With the chirping of birds, sprouting of grass and warmer days, we know spring is here! I think Logan feels it, too, because he definitely wants to spend more time outside these days. Our backyard isn't much more than a field of weeds with a big tree that drops more sticks than leaves. While a little boy could have lots of fun digging in the dirt, I have other visions of outdoor play-time for my son.
For the past few weeks, I've been on the hunt for a good outdoor play set, something Logan can climb up, slide down, and crawl over, through and under. My search has been in vain, though. New sets can range from $150 to over $300, which I'm not willing to pay. I know, they're huge, and awesome, but my wallet cries just thinking about parting with that much for a toy Logan will only play with for a couple of years. Used ones are no better, still costing from $80 to over $150.
Even smaller items seem to be over priced, for my liking. I'd love to give Logan a tricycle that I can push for now, and he can grow into. Once again, I'm looking at spending about $100! I think not! Used bikes all seem to be missing the push handle. This quest for outdoor fun has been anything but fun for me.
We've been resorting to cheaper, smaller items; balls, small sand toys, sticks, rocks and one-sided games of "tag" and "follow the leader", and blowing bubbles. Today I found some mini-soccer sets at a Dollarama, so I bought two, knowing that the cones will get lost and broken, and the dog will inevitably tear the ball apart. I also bought two other balls to play with outside, so I hope this will cover our backyard time for now.
As for climbing, sliding and swinging... We'll just have to go to the park like folks used to do!
I have to remind myself that Logan doesn't measure fun by the stuff he has. He measures fun by the things he can do, and the time we spend together. So what if I can't afford the cool outdoor play set this year? I can go get messy in the dirt with my boy, instead.
Soap is cheaper, anyway.
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