‘seven’ spoken interlude as a result. As Taylor explained it in Paris, she “reunited the sisters, combined them into one chapter.” Even the new Paris costume combined the eras, giving us the folklore style with a golden yellow color like the evermore dress. We think it makes perfect sense and we love getting to hear them together. Some sacrifices, though: ‘tis the damn season,’ ‘tolerate it,’ ‘invisible string’-slash-’the 1,’ and ‘the last great american dynasty.’
Check out the setlist for this section below:
‘cardigan’ (sitting on the cabin where she sang ‘invisible string’ and ‘the 1’)
‘betty’
‘champagne problems’
‘august’ x ‘illicit affairs’
‘my tears ricochet’
‘marjorie’
‘willow’
After ‘willow,’ Taylor disappears into the stage to get ready for the next era.
1989
The visuals between everlore/folkmore and 1989 have the same concept as the folklore–1989 transition from the first leg, but they go from a mountain scene to a bright city rather than centering around the folklore cabin. No setlist changes here, though we got a new costume combination! Taylor wore a glittery pink top with a blue skirt in Paris, complete with one pink boot and one blue boot. It honestly reminds us of the mix-and-match jackets and skirts she wore on the original 1989 Tour, and we’re so excited to see what combos she wears in the future.
For the first time ever, Taylor leaves the stage after the 1989 set instead of staying on for surprise songs!
The Tortured Poets Department
Welcome to the Eras Tour setlist, TTPD! We had our fingers crossed for you and you so delivered. The set starts with a screen visual that draws from the ‘Fortnight’ music video, complete with a road, cages, and even papers falling from the sky. There’s also a little snippet where she sings the “oh, oh, oh” from the chorus of ‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys.’
Taylor described the album as “Female Rage: The Musical” in Paris, so it’s no surprise that this section is really theatrical. There’s even a skit before ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ where she collapses on the floor, then has to get all dressed up in a new outfit to put on a show. And keep an eye on the visuals during ‘ICDIWABH,’ because there are nods to songs like ‘Peter.’
‘But Daddy I Love Him’
‘So High School’
‘Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?’ (with a moving platform!)
‘Down Bad’
‘Fortnight’
‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’
‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’
Surprise Songs
Surprise Song O’Clock got a little facelift in Paris with a new, all-pink dress, but it’s the same instruments and chaos as always! Paris Night 1 got ‘Paris’ on guitar, fittingly, and ‘loml’ on piano. Be sure to stay tuned and keep up with what pairings she gives us!
Midnights
We’re so excited that Midnights can still be the closing set of the Eras Tour! The setlist stayed the same, though Paris got a new blue bodysuit with cutouts. We couldn’t think of a better ending for the show, especially with this ‘Karma’ lyric:
“Ask me what I’ve learned from all those years Ask me what I’ve earned from all those tears Ask me why so many fade but I’m still here…”
What do you think of the new Eras Tour setlist? Did she cut any of your fave songs? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
A large crowd turned out Sunday for the 11th annual Step Up for Colleen 5K Walk/Run in Andover. Members of the crowd were decked out in their pink race shirts as they sought to raise money for charity and celebrate the life of Colleen Ritzer of Andover, a Danvers High School teacher who was murdered in October 2013. Members of the Ritzer family were on hand – her parents Tom and Peggie, sister Laura and brother Dan – to honor Colleen’s commitment to help and inspire others. Boston Bruins national anthem singer Todd Angilly turned out for the event as did mascots for the New England professional sports teams, including Pat Patriot and Bruins mascot Blade.
The spirit of “The Rose of Tralee” filled the Rose Baker Senior Center on Thursday for a packed St. Patrick’s Day Party and lunch in the shamrock and green-balloon festooned Great Room.
“We are going to have some fun today. The Open Door (food pantry) as usual has hooked us up with a great lunch,” said Elder Services Director Elise Sinagra to the dozens in attendance, in a video shared on Mayor Greg Verga’s Facebook page from the Rose Baker Senior Center.
“We have incredible musicians here, thank you so much … thank you guys for being here. And, yeah, let’s have some fun. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”
“Hope everyone had a good time — thank you for having me!” Verga said on Facebook.
A video clip of the mayor had him paying homage to Gloucester’s St. Peter’s Fiesta when he joked: “Viva St. Patrick!”
