Wife, Then Mama

Today we spent 1 hour and 45 minutes outside, so 395.5 more to go! We went to a giant park today, and the kids ran around, got filthy, fell down a lot (how long does the incredibly clumsy phase last?) and seemed to have an amazing time.  Little Guy was way more popular than he wanted to be, little kids kept trying to pick him up, and hug him, and drag him places.  I had to physically step in a couple of times, because 2-3 year olds don't necessarily respect personal boundaries LOL.  It was pretty cool at the park, there were a ton of kids playing, and none of the parents were hovering to close.  Well except me, but that was more because all the benches were taken by other parents than because I was actually "helicoptering". On the 1000 Hours Outside blog, the author writes that the first day she spent a huge portion of the day outside was her first really good day as a mom.  I can totally see why that is.  Kids are so much happier outside.  There i...

Today we logged 2 hours and 45 minutes outside.  Which leaves us with only 397.25 more hours.  Yeah, only... It was Little Guy's second birthday party, so two of those hours were spend at his party at the park, basically just running around, sliding, and eating some cake.  It was actually a rather uneventful event, no snags at all, YAY!  And all the presents he got were awesome, no batteries, and no licensed characters (well except for a Batmobile, but we make exceptions for Super Heroes LOL).  We even managed to remember to buy candles and bring a lighter.  This is the third birthday party I have done, and its the first time I remembered candles, so this mama is learning!  No major injuries, although Z did fall down (like off of something, not just down, they fall down like 83278432 times a day!!) and since someone picked her up and held her, instead of just checking for injuries, and then telling her she was alright and to go play, she milked it a ...

I recently came across the blog  1000 Hours Outside , and was inspired to try my own, but just for the months of May-September, because I can't commit to going outside all the time when it is rainy and cold.  The kids have rain gear, but I don't, making more than an hour or so out there really miserable for me. Since I am only trying for a little less than half the year, I am aiming for a little less than half the 1000 hours. This works out to about 4-5 hours a day a few days a week, and 2 hours a day on the other days. My yard is not conducive to this kind of outside time, because it has no fence, and the shade is all in the front of the house, near the street.  Five hours in the sun is not really very healthy, nor is it very fun.  So on the long days, I am going to try to go to state parks, and I am REALLY HOPING to enlist some friends to go with me, because it will be so much more fun to do with other people.