Backyard Discovery Fun Holiday Sweepstakes on Facebook
Who wouldn’t want to win a Backyard Discovery Oxford Swingset or Chateau playhouse just in time for Christmas? Right now Backyard Discovery is running a Sweepstakes on their Facebook page and ALL you have to do is go “like” them for a chance to win one! Good Luck! And if you get a chance let them know I sent ya over 
!
* Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Backyard Discovery Ambassador campaign, which I am proud to be a part of! I was provided with a Backyard Discovery Playset and other tools from Backyard Discovery to help facilitate my reviews and posts during the campaign, but all posts and opinions in them are purely my own and my kiddo’s.
The “Carter is so Lucky” Party
Last week we celebrated Carter’s Birthday! And boy did we have fun! I only wish that both boys had summer birthdays because the parties are so much easier to plan!
Just throw the kids outside with a pool, some sprinklers, our Backyard Discovery Playset, water guns and snacks and let the party begin.
In the midst of the party, Evan came up to me and asked, “Mom, why does Carter get the fun parties? He’s so lucky.” He must have forgotten that he got a big party for his 3rd birthday and that he CHOSE not to have a party for his 4th birthday (just dinner with his fave friend). Which I quickly reminded him. But I do agree, the fact that Carter’s birthday falls in the summer does make more fun parties!
* Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Backyard Discovery Ambassador campaign, which I am proud to be a part of! I was provided with a Backyard Discovery Playset and other tools from Backyard Discovery to help facilitate my reviews and posts during the campaign, but all posts and opinions in them are purely my own and my kiddo’s.
Kids, Kids and More Kids (A Backyard Discovery Post)
Let’s just say, that the house church we belong to (think cell group or small group) through our church, has been blessed with A LOT of kids! And the *funny* thing is that besides the 2 oldest at 7, the rest are 5 and under. That would be another 14 kids 5 years old and under! So it’s not very often that we can have a get together and actually talk to OUR friends without being interrupted unless we have babysitters to keep them as far away from us as possible. !
Because, I am a Backyard Discovery Ambassador, I was given a party pack and told to have a party! Tough, I know! And who possibly could I invite that has kids…hmmmmm
Okay fine, so it was a no brainer. So this Sunday, our house church had our monthly dinner together at our house, more specifically our backyard. With that many kids, I tried to encourage EVERYONE to stay outside so my house wouldn’t get too trashed. HA! Just being honest here.
I can actually say, this was a first in a long time, that us parents (and poor singles who have to deal with our kids) could sit and chit chat while the kids entertained themselves. And since we have a fenced in yard, we didn’t really have to worry too much about any runaways. Okay maybe there was one plot of an escape, but don’t worry all kids are accounted for !
What I love about our Backyard Discovery play set is that there is something for everyone. At any given time, there were kids in the sand box, every swing was taken, the fort was filled and kids trying the monkey bars!
Did I forget to mention that out of the 16 kids only 3 of them are GIRLS! Oh yeah, so of course there were very intense sword fights and artillery battle around the fort! Don’t worry the boys fought a good fight and the enemy retreated!
But, most importantly we were able to do this:
The Men
Some of the ladies
I mean, come on! When does this EVER happen with so many kids around! It was awesome! Good food, great friends and even better fellowship!
* Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Backyard Discovery Ambassador campaign, which I am proud to be a part of! I was provided with a Backyard Discovery Playset and other tools from Backyard Discovery to help facilitate my reviews and posts during the campaign, but all posts and opinions in them are purely my own and my kiddo’s.
The Beauty That Surrounds
*Trust me there really is a point to this some-what long post but I needed to fill you in to the evolution and history before getting to it *
When we were purchasing our first home, we didn’t really have many necessities we were looking for. We kinda just went with something that had some character and had enough room for Jeremy and myself and of course the pets. We were sorta planning for the future and knew that one day we could have kids so we made sure we had a couple of bedrooms and I wanted a basement for entertaining and/or kids! When we first saw our house, it was in pretty decent shape but what really wooed us was the backyard! It was spacious and fenced in.
The yard was the selling point. And over the years, the frustrations of owning a home that was built in the ’40s has at some points brought us to tears! I can say that I HATE my house. I mean, I am very thankful that we own a home and we have shelter for our family, but I really wish we could move! There are too many things that need to be fixed and just not enough money in the budget to fix them!
The yard has transformed many times in the 8 years of living here. The first year, my neighbor informed me that she and the previous owner had gardened together and that the yard had a variety of many beautiful plants and trees. To a young, career oriented woman that meant nothing to me. Actually, I recall telling Jeremy that “I WOULD NEVER” garden and I started pulling plants out that I didn’t want to keep up.
