Hip, Hip Hooray! It's Monsoon Day!

We first discovered this delightful little book a few years back and as a result, we love to party on the first monsoon storm or two of the season!  I wrote about our love for it then...  Each year now, the boys request that book.  We reread it and marvel at the beauty of God's creativity in creation. 

We were fortunate enough to have a beautiful storm roll in this morning. It helped perk up the boys mood since we had to cancel co-op.  I have a cough and the last thing we need to do is share it with anyone.  I'm sort of going to need my voice when I speak at the homeschool convention next week, so I'm popping vitamin C like crazy and laying low.

Today was a first for them, in that I left them to play outside by themselves while I went inside to get Greta up from her morning nap.  Call me helicopter mom, but I have yet to let them really play out front by themselves.  Cars just zip down our street and we have no neighbors across the street.  That combination just makes me nervous.

I love the idea of letting them run free in nature as Richard Louv recommends in his book, Last Child in the Woods.  And I have such fond memories of doing that when I was a girl, but I would be far more comfortable if we had more woods {or desert in our case} and a little less streets and people...

After watching them play, I just couldn't bear to bring them in, so I gathered them together, laid out some guidelines and then let them play in the retention area in front of our home for another half-hour while Greta and I headed indoors to get lunch pulled together.

How do you navigate giving them freedom outdoors and wanting to keep your children safe?

As for the Daily Outdoors Challenge, I have a confession to make.  I did an awful job of meeting my goal this week.  While we had a couple of fun evening walks, I did not make it outside every day this week with the kids. We had some scorchers and I've been a little pre-occupied.  Lack of planning and forethought means that, by default, I've been hiding indoors...  I'll need to be intentional about making outdoor explorations and play WITH my kids happen this next week.  I'm thinking ice play is in order!