“It was smiles for miles and a sea of green at the Rose Baker Senior Center today!” the center posted, crediting Michael O’Leary, Bob and Jen Strom, and Cindy McIntire for providing traditional Irish music for the ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) which is Gaelic for a gathering of folk music, dance and storytelling.
From the flowers carried as a lucky charm to the flowers that became a tourist destination in Arizona, many flowers have a fascinating history. Here are some flower legends that follow some of our most beloved blooms.
When I’m learning how to identify different flowers and their names, I find it always helps if I know the history behind the flowers. Even just one cool fact makes the name stick!
Over time, I’ve heard many legends about flowers, and some are just so fascinating. Whether it’s where it got its name, how it was used, or what it represented, many flower legends come from all corners of the world.
Excerpted with permission from A Short History of Flowers (Frances Lincoln, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2023) by Advolly Richmond. A Short History of Flowers publishes March 7, 2024, and can be purchased wherever fine books are sold. Learn more at quarto.com.
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
The California poppy is native to the western United States, and as you can guess, is one of the main wildflowers spotted in California. It became California’s state flower in 1903.
“The plant’s fiery, orange-coloured flowers earned the name ‘copa del ora’, which means ‘cups of gold,’ drawing on the legend that the orange gold petals of the Eschscholzia californica filled the soil with the same precious metal,” says Advolly. “No one could have anticipated just how prophetic this would be when the California Gold Rush came in the 1850s.”
The First Nations peoples of California valued the plant for its medicinal purposes, using it to reduce headaches, as a natural antidepressant, as a sleep aid, to reduce stress, and more.
In most recent history, Meghan Markle as Duchess of Sussex included the California poppy in her new coat of arms after marrying Prince Harry, honouring her heritage and birthplace.
Daylily
Hemerocallis spp.
When I’m walking through the streets of Vancouver, you can’t go a few houses without seeing the brilliant blooms of daylilies in the summer.
“Daylilies were known to the early Roman, Greek, and Egyptian doctors from plants brought from China along the silk routes about 2,000 years ago. Northern Europe only learned of them in the sixteenth centre, with Hemerocallis fulva introduced in 1576,” says Advolly.
Where daylilies originated, no one is quite sure. The theory is that the plant began as a chance seedling that then became cultivated. In China, the flower legend was that eating the blooms could alleviate sorrow.
I myself love daylilies as an edible ornamental. The root tubers can be cooked like you would a potato and the flowers can be eaten in a salad or to garnish a dessert.
English Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
There are few people who don’t love the calming scent of lavender. As a known medicinal herb and aromatherapy staple, lavender is used to scent many home and beauty products and as a decorative element itself when dried.
Lavender has been a European garden staple since the medieval period, used to clean laundry and as an insect repellent.
“When Queen Victoria declared her love of lavender, it incited a cult-like reaction which drove the fashion for all-things lavender, leading to the rapid growth of the English lavender industry,” says Advolly.
To this day, I think the lavender craze still remains strong. The plant is a foundation for many of my own recipes, including lavender linen water and lavender bath salts.
Speaking of beautiful scents, we can’t forget the lilac. While traditionally a spring bloom, the rising popularity of lilacs led to the French forcing blooms.
“The art of forcing lilac blooms commercially, especially for the white version, had been practised in France as early as 1774 in caves and cellars,” says Advolly. “Because, remarkably, no matter the natural shade of the flower, when non-white lilacs are forced in the dark, they produce white flowers.”
Today, we can grow white lilacs, but the common purple lilac remains the most popular. They live for decades, often outliving the gardeners who planted them. I inherited my own lilac tree when I bought my first home, and I happily brought cuttings indoors to perfume the whole house.
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis
Longly beloved, the lily of the valley was one of the first flowers to be grown in cultivated gardens. It’s highly beloved in France, where it has its own festival on May 1, ever since King Charles IX became enamoured with the spring bloom.
On this day, families will wake up early and head into the woods to forage for the flowers and bring them to friends and family to symbolize good fortune.
But the king isn’t the only famous Frenchman to be captivated by the lily of the valley.
“Christian Dior often wore the flower in his buttonhole just as his models sported outlandish boutonnieres on the catwalk,” says Advolly. “In order to ensure that he had a constant supply of the flower, Dior’s personal florist, Madame Paule Dedeban, grew it all year round in a heated glasshouse so that the designer was never without his spring bloom.”
