Why Getting Your Kids Outdoors Is Worth The Effort

Ok moms, raise your hands if your with me when I say getting your kids out the door can be quite the fiasco. My dad always said getting us all in the car was like trying to turn the titanic. I laughed and then spent a few extra minutes finishing my makeup and choosing a new outfit and then chased the van down our long driveway so I wouldn’t get left behind… Now I really understand what he meant.

There is a sweet couple from church that invited us to come out to their commercial vineyard and pick grapes. We finally got around to it. Kris of course was at school and couldn’t come. So it was me getting the babies all ready by myself. I had already planned and failed to make it out the door for this twice in the past weeks, so I was determined this time.

Carrying coats, carseats, rubber boots, snacks, buckets for berries, cameras, phones, keys and my diaper bag, plus the kiddies of course, definitely made for more than one trip back and forth between the car and the house. Honestly every time I make it out the door I am sweating so much I’m ready to take another shower. Thank heavens for AC in the car.

It was a half hour drive there. Which means not only did it take an hour to get out the door, it also took an hour in driving time, plus the time we spent actually picking grapes. When you have a long to-do list, a messy house and feel like you haven’t had enough alone time to even take a peaceful shower in days, three hours to pick grapes is a big deal.

In the whole process of things I honestly started wondering why I even make the effort. It is so easy to turn on the TV for Zoey, she could tune out for hours with Super Why. Zander isn’t quite so easy to distract, but I could definitely get more done with her watching the TV for three hours than I did during this three hour grape-picking excursion. But I made the effort because I thought it was important to spend time outside of the house, do fun things together, get some fresh air, etc.

While we picked grapes Zoey and I were chatting and laughing in a way we don’t always get to at home with all the distractions. Suddenly I was flooded with so many memories of spending time with my family outdoors as a kid. My mom always made outdoor family time a priority. We spent countless hours camping, at the beach, gardening together, picking fruit, going on hikes, and any other device-free, outdoor type of activity you can do with eight kids.

My mom always told us, remember kids, when you grow up your friends might go away, but your siblings will always be there, they will be your best friends if you let them. So we all talked and laughed and played together. We built forts and played capture the flag and kayaked. We raised bunnies and sheep. We climbed trees and built swings. My mom told us that we were each others best friends so often that we really believed it. She also gave us endless opportunities to build those relationships in a place free from any type of worldly distraction.

The sun was so beautiful and the sky was so blue while we picked grapes that it kind of just fed my soul. But the more beautiful thing was reminiscing on the beautiful moments my mom had created for us as kids just by getting us outdoors as a family, and realizing that I was creating the same thing for Zoey and Zander. I want them to have the treasure trove of memories to look back on that I was blessed with. I hope they have the strong relationships with each other that I am SO lucky to have with my siblings.

I never once heard my mom complain about how difficult it was to get all eight of us kids out the door. But now that I struggle to get two out, I know she had to work hard to give us everything she did. I consider what she gave me and my siblings absolutely priceless.

That is the beauty of getting outdoors with your family. With all the billboards and the noise and the advertisements gone, you can actually see that the most beautiful things this world has to offer are already surrounding you.

Keep scrolling for more pictures or…

Boots: American Girl | Boot Socks: American Girl | Sweater: Old Navy | Jeggings: Old Navy