The Good Old Local Park

(photo credit here)

Our A/C died yesterday.

Really, really died.  As in we-have-to-get-a-new-one died.  And that will take some time.

It is 100 degrees outside.

But this morning, it was not 100 degrees outside, so we threw all of our plans out the window and ran to the park while it was still cool enough for the kids to run around.

M10 took little I9, and H2 (soon to be H3) stuck close to her.  What's a mother to do with her littlest ones taken care of?

Pay attention to someone else!

A5 called out, "Mommy, come push me on the swing!"

So I did.

We don't go to the park very often.  Now that my older kids can keep half an eye on the littler ones, I just send everyone outside to play while I take care of chores in the house.  We have bikes, hula hoops, a dog, a swing set, a slide, sidewalk chalk, neighbor kids, jump ropes, trees, sticks, rocks, dirt, shovels, buckets, water, ropes, hammers, a garden, a hill, and some woods at our disposal.  There's plenty to do right here at home.

But that means that I don't play the way I used to.

Today I pushed my 5 year old daughter in a swing.

She laughed.
She giggled.
She chortled with delight.

I pushed harder . . . just so she would keep making those sounds that filled my heart.

I wasn't doing chores.
I wasn't taking care of the baby.
I wasn't making a phone call.
I wasn't reviewing my to-do list.

I was wholly immersed in my child's laughter.

And I didn't care at all to come up for air.