Keep it Simple

My kids constantly remind me to Keep it Simple.

We went to the park last week- the one we have a season pass for, the one I refer to as my lifesaver because it has numerous playgrounds, a splash park, a train, a zoo, etc. Every time we go we do something different.

That day I decided to let the kids lead me to where they wanted to go. They walked over to the pond which we had not yet checked out this spring. We were looking at the small fish and the water bugs. Rosie then picked up a stone and threw it in. It made a wonderful splash.

And, believe it or not, both she and Buddy continued to toss stones into the pond... for an hour!

If someone had told me we'd be spending an hour tossing stones in a pond I would have laughed at them. My kids don't do anything for an hour except sleep, I would say to that person.

I sat on the (fenced) dock alongside them and delighted in their squeals and giggles. Another little boy dragged his mom over, and soon enough all three kids were tossing in stones. The mom and I joked that one main component of their game was that they only felt they could bring over one stone at a time from the pile, and that we were okay with it because they were getting plenty of exercise running back and forth!

One of my favorite luxuries of being a stay at home mom is time. Our schedule only has a few "have-to's" in it- breakfast, lunch and nap time. Other than that? We have the time and flexibility to devote an entire hour to tossing stones. I won't ever regret this time that I spend with them. I can already seeing it slipping away, day by day.