Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Monday Mom – Neetika
It’s not easy to beat the January blues. The holidays have passed. School is back in session. Low temperatures mean much less outdoor time. The packing up of the ornaments and décor relates what we’re all feeling—the party’s over. And what is there to look forward to? Valentine’s Day? Eh. Springtime temperatures? Still months away.

As Haley grows up, she understands the calendar and the concept of time better and better. It’s adorable, funny, and a little sad that she seems to realize that this time of year can be a bit of a dud. She tells me how she can’t wait for it to be warm and asks how long it is until Halloween. Don’t hold your breath, kid.

I’ve tried to combat the dreariness the best I know how. I took the candy canes off the tree and used them to make delicious peppermint hot chocolate. We’ve thrown a few snowballs at each other, which always results in fits of laughter. Haley and Hudson have both become master builders with their Legos and Magna Tiles—and master wreckers, as well.

Thankfully, my kids are homebodies just like me. They love to curl up with a good book under a cozy blanket (my favorite!) or try a new recipe on a lazy afternoon (especially if baked goods are involved). I’m trying to teach them something that it probably took me to long to realize—that each day is a blessing, and you have to make the most of it. Even if it doesn’t involve swimming, fireworks or picking out a costume, it’s a day that’s lovely and beautiful and meaningful. We ought to be grateful.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
This past weekend, my husband and I took Rory to the playground for the first time. He goes almost every day with his sitter, but we had never actually gone with him ourselves. We wanted to give him a little time in the infant/toddler swing because she had mentioned that he enjoyed it, and we wanted a chance to share in that excitement.

When we first arrived, the swings were all occupied. This was hardly a surprise given that it was a Sunday morning. Luckily, it didn’t throw off our plans. Now that Rory is sitting up on his own (or at least staying in a seated position), it is fun to take him places and let him watch everything going on around him. The three of us plopped down on spring-supported see-saw and bounced Rory up and down while we waited for our turn on the swings.

Luckily, the attention span of most kids at the playground is sufficiently short, so our wait was not all that long. And Rory’s reaction was well worth our brief wait. Once we put him in the swing and let him sway back and forth ever-so-slightly, Rory started grinning from ear to ear. The grin gave way to squeals of glee—the kind of giggles that you cannot help but smile back at.

It was a very simple, largely insignificant trip to the playground. But, to me, it was an affirmation of one of the big reasons my husband and I had always said we wanted to have kids: to have a chance to witness pure joy in the face of the most ordinary of experiences. After all, isn’t that what childhood is all about?