Instapost: Railroad Track

Buried Spoon

It's often the occasion that my children do things to shock me. Actually, I've grown quite numb over the years. Tons of toilet paper, random kitchen creations and spontaneous water fights have become the norm in this house. Today, I was vexed by my latest finding. A spoon buried in the back yard. I'm not going to even ask. I'm grabbing it, putting it in the dishwasher and moving on.

A buried spoon...really?

A Land On The Hand

Instapost: Drooping Daisies

Nature Collection

The most recent additions to the nature collection of a four year old.

Instapost: #springhassprung

It's that's time of year and we've really dug into the dirt to prep our own garden. Here is a sample from a friend's cutting garden. Who doesn't love Spring?

Herb Admiration

Getting children to appreciate the garden should be a life goal for all parents. They are amazed by the simplicity that is growing things and that's as it should be. A tiny garden means future sustainability. A tiny gardener guarantees food's future. Period.

Soapy Sunny Day

We neglect this blog. We admit it. Between the shopping and eating, the salvation of our real life gets lost. So after a few meetings of the minds, it has been decided that we will commit to daily bits of salvation. Coincidentally that's our Twitter handle: @bitsofsalvation so be sure to follow us there, too. Whether it's a photo, quote, current topic or rant, it'll be a daily thing that inspires us and we'll share it with you. Today it's the dawn of spring. The sun was out so the kids uncurled themselves from the winter couch and stepped outside. They chose to delve into soap concoctions and potions. Good old soap and water mixed with whatever nature has to offer was on the ingredient list. Half a dozen various reusable containers, spoons and a few tea towels made the creativity all happen. Fitting for a day that had seemingly been magically transformed from dark to light in a matter of hours. The children played and created with the sun above. Enough cannot be said for the powers of Vitamin D and these photos are proof positive that the sun rays energize the body, mind, and spirit.

A few tips...

Set a limit on soap. The fun can last for hours but there is not an endless supply.

Soap play can become a safety hazard with spilt bottles and containers. Have plenty of towels and always put soap lids back on.

This is definitely an outside activity. Enough said.

Stop This Train

Recently, our family enjoyed a 30 minute train ride and it was pure bliss. With the cool wind blowing past our faces we bumped along the short, scenic route loving every minute of it. 
This has become a most enjoyable & quite regular event in our home as we seek out train rides, museums and exhibitions wherever we are. There is a certain old world charm and rich history to the locomotive that has a way of stirring up the emotions of children and adults alike. Though this particular one lacked a train museum & hands on exhibit, the open-sided train was calling our name. This day was absolutely perfect for a ride and we chugged along past endless open fields, over rivers and through the woods while the children eagerly took in all of the sites. It is always a magical moment to see pure joy in the eyes of children and though the train was moving, time stood still for just a second. As we road this train again for the hundreth time, my husband and I couldn't help but reminisce of the very first ride we took as a family. Then of 3 now of 5. We always get teary eyed thinking of it though he would only admit to that in certain company. Life will chug along just as quickly as our 30 minute train ride so hop on board and enjoy it with the children.  


Check local listings for train rides in your area. Many of them have only minimal admittance fees and the money will oftentimes go towards the preservation of local train programs or support organizations.