Today was a big day. Little man (aged 3.25) FINALLY did No. 2 on the potty-- and we didn't have to ask him, force him, or bug him about it. Those of you who have ever been parents will know what a huge deal this is. So, we gave him his promised ice cream party, and spent about $14.78 at one of those self-serve, add your own toppings tart yogurt shops. Money well spent. Let's hope he can keep it up.

Hubby also took the kids out to the zoo today for a few hours to give me some peace and quiet. That was all free, as we have a membership so each trip is free. We packed PB & Js, and spent three or four dollars on carousel and train rides.

While they were gone I got a little bit of work done around the house. I painted our bedroom and moved the furniture around. It's starting to feel sooooo much better. The bed and the dressers were still pretty much where we dropped them on moving day two months ago. A far from ideal arrangement, but it got the job done, although not elegantly. My plan is to put together our new IKEA platform bedframe and lay down the rug tomorrow, and voila! Instant, finished master bedroom. It's very exciting.

As for landscaping, the last owner clearly didn't know a lot about plants. I think she just wanted the gardens to look full immediately, ergo didn't leave any room for when the plants actually grew. We had one part-shade spot along the back with nothing in it. So, I cleaned that out today and transplanted four struggling hostas from other flower beds. I think they will do well in this new spot-- with the right light and plenty of room-- if they survived my July transplanting. Not the best time, I know, but hey.

I also broke down and spent $20 on a SunCalc light meter today. Growing my own food is very important to me, and our new lot, although a full half acre, is big, it has challenging light conditions. I still haven't been able to figure out how much sun each potential garden spot is getting each day. Hopefully the light meter will help me figure out where to put the raised garden beds this fall, so they will be ready for intensive gardening next spring.