Love-in-a-Mist
Nigella damascena
A signature cottage-style flower, the love-in-a-mist has jewel-like flowers that sit atop feathery, fennel-like leaves. Once the flower is gone, a pretty seed pod takes its place, making it a highly decorative flower.
It was a common garden flower in Europe by the 16th century, even once considered too common and not worth growing by some. But one of the most popular varieties, ‘Miss Jekyll’, was bred by Miss Gertrude Jekyll in the 1800s in her own cottage garden after years of careful selection.
While you might expect the flower to represent love, its name actually comes from the appearance of the flowers floating atop fine foliage.
“Unrequited love and longing also found meaning in the unusual flower – giving someone a bouquet of N. damascena meant ‘you puzzle me’ but it could also indicate doubt, uncertainty, and even embarrassment,” says Advolly.
Snapdragon
Antirrhinum majus
Snapdragons are such a unique flower, and I’m sure I’m not alone in squeezing the flower to make the ‘dragon’s jaws’ open and close. The ‘flames’ of colour and a stamen tongue might even poke out.
And if you’ve ever let your snapdragons go to seed, you’ll see that their dried pods resemble tiny skulls. Because of this, snapdragons were thought to offer protection from witchcraft and even again.
Their appearance alone could bring all kinds of flower legends. “At the height of the Renaissance, new powers were bestowed upon the humble snapdragon,” says Advolly. “If you ever found yourself short on charm, it was believed wearing the flower about your person could miraculously enhance your social standing, as the flowers were said to give you charisma.”
Well, who can say no to a little charisma!?
Snowdrops
Galanthus nivalis
Before the tulips spring, you can find snowdrops. They truly are one of the first hallmarks of spring, albeit a subtle flower that might get missed upon a first look. Snowdrops will naturalize and form a colony, so they can linger for many years after originally being planted.
“Colonies of snowdrops are often found naturalised in many parts of the country at this time of year and, in most cases, in the vicinity of the ruins of ancient monasteries, churchyards, and other religious establishments, relics of past pious spring traditions,” says Advolly.
Snowdrops are used during the Christian festival Candlemas, where candles (and snowdrops for their resemblance to a candle’s flame) celebrate Mary’s purification in the Temple of Jerusalem.
The flower has also been linked to death due to its appearance and being found commonly in graveyards. Their white petals resemble a corpse’s shroud and the drooping heads like sombre mourners.
Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
Sweet peas are another cottage garden favourite, where the multi-coloured butterfly flowers climb atop fences and trellises. And, of course, cut and brought inside, where their smell fills the room.
In the 1800s, the popularity for the flower rose in Europe and by the late 1800s, desire for the flower had spread to America too.
Davis describes one family, the Nakagawa family, as well as a group of other Japanese-American families who sought to establish new farms in Arizona after they were incarcerated during WWII. The Nakagawa’s flower farm grew many flowers, including sweet peas.
“In early summer, visitors travelled across states to buy bouquets from the flower stands or just to drive past the field,” says Advolly. “The scent was said to carry for miles, and drivers would roll down their windows to make the most of the beautiful scent as they drove by mile after mile.”
The flower farms belonging to these Japanese families were a highly sought-after destination. The farms no longer exist today, the land being sold to developers over time. But how I wish I could have paid a visit!
Zinnia
Zinnia elegans
In comparison to other flowers on this list, it took a while for zinnias to rise to the ranks of a must-have garden flower. By the Victorian age, they were all the rage, and the breeding and cultivation of the plant took off.
Clementine Hunter was a folk artist who found plenty of inspiration in zinnias. Born on a cotton plantation in Louisiana, Hunter picked cotton before becoming a domestic servant at Melrose Plantation, a liberal retreat for artists.
“In 1939, at the age of fifty-two, while cleaning a recently vacated guest room, she came across discarded tubes of paints and brushes left by a visiting artist,” says Advolly. “Hunter, who never learnt to read or write, began to paint. One of her first paintings in that year was on a piece of curated cardboard and titled Bown of Zinnias, a favourite subject that she constantly returned to over the years.”
Little did she know that one of her zinnia paintings would go on to be displayed at the Louvre. And like Clementine, many of us continue to be infatuated with the zinnia flower.
And those are just a handful of some flower legends and amazing histories. For more, be sure to check out Advolly’s book A Short History of Flowers. If you know an interesting story behind a flower, leave it in the comments below.
