But, that's not ... candy.

My sweet little boy is candy crazy. We have had to take all candy from the house to check his ravenous sweet tooth. So, needless to say, he has been looking forward to Halloween with a bright and happy heart.

Near us in a new store, Whole Foods, which has been a lot of fun to visit and shop in. We have found that is slightly more costly, mostly because we buy things we wouldn't normally find at our normal grocery store. They are savy enough to offer community programs which included a fall festival and trick or treat event. Unfortunately, in the style of an organic, healthy and eco-sensitive store, their treats were not the same items as my candy monster considers as treats.


The poor little boy looked at a box he was given, looked up adn asked the employee what it was. She smiled and brightly replied that a box of organic raisins. Shocked at this blasphemy, my little boy asked again what it was. Just in case she had actually said "candy". But no, my children were exposed to a new Halloween experience, Organic, Gluten Free, Organic Nutient Enhanced Water, Apple Sauce and Whole Grain treats. Good thing for my little sweet toothed boy he is in for the traditional house to house joyful sugar fest tonight.

It Won't Be Like This For Long ...

There is a song that starts with the refrain "It Won't Be Like This for Long". It laments how fast time flies as a parent. Most parents can relate to that, and I am not immune to the longing in that ballad. Tonight, of all things, my youngest wet the bed and was sleeping right through it. I noticed and walked him carefully to the potty, took off his wet clothes, then searched out a clean pair and placed him back into a dry bed. The entire time his eyes were closed and he just leaned into me. Even this time, the night time potty training gone awry is fleeting and special. His sleepy trust of Mommy to tend to him is so precious. Tomorrow I will have to remember and press this into the pages of my heart.

Thank you, Lord for these times with my children. Thank you for the love I have for them, and the they readily give in return.

Fall - no way - not with temps in the 90's!

We are braving through the heat. In an inspired move, we vacationed up in Michigan! I really hadn't been anywhere outside Detroit except to visit Jackson, about an hour west of Motor City. How Fantastic it is! We made sure to visit some varied locations, but you just have to stop in each direction by hitting a massive lake! A Great Lake! We went to an adorable town, Holland complete with reproduction Dutch Villages, gardens and an authentic Windmill. We took our first look at Lake Michigan from the shores of Holland State Park. We took a picture in front of the "most photographed lighthouse" in the state, Big Red. We visited Elisabeth Park, in Trenton, a little jewel directly on the Detroit River. Driving North, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, entered the UP (Michigan's Upper Peninsula) and headed up to the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie. We watched two boats going through the lock system and stopped in the museum before devouring some fudge on the main street. There isn't a fee, but there is a security check. We took pictures at the Mac Bridge heading south along the western shore until we hit Petoskey. I was determined to find Petoskey stones, the state stones that are commonly found in the bay. We stayed in a hotel right across from the bay and first thing the next morning, we found our stones at East Park. Traveling a little farther southwest, we hit the Sleeping Bear Dunes.Our pace was like that of a kid running down a boardwalk full bore, then hitting deep soft sand. You can't help but to slow to a stop noting the change. The Dune Climb was tall, and all three kids went up, up, up. We even continued over some more of these amazing perched dunes, looking back over incredibly blue lakes glistening below. I hadn't even noticed these interior lakes on our way in. It was so very quiet, aside from the wind. We fell in love with that place. But it was time to head down, sliding and running when you could and I am sure a lot of sand gets moved around, in addition to the migration of the dunes, from little footfalls. We headed back south and it was almost a tangible different the moment we were back in lower Michigan again. The trees were mostly the same, and the restaurants too. Something was different, still beautiful, but maybe a little less wild. We hit our last landmark the day before we left, The Parlour for ice cream. Tin Roof Sundae, Baby!