Freewheeling and Cosmic Adventures

There is a definite shift taking place. Spring IS in the air. Hubby chuckled this morning when I declared I had begun my spring cleaning. I spent most of yesterday washing curtains, quilts and sheets, hanging them to dry in the fresh spring air. He reminded me that it is still winter. Yes, Old Man Winter is sure to make a few more appearances in Nova Scotia, but on days like today, I will revel in the blue sky and sunshine.

I made an executive decision to skip our regular gymnastics class and hit the skate park. Any guilt I was feeling for shirking on our commitment evaporated the moment the boys sped away on their bicycles, wind and sun rosying their cheeks. I am fortunate to have access to this skate park with a glorious ocean view. We usually schedule our visits in the morning when the "big kids" are in school. It does sadden me, however, to see this community park scarred by vandalism and graffiti. On the bright side, it opened up a conversation on the matter......always something to learn with little ones around.

We also took our crafting and learning activities al fresco today. Sheltered by the cool ocean breeze, we tucked ourselves into a cozy corner of the deck and dug out the wool. There has been a great deal of interest in the solar system these days. Chi-Chi's upcoming space-themed birthday party is likely the root of it. While Chi-Chi set to work on his personal wet felting projects, Muffy assisted me with our latest science project while eating snack #3 (he's a growing boy!) I grabbed a felting needle and set to work creating a simple set of felted planets. An old piece of driftwood I had on hand served as a frame for our solar system mobile. Muffy helped me organize the cosmic creations using our reference book, a 69 cent thrift store find. Though far from scientifically accurate, the new mobile is a fun addition to our play space. If nothing else, it serves as inspiration for my dreamy boys as they contemplate space voyages and scientific discoveries of their own.

With the sun warming up his back, Chi-Chi could not resist a quick dip in the felting bucket! He invited me to give it a try and how good it felt. The grass tickling my toes, the warm sun on my face....yes, Spring IS here (almost!).