Playing Like Real Kids

We spent the first several weeks in January without any snow enjoying unseasonably warm weather. We took bike rides and used our rollerblades almost every day. Loved it!


The kids spend time outside each and every day (unless it is raining) after school. They need to burn off energy and just spent time being kids. The thing that I love most about our new house is that we have so much space for the kids to play outside and there is very little traffic so they can be outside for long periods of time without me needing to check on them or worry. It is such a nice change from our house in Pittsburgh that was on a corner with tons of traffic going by all of the time! The kids are actually able to play without adult supervision the way that we did growing up.

They are free to make bad decisions and learn from their mistakes without me hovering over them barking instructions. If you climb a tree and stand on weak branches, you will fall....lesson learned. If you step in a puddle in the back of the yard and get your shoes soaking wet, you will be cold...still mastering that one. If you build a homemade bike ramp that is not too sturdy, you will eat dirt....literally. These boys are growing up like we did back in the 70's and I love it. Some days I make the kids cookies or bread and set it out on the deck with some hot chocolate and they re-fuel before heading out again, but they really seem to enjoy the freedom that they have living here. Shovels but no snow hmmmmm.......... now what?

Sam seriously NEVER wants to come in the house. He thought that John's ice shanty was a tent so that they could sleep out on the ice...for real! Sam is truly an outdoorsman if I ever met one! He is soooo enthusiastic about anything involving outside! I have found that he is highly motivated to clean up his toys and clothes if it has to be finished before playing outside. He will wake up before anyone else and clean the playroom and upstairs hallway just so that he can play outside sooner! If you know Sam at all then you know that cleaning and him have never been used in the same sentence. Sam's latest obsession is sneaking up on the birds at the bird feeder with a bucket to try and catch them! Hey Grissly Adams... i think that I just found your replacement!
Here birdy birdy....