random simple things

Kids! On an almost regular basis, at least one of my children will randomly remind me how MUCH they miss our old house! More importantly, their old backyard. The yard that was large enough to run, skip, hop, and put on a decent baseball game, in. The yard that would accommodate a rather large dog very nicely. The yard that we currently don't have!

When we moved to our current home, we sacrificed a bit. No more double sinks and garden tub in the mama & daddy bathroom. No. Now we can barely stand side by side looking into our ity-bity mirror. No more massive walk-in closet (that was actually WAYYY to big for it's own good!) No. Now we fight with the sliders and boxes that our clothes STILL sit in, some almost five years later! No more brand-new-house windows/doors/appliances..etc..etc.. No. We now live in a vintage 1970's home that is in desperate need of new lower story windows.

So, we sacrificed some. Maybe in some ways a lot! But, we now live near beautiful Lake Michigan and can literally get to the beach in five minutes. We now live on a street with homes not shoe boxed on top of each other. We do backup to a lovely ravine that is private and wild with animals..at times. We NOW live in a home with little to NO backyard!!

I will not lie! At times I get a dose of mama-guilt. "Are the kids missing out on not having a big backyard?" "Should we move?" "Is not having a bigger backyard going to cause emotional/psychological ramifications in their later years in life???" NO! NO! and NOOOO!!!

Driving around our town I quickly see how fortunate we really are. Some folks don't have even the postage stamp size lot that we do! Sure it would be nice to have that big fenced in yard so the dog (the one that exists in my child's "if-we-had-a-bigger-backyard-mind") could run and frolic with the kids. Sure it would be nice to grant my youngest daughters miracle-wish and get that "underground"pool to splash and play in with every neighbor kid. Don't forget the trampoline too!! Sure, it WOULD be nice to have the 1 acre lot, that my son wants, to have a professional sized football field! Sure, why not! Heck, while on the subject...SURE, it would be nice for mama to have a nice big yard to have a huge garden (maybe small scale farm!),complete with greenhouse, blueberry patches and a small pond for fishing! For daddy, a poll barn or two, to hold all of those want-to-do projects, boats and whatnot's.

Yep, a nice 10 acre yard, complete with a lush green grassy area to run and play with the "dog". A nice flat area to house the "football field". The Olympic sized "pool" would look perfect next to that extra large "trampoline". Mama's "farm" would take up a sizable area in the back 5 acres, perfectly next to daddy's "poll barn(s)."

Ah, I can almost see it now!

Now, who wants to mow?