Before the internet, or even the printing press, we relied on the knowledge passed down through to learn about gardening. While there is so much to know from our ancestors, some old wives’ tales about gardening just aren’t true. There are still a handful of gardening myths that people still use today. Instagram and TikTok are full of them! Let’s get to the truth behind these common gardening misconceptions.
Bees are only attracted to the colour yellow.
Peeing on a jellyfish sting will alleviate the pain.
Turkey makes you sleepy.
If you swallow gum, it will take 7 years to digest.
These are just a handful of old wives’ tales I’ve heard over the years.
When it comes to gardening, some of these old wives’ tales about gardening can have a hint of truth to them. They’re all rooted in some science, even if they didn’t realize it.
BUT (and this is a big but), most of them are said to work better than they actually do. Or they at least started with good intentions. You’ll see what I mean when you keep on reading!
Here are the gardening myths I’ll be talking about today…
A Note on Listening and Experimenting
When it comes to old wives’ tales about gardening, some of them can actually be true. Making them not an old wives’ tale at all!
I’ve always sought to find a balance between science-based and grandmother methods that have been passed down.
While writing Garden Alchemy, I analyzed permaculture, herbalism, indigenous learning, and current science to develop organic concoctions for the garden. It’s all about striking a balance between these claims and fact-based evidence.
This review from Frau Zinnie sums it up. “[Garden Alchemy] empowers the reader to experiment with ways to fix common garden problems with minimal effort — and showing how there are so many things the home gardener can do before deciding to buy a “problem-solving” product at the store.”
From peat-free soil alternatives to using alfalfa as a fertilizer, there are many ways you can use organic elements effectively in the garden using Garden Alchemy as your guide.
And now, onto some myth busting!
Adding Coffee Grounds to Soil
The gardening myth: coffee grounds are a great soil amendment, and you can mix them right into your soil.
While coffee grounds do have plant nutrients, they’re not a significant source. People add them directly to the soil; while you can do this, it’s better to use them as a compost ingredient. They’re a great compost ingredient and will provide more benefits to your plants once decomposed.
Coffee grounds are a great addition to the compost pile, but not right in the garden.
Vinegar as a Weed Killer
The gardening myth: vinegar is a natural herbicide that is better for the garden than commercial herbicides.
Vinegar burns plants upon contact, and it is gentler than most commercial herbicides. BUT it doesn’t discriminate against which plants it will harm, burning anything it comes into contact with. It also may kill the leaves, but not the root system below. So, while it may be a weed killer, it’s not as effective as you might like and could hurt your neighbouring plants.
The gardening myth: you can soak bananas in hot water to create a potassium-rich fertilizer tea to pour on your houseplants and in the garden.
Very little of the banana peel decomposes when you soak it in water. As a result, the water doesn’t have much nutritional value. If you put a banana peel directly in the soil, it will take a long time to break down before it becomes useful to your garden. They’re not an immediate nutrient boost and work best when added to the compost pile.
The gardening myth: eggshells are a calcium-rich garden amendment that can help prevent blossom end rot from occurring.
Calcium deficiency is actually quite rare for soil. While blossom end rot occurs due to the plant’s lack of calcium, it’s not because there’s a lack of calcium in the soil but rather the plant’s ability to absorb the calcium. Furthermore, eggshells need to be fully broken down to provide calcium, and following a theme here, it takes a while to break down. They’re better off in the compost or in your worm bin.
The gardening myth: dish soap works as an insecticide spray.
Most commercial dish soaps are actually detergents, which contain ingredients that aren’t actually that healthy for the garden and your soil. Instead, you want to use fragrance-free castile soap. When mixed with water and other pest deterrent ingredients, it can help make your deterrent more sticky and useful when spraying it on pests.
The gardening myth: you can sprinkle cinnamon in your potting soil to prevent damping off from affecting your seedlings.
Cinnamon is actually quite a powerful spice and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many studies have proven these properties in combating illnesses for humans, and some show this for plants as well. However, many of the studies use cinnamon from different species and in different forms than the powdered version we get at the grocery store.
The gardening myth: if you speak kind words to your plants, they can actually grow better.
Sound vibrations are proven to affect plant growth positively. Does it have to be a positive affirmation? No. Your plant won’t know whether your words are good or bad. Music can actually have a greater effect on your plants. All in all, it doesn’t matter what kind of sound plants listen to, but they like noise!
