eco-friendly dump truck and sand toy set (these things are so durable too!)
THIS is what it’s all about. Playin’ in the backyard. Makes my heart SO happy. Our outdoor living has looked SO different over the years. There was our green-built duplex in Colorado, which was very public: front yards only. But we had a rec center and a bike path right across the street. So many good memories of biking and walking in the open space, prairie dogs barking and diving into their holes as we passed.
Then there was the Cape Cod style house that we rented, also in Colorado, which had a big backyard that overlooked a historic house in the distance. Very charming. That neighborhood had a lake that we biked and walked around. The frustrating thing to me about the Front Range is that it doesn’t snow much (if any) in December, but it snows tons in April and May.
When we first moved to California we rented a condo that had no yard, but instead it had a pool and hot tub. That wasn’t all bad 😉 We spent the shortest amount of time there, only 9 months, before moving here. And we just signed our lease for what will be our 3rd year in this little California ranch cottage that we ADORE. The backyard couldn’t be more perfect. It’s my favorite yard that we’ve ever had. The patio is really wide, and it’s the length of the whole house. It also wraps down one side of the house, meaning that Ginger and Ashley ride and scooter all the time, without even leaving the yard.
I’ve bought a swing at almost every place we have ever lived. I think we use the swing more than the couch. Always have, always will.
I remember when Ginger was a few months old she went through a period where she cried and cried at night. The only thing that made her happy was to go outside. (Going outside was the cure for all my babies.) So, I would grab a comforter and we would sleep on the swing, tummy to tummy, under the moonlight.
It’s hard to say which of us loves the swing most, but if I had to choose, I would say it’s a tie between me and Ashley 🙂
Yeah, so… I got this indestructible, spring-free rebounder (trampoline) for myself, and the kids took it over 🙂 Seriously though, I have no regrets. When I want to use it I do, but the kids have gotten years worth of daily use out of it, and as far as I can tell, it will last forever.
I got this patio set not long after we moved in, and I felt like I was a real grown up. Kids don’t have things like nice patio tables and chairs. hahaha Did you know 6 patio chair cushions cost almost as much as the furniture itself? (Slapping my hand to my forehead.) BUT these cushions are super cute (am I right?) and they haven’t flattened from use, or bleached to white in the California sun.
The string lights are just mandatory, ya know? The patio wouldn’t be complete without them. And the recycled plastic mat was originally bought for the much smaller patio of our previous place, so it’s not as large as it should be for this grouping. This Rust 6 x 9 Mad Mat (which is the same brand) is currently in my ‘saved for later’. The colors are delish and will look great with my tablecloth and cushions. These mats are RAD for outdoor spaces. They also sell them in World Market if you want to go check them out.
Happy outdoor living! Lots of love!
♥, Kelly
