Two kids stomped through the puddles like it was their job (I also like to walk in puddles, so I love this). Everyone else was worried about keeping their boots clean, while the dog found every last bit of snow to pounce through.
50 degrees. A whole 50 degrees after days of below zero temps. I could have put on shorts! I went as far as opening windows to air out the house after a long few weeks of snowy days and freezing temps. It was glorious. Of course, the backyard is full of dog poop (thanks winter), so I couldn't just open up the back door and let every child and fur child run free. Instead, I chose to take the kids (and fur kid) on a walk.
We love walks, so this seemed like a brilliant idea. Of course, it's been a very long winter with few days spent going outside. I'm certain, after watching the kids get ready to go on our walk, that we forgot to go outside.
First, we took bathroom breaks. Then, we put on shoes and coats. All of this was going smoothly, until a kid cried because we weren't putting on hats, gloves, and scarves. Again, it was 50 degrees and not needed. But everyone thought I was lying to them. So, when we got outside and they felt how warm it actually was (because this isn't something I would lie about, but I didn't point that out to them) we had to go back inside and undress.
Then, the 10 year old remembered he didn't take that bathroom break I told everyone to take. As we lined up at the door, that's when the questions started:
"Can we bring a toy with us?" When have I ever let them bring toys on a walk with us?? Never.
"Should we bring water with us?" We're only walking half of a mile. We'll be fine.
"Can I have my sunglasses? They're in mommy's car." Um, no, since mommy's car clearly isn't here.
"Can I wear my high heels instead of my snow boots?" No, because even though it's 50 degrees, everything is melting and there is, in fact, still ice in spots.
"How many masks should we wear on our walk?" How about you bring one. We're outside in the middle of the day. At the very least, keep one mask in your pocket, so we can put it on if we come across another person (we didn't).
Once we were FINALLY on our way, a full thirty minutes of confusion later, we walked a quarter of a mile before a big announced, "I forgot to pee and now I have to." So we all went home. I think the last few weeks of winter made them forget how to go outside! Thankfully, we'll have chances to change this all week long....but I highly doubt that will stop the random questions and requests from kids!
We played in the driveway on Wednesday. I drew lines on the driveway that they had to stay inside (so I didn't worry about anyone running off). They did much better with this than our walk, but it wasn't as warm on Wednesday as it was on Tuesday (the day of our walk), so they were perplexed as to why they had to wear gloves one day and not the day before. Oh, children. Thanks for keeping things interesting.