It’s been pretty fantastically hot in our neck of the woods the past few weeks, the majority of our days have been spent outdoors enjoying it. On a regular day we spend a good 5 hours outside, but when the weather is as beautiful as it has been (30c+ without humidity), it’s more like 8 hours outdoors. After seeing all our outdoors photos on Instagram (username: baby_blackbird) many people have commented about how: we swing naps, where we go all the time, how far we walk, and how the kids like it. Some days it’s a bit of challenge to get going (or to agree on where we are going), but so worth it not to be cooped up indoors – also I like as little tv time as possible, being outside and being active is the best way to avoid it. This is basically how a regular day for us goes:
- King and Harley wake up super early (between 5am and 630am), and most mornings we are out of the house and on the road to a park by 8am (or to a morning class) – we make our way back home for 11am or 12pm naps (naps are sometimes epic after a morning park trip, major plus!).
- After naps (I’m SO lucky they both still nap) we get out butts in gear, eat lunch (sometimes I pack lunch and we eat on the go or at a park) – we then head out again: I use the afternoon to run errands, get groceries, go to a different park, the library, or maybe a playdate.
- We make our way back home for supper, and usually use the time between cooking and waiting for Dad to do some crafts or some at home learning. We walk EVERYWHERE or take the subway (we actually do not even own a car, and LOVE that we don’t), our days are filled with simple and FREE fun – on the weekends when Dad is home we venture out further and explore new parks, attractions in the city, or some of our favorite neighborhoods.
It’s the simple things that really make our days so perfect, spending time together and enjoying the great things Toronto has to offer. Also I LOVE the feeling of coming home at the end of a super fun day and realizing we spent $0, call me cheap but to me nothing beats good cheap fun!
HARLEY> Headband: BONTON bandana – Tank: Petit Bateau – Pants: BONTON – Sandals: Old Navy (everything expect the sandals was a gift, from super sweet friends)
I love thearing how other people spend their everyday with kiddos, what do you and your kiddos do on a regular day? Maybe we can add a few new fun things to our routine!
Also, I wanted to share how we spent Father’s Day, but instead we actually decided to leave the camera at home and just enjoy the day – no distractions. It was wonderful!
Oh I SO love this post!! It reminds me of when I just had two littles – BEST TIME EVER. I loved that season of life. My oldest is 10 now and while I love how independent she is (think – she can make her own lunch and fold her own clothes – yay!) I really miss the simplicity of that season. I am with you 100% about feeling proud of a $0 day. In GA (USA) it is pretty much impossible to get anywhere without a car so we still have gas to worry about 🙁 but I love the days when we pack a lunch head to the park and spend the day in the sun!
Thank you so much! I’m trying my best to soak it all in while it lasts. The Independence sounds wonderful though, another thing to look forward too!
this is one of the main reasons i love living downtown…although we are on queen west there’s so many parks and lovely outdoor spaces to go to. on weekends and the days I spend at home with J we have very similar schedules…an J wakes up between 5-6am so we’re usually out and about super early. The only reason we have a car is so I can drive to mississauga for work, but when we’re home the car stays parked. I’m looking forward to getting my bike soon so I can start exploring some new places…maybe high park with the kiddo 🙂
Queen West has some great parks! And it sounds like a car is definitely needed!
First, I love that you spend $0! Yes yes yes! Secondly, being outdoors constantly does make for epic naps and wonderful fun filled memories. Third, I am SOFREAKINGJEALOUS that you don’t even own a car. I wish! It seems half of our lives are spent in the car waiting to get somewhere. What a bummer.
i work full time so we love to get outside in the evenings, i save watering the garden for last. my son loves to run into the spray or jump around in the puddles & then we head inside for baths, reading & good nights!
I used to work full time and did the same, the nights were extra sweet! And I have such great memories watering the garden as a kid, wish I had a garden the kids and I could tend together.
as much as i love the country life, it would be nice to be able to walk everywhere instead of an at least 15 minute drive!
Right now it’s eat, sleep repeat. Atticus is only 11 wks old so not much more we can do at this point. I try to get outside at least once a day even if it’s just wearing him in the ergo and going for a walk. I am not wishing the time away but I can’t wait for him to get older so I can take him to the park and do really fun outdoor stuff with him! Your fam is such an inspiration to get outside!
Oh eat, sleep, repeat is dearly missed!! Go GO GO is awesome too, but I will always miss napping with the baby. Such a great way to spend the day and thank you!!:)
Love free and car free days! We live in Chicago and rarely drive. My daughter is still taking two naps a day so we don’t get out quite this much but we try. We usually spend the mid-day awake period walking the neighborhood to run errands, on a play date, or having some sort of urban adventure (Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park, Farmer’s Market… all free!). After her 2nd nap, we almost always head to our favorite local playground. She digs in the sandbox, swings and plays in the sprinkler until it’s time to head home for dinner and a much-needed bath. Looking forward to getting outdoors as much as you and your kiddos in a year or so!
Sweet little bunnies…lurv to see them having snuggles!
happiness…
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Ok, I love you and your sweet family… your instagrams are my favorites. But THIS, this post, just made me love you guys even more! Such a loving, free spirit, run with the wind family! From your pictures I always knew you were out and about a lot, but now knowing the extent of it is just amazing. Super inspiring. xo!
You are too sweet Katrina! We might be out and about less if we had a private backyard.:)
your munchkins are just beautiful! like freaking beautiful!! and so sweet together. your days sound like the best kind of magic and it’s so awesome that you cherish it the way you do.
It’s pretty great but also pretty stressful. 🙂 XO!