After a taste of good outdoor playing weather last Saturday, we have again been plunged into the cold grayness of winter. Tomorrow should be the end of that for a while, so I am looking forward to spending more time outside like we did the other day. While I welcome the opportunity to spend more time playing outside with the kids, I also know that the shift away from spending so much time inside means that I may have to make some adjustments to the way that I do things.
For example, the boys may want to go outside right after breakfast on some days. That’s fine with me, I just have to make sure that as soon as they go out, I am prepared for them to come back in. Sometimes they go out so early that it is still cold outside. Also, even if Dylan is only out for a minute, you can rest assured that he will be sandy or muddy. He adores his sandbox, and he runs to play in it as soon as he goes out the door. We have a tile floor in the kitchen, but there is hardwood in the living room and the playroom. I want to make sure that when they come in they won’t make a huge mess in the kitchen or track in sand that could scratch the floors.
My plan for containing the wet, sandy messes that come in along with happy, smiling little boys is to set up a changing area right by the door. The boys can change on the deck on warm days or inside if it is cold. I plan to put a box with multiple sets of “play clothes” for each of them, along with plenty of socks. Their shoes and boots are already by the door, and the diaper bag hangs on the coat rack, so those things are handy for when I need them. I think that I will place a dishpan of water on the deck along with a towel, to rinse sandy hands and feet, too.
Photo by greyerbaby on morguefile.com.