finally, a water lily!

also at the gardens today, i finally had a good opportunity to take a picture of a water lily! aren't they beautiful flowers? now i may have to update my home page... maybe after those little water bugs get photoshopped out...

and why not a shameless plug while i'm at it: don't forget--my card sets make great gifts! :)

critters at the gardens

we picked a perfect day to visit frederik meijer gardens today. we bought a membership this year and have already been a few times. it is a great place to let the kids (and adults) explore, experience, and enjoy. today we ran into a few friends along the way--the fox was a fun surprise--and the turtle picture is from the last time we were there.

big boy bed

we put away the crib this week and transitioned sawyer into his big boy bed. at night he has been doing great... naptime, however, is a different story. the first day we tried it, i was downstairs hearing the little pitter-patter of feet above me, and then it was quiet. i forgot to check on him until miriam mentioned it, and when we went upstairs, his bed was empty. miriam's closet, on the other hand, was not -- nor were her slippers!

noticing a trend

i got to thinking as i was out walking tonight... will they think we are clever or just not very good spellers??

$66.66

that was my total at the grocery store this evening (and that, i might add, is a SMALL trip). it is also a pretty good representation of how i feel about that place.

i have a confession -- i despise grocery shopping. and that's a real problem when a large part of one's full-time job is feeding a family of five. it does go a bit better when i am more organized with a meal plan going into the week, but even then it's tough. other factors besides an all-too-often disorganized list include being tired, annoying stores and long lines at the checkout, trying to shop healthy in a world of processed and prepackaged food, and of course, the bill!

i need advice, tips, encouragement, anything from you, my readers, to help me better embrace this inevitable part of my responsibilities. actually, a volunteer to be my personal shopper would be fantastic. :)

p.s.--i forgot to mention that tonight my neighbor and i went together, which did help to make it more bearable. love you, janet!

home school testing plus

just an fyi for all of you homeschoolers out there...

just wanted to give a little shout out for linda nikkel, a local (to west michigan) woman who used to work for the school system, homeschooled her daughters (who are both now pre-med students), and in the past couple of years has begun administering standardized tests for homeschooled students. we decided to have miriam tested last month, mostly for my own peace of mind ("how can i possibly be doing enough??"). apparently i am, because she did great. linda came to our home, and though i paid for a test, i got so much more than that! she was SO encouraging and affirming of what we are doing. i so value people like that in my life, as it can be hard to come by when you choose a path different from the "norm". so, while i don't think that testing children this young is absolutely necessary, i would highly recommend her services if you are looking for something like that.

brrr & grrr....

i wish weather didn't so easily affect my mood, but it often does. this morning, much like the past few days, was bright and sunny... deceivingly beautiful... because once you get outside you discover that the wind is freezing! this morning we rode our bikes to the library. keep in mind it is almost june. i was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, a fleece, and gloves, and i was still uncomfortably cold. granted, my husband claims that i only have about a 7 degree window of temperature that i am comfortable in... but the kids were cold, too. we nixed our plans to ride on to the nature trails and decided to come home and cozy up inside instead. come on, warming trend!!