The next summer, the gardening bug hit me. And HIT ME HARD! I started to research plants that were native to our area and were perennials. My dad and I tore out large amounts of shrubs and trees that were over grown and a nuisance. Let’s just say, that when Jeremy went to work one morning we had several mulberry trees in our yard and when he came home there were NONE! My dad and I decided to dig them out ourselves. I started planning out more and more flower beds and purchased more and more plants. Let’s just say that Jeremy wasn’t amused since he just saw a lot of work involved.
For a couple of years, the backyard evolved into a beautiful landscaped oasis that I could retreat to. I did most of the up keep myself and enjoyed working the soil and bringing beauty and wildlife (birds and butterflies) into our own little piece of Earth.
Then my whole world flipped upside down! Evan arrived! And my little Eden turned into a forgotten wasteland, as my focus turned to dealing with a newborn.
My backyard deteriorated that summer and weeds took over and plants went crazy. That first summer, I had a really hard time multitasking. I admit it! Evan wasn’t much for hanging outside while I worked. Saying that he would scream and cry the whole time would be an understatement. I tried, I did. But it was much easier to stay indoors and keep my little man busy doing other things.
The second summer after Evan was born, I was having Carter in July. So we all know that I was HUGE and wasn’t going to be out in the heat while carrying a baby that was making my stomach measure as if I was having twins (No joke!!), and besides the heat can you see a overly pregnant woman bending over and weeding! No thank you! So once again, my once beautiful oasis became a breeding ground for weeds and overgrowth.
BUT the tides were going to turn. Last summer, my dad couldn’t stand it any longer! He knew how beautiful my yard once was, and he definitely has a green thumb! He enjoys being outside making nature around us beautiful – even though he is known to complain the WHOLE time he is doing it – we know how much he truly enjoys it!
That summer, he weeded EVERYTHING, trimmed back all my plants and cleared out our overgrown woods at the end of our yard. He worked pretty much the whole summer. And boy was it beautiful again!
This summer, the boys are finally old enough to play together and not have to be watched constantly. So I was looking forward to getting back out there and enjoying my yard again. But then early in the spring, I made a realization. And really the whole point of the this post.
Most of my good friends, do not have yards that are child friendly, let a lone parent friendly. And I have both. I have a large, fenced in yard. And I have a covered porch where the parents can sit under and relax.
The first couple of times friends came over, comments were made about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful yard. So I decided to make it my mission, to keep my schedule as flexible as possible so that my friends could come over anytime they want. It kinda feels like my special way of giving back and blessing those moms in my life! And besides, having them over makes my days so MUCH EASIER! I get to have some quality time with my girl friends and the boys get to run off their built up energy with their friends!
I also have realized that the beauty that I once worked so hard on – the flowers and shrubs – pale in comparison to the beauty of friendships that were beginning to bud and blossom. The conversations and fellowship that happens in my backyard are much more a blessing then the surroundings. But the hard work of making our little plot of land beautiful, has paid off in ways that I never would have thought. Our yard is inviting to kids but also the beauty of the yard invites parents in and says “welcome, put your feet up for awhile, drink some coffee, listen to the song birds and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.”
It is my little oasis that I now get to share with those special people in my life! A true blessing indeed.
Here are the views from the back porch:
And as if my backyard couldn’t get any better, Backyard Discovery asked me to be an Ambassador! Which meant, I was given a beautiful cedar play set. This was my moment of realizing that maybe God did have a special plan for my backyard! It made my backyard complete.
The kids in my sons’ lives now ask to go to “Evan and Carter’s Park”. My friends will text and ask if they can come over to “Loyd Park”. I love it! And of course we love that fact that we have a restroom that isn’t a porta-potty and a (usually) stocked kitchen for healthy snack times!
I also try to keep stocked with extra bubbles, bubble wands, bug catchers (because this summer the boys have decided that digging in my flower beds for insects is cool), water guns, sand toys and an extra dose of being care-free. Because kids plus plants usually equals trampled and wounded plants – HA! But that is okay. We are building lifelong memories and friendships!
So if you are in the neighborhood, stop on by, put you feet up and enjoy a cup of coffee!
History of the Playset (A Backyard Discovery Post)
If you are around my age *cough cough* or older, what do you remember about playgrounds growing up? I bet you remember metal slides that seared your legs upon impact, or merry go rounds (which I haven’t seen at a park for ages), or the lack of climbing walls, tunnels, climbing mesh walls, rocking boats etc. Playgrounds have definitely evolved since I was a child!
