Today is the fourth full day of summer vacation with our kids home from school. It is always a juggle to get into a rhythm with our summer days. Following in the footsteps of my friend Andee, I am giving my kids a week to just “chill” (as my twins call it). I’ll get into planning reading time and German and home projects in a bit. But, I did want to dive right into something I am passionate about: Summer Outdoor Adventure with Kids. While I say summer outdoor adventure with kids, I of course believe in getting outdoors all year round with my kids. Since the accident, I have not been able to do all I want to do with my children, yet I still need this time. I’ll call it modified time. I am grateful for every day.
So, while it was the fourth day of summer vacation with the kids, it was actually only the first day with all of my kids home (the twins both work now as lifeguards). (Note, when I say “all of my kids” I mean the three who are still living at home).
I told them to not make any plans with friends today, as we are kicking off our summer together going on an outing to a new park, something in nature, an outdoor adventure, something hike-like. We needed something close by due to commitments later in the evening; I found the place where we ended up– Cooper Mountain Nature Park — by googling nature parks in the Portland area. It was about a 30 minute drive out in Beaverton. Because the entire week has been filled with other kids, which I love too, I wanted to connect with just my boys, in nature, on a walk, on an adventure. If you’ve read my blog in the past, I’ve been doing summer adventures with my kids for the past several years and blogging about it. This year, all is different. But, it’s the fact that we are getting out. Trying. Making the effort.
This post really doesn’t need a lot of words. The pictures will speak for themselves.
So, my Day 12 Thought on Parenting is something I am passionate about: Go on outdoor adventures with your kids
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