Labor Day Weekend

It was our last weekend with Kyle, maybe ever, so we tried to make the most of family fun over Labor Day weekend. We kicked it off with a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. Free passes (through a library program) to the Children's Museum were out, so I chose the zoo, forgetting that I live in Arizona now. Thank goodness Kyle was around because that was the most draining three hours I can remember ever spending outdoors. Pushing the double stroller had little to do with it, since Kyle did most of that. That merciless sun sucked the fun-loving enthusiasm even out of Ellie within the first fifteen minutes. I had to forcefully remove her from a shady bench to capture a shot of her with the giraffes (the first animal we saw), which is even her personal fave.

Still, we did enjoy what we saw, and definitely plan to return sometime around the dead of winter.

Our only reprieve was a splash pad that even I shamelessly took advantage of.


The kids were delighted to discover dozens and dozens of red snapper turtles (I think) lollygagging in the pond area. We hope and think Teancum is enjoying a similarly pleasant habitat these days. (We gave him to some strangers with a pond, but who also inadvertently killed off their last two turtles...)


Speaking of sweet deals, I scored all of this school/office supply gear (needed or not!) for a total of $2.47 (plus hefty tax) at Staples last week. Sometimes I just love myself.

And what is Labor Day without some good old fashioned manual labor, aka pants-less weed pulling?

Or pants-full.

And also, what is Labor Day without a scavenger hunt at the local Savers? (For the thrifty uninformed, they mark down almost the entire store 50% on holidays.) So, as you can see, I went wild with glee and, to Kyle's great dismay, filled two shopping carts with cute clothes for the kids in the next size up. With a heavy heart, I eventually whittled my winnings down to the following.

What a cheese. Okay, this is more like it.




Here's another unrelated topic that's been occupying a disproportionate amount of my thoughts lately: food. Healthy food. Healthy whole plant food, particularly. I believe in moderation in all things, and I love my desserts and dairy probably more than the next kid, and yet I find myself being strangely drawn toward a pseudo vegan lifestyle these days. I know, just typing the word vegan makes me feel like the obnoxious food snob and animal rights extremist that I am not, and hope to never be. Still, so many compelling benefits... more on this soon.