Outdoors

I just want to put in writing that I am determined the make the most of the rest of the outdoor weather we have. For whatever reason, I completely slacked off this summer...it was a very cool summer, only hitting 90 degrees less than a handful of times, yet we mostly stayed indoors. Not sure why...perhaps it was because I hate the heat with a passion unless I can be completely submersed in water, perhaps it is because my daughter is adverse to any water at all, unless it is in the bath, perhaps it is because I have no imagination and do not do well without concrete toys and outdoors seems to be a breeding ground for imaginative play, or perhaps it is because I had a "new" baby and we still getting into the swing of things. Whatever it was, we hardly ventured out at all. I specifically remember getting to the last few weeks of summer, going out to the park with her on a cooler day and realizing "Oh my goodness! Going outside adds an entirely new 'room' to our house! It helps pass the time! What were we doing spending all day indoors?" So now that fall is here and our days are so numbered if you listen closely you can hear a clock tick, I am determined to make the most of the remaining days. On days when it is not raining, I am going to bundle the kids up and take walks and visit the park after naps. I am hoping to go to picking apples tomorrow. Next week I'm going to pick the best day there is and go to a pumpkin farm. And I have hopes of one day after preschool this week or next going to the free dog park down the street and letting Winnie run wild while the kids and I walk around and watch her have fun. I think this means I'll be relying on easy to make and/or previously made meals for the next few weeks as the best time for us to get out seems to be between 4-6 pm. But I am excited-excited to make some memories and soak in the outdoors as we will have forced confinement starting in a just a few weeks, lasting the next several months. Beautiful outdoors-here we come!