Who needs sleds??
A heart-stopping, mile-a-minute thrill ride, guaranteed to make the stomach a bit fluttery...particularly if you happen to be watching your not-yet-3 year old careering wildly down it. I swear with each child they just start this stuff sooner and sooner. At this rate, Màiri should be taking up snowboarding, oh, next week or so...
Been actually out and about the last few days, for the first time in a while. Out of the habit really and finding getting out the door to be a bit of a challenge.
Ah, winter, what to do with you?? Or more to the point, what to do with me?? This is the season that I struggle with the most when it comes to outdoor play, well now and the height of mosquito season. It's the joy of the great outdoors verses the where with all to brave the elements.
For one thing, there's not really anything for me to do outside at this time of year. Snowshoeing and things of that sort are lovely of course, but when the kids just want to play, well then what? Spring, summer, fall, I can go putter about my gardens or heck, even bring out a book or my knitting, but really there's not a whole lot of options when the world is blanketed in white. Really somewhat limited in my "play" of late too. Not overly keen on taking the wee one racing down a hill (even if she will likely be doing it on her own sometime next month...). Honestly, that kind of thing is not really my cup of tea anyway. I'll go in for an occasional ride, but more and more I find myself thinking that I probably have enough aches and pains without risking crashing into a tree. Ack! When did I develop the disposition of a little old woman?!?
Then there is the cold. Can't say that I care for it. All my kids have extensive collections of snow pants, parkas, wooly hats, extra insulated gloves, and so forth...I, severely lacking in these accoutrements, stand about shivering, while they warm, snug and toasty remain oblivious to the brutal cold. Not the best deal for me. Nor do I tend to garner much sympathy. "It's getting rather chilly, don't you think? Perhaps we should head in soon" is rather likely to be met with cries of "but we're not cold at all!"
Oh, and then there is the getting out the door in the first place! Not exactly easy...
"ok, snow pants on, and now the boots, what's that? You say you need to pee?? Alright, we'll just start over again..."
"and now the baby needs to be changed again before we get out"
"No, no, don't take that off! I know you're getting hot, but we will be going out in just a minute, really"
"ah, I see you've tied your hat strings in fifty knots again...ok, well, I guess I'll just start working them out. Oh no, where did your other mitten get to??"
"hold on honey, just a minute, let me calm down Màiri first..."
and so forth.
Not a problem for the big boys really, they come and go as they please and spend much of there time out of doors, no matter what the weather. But it's a different story for a certain little boy who's not yet old enough to be out and about on his own.
While I know that my mind body and spirit are all craving time to commune with nature, and while I fundamentally believe that there are few things more important to a growing child then abundant fresh air and sunshine, it's easy to ignore all that in the face of warmth and comfort, where you don't actually have to do anything. Or well, perhaps it would be easy to ignore it, if it weren't for the crestfallen small child, with his nose pressed firm to the window glass, wistfully watching the other children having fun, in a pathetically heartrending scene that cuts straight to the mother guilt. And so I pull it all together and out of doors we go!
And we will go again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, until it no longer feels like such a strain, but just a part of the natural progression of our day. And I will watch the blissful, carefree joy of children sliding down hills and the subtle beauty of icicles hanging from the roof ledge, and breathing the cool fresh air and being made better and stronger for it.
A heart-stopping, mile-a-minute thrill ride, guaranteed to make the stomach a bit fluttery...particularly if you happen to be watching your not-yet-3 year old careering wildly down it. I swear with each child they just start this stuff sooner and sooner. At this rate, Màiri should be taking up snowboarding, oh, next week or so...
Been actually out and about the last few days, for the first time in a while. Out of the habit really and finding getting out the door to be a bit of a challenge.
Ah, winter, what to do with you?? Or more to the point, what to do with me?? This is the season that I struggle with the most when it comes to outdoor play, well now and the height of mosquito season. It's the joy of the great outdoors verses the where with all to brave the elements.