Here is a fun, brief history infographic Backyard Discovery has created about the evolution of playsets and swing sets.
* Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Backyard Discovery Ambassador campaign, which I am proud to be a part of! I was provided with a Backyard Discovery Playset and other tools from Backyard Discovery to help facilitate my reviews and posts during the campaign, but all posts and opinions in them are purely my own and my kiddo’s.
Get Out and PLAY!!! (I’m a Backyard Discovery Ambassador)
As a mom of 2 boys, I NEED outdoor play time. The winter months really do me in! So each and every opportunity I have to get the kids outside I take, even if it’s rearranging schedules, appointments (especially in the colder months) and nap times! I think any mom of boys understands the NEED of space!
I may be mistaken, maybe girls need the wide open just as much as the boys do, but speaking as a mom of boys, they literally will bounce off the walls if they don’t get physical activity in. Evan and Carter are good boys, but they are such different little creatures in winter versus the warmer months!
We are fortunate enough to live in a great city that believes in great parks. That is one of the reasons that I LOVE where we live. We are in walking distance to many playgrounds and short driving distances to many more playgrounds and nature reserves. And trust me, we visit ALL of them on a rotation. Ha!
We are also fortunate to have an amazing back yard! Our backyard was the selling point to the house we live in. But unfortunately we didn’t have a play set in our yard – we had a swing set left over from a previous owner and we purchased a sand box and a Little Tikes play set (which the boys have outgrown).
So when I was contacted by Backyard Discovery to be an ambassador, I truly didn’t think twice about it!! I mean, I think I actually squealed and jumped up and down !
*I am now getting on my soap box temporarily*
As an educator, I believe play is the one most important building block that is starting to be ignored in our society. We, as parents, want so much for our children, that we are enrolling in preschools at earlier ages and in sports in earlier ages (and yes I fall into this category), and teaching our kids technology almost immediately at birth, which leaves little time to just PLAY! When I was teaching, it was humorous, yet disheartening at the same time, to us teachers watching the kids at recess. Most of the 5th graders I had, didn’t know how to just play. They would spend the majority of the recess time arguing about rules and who was going to make the decisions instead of just going out and starting a pick up game or designing their own game to play. Our kids have been told what to do by teachers, coaches and technology so much, they have NO idea how to play on their own. Again – I’m not saying that preschools, sports and technology are right or wrong. But I am saying that we NEED to give our kids time to be kids – unstructured- all out play time. Time to explore what their bodies are capable of, time to learn about the world around them, time to jump and climb and swing and get dirty, time to discover, create and fail!! I have found that this “unstructured” play time brings as MUCH learning moments as “structured” learning time.
*I am now getting down from my soap box*
Anyways, a few weeks ago, Jeremy sent me a link that he thought I would find interesting. Because let’s face it, an artist and an analytical math person rarely find topics that we both find interesting. Ha ha, but that is why I fell in love with him! So instead of giving you all kinds of educational terms and links, I though I would share the article that he sent me.
The article is, “Frog Design: The Four Secrets of Playtime That Foster Creative Kids” by Laura Seargeant Richardson. I LOVED this article! Laura sums it all up in one sentence, “Our world is increasingly filled with play that makes kids passive consumers instead of active creators.” She then writes a great article on how to get our kids more actively involved in being creators! Go check it out! You can thank me later !
There is a myth, common in American culture, that work and play are entirely separate activities. I believe they are more entwined than ever before. As the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget once said, “Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.” A playful mind thrives on ambiguity, complexity, and improvisation—the very things needed to innovate and come up with creative solutions to the massive global challenges in economics, the environment, education, and more. (also from the article “Frog Design: The Four Secrets of Playtime That Foster Creative Kids“)
Okay so maybe I wasn’t fully off my soap box, but now I really am! Ha! I promise!
Anyway, as I was saying, when the folks at Backyard Discovery asked me to join their campaign and be an ambassador, how could I say “no”? So I didn’t.
I am super, super, super excited to be working with Backyard Discovery. What will this mean for you, my readers? I will be posting about how my kids will be using outdoor play to foster creativity, posting ideas on how to foster playtime and creativity and also will be helping spread the word on all things Backyard Discovery.
If you are on Facebook (Backyard Discovery) and/or Twitter (@swingsetsonline) go follow them ; )! I love their Facebook page. They consistently post great ideas to help foster outdoor play!
* Disclosure: This post was written as part of the Backyard Discovery Ambassador campaign, which I am proud to be a part of! I was provided with a Backyard Discovery Playset and other tools from Backyard Discovery to help facilitate my reviews and posts during the campaign, but all posts and opinions in them are purely my own and my kiddo’s.
