Sending them Out // Walt Whitman Wisdom

"Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air, and to eat and sleep with the earth"

- Walt Whitman -

Isn't it true, and don't we all know it?! Isn't there something about being out in nature that refreshes our souls, cheers our hearts, and makes us feel like anything is possible?

These past two days we have been cooped up indoors... Heavy rain, grey skies, dreary days. We have made little trips out... Sorting bits and bobs for the house, and determining to burn off some of that childhood energy that is ever abounding when you have a four-year-old, a three-year-old and an almost one-year-old. But boy, have we missed the blue skies and sunshine of the weekend where the children spent most of the afternoon outside in the sunshine...

It took a little bit of encouragement on Saturday morning. It was dry, but not overly warm, and while our Heidi would happily spend hours outdoors playing come rain or shine, pottering around in her little playhouse, our eldest daughter is a little homebody. She would genuinely spend the entire day pulled up at the dining table with a cup full of pencils and a stack of paper. I love that about her, but sometimes she needs a little encouragement out... Some fresh air to fill her lungs, and some inspiration for that stack of paper of hers...

And once they were out, they were out... the sunshine came in the afternoon and there were no longer any requests to come in again. When the sun is blazing, our bare-footed, dress-wearing little ladies love nothing better than the great outdoors.

And helping Papa in the garden... If you don't have a strimmer for the edges, just set your kids to work with a pair of scissors (child-friendly and safety-aware of course!) Cutting the grass... Literally!

There's nothing our girls love more than a job to do, or a task to carry out... Cutting and collecting grass meant an afternoon well spent!

And a little bit of earth and open air into the mix!