The gardening myth: Epsom salts can prevent and cure blossom end rot and stop pests and other fungal diseases.
Epsom salts won’t help your plant when there’s a calcium deficiency, which is why your plant has blossom end rot. In fact, Epsom salts are a high source of magnesium and that can actually hurt your plant when it’s trying to get more calcium. There is also no real evidence to support that it can stop other pests and diseases.
I love to use Epsom salts in the bathtub after a long day out in the garden.
Houseplants as Air Purifiers
The gardening myth: having houseplants in your home can help to purify the air and improve air quality.
Without a doubt, plants are powerful tools to combat pollution and filter through harmful toxins. Many large studies (like the famous NASA one) proved that plants effectively filter air. However, most of these studies were done in small, enclosed spaces. Large, open houses will make it difficult for a few houseplants to purify the air to a point where it’s positively affecting your health. But they certainly don’t hurt!
If you’re a crazy plant lady like me, you might have enough houseplants to have better air quality.
Gardening by the Moon Phases
The gardening myth: the lunar cycle can affect plant growth and can be a useful tool for planning planting and maintenance.
Since the moon can affect the earth’s tides, some believe it can also affect the water intake in plants. Depending on the moon’s phase, you can determine the best time to plant, cultivate, and harvest plants. There’s no real evidence to support this, but that hasn’t stopped other old wives’ tales about gardening and the moon to pop up.
Get inspired by planting a moon garden, a garden that is designed to be enjoyed in the moonlight.
Using Compost Tea
The gardening myth: diluting compost and using compost leachate can be useful ways to improve soil and plant health.
There’s a big debate about whether or not compost tea is actually helpful for the garden. Compost tea is something I use in my own garden, and I have written about it quite a bit in Garden Alchemy. Those who are against compost tea say there’s not enough evidence to support the positive claims behind compost tea.
The gardening myth: like us, plants experience aging and will eventually die as they get old.
Plants do not age the same way that we do. In theory, plants have infinite growth potential as they produce more leaves, flowers, stems, and roots. A plant can keep producing new parts to replace their old ones as long as they like. But as they age, they often get damaged over time and become weaker. This means the older a plant is, the more likely it is to fall victim to a pathogen.
The gardening myth: when you snip or damage a plant, you’re hurting it.
Plants have no pain receptors; they don’t feel the same way we do. However, they do experience stress and will react to poor conditions. For instance, I’ve seen how my garden reacts after lots of forest fire smoke has been in the air. Plants will respond to their environment but don’t have feelings.
Don’t worry about cutting your plants. They’re not going to feel pain.
Plants Don’t Need Oxygen
The gardening myth: plants take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
This one isn’t actually a myth per se, but only half of the full story. During photosynthesis, plants take carbon dioxide from the air alongside water from the ground to turn it into sugars and oxygen. The plant uses the sugars, and the oxygen is a by-product. However, during the photosynthesis process, plants do use some oxygen. They just need a fraction of it compared to us.
What is the old wives’ tale about thanking someone for a plant?
An old gardening superstition is that when you thank someone for gifting you a plant or a flower from someone’s garden, the original plant will die or won’t bloom again.
What other old wives’ tales about gardening have you heard? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to add to this list and do some more digging.
Remembrance Day is something that everyone in the family should participate in. From proudly wearing our poppies and explaining to our children the meaning behind this symbol, to attending Remembrance Day ceremonies, there is a lot our children can learn from acknowledging this important day.
More than 125,000 Canadian Armed Forces members have served in peace operations in dozens of countries through the decades. Over 4,000 officers from the RCMP and other Canadian police forces have also participated. Our country played a key role in the evolution of peacekeeping. And it’s something we should all take the time to learn about year after year.
For those who are looking for more resources, especially those for younger minds, the Government of Canada has several tools designed for kids. For those who are ages 5-7, there is a downloadable booklet, and for children who are 5-11, you can read and discuss this “Canada Remembers Times” four-page newspaper, which explores Canadian military history and the sacrifices and achievements of Canadian Veterans, plus it has new information every year.
Here is a wonderful video you can show your children to learn more about Remembrance Day too.
