embrace the outdoors


As mom of 5 and 2, I learned a few things about what makes kids happy.  One of them is that kids love to be outside and exploring all things big and small !  Little explorers are what they are !  Park, woodland forest, beach, open field or your own backyard are great places to take them.  I love seeing my kids digging into the sand or dirt, picking out leaves, rolling down the grassy hill, swinging, chasing birds, searching for clam shells, searching for worms, playing with sticks and rocks or just run around and around !  This is also great time to teach them about the world around them.  How wild flowers get planted where they are, the functions of bees, why the tides come in and out, why plants need sun and water, etc.  The kids also learn to count by counting rocks, leaves, birds, etc.  There are so many things to do and so many things to talk about to keep them and you busy !


When the rain is at bay here on the coast, we go the park or beach at least once week and out in our yard everyday, except when raining.  We started gardening again now that the weather is warmer and got both kids involved.  They both love it, mostly the digging and watering :)  My OCD kicked in a few times !  It's hard watching the kiddos planted seeds in crooked lines and all over the place !  I am so obsess with making sure everything is straight and even so them kids are helping me to slowly overcome it :)  I can't wait to see what will become of our garden this year.  Come summer we'll have beans, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and zucchini.  Come late summer we'll have spaghetti squash and figs !!!!  I counted, we have 46 baby figs so far !  46 baby !

The more we're outdoor the more I appreciate all those years in science class, learning about how nature works.  I do have to brush up on stuff now and then through google, but school did give me a good foundation to start.  When I explain to Bee how certain thing works, she would look up at and and say "you know so much mamas ", it makes me feel pretty awesome  :)  like I am superwoman !

When we take the kids out, the goal is for them to have fun, to enjoy themselves.  The great things about being outdoor is that, kids learn while having fun.  Everything is fun and amazing for them and everything you do and see is an opportunity to talk, to share, to educate.  Often, as I watch my kids playing in the glorious sun, I am also brought closer to nature, to our Lord, to this amazing feeling of wonder.  And the more we're outside, the more I see the desperate need to be good steward of the earth.

Around here, we are blessed with so many beautiful parks and beaches and green spaces.  Many of them are accessible by transit too so there's no excuse not to go :)  The weather is warming up so I hope you find time to get out there and soak in all the beauty around you.  I find myself in awe often when in the presence of vast ocean or clear blue sky or night sky littered with stars, nature does that to us, it humbles us.  And that's a very good thing !









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