News from the Nest: Outside adventures

Now that spring has officially arrived, it is the perfect time for kids to get outside to play. Being locked up inside for many months, other than a warm winter day here and there, this outdoor stuff takes a little getting used to again.

My preschool son goes right at it, no fear, no questioning what to play as there are so many options. He plays golf, basketball, finds cool looking rocks, rides bike and then yep, he falls. But after a little encouragement, TLC and a Band-Aid he gets right back at it again.

My toddler, on the other hand, isn't as used to outdoor adventures so she sticks to her trusty pretend lawnmower. The perfect height for her to push and well-equipped with a compartment for her to store rocks, leaves, and sticks that she finds. I guess the right way to describe the compartment is, the place where she puts stuff that I yell at her to NOT eat; she probably keeps her treasures tucked tight until I'm not looking.

Spending time outside with my kids also brings a strange conflict for me. I like to cook good meals for my family and often these meals take a little time to prepare. So for me to be able to be outside playing with my kids for an hour prior to supper, my cooking time gets squeezed.

While I'm watching my 1-year-old attempt to climb on the 4-year-olds bike, I wonder "are chicken nuggets for the 3rd night in a row acceptable? They are 'all-natural' after all, whatever that means."

As we welcome spring, and soon summer, we'll be faced with many falls, many tears but also many wonderful moments and, hopefully, not too many chicken nuggets.