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
Hooray – the holidays are coming (Thanksgiving and Halloween), plus it’s a new season, and that means NEW CRAFTS! The bean and I have been busy busy busy collecting fall leaves and flattening them in books for our southern friends (who don’t get to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage), plus working on lots of different crafts and decorating. There are spiderwebs in every corner of our house, we cut out giant paper eyes, mouths, etc. to make our bedroom doors look like monsters, and we even made a fun monster wreath.
But some of my favourite homemade treasures are those with handprints and footprints. Nostalgic parents love to hold up old print crafts with recent ones and “ooh” and “ahh” about how big our munchkins have grown. So here’s a few of our favourites:
Handprint witch. Turn a handprint upside-down and make it look like a witch with her broomstick.
Footprint ghosts. You can colour in the eyes or use funny googly eyes.
“Smell my feet” picture with, what else, two little orange feet.
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with Suburban readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
This mommy loves any excuse to try out new crafts, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. With lots of fun ideas for activities, food, and so much more, we’ve got the luck of the Irish on our side (even though we’re not Irish!).
Make a leprechaun trap. Those sneaky little devils are on the hunt for a pot of a gold, so make a trap to catch him! Or, ask each family member to make their own trap and see how they compare.
Shamrock stamping. You can use three wine corks glued together, and marshmallows will also work.
End of the rainbow twirler. Colour a rainbow on both sides of a paper plate, then cut in a curly-cue fashion (see above). Attach a pot of gold to the end of it (made out of construction paper or cardstock), and hang in the corner of a room.
Rainbow pancakes. Make a basic batch of pancake batter and divide among various bowls, then colour each a different colour.
Make snack necklaces. Thread Fruit Loops onto a piece of yarn for a fun and wearable snack necklace.
Toilet paper roll leprechaun hats. Paint a toilet paper roll green and add a black band and buckle made out of construction paper. This will be the top of the hat. Then glue in the middle of a green circle to complete the hat.
Make packages of rainbow seeds. This is simply a bag of Skittles with a note of affection tied to it – perfect to wish friends and neighbours a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with Suburban readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
Everyone who is sick of the time change, raise your hand (ooooh OOOOH that’s me with my hand outstretched as high as humanly possible).
Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?! It’s a real pain in the you-know-what. Moms, I know you can relate the most. Nothing screws up naptime or a sleep schedule more than changing the clocks. It’s incredible how one measly hour can transform your child into a raging beast. It can make one tiny day feel like a week. You have to manually walk around changing all the clocks in the house and car. And if you have any sort of appointment on the Sunday following the time change, you have to be extra sure you get there on time, because what time is it anyway?! I’m tired just thinking about it. And all this for the sake of a lousy hour.
I say, leave those clocks alone. Let’s be done with this annoying bi-annual tradition of torture. Most of Saskatchewan and some parts of Quebec, BC, and Ontario no longer follow daylight savings. How do we get a seat on that bandwagon because I am DOWN!?
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
Looking to give that beauty-lover something special in their stocking? From face and skincare to the ultimate in hair and nail TLC, these are some of the season’s merriest gifts for all the beauty-lovers in your life.
BKIND nail polish is amazing. They are long-lasting and available in a wide range of beautiful, saturated colours. BKIND offers all-natural, plant-based, vegan, eco-friendly beauty and skin care products that are made in Quebec. Each product is carefully developed, from their ingredients to its packaging.
The Garnier limited-edition box contains seven of their best-selling, ultra-hydrating sheet masks. Each mask is infused with approximately one bottle of serum, are vegan and cruelty-free, and 100% biodegradable. The box includes the Moisture Bomb Brightening Sheet Mask with Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C, Moisture Bomb Replumping Sheet Mask with Hyaluronic Acid + Pomegranate, Moisture Bomb Rebalancing Sheet Mask with Hyaluronic Acid + Green Tea, and more. Give the gift that keeps on hydrating!
The Jumbo Eye Vault from NYX Cosmetics is a limited-edition collection of eye shades. The recipient can prime, line, and shadow with the magic all-in-one sticks that come in eight fiercely festive shades.
Valmont’s V-Firm eye cream combats droopy eyelids, under-eye creasing and sunken eyes with targeted hydration and cell strengthening actions to firm the delicate eye contour. The results are a healthier, more youthful complexion. The melting gel formula absorbs quickly and easily too.
The Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick from L’Oreal is one of the only matte lipsticks that is not flat. This next-generation matte formula that has high concentration of pigments, hyaluronic acid boost, and argan oil to mattify, plump, and care for lips.
I think this tradition was invented to throw parents over the edge right before Christmas. Here’s the thing: we never did the Elf on the Shelf tradition in our household. I figured I had enough to do that I couldn’t be bothered setting up the elf every night of December.
When my son was introduced to the Elf on the Shelf at school (thanks guys), he couldn’t understand why all the kids would talk about their elves and we didn’t have one. So, I let him in on Christmas’ first secret: the elf is fake. I knew he was a good kid and wouldn’t spoil the fun for others. And I needed a good “out”, so he didn’t feel like he was missing out.
Two years ago, everything changed when he found out “certain truths” about the big man from the North Pole. And that’s when I decided to start this tradition. At least he knew it was us doing it so if I slipped up and forgot, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Because there’s less pressure, I find it more fun to set up.
So, leave the guesswork to me – here are your 24 days of Elf on the Shelf.
Fishing in fishbowl. We have a Beta fish so our mischievous elf will be fishing for him. He could also be fishing for Goldfish crackers.
Marshmellow. Using markers, I will make a mask of Marshmellow for our elf and add some other marshmellow marshmallows.
Hershey Kiss. Wrap the elf in foil and shape it into a giant Hershey Kiss.
Snow angel. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with sprinkles or flour and lay down your elf to make snow angels.
Loungin’. Set your elf up floating in the tub with pool toys. Maybe he even has a summertime drink or sunglasses.
Captured! Roll the elf up in toilet paper and make it look like he’s being pushed by LEGO people or other little bonhommes.
Relaxing. Lay him in a hammock made from towels on a towel rack.
Elf-abet soup. Put the elf in a pot and have the Grinch stirring it.
The next day, he ties up the Grinch.
Draw an elf reflection in bathroom mirror using wipe-off markers so when someone looks in the mirror, they’ll have pointy ears and a festive hat or scarf.
Hang him from a mirror or shelf with a sign that says “the floor is lava” and see if your child can get to him without touching the floor.
Playing tricks. Prop up your elf with a tube of white toothpaste and some separate Oreos like he’s trying to play a prank.
Drinking maple syrup with a straw.
Oops! He poops! Stand him next to a row of chocolate chip poopsies.
Put him in a homemade “kissing booth” and spread Hershey Kisses around him.
Playing games. Set up Jenga using mini Kit Kat bars.
Cutting toilet paper in paper snowflakes.
Make a scaled-down version of a Twister board for your elf.
Draw minion faces on bananas and position your elf with a Sharpie next to them.
Staying toasty. Put him between two pieces of toast.
Set up a small makeshift lemonade stand and make it look like your elf is being naughty and peeing in the cups to make the lemonade.
Make it so he’s climbing gift bows up a wall.
Give him a cozy spot and put him curled up in tissue box.
And for the last day, do a scavenger hunt. Hide a few candy canes around the house and attach a note to your elf challenging them to find them.
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
We experiment with a lot of crafts in our household, especially the messy ones in summertime (the backyard becomes our craft room). So this year, instead of wasting smaller canvases and umpteen pieces of paper, we decided to keep adding to one bigger summer canvas.
Here are some of the crafts we’ve done on this year’s summer canvas:
– Egg shell painting. OK, so this takes some planning, but I try and salvage some egg shells, which we clean, fill with paint, and seal with a small piece of tissue paper or tape. Then we thrown the eggs at the canvas and watch them crack, break, smash, splatter, and more.
– Water gun painting. We watered down some paint and then filled one of our water guns with the coloured water, then we shot it at our canvas. Just remember to empty the water pistol when you’re done (or you’ll have kids battling with paint-filled guns!).
– Bubble painting. Add some food colouring to standard bubbles and then get blowing. When the coloured bubbled hit the canvas and break, they leave the coolest little circular blobs!
– Pompom art. I put different coloured washable paints in a muffin tin and then armed the bean with different pompoms, which he soaked in paint and then threw at the canvas. The sound and effects were cool (SPLAT!).
– Blow art. Put a blob of paint on a canvas or piece of paper and then, using a straw, blow the paint. Watch how it moves and travels across the surface. Decorate your blobs afterwards to look like monsters, aliens, or anything you can imagine!
What will we do next on our summer canvas?!
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
