Irvine Nature Center

Today we had a great family day. I made pancakes for breakfast, plus extra pancakes for breakfast tomorrow. We left them on the cooling racks while we were gone. Nearly drove the dog crazy.

I took the children to the Irvine Nature Center. We had a marvelous time. First we visited the indoor exhibits. Then we played on the playground for about 20 minutes but they were about to close it for a birthday party. So we had lunch, hiked all the trails (the girls had a GREAT time playing in the stream -- note to self, pack insect repellant next time), and then came back to the main building. We shopped in the gift shop. I got a dozen Black-eyed Susans for the school's butterfly garden, four wax myrtles for my house (they're a native plant and you can make candles with the berries) and a bar of locally made honey soap. I am always nuts about soap and I've been looking for an all-natural soap made by a local organization. I was excited to find this honey soap and it smells amazing.

Now it's dinner, bedtime story, and bed. We just finished our last read-aloud (The Book of Fairy Princesby Isabel Wyatt) and now it is time to start something new. I picked The Trumpet of the Swanby E.B. White.