Airing Out the Children
When warm weather hits, I like to open the screened windows and let some fresh air blow through the house. This is my version of spring or fall cleaning. Let some of those dust particles float right outside, replacing the stale funk of closed-up house with that crisp, fresh outside smell.
I also love bed sheets that have been air dried in the sun.
Best of all, I love to air out my children. When the weather has been rainy and cold and we've been stuck inside for days on end, we tend to get tired of each other. The children are constantly bickering and picking at each other...and crying because so-and-so took such-and-such...
When warm weather hits, we spend as much time outside in the sunshine as possible. Boosting our vitamin D levels from the sunshine probably helps, but more than that, I think playing in wide-open spaces boosts our spirits.
The weather man predicted that Tuesday was the last day of warm weather - perhaps for the year in our part of the country. We zipped through homeschool that morning, packed a picnic lunch, and headed for "the brown park." My children have named our local parks using the color coding system which is nice, except if you're not used to it.
My hubby will ask "OK, kids - which park would you like to go to?"
To which they will respond, "The brown park!" "The red park!" or as my four-year-old is becoming known for statements such as, "You know the park where there is a penguin in a circle that's blue?" "You know...the park with the swing that has a white dot and had an ant crawling on it..." " You know...the one we went to last Thursday Monday at 13 o'clock." No one knows what she's talking about, but she's trying. Gotta love her!
After several hours of sun-drenched fun, we were content. The brown crackly leaves covering the ground whispered, "jump in me!." Wish I had brought a rake. Could've had an awesome leaf pile to jump into. We met a family with 8 children, homeschoolers, whom my daughter played follow-the-leader with for an hour. My little ones climbed, slid, ran, dug, and squealed to their heart's content. At the end of our visit, we were all spent. The car ride home was quiet. It's like hitting the reset button for my children and myself.
So, if you are experiencing one of those days when you think the children sound like they're going to kill each other, air them out!
In the cold months, I suggest a Chik-Fil-A or Burger King playground. Something with hamster tubes. Your local mall may have a play area or fun activities - sometimes we just go to the giant toy store and play with the displays (if allowed). When we are snowed in, we turn on Just Dance Kids on the Wii, play hide n seek, have an indoor picnic, or whatever would break up the monotony of the day.
Life is short. Your children are only young for a short time. Don't let blah days get you down. Pep it up with fun! If you are having fun, they will be too.
Ecclesiastes 8:15, written by the wisest man who every walked the earth - King Solomon who received a mega-sized helping of wisdom direct from God:
"I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun."
So I challenge you to let the laundry and dishes go for a morning next week. Spend ten minutes planning 3 fun activities for your kids. Do them.
Join in, and watch the fun take off. New attitudes, new joy, a breath of fresh air.
The kids will have been aired out.
Mission Accomplished.
I also love bed sheets that have been air dried in the sun.
Best of all, I love to air out my children. When the weather has been rainy and cold and we've been stuck inside for days on end, we tend to get tired of each other. The children are constantly bickering and picking at each other...and crying because so-and-so took such-and-such...
When warm weather hits, we spend as much time outside in the sunshine as possible. Boosting our vitamin D levels from the sunshine probably helps, but more than that, I think playing in wide-open spaces boosts our spirits.
The weather man predicted that Tuesday was the last day of warm weather - perhaps for the year in our part of the country. We zipped through homeschool that morning, packed a picnic lunch, and headed for "the brown park." My children have named our local parks using the color coding system which is nice, except if you're not used to it.
My hubby will ask "OK, kids - which park would you like to go to?"
To which they will respond, "The brown park!" "The red park!" or as my four-year-old is becoming known for statements such as, "You know the park where there is a penguin in a circle that's blue?" "You know...the park with the swing that has a white dot and had an ant crawling on it..." " You know...the one we went to last Thursday Monday at 13 o'clock." No one knows what she's talking about, but she's trying. Gotta love her!
After several hours of sun-drenched fun, we were content. The brown crackly leaves covering the ground whispered, "jump in me!." Wish I had brought a rake. Could've had an awesome leaf pile to jump into. We met a family with 8 children, homeschoolers, whom my daughter played follow-the-leader with for an hour. My little ones climbed, slid, ran, dug, and squealed to their heart's content. At the end of our visit, we were all spent. The car ride home was quiet. It's like hitting the reset button for my children and myself.
So, if you are experiencing one of those days when you think the children sound like they're going to kill each other, air them out!
In the cold months, I suggest a Chik-Fil-A or Burger King playground. Something with hamster tubes. Your local mall may have a play area or fun activities - sometimes we just go to the giant toy store and play with the displays (if allowed). When we are snowed in, we turn on Just Dance Kids on the Wii, play hide n seek, have an indoor picnic, or whatever would break up the monotony of the day.
Life is short. Your children are only young for a short time. Don't let blah days get you down. Pep it up with fun! If you are having fun, they will be too.
Ecclesiastes 8:15, written by the wisest man who every walked the earth - King Solomon who received a mega-sized helping of wisdom direct from God:
"I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun."
So I challenge you to let the laundry and dishes go for a morning next week. Spend ten minutes planning 3 fun activities for your kids. Do them.
Join in, and watch the fun take off. New attitudes, new joy, a breath of fresh air.
The kids will have been aired out.
Mission Accomplished.
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