A Most Delicious Summer

Remember when you were little in the summer?  I don’t know you so I don’t know how long that is, but hopefully you have some memories of honest to goodness fun that includes dirt, adventure, more dirt, tasty finds and warm sun on your body.  I do for sure – my Mom was an amazing mom and while I was an only child she spent hours planning adventures for me in the summer – often just in the back yard.  I would help with gardening (making sure the little carrots were tasting good – of course), play in the sprinkler and finding different bugs to learn about and enjoy.  I was lucky to have such a beautiful childhood that I reflect on now so frequently when thinking of the childhood memories that my own children will have of their summers.

Straight Up Childhood in the Summer

The memories I have, as well as a recent trip to Montana, USA inspired me to let my kids get dirty.  Dirt is a slippery slope with triplets and an older child – bringing my total up to 4 under 6 (which is much better then 4 under 3).  If one gets dirty they ALL will get dirty and often try to outdo each other while playing in said dirt.  We go from having dirty hands to now having dirt, and or sand, EVERYWHERE – hair, hands, feet, face, ears, mouth, bodies, feet, shoes, clothing…everywhere.  Then of course they all need to go into the house for some reason and at that point I try to limit the amount they get into – I always have.  It is a lot of work when you are by yourself all day everyday and don’t wish to clean every moment of the day.

Rain: Bad for activities – awesome for Raspberries

In Alberta this summer, it has been quite wet.  We had a glorious Spring, but Summer has been something out of a very wet movie.  It has rained pretty much everyday for weeks now and while we get a few breaks in the weather, for the most part it has just been blah.  What it has been good for though is our raspberry patch in the backyard.  This will be our 6th summer in our house and while we have always had a few leafy sticks in the back yard, this year we have managed to grow a bumper crop of raspberries – and ALL four of my children LOVE raspberries…but none as much as William.

Deliciousness

Will was so excited to see that I had picked a few handfuls of berries (because our honey bees also like the bush and I don’t want to get stung) he nearly peed himself (the joy of being 3).  He dug right into the bucket (which was also not cleaned out – whoops) and just smooshed as many berries in his mouth as he could until they were gone and then proceeded to lick each of his fingers while gorging on the juice that still puddled in his hands.

Inspiration

Summer should be about dirt, fun, sun, more dirt and the right to form memories as we had back in the day, before Netflix, smart phones and other indoor distractions that keep kids from just learning how to play and enjoy their days in the warm summer air.  This was a lesson for me and while the summer weather is good we are headed outside to enjoy each other’s company and appreciate the dirt that all too soon will be replaced by friends of the opposite sex, texting and a desire to be as far from home as possible.

May your summer be filled with the beauty of childhood.

Suzie
XO