So in case you have been hiding under a rock the past couple weeks…the weather has turned to gorgeous here in Minnesota! I absolutely LOVE the sun!!! It makes me so happy, I can’t even really put in to words how happy the sun makes me feel. The insanely long winters make me love the sun more and more each passing year. I keep trying to convince my hubby that I was supposed to be born in Hawaii and that we need to move there ASAP but so far he hasn’t agreed. (This isn’t something I will give up on easily, maybe one day he’ll get sick of me asking and just go along with it)!

With the arrival of the sun, we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. The boys really never want to come in. I pulled out the patio furniture and we’ve even been doing our homeschool work out there. Since most of my coursework is on the computer I get a little sad when I have an assignment that I have to work on because it usually means I have to go in. If I were to describe our perfect day right now it would be: eat breakfast on the patio, do schoolwork on the patio, eat lunch on the patio, finish schoolwork on the patio, and play in the yard. Then of course we would grill on the patio, watch the sunset on the patio, and well I think you get where I’m going with this!

The sun also brings out the neighbors! I used to look at this as kind of annoying because our doorbell would be ringing constantly or numerous children would be walking around our yard trying to find the kids. In recent years I’ve now grown to love this part about the sun (especially since my children are getting older and don’t require as much supervision) and I even have some Mommy guilt over how much I enjoy it at times.

I feel a little guilty because I definitely use it to my advantage at times. When the kids are fighting, my new go-to resolution is “go outside”. And when I’m feeling like I need a little time to myself I seem to say “go see if you can play at so and so’s house.”

I love my kids immensely and I’m not trying to pawn them off on someone else but sometimes the winter really wears this Mommy down and I need a break. Sure they can go out in the winter too but that means hearing “it’s too cold” about 5 minutes after they go out and then there’s hanging snowpants all over the entryway to dry and landmines of puddles from wet boots all over. Let’s face it, when your kiddos can go outside in the spring/summer it’s way better than in the winter. WAY less labor intensive and they stay busy for WAY longer.

I may feel a little guilty for using the sun as a temporary “babysitter” once in a while but at the end of the day we all seem a little happier than on those snowy days when we’re cooped up inside. I’ll just grab a handful of chocolate covered blueberries, enjoy a few pages of a good book and all that guilt will quickly fade away. Fresh air is good for them and a chance to be still is good for me!