Waiting for Fall

Although it has been a mild summer, by most terms, I am starting to crave fall: pumpkin candles; crackling leaves; boots; sweaters; windy days; outdoor playing weather; evening walks; brilliant trees ... not because I am complaining about the rest of summer. I think it is that I am used to seasons. Which means as one begins to draw to a close, I have anticipation about the next one coming.

The boys and I are both ready for days to play outside without getting super sweaty. They don't really vocalize that: but I can sense it. When I suggest on a hotter day the idea of going outside ... they opt for another idea. They want to run and be active (ALWAYS), but they, too, are ready for September to roll around and more 70's everyday.

I have ended up with boys wanting something to do in the afternoons when school is done, but not really wanting to head into the backyard to keep busy. Every day when I go to work, I drive by a local applicance store ... and decided I might use that to our advantage. I dropped by last week and asked if I might by able to get a couple big boxes from them. The boys could play with them in the basement, color on them, we could cut out windows, read books, play whatever their little imaginations can dream up. I distinctly remember sitting in a big box in my own room, reading "These Happy Golden Years" = )

They said that would be great, and we went by last night to get them. They ended up only having one left for us, but it is a big refrigerator box, so plenty big for two boys!

I promised them they could play in it today after all their school was done. Here they are: ready to let this box be all kinds of things! There is a wonderful book about a girl and all she does with a cardboard box that we have read many many times: "Christina Katarina and the Box". The best thing about this is this box can be easily recycled when we are done with it and cost us nothing! And I am always up for games that use imaginations and the boys playing together ... no media involved.