How to Catch a Crawfish–Be Yourself!
Every few days a poor, misguided soul will come across my blog looking for answers about crawfish.
How do you catch a crawfish?
Crawfish in septic system
Can crawfish climb stairs?
Dreams about crawfish
Crawfish recipes
Every time I see these searches I feel a tinge of guilt. Their quest for answers about these lobster-like creatures has brought them to my page about raising little boys. Something I’m sure they didn’t intend to find. I imagine them clicking on my link in the Google search and seeing the picture of my boys walking along the pond. They breathe a disappointed sigh, maybe grumble in frustration, and finally close out of my site to continue their search. To those who have accidentally stumbled across my little corner of the blogsphere in search of answers about crawfish, you have my sincerest apologies. I never intended to trick you into clicking on my site.
When I started this blog, I had several ideas for names swirling around in my mind. I knew I wanted to write about people we met who made a difference in our lives and also about lessons that I hope my sons will learn as they navigate life. Here were some I considered.
Don’t Eat your Boogers (…and other life lessons I hope my sons will learn) –my husband said this was too hillbilly, but truth be told, I kinda liked it the best.
Quest for Good
Becoming Country Boys (life lessons I hope my sons will learn) –We moved to the country going on two years ago, and our adventures here have shaped many of my posts.
Slugs And Snails (life with all boys)
Obviously, Catching Crawfish (life lessons I hope my sons will learn) was the winner, and just like that a new parenting blog was born. Out of all the names, this one stood out to me because it represented many happy memories of walking along our little pond searching for crawfish. Our frequent quests represented so many afternoons of time together learning about life. We’ve never tasted crawfish, we’ve never fried them, boiled them, buttered them up for the grill, or even raised them as pets. But you can bet your bottom dollar we’ve caught them. And here’s how, for all you curious google searchers who land on my site by chance:
My boys carefully turn rocks over until one happens to be resting there in the water. Their quick little hands cup around them (if they’re small), or grab below their pinchers using their thumb and pointer fingers. A hot dog on the end of a stick also does the trick. That’s it! Pretty simple.
My site address is slightly misleading. It really doesn’t have anything to do with catching crawfish. The name is not exactly what it is. How often is this the case in life? Do we occasionally put on a façade and pretend to be something we aren’t just to get friends, to be popular, to make money, to get something we want, to make us feel better about ourselves…?
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” –Ralph Waldo Emmerson
My name is Chelsi, and I’m the face behind Catching Crawfish. This is me:
- I’m a mom to three fun boys and a wife to a great man. I grew up in a small town with one sister that I adore and parents that I love.
- I’m adjusting to country life and really do love it, but I miss PEOPLE! I miss my sweet neighbors, waving to them and visiting (friends, come visit any time!).
- I’m an introvert.
- I absolutely love organized sports, especially frisbee, soccer and volleyball. I also enjoy running.
- I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. I’m a Mormon. I believe that our relationships in this life can last into eternities. I’m so thankful for my faith in families being forever.
- I love to write.
- I’m far from perfect and sometimes wish I could go back and change things in the past. But I know I am who I am today as much (or more) because of my trials, failures and mistakes as my successes and accomplishments.
- I graduated in Elementary Education, but secretly dream of writing children’s books and being a librarian.
To my dear, crazy, silly, one-of-a-kind boys, I hope you will always be yourselves, no matter what pressures you face to be someone different. Allow others to help you reach your potential. Learn from example. Emulate those that make the world better. But don’t allow anyone to make you into something you’re not. Don’t loose that twinkle in your eye, that mischievous grin, that unfaltering faith. You are so unique, so special, so loved, JUST the way you are. Never forget that!
Catching Crawfish 
I love this!! And I love your blog. I am so glad I could learn more about you! Especially your name. As funny as that sounds, I kept wanting to say thank you and refer to you personally, not your blog. I’m so glad I have connected with you and I keep smiling to myself that people have found your blog when searching about crawfish!! 🙂 I hope they got interested and stayed a while though!
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I was thinking about that, how no one even knew my name on here, even though I know theirs and I feel like I can call them my friends! Yes, it’s Chelsi. 🙂 I’m so glad I connected with you too, Marla! Your blog is always a breath of fresh air to me. I’ve wondered what those people have thought about my blog that find it while searching for entirely different topics and if they’ve ever stuck around for a bit. Who knows!
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I really thought I had you. A post about people that change to appease other people and you start out feeling bad about the misguided souls that happen upon your blog looking for other information and there you went telling them just how to catch a crayfish. I found it a bit ironic. But you saved it in the end, didn’t you? Gave me no room to parry when you finished up by telling us who you are, where you’ve been, where you are, and what you like making no excuses or false embellishments and ending with a prayer for your boys to remain exactly who they are and celebrating each individual thing about them. Yep, no fool writing this blog, that’s for sure! Never thought I’d enjoy a post about catching fish, but you know, I could really get into envisioning you and your boys out there searching for them on a hot summer day. Great post.
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Oh my goodness, that’s so funny! I honestly hadn’t given much thought about that irony. It was a bit of a stream of conscience when it came out, but I’m glad I worked it out so I didn’t sound ridiculous! 🙂 I’ve thought in the past about changing the name to fit better and be easier to find, but that would certainly be changing in order to appease other people. So for now I’ll stick with crawfish. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I never thought I’d enjoy fishing, let alone writing about it! But with a house full of boys I’ve learned if I want to be included I’ve got to buck up and join in. Thanks, friend!
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Crawfish definitely works, especially given its reality context. But were I voting for a title (obviously this is now hindsight 🙂 ) Boogers would have been hard to resist. It is SO young boys. And having once lived a stones throw from WVA, I can comfortably say that there are a lot of other things far more hillbilly.
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I just checked, and Don’t Eat Your Boogers is now taken. I have to admit that makes me a little sad. It’s a pretty common life lesson we seem to constantly be trying to teach here at our house these days! That name really was my first choice too, but I got nervous. In hindsight maybe I should have just done it. Shucks. 🙂
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Maybe as a consolation (to yourself) you could whip up a Boogerman costume for one of your boys for Halloween…
Sorry, it seems I’m just instigating. 🙂
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