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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Here Comes Fall

My favorite season!

Colors abound and warmth welcomes you home every day...or welcomes you to the store...or the library.

Heat is on everywhere when it gets chilly out and I love it! Everywhere becomes cozy and, usually, smells of nutmeg and cinnamon.

But the best part? It's my favorite season to get outdoorsy with the kids!

This is the season. This is the time. This is the perfect weather! 

 Baby gets bundled, the stroller tires get pumped, boots are on and the adventure begins!
Of course, with four kids, nothing is just that easy. There are preparations to be made!

Snacks are packed alongside the camera - usually some Nature Made bars, dried fruit or home-mixed trail mix with apple juice and water. Diapers, baby wipes (for messes as well as surprise diaper changes), boots and socks, spare pants and an extra shirt for everyone - and, of course, plastic jars for collecting.

A lot, huh?

It is, but it is so worth it. The kids behave differently after our adventures, but during? Well, they're full of questions which is the perfect time for mom to teach the important lessons in life. That's one of my main reasons for doing this. I'm not thinking about the dishes or laundry or picking up toys. It's me, them and God-created nature. I'm able to see myself in a different light as a mother. I always realize where it is I'm slacking when it comes to my kids. How much do they know? How much should they know? I typically find my answers on our trail walks and that's one thing that's immensely important to me.

The kids seems more enlightened, too. They're curious and walking through the woods is one of the best ways I can think of to get their inner scientists - as well as energy - out. They gather, collect and study.

They become my little biologists...well, except for my 6 year old who becomes my little daydreamer.
"Mommy, what if there was a bear on a unicorn swimming in the lake?" *tee hee* <3

Don't get me wrong, summer is fun in it's own right, but, to me, nothing compares to the fresh, woodsy adventures of fall. For my sanity, for our health and our over-all wellness.

Nothing compares to nature.