Exploring Nature

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not an outdoor person. I have no need to be outside. I'm not a big gardener and most of the things I need to do require I stay inside, so I'm not the best about getting my children out of doors. I do have a note to remind myself to get them some out of the house time and usually we're pretty good about getting out on nice days for at least an hour or two.

I try to remind myself that getting the children out is good for them, but in the back of my head, I can hear all those deadlines chanting, "you're wasting time. you're wasting time." But I can't be the only person who struggles with these sorts of things, right? Oh gosh, please tell me I'm not.

Anyway, yesterday we went outside to enjoy the warm weather. The children went exploring through the woods on our property, pretending to be paleontologists and finding stick "bones" to bring back and explore.

 

Bear made friends with a little ladybug, which refused to leave him, so it rode on his hat the entire time and even hung around while they played in the sandbox. We finally had to pick it off his hat and place it on a plant. I was worried its wings had been damaged until it flew back onto him from the plant. A very friendly ladybug indeed.

Both children came inside, a sandy, dirty mess, but they had fun and for once they didn't fight with each other or dump sand on each other's heads, which is a thing and it's a nightmare at bath time.