Today was a great day! There were a few simple things that stood out for me that put a smile on my face and brightened my day. Here they are in no particular order.
1. Going for a Family Bike Ride
Our son recently mastered riding a 2 wheel pedal bike which has made us proud parents and also increased our time spent on our bikes as well. We have been going for family bike rides most evenings since the weather has been so nice and warm. It’s exciting to see how strong our son is getting each time we go out. Hills he needed to walk his bike up initially, he is now easily riding up. It’s nice to see him get that boost of confidence in his own abilities as he learns new skills and challenges himself. Growing up, I always enjoyed going for family bike rides so I’m happy that we can continue that tradition with our kids as well.
2. Growing our own Lettuce
My parents have grown lettuce on their deck for the past few years and I always loved eating fresh salads at their house. So, this was finally the year we followed their lead and made it happen. We started off with 2 planters that sat on top of the deck hand rail and then yesterday my husband built an additional two long wooden planters attached to the outside ledge of our upper deck. We filled the planters with soil this morning and added a bunch of varieties of lettuce. Now we’ll let the sunshine and water do its job and look forward to enjoying a lot of delicious salads this summer.
3. Seeing how much our kids love the outdoors
Our kids love being outside! They love helping in the garden, riding their bikes, swimming in their grandparent’s pool, digging in the sand, going for walks, playing at the park and helping their dad push the lawn mower. After it rains, my son will even check the grass to see if it’s dry enough to mow the lawn again. I’m so glad they appreciate being outdoors as much as they do. It’s such an important part of childhood. I grew up going to summer camp each year and I absolutely loved everything about being outside in the woods, having campfires, swimming and just being outside most of the time. There are different times when the smells of nature bring me back to being at camp. Things like walking through the woods shortly after its rained or the smell of a campfire. I hope our kids will continue to enjoy spending time out in nature as they get older. We will definitely do our best to encourage them.
4. Eating dinner outside
It’s fun to mix it up and eat outside when the weather is beautiful. We have a little picnic table our kids love to sit and eat at. During the day, they get excited to have their snack at this table when we play outside. It doesn’t matter if the kids spill anything or make a big mess as it’s super easy to clean up when we eat outside. During this time of year the smell of people BBQing is everywhere during dinner time. It made me happy to hear my son request that we have dinner outside and then how pumped he gets just from a little change in our dinner routine. Love it.
Let’s embrace all the small moments throughout the day that made us smile, laugh and feel happy. I’d love to hear what simple things made you happy today. Feel free to share what comes to mind when you think back upon your day.
Jillian
