Come Walk With Us...

I love Autumn afternoons when the weather is cool, but still warm enough for a walk around the neighborhood.

We take these walks almost daily this time of year. I love the little moments of learning that happen on a simple afternoon walk. This is what we learned today:

First lesson: It's really annoying when you want to tell your mother something and she keeps taking photos with her cell phone.

Second lesson: If you are looking for kitty cats, you have to look in all kinds of places.

Keep your eyes peeled, you'll find one when you least expect it. (Yes, my son does point at things with his middle finger. Why do you ask?)

Third lesson: The neighbors have some really awesome decorations up this time of year.  My kids were left wondering: What is up with our parents and their sad excuse for porch decor?

Fourth lesson: Bouncy balls bounce really well on the side walk, but they don't bounce on grass (for some undecipherable reason). Jellybean found it best to experiment on this lesson multiple times.

Fifth lesson: If you are letter obsessed, like Buddy, you will find many a crack in the side walk to contemplate and assign a likeness to.

Sixth lesson: Dandelions are fun to pick and are "soft like a kitty." It's also fun to blow their fluff, but not so fun to lick them. (Last part not pictured, as I was too busy digging dandelion fluff out of Jellybean's mouth. By the way, it's not the first time she has learned this lesson.)

Yep, we are looking forward to more walks and more lessons in the coming days before the weather gets too cold.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Can you tell the good plants from the weeds?

We have been blessed with some beautiful weather here and there is so much green coming up in the garden. I've been out with the kids for a little while each day weeding our flower beds.  Mostly, the kids will play while I weed, but occasionally, they come over and want to help.  This has brought up some interesting discussions on which plants are good plants and which plants are weeds.

Buddy thinks the concept of good plants and weeds is funny and makes a game out of it.  "Mama, you're a weed, I'm going to pull you out because I'm a good plant."

Jellybean, wants to help, but doesn't yet have enough understanding to do so.  Today, in her efforts to "weed," she plucked every bud off of a little plant that was just about to bloom.  After that, I kept a better eye on her and handed her the weeds I had pulled to place in my trash bucket.   

My gardening buddy.

While I've been weeding, I've been thinking a lot about how I'm trying to teach my children about the good plants and the weeds that they'll encounter in life. Each day, I am teaching them what is important and what isn't; What is good and what is bad.  It is sometimes hard to distinguish between the the good plants (things that will bring joy into our lives) and the weeds (things that will diminish our joy and drag us down). Sometimes, the weed is readily identified, has shallow roots and can easily be plucked out. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the weed before it has sent runners out and has taken over half of the garden.

This plant no longer has buds. :(

As a parent, I want my children to be able to see the difference between what will be valuable in their lives and what won't be.  I want them to have joy in their lives and not be hindered by the weeds that will inevitably pop up.  I guess the teaching starts with my example.  I imagine that a little weeding in my own life would be beneficial.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