Bring your bike to playgroup tomorrow! We'll have some fun racing and off-roading! :)

When: Wednesdays 9am-10:30am

Where: Four Mile Creek Greenway

(Directions 1-485 to Johnston rd.

Take Johnston Rd. North

Parking is on the right after the bridge that crosses the greenway.)

...staying inside is boring.

Even in torrential rains (not shown in photo) and tornado alerts (three hours away in Raleigh.) the kids have spring fever and just need to be out. The pop of a brightly colored umbrella against grey skies is a welcome sight. Fresh spring moist air, not too cold either, a little snack and the perfect wagon-ride partner. Nothing is easier than throwing on a light jacket grabbing an umbrella and just opening the door and closing it behind us. The kids are free to hop in and out of the wagon, jump in some puddles, throw some stones, dig in the mud, play with some worms. Whatever their hearts desire. Nothing organized, no plan, just as it should be...free to explore, get wet, have fun or simply just "ride" it out.

Stop thinking so hard about it. It's simple. Turn off the TV, get away from your iPhone, cell phone, 'Crack'berry, laptop, desktop, DVD, Wii and whatever else you've plugged yourself and your kids into. Grab the kids and get outside. You don't even need shoes if you don't want. Really. Just get up and walk out.

Now breathe....

Don't you feel better?

Yes?

So do they...

OK everyone, what kid doesn't love farm animals and (short) road trips?! Mine love both! Let's hit the road and head to The Goat Lady Dairy!

One time a year they host a Spring Open Farm Day and we have got to be there.  We're hitting the road May 1st and plan to be there at 1pm. (The open house is from 1-5pm.) There are two family farms to visit:

GOAT LADY DAIRY & RISING MEADOW FARM Sunday May 1st, 1 to 5 pm. At Goat Lady Dairy see goats and goat kids, chickens and chicks, organic gardens, cheese to taste and buy, local potters and much more. At Rising Meadow see sheep and lambs, llamas, cows, chickens and a wide variety of wool and yarn. FREE EVENT -- RAIN OR SHINE -- NO PETS PLEASE Visit www.goatladydairy.com & www.risingmeadow.com for directions.

See you there!

Its pouring rain. One of those days that 9am feels like 5pm and is-it-time-for-bed-yet? *Yawn* One of the kids is sleeping, one is playing with playdoh and the other is bored out of his mind.

"Want to color?"

"NO."

"Want to play cars?"

"NO."

"Well, what would you like to do?"

"BUBBLES!"

Yeah, OK. We've got a covered porch, sure, why not? Out we go.

For awhile, this situation is great. I blow giant bubbles, kid is happy. But this kid, MY kid, loves adventure...and water...and neither is on the porch. But when its pouring just a foot away...

One step down the stairs and he gets a taste of spring rain on his fluffy head.

Two steps down and he is getting pretty wet, shoulders, arms, chubby toes and giggling like an idiot.

A few more steps and the kid is soaked.

AND HAPPY!

Oh my GOSH, JACKPOT! He looks as me like I must have lost my mind. No coat? Umbrella? Pants? Boots? Nothing....? I imagine the dialog to a conversation that I note to have with him when he is much older:

"Back in MY day, we used plastic bags if we didn't have coats and when we got wet anyway, we pretended they were sleds on wet grassy hills and yeah, we were muddy, soaked and completely, totally, utterly, blissfully happy. Like, your face hurts from smiling, HAPPY."

He finds a puddle to jump in, squats down and SPRINGS into the air, water flying all around him, and me, and he lets out a SHREEEEEEEK! of excitement.

I don't think I'll need to give him any ideas as to what to do on a day like today. My face hurts from smiling, so does his.

Its so easy to get caught up in the everyday of every. day. Sometimes its easy to forget that kids don't need much more than a puddle and their able little bodies, a willing Mommy, and they're just fine.

Best.morning.ever. Courtesy of Mother Nature

When: Wednesdays 9am-10:30am

Where: Four Mile Creek Greenway

(Directions 1-485 to Johnston rd.

Take Johnston Rd. North

Parking is on the right after the bridge that crosses the greenway.)

We walk, talk, run, skip, chase each other, play swords, dig for bugs...all until the kids are tired! Come join us!

***whoops! If you missed us today 4/6 its because we were out at 8am! Sorry about that! See you next week!

For anyone that missed us at yesterday's playgroup, we're meeting at Hunter Farms next week to have a wagon ride and go see Santa on his farm. Pumpkin picking was a success, so why not try Santa this year?! Can't wait to see the kid's faces!

See you next week! 

They say its December, but you'd think this was a summer photo! This wasn't taken long ago! 

Its raining, its pouring...a little TOO strong for comfort.

Lets meet up next week!

Well, first "official" meeting of our new group! I was happy to see we had one person actually show. (My flyers might be working after all!)

Even if everyplace else in the country is chilly, we are still quite warm in NC. T-shirts all around, and after a good mile hike in 80 degrees, tank tops may have been better :) 

Since I want the group to be kid-led, as in, we get them out so I'd like them to explore as they wish, the leader (oldest kid) of the day turned the other two onto spiders after they spotted a giant web off the path.

 The kids ran, had a stick sword fight and walked a good mile and a half. Hoping next week cools off a bit and more people come and join us!