“When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.”
I came across the above quote this past week and it really encouraged me in so many ways. Sometimes it just feels impossible to be outdoors when the weather doesn’t cooperate but in my experience it is always worth the effort. Try to remember how beneficial it is to your children to spend just a few minutes outdoors. Tell yourself that YOU need to get outside as well for your own sanity and a fresh start. I have been focusing on following my own advice this year and it already is helping me with my mood and outlook.
- Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)… when will it stop raining?
The story of the month of February so far is that of RAIN…really rainy weather here in Northern California. That atmospheric river just keeps flowing over our area and dumping rain in huge amounts all at once. One morning I woke up and found my rain gauge completely filled from the previous 24 hour period…it tops out at 8 inches! We live on the downward slope of a small hill and our basement and garage flooded even though we have a sump pump. Today is the third dry day and I am grateful for the break and the warm sunshine. I did manage a long walk with my dog on our walking trail since I wasn’t ready to navigate the very muddy hiking trails near our home.
- In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting….
We have daffodils! The moment the sun returned we had daffodils wake up to spring. It makes me very hopeful that spring is just around the corner. I have a friend who has a wedding anniversary at the first of March and her husband always brings her a bouquet of daffodils on that day. I think about them when I see the first daffodils of the year.
- I added nature journal pages about….
In living up to my goal to create a nature journal page each week, I have been working diligently on my journal. This page has some of the interesting information I discovered about the scent of violets along with a simple watercolor painting of one of the flower blossoms. I am hoping to keep the momentum up and keep to my page a week goal!
- I am dreaming about…
An up-coming trip where I will put my feet in warm sand.
- A photo I would like to share…
We saw this oriental poppy just about ready to burst into blossom last week at a shopping mall. We were taking a walk around the outdoor mall on a not so rainy day. We spotted the containers of colorful flowers and even observed some bees visiting the blooms. Made my heart so happy!
Outdoor Mom’s Journal
Whether your family spends a few minutes a week outside or hours at a time, share what is going on in your world.
How Do You Join?
Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.
- During our outdoor time this week we went….
- The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
- Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
- In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting….
- I added nature journal pages about….
- I am reading…
- I am dreaming about…
- A photo I would like to share…
You can use the free monthly newsletter along with the Handbook of Nature Study book for your nature study. Adding a membership gives you access to the Ultimate Naturalist Library’s ebooks and printables which provides members with even more in-depth studies each month.
Read more about it!
Look for me on Instagram if you want to follow my outdoor experiences in photos. Use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge or #OHCnaturejournal and I will stop by and see what you are up to on your Instagram account.
I’ve never seen an oriental poppy before – much less just ready to emerge. Thank you for sharing that! Your nature journal entry is beautiful.
Sorry to hear about your basement flooding because of all the rain you’re getting. An overflowing rain gauge would be an overwhelming amount of rain in such a short period of time. Our basement use to be continually flooded once Spring arrived and until Fall (we’re on a high water table). At any rate, had to do drain tiling last year in the basement and it has been all dry since then.
Here’s the link to my Outdoor Mom’s Journal for February: http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com/2017/02/outdoor-moms-journal-february.html .
Thanks for sharing your link. I really enjoyed seeing your very wintery nature related entry for February.
I love the quote you have shared. It is very encouraging. I have read your blog for a while and it is the one that made our family more and more get outside and explore.
During last couple of weeks we have spent our outdoor time at one of the parts of C&O canal that is located near Fort Fredrick State park. I have to say it is not so rainy here but it is so cloudy and windy but we still somehow managed to get outside and enjoy the nature. It is refreshing and our kids also love it. We have loved our walks at this place because we found there are some Bald Eagles. I mean there has been a day we saw at least 10 of them and it is so amazing to observe those birds. And that is also probably the most amazing thing we experienced in these weeks.
In the garden we are not planting anything yet but we have little indoor garden growing on our windowsill. The kids put radish seeds from their greens in the pot as well we started basil, green onions and peas for sprouts. I am looking forward to eat all those greens in this time of year.
i have to say my nature journal is a big struggle. I still haven’t started it yet. I got the journal but I am still not sure where I want to start, I know I love your pages you always share.
I am reading a book that is in someways connected about nature. The book is written by Angel J. Hanscom and is called Balanced and Bearfoot. Since I have little children (they are 5 and 3) this is something I am struggling a lot here lately – academics and natural play and outdoor time. We are doing a lot of outdoor school and that is why this book is really helping me to understand why exactly I need outdoors for my kids.
I am dreaming about beautiful, sunny, and warm spring day.
I am sorry I misspelled the name on the book it is called Balanced and Barefoot
Thanks for the book recommendation…I will look for it!
10 bald eagles would be amazing to see and so inspiring. Keep up the good work and don’t stress about the journal. It is hard to accomplish everything all at once but getting your outdoor time is the fuel that will eventually get you going with a journal. Do you take photos? Print one out and put it in your journal and then just write about the photo or the weather or something one of your children said on your walk. Keep it simple and consistent and you will feel successful.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!