Our Backyard

Last weekend I completed a little project I had been thinking about for awhile... a new backyard set up for the boys. I've always found it hard to be outside with them, except when they are confined to the wagon or stroller. They dart in different directions, and having a small yard it doesn't take many seconds before they are in the neighbour's territory. We live in condo townhouses so we have our own little backyard section, but the fences only are as long as our patios so the back part is connected with my neighbours. The downside, not a ton of privacy. The upside, there is lots of space to run (possibly a downside with toddlers) and easy to get to know your neighbours. Anyways, I've been determined to spend more time outside so with two toddlers, that meant having enough distractions to keep them from escaping. Our space is small, but removing the patio furniture for the season, we had a bit of room to work with. The boys loved the playhouse that was up at my parents farm so I thought that might be fun. I hunted for a few weeks on Kijiji and finally found a good one for a great deal as well as the slide. The teeter totter was passed on by friends.

I would love my boys to have a big yard to run around in, woods to explore, creeks to play in, making toys out of things from nature, but the reality is that I live smack in the middle of the suburbs so I make do with what I have and put up with a little more plastic than I'd like. I'm also wary of my boys having too much 'stuff'. It's tricky at this age to keep them distracted in a small space. I am happy to have spent only $90 on our entire set-up. I also like that because our backyards are connected we can share what we have with the other kids in the neighbourhood. Yesterday while playing out back, we had a few kids join us while we chatted with their parents and the other neighbours on either side of us. I liked the little community feel to it and am looking forward to many hours outdoors before the snow hits. Fall is my favourite season and I plan to enjoy it!