For one thing, there's not really anything for me to do outside at this time of year. Snowshoeing and things of that sort are lovely of course, but when the kids just want to play, well then what? Spring, summer, fall, I can go putter about my gardens or heck, even bring out a book or my knitting, but really there's not a whole lot of options when the world is blanketed in white. Really somewhat limited in my "play" of late too. Not overly keen on taking the wee one racing down a hill (even if she will likely be doing it on her own sometime next month...). Honestly, that kind of thing is not really my cup of tea anyway. I'll go in for an occasional ride, but more and more I find myself thinking that I probably have enough aches and pains without risking crashing into a tree. Ack! When did I develop the disposition of a little old woman?!?
Then there is the cold. Can't say that I care for it. All my kids have extensive collections of snow pants, parkas, wooly hats, extra insulated gloves, and so forth...I, severely lacking in these accoutrements, stand about shivering, while they warm, snug and toasty remain oblivious to the brutal cold. Not the best deal for me. Nor do I tend to garner much sympathy. "It's getting rather chilly, don't you think? Perhaps we should head in soon" is rather likely to be met with cries of "but we're not cold at all!"
Oh, and then there is the getting out the door in the first place! Not exactly easy...
"ok, snow pants on, and now the boots, what's that? You say you need to pee?? Alright, we'll just start over again..."
"and now the baby needs to be changed again before we get out"
"No, no, don't take that off! I know you're getting hot, but we will be going out in just a minute, really"
"ah, I see you've tied your hat strings in fifty knots again...ok, well, I guess I'll just start working them out. Oh no, where did your other mitten get to??"
"hold on honey, just a minute, let me calm down Màiri first..."
and so forth.
Not a problem for the big boys really, they come and go as they please and spend much of there time out of doors, no matter what the weather. But it's a different story for a certain little boy who's not yet old enough to be out and about on his own.
While I know that my mind body and spirit are all craving time to commune with nature, and while I fundamentally believe that there are few things more important to a growing child then abundant fresh air and sunshine, it's easy to ignore all that in the face of warmth and comfort, where you don't actually have to do anything. Or well, perhaps it would be easy to ignore it, if it weren't for the crestfallen small child, with his nose pressed firm to the window glass, wistfully watching the other children having fun, in a pathetically heartrending scene that cuts straight to the mother guilt. And so I pull it all together and out of doors we go!
And we will go again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, until it no longer feels like such a strain, but just a part of the natural progression of our day. And I will watch the blissful, carefree joy of children sliding down hills and the subtle beauty of icicles hanging from the roof ledge, and breathing the cool fresh air and being made better and stronger for it.
3 comments:
I so relate to this post. I want to love it- I really do, but I often wish we could just go back inside. Or go for a walk where I actually get a bit of exercise instead of watching 300 snow angels get made. I've taken to doing lunges and squats while the wee one communes with the white stuff. Maybe we should both get ourselves some thrifted snowpants and learn to knit in the snowbank overtop our babes in slings?
Hi, I have been reading your blog for quite a while (I am on the Waldorf at home forum, that's were I remember you from) and I think it's about time for me to post a comment! I love your blog, your authenticity, your creativity and your simplicity!
I sooo relate to your post! I have 3 little ones under 5 and I just moved back home in Quebec, Canada, where winter is more normal, well, probably like where you live. I used to live in the Yukon, near Alaska, where winter lasted 8 months and there was only 5 hours of light during the day... So I hear you! Everyday we went outside and often I was crying out of sheer exhaustion when we were all out the door (for 10 minutes, 'cause it was -35 degrees there!).
I just tried to remember that soon enough, they will all be out the door, not needing or wanting me around and I will have all the time in the world to knit on the couch while they do their things... and I am sure I will miss the time of the snow angels and of standing in the snow bouncing a baby in my sling, knowing with such assurance that this is where I needed to be... Love to you, Mel!
Like learning to walk again, each and every time...but so worth it, just for the fresh air...eh.
Love!
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