Parks and Play

The coolness of this summer has been perfect for a gal like me. Yes, I could survive these summer days at 65-74 degrees for the rest of all time. Not too hot, not too cold. As Goldilocks would say, "Just right!" And for many of my other children, they feel the same way.

We have been trying to take advantage of some of these wonderful days by heading outside to play. Our great backyard has been held captive by our great dog, who while a gentle and peaceful, lovable soul, has too much loving energy for some of the smaller kids. And in this lovely cool weather, she wants nothing to do with being inside....she loves the out of doors, and prefers to spend her days chumming it up with the rest of the neighborhood who walks by her on the path by the lake's wetlands through our property. With all the attention she gets back there, we joke that she is the community dog.

Our kids play mostly in the front yard, on the porch, and in the cul-de-sac street. That is where the other kids play too, so it works out well for them. I am the only mom I know who tells her children daily to "go play in the street"! We have a fun little park just down the hill from our house that the kids love to go play at. Nestled between both lakes, it is a beautiful place to hang out, slow down, and just enjoy the day. With the park so close by, the kids do not miss our large back yard at all. And we do not need to upgrade our playset! We have tried to visit our park often this summer, as well as other parks along the way. One of our constantly running summer goals has been to make it to every park we can find in our city and play in it at least once during the summer. Perhaps this year will be our year to accomplish that fun little challenge!